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When to move up to next dose?

Posted , 3 users are following.

kelly58470
kelly58470

When I started citalopram 5 years ago, my doctor moved up me doses way too quickly: I went from starting at 20 mg. to bumping up to 40 mg. within one week. Not only were side effects horrific, but I never got the chance to see if a lower dose would be just as effective for me.

?I didn't want to make the same mistake when starting escitalopram. A straight switch would have been to 20 mg; but my doctor prescribed me 10 mg instead. And, I decided to cut those in half. So, I've been on 5 mg for the past 13 days.

?I'm now wondering when I should move up a dose. I'll be going up to 7.5 mg, since I'm so anxious about side effects. I've had minimal side effects on the 5 mg; however, I also haven't had any moments where I've thought it could be working. I feel pretty much exactly the same as before I switched meds, except with increased spaciness that comes and goes sporadically. It's disheartening to think that I could end up slowly getting to the highest dose; and it still doesn't work for me, and I'd have to switch to a different medication!

?We go on vacation the end of this month, and I'm hoping to avoid having any side effects then. I'm not sure if I should stay on the 5 mg to be safe, or if I should move up to 7.5 and hope side effects are still minimal??

Has anyone felt any improvement on 5 mg, or am I totally wasting my time on such a low dose?

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 kelly58470

    Posted

    I switched over from Prozac 20mg to Escitalopram 10mg which is an equal dose. After being on Prozac for 8 weeks it did nothing but give me side effects. I have been on 10mg for 9 days today. No bad side effects, but I have bad anxiety. It can take 6 to 8 weeks to work. I take vistaril for anxiety which doesn’t make much of a difference. Why did you stop the Citalopram. I also take Trazadone 50 for sleep which lets me sleep for 7 hours.
    • kelly58470
      kelly58470 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hi, Lynn!

      I had to quit the Citalopram after 5 years, as it quit working for me. That was a real disappointment, because it had worked great once the side effects wore off.

      ?I'm prescribed trazadone, too :-). I've had a prescription for 5 years now. I take it as needed. Before this last bout of anxiety, I'd need to use it maybe 5 nights a year. Now, I'm taking it almost nightly:-). I've only needed it once in the past 4 nights though, so I'm hoping that means my sleep is improving.

  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 kelly58470

    Posted

    I would go up to 10mg that is the lowest therapeutic dose.
  • karen32905
    karen32905 kelly58470

    Posted

    Hi

    I was on Citalopram for years, then tried various other ADs before being put on Escitilopram a year ago.

    I started on 5mg and slowly increased to 15mg, my GP did try to increase it to 20mg but my mental health nurse specialist says more is not always better and put it back down to 15mg.

    No adverse side effects x

  • karen32905
    karen32905 kelly58470

    Posted

    Should say I also take Quetiapine for my Anxiety too along with 2mg Diazepam.

    Good luck 😉 

  • kelly58470
    kelly58470

    Posted

    Thanks for the replies :-)!

    ?I've decided to stay on 5 mg until we get back from vacation, and them move straight up to 10 mg. :-). I can handle where my anxiety is at right now; it's not ideal, but manageable. Just the thought of raising doses now, and the possible side effects on vacation is enough to make my anxiety worse.

    ?I can recognize it's a bit ridiculous how anxious I am to increase doses. I think I'm having a hard time separating my experience starting citalopram, with starting escitalopram now. I keep reminding myself it's two totally different times:-). Really, my side effects have not been bad at all starting escitalopram, so it stands to reason they won't be too bad when I increase (I hope!).

  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 kelly58470

    Posted

    So weird I am on day 10 of Lexapro 10mgs hardly any side effects the first week but now today horrible waves of stomach ache. Needed to take a .25 Klonopin. Lucky I made it to town to run errands and made it back. Hope they only last a week.
  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 kelly58470

    Posted

    Kelly I seem to get stomachaches and gurgling sounds on and off some days I have been on 10 mgs for 13 day is this normal
    • kelly58470
      kelly58470 lynn67615

      Posted

      Totally normal :-).  I'm  over 3 weeks in and still having stomach issues on 5 mg.

      ?When I started Citalopram 5 years ago, I had the same issue. I think it took weeks if not a month or two for the stomach issues to go away.

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