My last visit my doctor gave me Lexapro and I guess I am going to start it tonight. What should I expect and what dosage have others used?
I have never taken an AD so I am unsure what I should expect. My brother takes one and said any side effects would come withing the first four days…
Like any other medication I am nervous but thought I would give it a try to see if will help.
Timeless, how much did the doctor prescribe?
— Begin quote from “bookworm”
Timeless, how much did the doctor prescribe?
— End quote
10mg once a day
I took it about an hour and half ago and I feel a bit nauseated right now. Could it happen that quick.
Hi Timeless,
I would suggest you start on 5 mg and sit there for 2 weeks and then bump it up if you feel you need more. Lexapro made me feel VERY hyped because I took the dose up too quickly. I was not able to sleep etc. If you feel charged, take the dose down until you adjust. You may or may not get this effect but letting you know what can happen on it.
Good luck … Scott 8)
TImeless, I agree with Scotsman. I think it was 2.5 I started with. Or I may have started with 5 but the insomnia made me cut back. I think doctors tend to start people high on these kind of drugs and the side effects scare people off. But even at that low dosage my depression started lifting (to me that was a true miracle). The insomnia was my worst side effect and I would wake at 1:00 AM feeling like I had a jolt of caffiene injected in me but was much lessened after 5-7 days. Eventually I went up to 15 mgs. Then the depression came back and I went up 20. And after I felt better I went back to 15 and stayed there. For Lexapro to help with anxiety you may not need as much as for depression.
Yet another start slow supporter here. I started at 5mg and had a HORRIBLE time. I’m most likely more of an exception than the rule, though… My body has never liked antidepressants, the class doesn’t seem to matter.
okay folks last night was horrible. I started feeling nauseated with in a hour of taking the first dose. I was up all night because I could not sleep, my heart beat increased and I got a splitting headache. I have not had a headache in two months so this just stinks.
I am still nauseated and feel like I am going to throw up anytime.
I am not going to take it I am so sick this morning , I am still in the bed and at this rate will be here for the rest of the day.
Hi Timeless - sorry to hear you’re getting hit with nasty symptoms like this. Perhaps you should wind it right back to 2.5 mg as Bookworm mentioned. Take it slowly as you titrate the dose up (a month or so). Don’t let it put you off just yet.
Best … Scott 8)
— Begin quote from “scotsman9”
Hi Timeless - sorry to hear you’re getting hit with nasty symptoms like this. Perhaps you should wind it right back to 2.5 mg as Bookworm mentioned. Take it slowly as you titrate the dose up (a month or so). Don’t let it put you off just yet.
Best … Scott 8)
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Scott,
I am too scared to try it after last night I have never felt like that before in my life, I can deal with the other better than what I experienced . I will have to go back to the doctor on Monday and discuss it with her. I have tried two AD’s a long time ago and could not take those either so I may be one of those people who just can not take this type medication.
Hey Timeless,
Your reaction to the AD is quite common actually. The sudden increase in serotonin made you feel like that, and disrupted your sleep. As bad as it feels, it won’t hurt you. It’s just unbelievably uncomfortable. I was absolutely out of my mind on lexapro last August because I took too much too soon. And while it was going on I had to run a meeting complete with teleconference. How I survived I don’t know but it was not fun.
I really don’t think you should throw in the towel on this. You simply took too much all at once. Why doctors have people starting on a full dose I’ll never understand. I guess some can handle it. I didn’t continue at the time because I was due to fly 27 hours on a jet and could not afford to be messing around with it. In the end, I was good enough on St John’s Wort.
So what I would do if I were you is have a day off and then restart on 2.5 mg (split it into quarters). Stay there for about a week or two and then bump it up to 5 mg and so on. You may find that 5 mg is enough to achieve what you want anyway.
Finally, you have to go into this knowing that it won’t kill you even though you could feel odd while you adjust to it. If you add your own anxiety to it, it’ll be so much more difficult, and you might miss out on an otherwise good treatment.
Take care … Scott 8)