Life on an SSRI

[Zoot]

I started taking Lexapro in April. When I increased my dose from 10mg to 15mg, I experienced a significant reduction in anxiety. I continued suffering insomnia, but then started Remeron (15mg) which has helped considerably with that. My life had been really taken over by anxiety and I was also severely depressed. I've been doing better, but it seems inconsistent. Now that winter is back and I'm busy at work, I'm having my typical experiences: feeling run down and sickly all the time, irritable, headaches, agitation, racing thoughts. My doctor gave me the okay to increase my dose to 20mg; we'd tried that once before but I had considerably more side effects and the therapeutic effect didn't seem to increase at all. She's also referred me to a psychiatrist, but I likely won't get in to see him for several months yet.

So, part of my question is one of expectations. I've never taken medication before. I'd hoped that it would magically transform me into a non-anxious, healthy, happy person. But that seems kind of unrealistic. I'm just not sure what I can realistically hope for with medication? I am also going to therapy although progress there seems slow.

I've heard a number of people say that medication keeps you out of the extreme lows, and I'd say that it's doing that for me. But I am still experiencing pretty frequent lows, just not nearly as extreme as when my anxiety and depression were at their worst.

[Gwen123]

Hi Zoot, I'm on Citalopram 20mg. I don't really know how to gauge whether my medication is working or not. I've been on it 2 years now at varying doses and have recently had bad lows with anxiety. I think it's important to remember that anxiety is partly due to your brain chemistry, which medication can help with, but there are external influences that will make it worse, like stressful jobs or if you have social anxiety and have to go to a big party. You can help anxiety with medication to some extent but you have to work to reduce stress in your life too and learn how to deal with those situations and that's where therapy comes in. I really wanted my medication to be a miracle cure that would rid me of anxiety completely but I have to be realistic.

[gadguy]

I started taking Lexapro in April. When I increased my dose from 10mg to 15mg, I experienced a significant reduction in anxiety. I continued suffering insomnia, but then started Remeron (15mg) which has helped considerably with that. My life had been really taken over by anxiety and I was also severely depressed. I've been doing better, but it seems inconsistent. Now that winter is back and I'm busy at work, I'm having my typical experiences: feeling run down and sickly all the time, irritable, headaches, agitation, racing thoughts. My doctor gave me the okay to increase my dose to 20mg; we'd tried that once before but I had considerably more side effects and the therapeutic effect didn't seem to increase at all. She's also referred me to a psychiatrist, but I likely won't get in to see him for several months yet.

So, part of my question is one of expectations. I've never taken medication before. I'd hoped that it would magically transform me into a non-anxious, healthy, happy person. But that seems kind of unrealistic. I'm just not sure what I can realistically hope for with medication? I am also going to therapy although progress there seems slow.

I've heard a number of people say that medication keeps you out of the extreme lows, and I'd say that it's doing that for me. But I am still experiencing pretty frequent lows, just not nearly as extreme as when my anxiety and depression were at their worst.

Hi Zoot, I have been on 20mg of Lex for 5 or more years...it makes life better...but I still have the occasional full blown anxiety attack...I have insomnia also, which is being addressed at the moment, hopefully once that is sorted out things will be better...but my point is the more exhausted I am the more likely something will trigger an attack...rock bottom low. I have no side effects from the Lex other than my OCD habits went away..and my house is nowhere as clean as it was before the Lex :). Personally I believe a lot of it has to do with lack of sleep...I finally found a DR who took my lack of sleep seriously and ordered a sleep study...the results showed how little sleep i get...I never reach the right stage for "real sleep" severe sleep apenia(sp). Currently waiting on CPAP machine. I tried one during my sleep study and slept like a baby...they had to wake me up.