Documenting my journey on Lexapro

[superchick22684]

So my gp prescribed me Lexapro yesterday for my panic disorder and depression. I'm supposed to 10mg one a day and if I can't tolerate that I'm allowed to go down to 5 mg. I haven't been on meds for 7 years so I've pretty much forgotten what it was like to get on and off of them. I'm going to start a thread to document how I'm feeling etc. Also if anyone has been on Lexapro before and has any advice feel free to contribute.

So today was Day 1, I woke up at 5:00 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I felt like my face was swelling but after awhile that went away. I also felt kind of wired this morning like I couldn't sit down but that wore off too.

Right now I'm a little concerned about the effects on my mood. Most of the day I was kind of feeling emotionally neutral (this is normal for me) but there were times during the day where I felt really positive and happy. I'm hoping that's not a manifestation of mania. I also felt really irritated a few times today which resulted in me yelling at a co-worker.

In terms of physical side effects this is what I'm experiencing: heightened sense of smell and taste, bloating, fuzzy brain, loss of appetite and dry mouth. The most annoying one is the yawning. A few hours ago I must have yawned a half dozen times in only a few minutes time.

I'm planning on sticking with the 10 mg for a few days and if I can't get some of the side effects to reduce dialing down to the 5 mg.

[Anne1221]

I have been on Lexapro for 4 years and it's the best one I've found so far. My best advice...try not to analyze each little thing because all that you're feeling is temporary. It's your body getting used to the new medication. Just try to take it and keep going. What you'll notice, in about 3-4 weeks, is that you'll start to feel less anxious. Then, at the 6-8 week mark, you'll be getting the full effects of the medication, and after 8 weeks, whatever side effects you still have are the ones associated with the medication. The side effects you have now can be just temporary. Good luck.

[superchick22684]

Thank you for the advice Anne1221. It's good to know most of what I'm feeling is temporary. One of the most annoying side effects right now is the yawning. I'm yawning when I'm not even tired.

Today was Day 2, emotionally still pretty neutral however yesterday I wasn't anxious. Today I felt anxious for a good portion of the day. I was thinking clearer though so that is a bonus. I tried to mentally distract myself to reduce my anxiety but failed. My therapist gave me a cd a while back that is for progressive muscle relaxation and I've been meaning to try it out. It helped bring my anxiety down a bit.

Current side effects: yawning (still), gastric issues, anxiety, inability to focus...probably a few others but I'm sleepy.

[Anne1221]

Those are some common symptoms..the yawning, being sleepy and gastric issues. Hopefully, they will subside for you. Also, hopefully the good effects will kick in and over time you'll get the right dose...enough to keep you calmer but not enough to cause you to be too sleepy, etc.

[superchick22684]

Anne1221,
Just out of curiosity did you have any issues with a feeling of tightness in your chest? I started feeling that yesterday afternoon. It comes and goes and hasn't been painful. I'm basically chalking it up to anxiety because I have been feeling anxious the last 2 days and I'm finding myself overanalyzing every little twitch and feeling in my body. I made the decision to go down to 5mg today because I've just had too many issues trying to get my body to acclimate to the 10 mg. It is only a few hours into the work day but I feel better than I have the last two days.

[Anne1221]

No tightness in chest for me but each person is different. The common ones I read about are the sleepiness, feeling tired, and yawning.

[superchick22684]

Day 3: Felt anxious today again for most of the day. Mood wise felt pretty good. Due to some of the crazy side effects I decided to drop down to the 5 mg. The yawning has eased up a bit and my appetite has come back some. Still having some gastric/digestive issues that are bothersome. Overall feeling better but my body is still fighting the medication.

[Anne1221]

Give it time! Good signs in your post..I like to read that "mood wise felt pretty good". That's what it's supposed to do! Each person is unique on the digestive issues so that is something you just have to figure out and weight the pros/cons. The Lexapro increases my appetite! I wish I could take more, but then I eat too much! Your body is still trying to get used to the new medication but at the 6 to 8 week point, it will start to subside and some of the side effects will get much better, maybe not all. 5 mg if very small. In fact, the therapeutic doses are 10 mg and 20 mg.,which is what most people are taking. I only take 5 mg because it makes me tired and makes me overeat but I wish I could take 10 mg. The reason it makes me tired is because I have a sleep disorder, so I don't get refreshing sleep to begin with, Good luck!

[30sumthin]

Can you elaborate on 'gastric issues'? Are you getting heartburn/ acid reflux?

[superchick22684]

30sumthin,
I was using gastric issues as sort of a broad term. If you must know the issue was constipation. I'm sorry if that's tmi.

Anyway time for my update I suppose. Today was day 4 on Lexapro but technically my second day on the 5mg. Mood is pretty good actually. I'm so used to either feeling deeply depressed or numb/flat that its weird to not feel that way. Anxiety was good most of the day but something stressful came up tonight. However I will admit that if I wasn't on meds I'd probably be a train wreck right now. The stressful situation that came up is causing worry, difficulty focusing and I'm fighting off the negative thoughts right now. The yawning seems to have gone away for now as have most of the other side effects that I've mentioned. I've also been sleeping better since reducing my dosage.

Also I had a question for you Anne 1221, if you don't want to answer it publically you can pm me. Did you/have you experienced weight gain from Lexapro?