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?

[Anne1221]

Here's the situation... I gained weight on the Prozac, so when I started Lexapro, I was 25 lbs overweight. When I was on 10 mg Lexapro, I didn't gain weight, but I had trouble losing the weight gain from the Prozac and then keeping it off. Right now I'm still trying to lose weight. But don't go by me, as I have eating addictions. I can get addicted to sweet foods, salty foods, eating out, etc.
Some people gain weight on SSRI's and others don't. It's an individual thing. But on 5mg, which is a very low dose, you shouldn't have any weight gain issues. I don't have them on 5 mg.

[superchick22684]

Day 5: Waking up was kinda weird this morning because I kept waking up and falling back asleep. However I do have to say I'm sleeping better on Lexapro than I was before I was taking it so I can't complain. Anxiety was pretty high today because the stressful situation that started last night didn't resolve until earlier this evening. So I can't accurately judge if anything I was feeling today was a legit side effect or anxiety. To be fair about it I think most of the side effects have actually subsided with the exception of some drowsiness/sleepiness.

[superchick22684]

Day 6: Think I'm getting used to the medication a little bit. I was actually motivated to get out of bed and go in to work today. Monday's are always really stressful for me so I felt slightly anxious before leaving home. The anxiety continued throughout a good portion of the work day. However, my ability to focus on tasks seems to be improving at work which is a relief. One of the main issues that I noticed in the last few months was how hard it was to focus and get work done.
I'm feeling basically side effects free at this point but I'm confused as to why my body has adapted to the medication so well. Thinking seriously about going back to the 10mg but am going to give the lower dose a little more time. I'm not trying to worry unnecessarily but I've heard that if an antidepressant works too quickly that can be a bad thing? I read it here http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/signs-your-antidepressant-isnt-working.aspx Thoughts?

[Anne1221]

Read the sentence carefully: “So if you feel different immediately after starting a depression treatment, it’s either a side effect of the depression medication or a placebo effect,” Hullett says.

All she's saying is the be sure what you're feeling is not a side effect of the treatment (maybe a "hyper" feeling like what I got from wellbutrin) or a placebo effect. She's just warning that the medication does take time to work so you may be tempted to think it's doing more than it really is. Also, I think she's just talking about depression, not anxiety. Anyway, I think you're fine. I felt my medication working some in the early days but it just kept getting better until the 4-8 week range. So glad you're able to focus at work!

[Anne1221]

The fact that you were able to get motivated to get out of bed is such a good sign. I felt better after one week when I first started too.

[superchick22684]

Day 7: Pretty sure my allergies are messed up or I caught a cold from someone. Have felt gross most of the day which is making my anxiety worse. Hoping what I'm feeling isn't random side effects that are developing.

[superchick22684]

I forgot to post my Day 8 update last night because the cold/allergy situation is doing a number on my immune system and I fell asleep super early. Day 8 (yesterday) was pretty much the same as the last few days no major changes in terms of side effects or anything. However I did go somewhere last night and ended up having a really unexpected anxiety moment. I went in my favorite game store with my boyfriend (we play tabletop games) and almost immediately it was like a switch was thrown and I felt really uncomfortable. I found a corner of the store that was empty and far away from the larger groups of people. I managed to calm myself down but I feel really disappointed in myself.

[superchick22684]

Day 9 & 10- Pretty much no change on the medication front. I've determined that my allergies are acting up and I have a cold (my immune system hates me). I'm really hoping this is not a delayed side effect of the Lexapro. Anxiety levels were better today than they were yesterday. I had an appointment with my therapist and after the appointment my anxiety was horrible the rest of the day. My therapist has a nursing background so we discussed how my medication was working. She suggested upping my dose slightly after I reach 2 weeks with the 5 mg. Really frustrated that at this point that the medication has basically alleviated the depression but the anxiety is mostly unaffected. :/

[Anne1221]

Not a bad idea to increase. It should help with the anxiety if you do. I take 5 mg Lexapro only but that's because the Buspar I take 3 times per day (with food) keeps my anxiety under control. Buspirone works for some and not for others. But for me, it's been great. If I didn't have the Buspar, however, I would need 10 mg per day of Lexapro to keep my anxiety under control.

[superchick22684]

Day 11: Think the cold/allergy issues that I've had for five days are finally gone. Mood wise a little sad/mild depression this morning but that went away as the day went on. Anxiety is minimal today but I've noticed that it tends to be higher during the week when I have to work. The fact that I feel better physically is probably impacting my anxiety as well because if I'm not feeling well that usually makes my anxiety spike.
Anne 1221- Thank you for being so encouraging and being willing to answer my questions about Lexapro. The process of getting on meds seems less scary knowing that there are others on the board that are either using them currently or have used them previously.

[Anne1221]

You're quite welcome. The meds don't take away all the anxiety or depression, but they sure can be helpful when needed.

[superchick22684]

Day 12-Woke up feeling on the sad side of the spectrum again today, got a little better but not much as the day went on. Anxiety level were high today with this evening being the worst. Part of my anxiety involves a lot of "checking" like locks and such. Had to leave to go somewhere and ended up having to "check" the door and several other things many times. This issue had been getting better since starting meds but looks like I'm going to have to work on it a little more.
I'm trying to stall going up on my dosage because part of me is hoping my body is just taking its time to adjust to the 5 mg. It wasn't the best day that I've had so far on Lexapro but I'm not giving up yet.

[Anne1221]

Don't be disappointed if you have to go up. 5mg is not really even a dosage, they just make the pill to get people started. I wish I could take more but I have these sleep disorders and if I take 10 mg I am just too tired all day due to unrefreshing sleep. One time my Psychiatrist let me take 7.5 mg. Kind of hard to split up the pill. On that dosage I wasn't as tired, but I was eating all day long. We're all different!

[superchick22684]

Actually the sleep thing is actually what's stalling me from going up. I'm sleeping really well on the 5 mg and the few days I was on the 10 mg I would wake up several hours before my alarm and couldn't get back to sleep. I haven't experienced much in terms of drowsiness during the day. Right now I'm blaming the weird fluctuations of symptoms on hormones.

[superchick22684]

Days 13 & 14-Forgot to post yesterday so I'll update with yesterday and today at the same time. Yesterday I was in a bad mood most of the day and had mild to moderate depression. Today pretty much the same thing on the depression side of things. I tried to stay busy today so I think the distraction kept my anxiety from getting unbearable. I promised my therapist that I would stay on 5 mgs for two weeks before attempting a higher dose so I've got a few more days before I reach that. Hoping when I get there the higher dose helps.

[Anne1221]

The higher dose will definitely help your mood and you will feel better. I wish I could take the 10 mg as I am struggling now on 5. I'm working with my sleep doctor to get my sleep issues resolved and when I do, I'll go up to 10 mg myself. Life was easier on 10 mg!
I know the higher dose seemed to affect your sleep in an adverse way, but it's possible that as your body acclimates to it, that side effect will diminish. It's funny..I'm the opposite of you. When I increase the lexapro, I sleep better/more and right now my sleep is fragmented.

[superchick22684]

Anne1221,
I know you're not a doc but if I go up do you think it would be better to take is 7.5 or the 10? I tried to call my doc to ask about upping my dose and they want me to make an appointment (I don't have insurance, currently paying out of pocket and I really can't afford the additional expense right now). They pretty much refused to let me talk to someone over the phone. Kind of made me feel like a criminal honestly. Thanks in advance :)

[Anne1221]

This is just an opinion from a person who has taken Lexapro but I don't think it would hurt you at all to go up to 7.5 or 10 mg.
A doctor would recommend 10 mg because they want to treat the anxiety and depression to optimize your success in feeling better, but if you're anxious like me, you might want to go up more slowly and see how you feel at each level. From how you feel now, do you need A LOT more help (10 mg would be better) or just a little more help? (7.5) Don't forget, you don't get the full effects of the medication for 6 - 8 weeks. It just takes time before it really starts to kick in.

[superchick22684]

Day 15 & 16-Making plans to up my dosage, planning to try it over the weekend so it doesn't interfere with work. I had a really tearful session with my therapist today mostly discussing how the medication is and isn't working right now. I know the full effects don't kick in for 6-8 weeks but after having about a week and a half of really good days I wasn't expecting to return to almost pre-medication levels of anxiety and depression. I can tell a difference in severity the medication is acting as a buffer from getting bottom of the barrel depressed but I feel flat and like everything around me is flat and uninteresting. Being able to focus at work has pretty much disappeared as well.
I never know when I wake up in the morning what's going to be worse that day. Today it was the anxiety, tomorrow is could be the depression. Meds are a pain.

[superchick22684]

Day 17-Didn't really have a lot of issues until this evening when I went with boyfriend to one of his friend's houses for dinner and hanging out. Over 50% of the evening I felt completely trapped and uncomfortable. After we left I had a panic attack and cried for a period of time. This has happened many times in the last few months. This time the after effects were less severe than last time. I was able to get my panic attack under control in a short period of time which I credit to meds (they are helping a bit). Increasing the Lexapro dosage tonight.

[Anne1221]

Just from reading your posts, i suggest you go up to 10 mg. I think that would be a better dosage for you rather than anything less. You still have quite a bit of anxiety and depression that needs to be treated. You will be surprised when you read this, but when I first started out on Lexapro, I was on 30 mg! I had so much anxiety. But gradually, I cut back to 25, then 20, then 15, then 10 and now 5 mg. But that is ONLY because of the physical side effects. If I had no side effects, I would go back to 15 mg to 20 mg per day. Even if I did have anxiety on the higher doses, it was "muted" and I got over things quickly and things just "rolled off my back" because it seemed to help me forget the anxious things. Plus it helped my depression so much.

[superchick22684]

I went ahead and upped it to 10 mg last night because it just felt like it was time to do so. Feeling pretty good today so far. Sleep was an issue last night but since that happened last time I was expecting it. I'm hoping that's a side effect that will go away eventually.

[Anne1221]

Regarding your post on another thread...have you ever considered talking to your doctor about getting some type of medication, that you won't get addicted to, that you could take only when you are on these social situations? That's what I would do. It would probably make me feel a little sedated, and I wouldn't be as talkative and upbeat as I usually am, but at least I would be relaxed and get though the evening unscathed.

[superchick22684]

I suppose I could ask but my anxiety isn't tied solely to social situations. I wish it was that simple. Pretty sure the reason that my doctors have stuck with antidepressants is because in addition to panic disorder I have chronic depression. While the anxiety has been an issue for awhile the depression has been more of a concern the last few months. Before starting Lexapro it was to the point where I couldn't concentrate, I was oversleeping, I had virtually no appetite and was having trouble finding joy in anything. My best description of how I felt is the world felt flat.
The other night I could feel the Lexapro working because for part of the evening I was okay. The people we had dinner with are friends of my boyfriend so most of anxiety ties to the fact that I don't know them that well so obviously its going to be a bit awkward/uncomfortable. I was actually pretty quiet that evening which could have been the Lexapro. I just don't want them to think that I didn't enjoy being there or whatever.

[Anne1221]

I see. So glad you've seen some improvement in your depression with the Lexapro. It makes a HUGE difference for me. (I know because I got off of it earlier this year and I was crying a lot and on the Lexapro, I don't cry all the time)

[superchick22684]

I'm going to preface this post with the fact that what is below could be an emetophobic trigger. Figured I would post a warning since I know we have members with that phobia.

Days 18 and 19 and today (20)- Going up on dosage the first two days was pretty uneventful. I felt slightly "drugged" but from previous experience know that sensation will disappear eventually. Yesterday morning felt like I was going to vomit. I was able to distract myself and the feeling went away. Fast forward to this morning. As soon as I woke up nausea but managed to eat something and I am able to keep food down. Not that hungry the last few days but I'm trying to eat a little something here and there so I don't feel worse.

[superchick22684]

As a tag on to my post from earlier today, I started feeling better as the day went on my unfortunately I'm seeing the same side effects that I saw when my doctor originally prescribed the 10mgs. Last time I was only able to handle 10 mg for two days before the side effects became too much and this time they hit full force on day 3. Going back to the 5 for my own well-being.

[Anne1221]

What are the side effects that are so bad? (if you don't want to say, that's okay). I'm kind of sorry to read this because you were doing so well, and you said the medication was helping.

[Anne1221]

Is there anything you can take for the nausea? If you ever decide to go up from 5mg again, (right now you probably don't want to) maybe you could increase more slowly, say to 7.5 and then get used to that, and later to 10 mg since you are so sensitive to the medication.

[Anne1221]

I found this today: Nausea typically begins within a week of starting an antidepressant. It may go away after a few weeks when your body adjusts to the medication.

Coping strategies

Take your antidepressant with food, unless otherwise directed.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
Suck on sugarless hard candy.
Drink plenty of fluids, such as cool water or ginger ale that's lost its carbonation.
Try an antacid or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, others).
Talk to your doctor about a dosage change or a slow-release form of the medication.

[superchick22684]

What are the side effects that are so bad? (if you don't want to say, that's okay). I'm kind of sorry to read this because you were doing so well, and you said the medication was helping.

Anne,
As you've said already I think that I'm really sensitive to the Lexapro. I don't remember my body being this resistant to ad's when I was on them before. The only other ad that I've ever had issues with was Paxil which was very sedating. Side effects were racing thoughts/inability to concentrate, feeling really wired/hyper, sweating, jittery/anxious. I pretty much felt like someone hit fast forward on the remote and the button got stuck. Still feeling a little off today but I'm feeling calmer and my mind is slowing down to normal pace. Also many thank you's for the nausea tips, knowledge is power :) I usually use peppermint tea to help with nausea.

[Anne1221]

Wow, that's how I felt on the Wellbutrin. It gave me tons of energy but made me feel jittery and irritable. So I can understand why you cut back if that's how you were feeling. I thought it was just the nausea. Weird because Lexapro has the opposite effect on me. My girlfriend used to say the Prozac made her hyper, while it put me straight to sleep. We're all different. It's good to find just the right dose for yourself, so I'm glad you're taking care of yourself and not stressing yourself out more.

My brother's friend has a doctor for his father, and my brother now swears the best thing for nausea is FLAT ginger ale. You have to leave it out a bit until it is flat.

[Anne1221]

Another thing my girlfriend says is great for nausea are "Ginger Chews". She gets them from Trader Joe's. Everyone she tells about them thinks they are great.

[Anne1221]

Just read on another thread that Kuma said the Lexapro made him jittery too.

[superchick22684]

Lexapro is turning into two steps forward one step back. Yesterday was perfection, no side effects was feeling really positive the whole day totally felt like nothing ever went wrong. When I woke up this morning I was hoping for a continuation of the same thing. Nausea hit me full force about 10 am so I took some antacid to see if it would help. I had relief for maybe an hour.
Went to see my therapist, felt horrible the entire session. Going to my therapist doesn't cause me enough anxiety to feel this sick. I called my doctor and at this point the earliest they can see me is two weeks from now which is only a week earlier than when I'm scheduled to see him next. I left a message and I'm waiting to hear back as to what they want me to do. Wish I had good news....

[superchick22684]

Still feel under the weather. I feel like I need to apologize to anyone reading this because I feel like all I'm doing is complaining. Sadly this is the only real place that I feel that I can post this. My family doesn't know I'm on meds and my boyfriend well he's already worried about me enough.
I took my meds with food last night and that had no impact still blech. After talking to my doctor's nurse three times today it was determined that I probably shouldn't be having side effects this severe at this point in time. The doctor is recommending that we go with a different ad which was the last ad that I was on before I had my several year hiatus from meds.
Right now it looks like I'll probably be tapering off the Lexapro while I'm starting the other med. Anyone have any experience tapering off Lexapro while starting another med? What kinds of side effects should I expect if any?

[superchick22684]

Currently waiting on the paperwork for my changeover in ad to go through. Doc is keeping me on Lexapro for the time being. I was told to take the highest dose that I can that doesn't produce side effects. I'm on 5 mg and can't go any higher on dosage due to side effects but even at this small of a dosage having side effects. The waiting game continues....