does it ever get better

[kootenaychick]

So my anxiety hit hard about 4 weeks ago thought I was having a heart attack .....doc put me on anxiety meds bin on them for 2 weeks and ive bin feeling anxious the last couple days....I take my pill at same time every day ....does it get better the longer u take the meds? Does it just take time to kick in??

[superchick22684]

It usually takes around 4 to 6 weeks to get the full effect of antidepressants. You didn't say what you are on but I'm taking a guess that your doc prescribed either an ssri or snri. Sometimes medication can short term make anxiety symptoms worse but that should subside.

[kootenaychick]

Ya sorry I'm on Ran-escitalopram 10mg per day.....my anxiety has bin bad the last couple days was confused .....thanks......driving me crazy

[Zoot]

Ya sorry I'm on Ran-escitalopram 10mg per day.....my anxiety has bin bad the last couple days was confused .....thanks......driving me crazy

I'm no expert by any means, but I started escitalopram 6 weeks ago. I took 5mg for 6 days and have been on 10mg since then. I experienced a LOT of increased anxiety initially--which was incredibly frustrating. I continued to have bouts of anxiety that seemed kind of inexplicable to me (no obvious triggers) that I attributed to the med into my 4th and 5th week. But it improved pretty consistently throughout. I still have occasional agitation that I think is due to the med (I wouldn't call it anxiety, but a jittery sensation) and I still experience anxiety but it's more explicable and considerably less severe than before starting the med. So, yes, for me at least, it got better.

[Zoot]

I mean I am basically in a place now where I feel that I can develop better coping skills without feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and depression.

[Zoot]

Actually, I'm experiencing a lot of anxiety again today :( Not sure whether the lexapro is actually helping or not. I felt it was helping with depression but things may have just been going better for me lately.

[superchick22684]

Actually, I'm experiencing a lot of anxiety again today :( Not sure whether the lexapro is actually helping or not. I felt it was helping with depression but things may have just been going better for me lately.

Most antidepressants don't reach their full effectiveness until you've been on them for 6-8 weeks. Even though you are taking antidepressants you may still experience some anxiety or depression at times. If after the 6-8 weeks you are noticing things aren't better I would talk to your doctor about it. Are you doing therapy or using any coping skills in addition to taking meds?

[Zoot]

I've been on 10mg for almost 6 weeks and 5 for a week before that. I feel that I've seen pretty significant improvement in depression but for the most part I'm still experiencing a lot of anxiety. I ended up deciding to go off the Lexapro today with my doctor because of side effects (insomnia and a burning skin sensation at night). I haven't slept much at all the past 3 nights, even with taking Trazodone. My doctor wanted to switch me directly to Pristiq but I asked to taper down to 5 mg and then go off. I wanted to wait a bit after that to assess how I'm doing without any meds, but I'm already questioning whether that's the right thing to do. Tonight I'm already feeling really anxious and more depressed like I was before going on the meds (though not quite so bad). And I'm still on the med at this point!

In terms of therapy I have been going since March, every-other-week, and it's been helpful but I don't think I've made significant gains. My psychologist thinks I should be on medication.

[superchick22684]

Sorry to hear you've been having such bad side effects. When I started up meds again last fall my doctor decided to put me on Lexapro instead of meds that had worked for me previously (I was fortunate and was able to go without meds for a few years). Meds affect people differently but Lexapro was definitely not the med for me. I felt nauseous pretty much 24/7, had no appetite and it didn't help my anxiety that much. I was prescribed 10 mg but had to cut it in half because my body wouldn't tolerate the higher dosage. After being on it for four weeks I couldn't take the side effects any longer and I called the doctor's office in tears begging to be taken off of it.

I don't blame you for thinking about taking a break to assess how you are doing that seems like a good way to see what the difference is in your symptoms and function without the medication. Kind of wish that I had done that before my doc switched me to something else. If you end up switching to Pristiq while tapering down the Lexapro your doctor will probably end up cross tapering or he may just switch you over and have you stop the Lexapro. I've had doctor's use both methods its pretty much up to the doc.

Hope you start feeling better soon.

[Zoot]

Not sure whether kootenaychick is still checking here or not. I'm on week 7 and just increased my dose to 15 mg. I guess the jury is still out on whether I'll stick with Lexapro or not, but I recognize for sure that I'm considerably better off than when I started. My depression has improved considerably and my anxiety is also better. I don't really know what to realistically expect a medication to do but given that I've seen improvements, I don't want to jump ship on this medication. I'm hoping the dose increase will reduce my depression and anxiety further and maybe help with my insomnia and appetite too. That would be the ideal outcome here. So, anyway, it's helped and things have gotten better overall.

[tmex]

maybe the drug prescribed is slow acting, you should consult your doctor for other medication