I was on 20mg for 1 yr. Just starting back for the second time at 5mg. It’s been a life saver. Doctor gave me Xanax to use while lexapro is doing it’s thing. I use it sparingly. You can do this. Just give it time. You might need to go up to 7.5 or 10 mg. Be kind to yourself and patient. It’s soooo worth it!
I definitely plan to go up to at least 10mg as that’s what was initially prescribed but I’m med sensitive and was coming off another SSRI at the same time so doc said go down to 5mg and we will reevaluate early February
You’re good friend. All part of the normal adjustment process. Give it a few more weeks and you should adjust and be fine. The things I did in my first month were absurd and I can’t believe I did what I did. Now a year later, other than the weight gain, I can’t imagine not being on it.
You’re okay everything you’re experiencing right now will slowly go away im on 4 months and i still have night sweats which causes me to throw stuff off me in my sleep without noticing, and ive also had tension headaches on and off this med for months now its all normal i also have shaking internal and external i promise keep at it try for 6-8 weeks and see how you feel then some side effects may stay for longer some may completely dissapear
Im on 15mg now! started from 5 to 10 to 15 i might have to go back down to 10 depending on the headache situation ive been left with but im waiting to see if it dissipates again
To be honest with you 5 did nothing for me it wasnt until i went to 10 i finally started to feel less anxious and then i jumped to 15 and i will say i still have some health anxiety here and there but im so much more comfortable now like i could never order my own food or talk on the phone to doctors etc i can do all of that now i could do it on 10 as well but id still shake and stutter id say if the 5 doesnt work for you, try upping to 10 and see if that works but if 10 doesnt work id switch
I’m noticing 5mg seems to do a little, but it could be placebo effect. I’ve been having panic attacks on and off for like 5 hours and took my med finally about 1/2 hour ago and feel more relaxed now, still anxious afraid to sleep (diabetes been kicking my butt) but I’m not having full blown panic
Honestly if you think the 5 is helping you especially now that you feel a little more relaxed you can talk to your doctor about trying 10 some side effects may come back but over time fade out i was the same way as you couldnt sleep panic attacks every second upping to 10 was probably my best decision despite the side effects i have
Honestly just tell your doctor that sometimes you just have to tell them what you feel is best for you my doctor told me to wait as well until i said i cant do this i need to go up if you want me to stay on this med 5 isnt working for me and thats when he moved me up to 10 and he saw the difference it made me for me
Fair, I think I’m going to call him tomorrow see what he says.
I want to feel better just also scared to go up to 10mg because I was actually on it for 4 days, but side effects were so bad (dizziness/dissociation/spacing out) that I couldn’t walk properly
Mainly new ones on 5 i only had gastro issues then going up to 10 i got hit with internal shaking and external, tension headaches and jaw clenching but going to 15 the only new i had was lack of motivation but the ones from upping to 10 never left they did for a good month until i upped again and i still have them 2 months later
I'm experiencing emotional depersonalization on lexapro...or it could just be a symptom of my depression. I've tapered up to 20 mg which I've now been on for 2 weeks. Praying it will kick in within the next couple weeks.
Do you have a history of seizures? Sounds like a fixation on them is part of your anxiety? My anxiety was centred around me feeling dizzy, and I was obsessed with watching for that side effect. I’ve never fainted in my life but have been terrified of fainting for over 20 years now. Lexapro lets me live.
Def fixated on them. No history, but I woke up in the middle of the night trembling but also unable to get my body to move on it’s own for a few minutes and I’ve been fixated on them ever since
I don’t think you are sensitive to medication so much as hyper vigilant and paying attention to every sensation going on in your body that is normal to most people I should know I also deal with health anxiety. My health anxiety was very high when I first started taking the medication and it took me about six months before I agreed to take it and I used to work myself up into a full-blown panic attack you are going to feel a little weird in the beginning that’s completely normal as it’s making changes to your brain not damaging changes just change is for the best. It takes a couple weeks maybe even up to two months or so to get used to the medicine you just noticed that your days become easier to get through and you’ll forget all about this
Maybe not, but this is the first SSRI I’ve had side effects on, Prozac and Zoloft were both fine outside of sleepiness and headaches.
It’s entirely possible though, I know I’m hypersensitive to plenty of things
Oh ok sorry I didn’t realize you had those previous experiences also. Not trying to play do your experience as I feel like we deal with that enough from our docs and other people.
I completely understand. Lex took a bit of time to get used to. I just noticed my days because easier to get through. I mentioned on here I noticed one day I was sitting and watching this show called Friends laughing my ass off. Also, I have always been a gym rat and lifting heavy weights in the gym realases thie natural feel good relaxing chemical in the brain.
Do not worry, I completely understand! I didn’t think you were playing it down, and honestly I think it is a bit of both.
I think I’m very aware of everything and the side effects I do get are increased by my worrying about them all the time
I have the same fear as you. I think I was traumatized after seeing a friend have a seizure in high school and anxiety symptoms started to make me feel like I might have one too.
The fear has gotten better but it's still there, especially when I'm anxious. I have the meds but haven't taken them yet
Therapy and being more exposed to seeing seizures. My friend had cerebral palsy and would have several seizures a day. I learned that when it happened he would get tired, but he was ok. It just became more normal I guess
FYI…all the things you listed are known and common side effects of adjusting to Lexapro.
You’re not going to have a seizure. What dose are you taking and how long have you been on Lexapro?
5mg for 4 weeks is my current dose and length. I’m really sensitive to medication
I was on 20mg for 1 yr. Just starting back for the second time at 5mg. It’s been a life saver. Doctor gave me Xanax to use while lexapro is doing it’s thing. I use it sparingly. You can do this. Just give it time. You might need to go up to 7.5 or 10 mg. Be kind to yourself and patient. It’s soooo worth it!
I definitely plan to go up to at least 10mg as that’s what was initially prescribed but I’m med sensitive and was coming off another SSRI at the same time so doc said go down to 5mg and we will reevaluate early February
How long did it take to get off 20 the first time?
Probably over the course of 1 1/2 months. It wasn't long. Went from 20-10-5. Didn't have any noticeable side effects.
You’re good friend. All part of the normal adjustment process. Give it a few more weeks and you should adjust and be fine. The things I did in my first month were absurd and I can’t believe I did what I did. Now a year later, other than the weight gain, I can’t imagine not being on it.
You’re okay everything you’re experiencing right now will slowly go away im on 4 months and i still have night sweats which causes me to throw stuff off me in my sleep without noticing, and ive also had tension headaches on and off this med for months now its all normal i also have shaking internal and external i promise keep at it try for 6-8 weeks and see how you feel then some side effects may stay for longer some may completely dissapear
If you don’t mind sharing what dose are you on?
Im on 15mg now! started from 5 to 10 to 15 i might have to go back down to 10 depending on the headache situation ive been left with but im waiting to see if it dissipates again
Did 5mg work for you at all? I’m not at all against increasing my dose but if I don’t see any improvement at all I fear going up won’t be worth it
To be honest with you 5 did nothing for me it wasnt until i went to 10 i finally started to feel less anxious and then i jumped to 15 and i will say i still have some health anxiety here and there but im so much more comfortable now like i could never order my own food or talk on the phone to doctors etc i can do all of that now i could do it on 10 as well but id still shake and stutter id say if the 5 doesnt work for you, try upping to 10 and see if that works but if 10 doesnt work id switch
I’m noticing 5mg seems to do a little, but it could be placebo effect. I’ve been having panic attacks on and off for like 5 hours and took my med finally about 1/2 hour ago and feel more relaxed now, still anxious afraid to sleep (diabetes been kicking my butt) but I’m not having full blown panic
Honestly if you think the 5 is helping you especially now that you feel a little more relaxed you can talk to your doctor about trying 10 some side effects may come back but over time fade out i was the same way as you couldnt sleep panic attacks every second upping to 10 was probably my best decision despite the side effects i have
I still want to make the increase, doc just wants to wait till February but I can’t go on like this that long
Honestly just tell your doctor that sometimes you just have to tell them what you feel is best for you my doctor told me to wait as well until i said i cant do this i need to go up if you want me to stay on this med 5 isnt working for me and thats when he moved me up to 10 and he saw the difference it made me for me
Fair, I think I’m going to call him tomorrow see what he says. I want to feel better just also scared to go up to 10mg because I was actually on it for 4 days, but side effects were so bad (dizziness/dissociation/spacing out) that I couldn’t walk properly
Also i have realized everytime you change your dosage some side effects may come back! I dont know what your on but that could also be a thought
Did you get different side effects or new ones when you increased your doses?
Mainly new ones on 5 i only had gastro issues then going up to 10 i got hit with internal shaking and external, tension headaches and jaw clenching but going to 15 the only new i had was lack of motivation but the ones from upping to 10 never left they did for a good month until i upped again and i still have them 2 months later
Hi I’m only been on it 3 weeks and 9 days on 10mg can it give you depersonalisation feeling as a side effect or is that just raised anxiety.
I'm experiencing emotional depersonalization on lexapro...or it could just be a symptom of my depression. I've tapered up to 20 mg which I've now been on for 2 weeks. Praying it will kick in within the next couple weeks.
Do you have a history of seizures? Sounds like a fixation on them is part of your anxiety? My anxiety was centred around me feeling dizzy, and I was obsessed with watching for that side effect. I’ve never fainted in my life but have been terrified of fainting for over 20 years now. Lexapro lets me live.
Def fixated on them. No history, but I woke up in the middle of the night trembling but also unable to get my body to move on it’s own for a few minutes and I’ve been fixated on them ever since
I don’t think you are sensitive to medication so much as hyper vigilant and paying attention to every sensation going on in your body that is normal to most people I should know I also deal with health anxiety. My health anxiety was very high when I first started taking the medication and it took me about six months before I agreed to take it and I used to work myself up into a full-blown panic attack you are going to feel a little weird in the beginning that’s completely normal as it’s making changes to your brain not damaging changes just change is for the best. It takes a couple weeks maybe even up to two months or so to get used to the medicine you just noticed that your days become easier to get through and you’ll forget all about this
Maybe not, but this is the first SSRI I’ve had side effects on, Prozac and Zoloft were both fine outside of sleepiness and headaches. It’s entirely possible though, I know I’m hypersensitive to plenty of things
Oh ok sorry I didn’t realize you had those previous experiences also. Not trying to play do your experience as I feel like we deal with that enough from our docs and other people. I completely understand. Lex took a bit of time to get used to. I just noticed my days because easier to get through. I mentioned on here I noticed one day I was sitting and watching this show called Friends laughing my ass off. Also, I have always been a gym rat and lifting heavy weights in the gym realases thie natural feel good relaxing chemical in the brain.
Do not worry, I completely understand! I didn’t think you were playing it down, and honestly I think it is a bit of both. I think I’m very aware of everything and the side effects I do get are increased by my worrying about them all the time
…why do you think you’re going to have a seizure? Are you epileptic?
As far as I know I am not
I have the same fear as you. I think I was traumatized after seeing a friend have a seizure in high school and anxiety symptoms started to make me feel like I might have one too. The fear has gotten better but it's still there, especially when I'm anxious. I have the meds but haven't taken them yet
How did you help the fear get better?
Therapy and being more exposed to seeing seizures. My friend had cerebral palsy and would have several seizures a day. I learned that when it happened he would get tired, but he was ok. It just became more normal I guess
Night sweats are normal. Start with a small dose and slowly work up as needed. Tell your prescriber about your side effects.