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Back on Cipralex (Lexapro)
Well i'm on day 3 of a 2nd try at taking Lexapro on the advice of my physician. Last time the increase from 5 mg to 10mg after two days caused intense side effects that made me stop taking it. This time I am taking a much slower increase 5 mg for first week, then to 10mg to try and reduce the impact of the symptoms but I can tell after 3 days I am a bit more aggitated, nervous, anxious but nothing like last time. Also last time I was really against taking medication.. now... i'm ok with it.... my doc said if you have a cold you take something to minimize the symptoms... in a way this is the same thing.
I am wondering how long these "adapting" side effects typically last before my body gets used to the drug? I am hearing a week to two weeks for the side effects and then 4-6 weeks before the therapeutic effect of the drug to start really kicking in.
I have suspended all my business travel for one month to give this a chance to work so hoping for the best. I will say that already i feel less "nervous" emotionally....its almost like my mind is getting calmer but my body is still agitated. Don't know if that's possible after only 3 days but it feels that way.
I am wondering how long these "adapting" side effects typically last before my body gets used to the drug? I am hearing a week to two weeks for the side effects and then 4-6 weeks before the therapeutic effect of the drug to start really kicking in.
I have suspended all my business travel for one month to give this a chance to work so hoping for the best. I will say that already i feel less "nervous" emotionally....its almost like my mind is getting calmer but my body is still agitated. Don't know if that's possible after only 3 days but it feels that way.
Best Answer
I'm glad you are taking it slower with the increases in dosage. Anxiety is like any other medical condition that requires daily medication to control the symptoms. Too many people get caught up in because it's a mental issue...they should be able to handle it on their own...but rarely is this possible. Glad you realize this! There are side effects during the first week or two due to your body adjusting to the medication, and it will reach full therapeutic level in 4-6 weeks. I'm not sure you would feel anything after only a few days, it may just be that you feel better knowing you are finally doing something to help with all of this. You're on the right track and I wish you all the best!
Thanks for the reply....well my doc gave me some clonazapam .25 mg tablets to take if I need to take the edge off the "nervous" side effects.. not too fond of taking a pill to counteract the effects of another pill but I will if need be... seeing her next wed to assess whether i should go up to 10 mg.... apparently i am real sensitive to medication in her assessment ...also going through CBT therapy with psychologist to help root out the cause of all of this... so trying to hit it from all sides and hoping the medication takes the edge off the chronic physical symptoms i am having.
I am very happy for you as well. Just remember what I said, if it takes a little longer because you are tapering up...don't give up. I feel like my regular self again and it just takes time. You too will be there in a little while. Best of luck!
Well on day 4 of 5 mg and managing... the nervousness/increased edgeyness is definitely back (remember it from last time) and it has increased each day since I started... when your body begins to adjust do you tend to notice a gradual decrease in these symptoms or just wake up one day and they are not there anymore?
It subsided gradually. Remember, I did a kind of taper up in that I was already on 150 mg of Wellbutrin and went straight to 300. The anxiety was helped a bit in that I did not feel that out of control anxiety as much but that damn edginess was the hardest part along with the intense thirst. I tried to just keep myself busy. When I just didn't feel like dealing with it, I took some klonopin. I think that each week will be better and better for you. Maybe try to journal your edginess to keep track. When you get to your 4th week and you are at your maximum dosage of 20 mg, I think you will notice a great improvement. Maybe just a little edginess until you have achieved a steady state of 20 mg in your system.
For me at this point, I cannot even imagine going off Wellbutrin...that is how good I feel and no klonopin is needed during the day.
For me at this point, I cannot even imagine going off Wellbutrin...that is how good I feel and no klonopin is needed during the day.
i was just prescribed zoloft but im didnt fill it cause im so nervous to take it with thte side effects....
how are the meds going? are you feeling better?......i know i wasnt prescribed lexapro (almost wish i was cause i heard good things about it) but its all kinda in the same class of meds.
what were you symptoms before you started meds?
how are the meds going? are you feeling better?......i know i wasnt prescribed lexapro (almost wish i was cause i heard good things about it) but its all kinda in the same class of meds.
what were you symptoms before you started meds?
Hey Turkee23.... well im only on day 4 of Lexapro... for everyone the side effects are different for me thus far it has been heightened nervousness/feeling edgey and thats about it. Doc gave me .25mg of clonazapam to take if i feel i need to take the edge off the side effects..
I had tried it once before and doctor told me to take half a pill 5 mg for two days then go up to the full 10 mg pill.... found the tapering up was too fast and on the first day of the 10 mg pill felt awful and went off it..... now im back on it a few weeks later and tapering up much slower... did 4 days on 5 mg then going to do another for with 7.5 mgs (3/4 pill) then up to 10 mg before i see me doctor on wed...
I have been told by my doc and by numerous people on this site that it can take up to two weeks for your body to adjust to the meds and the side effects to dissipate and another 4-6 weeks before the full therapeutic effect takes place. So I think the key with these meds is you have to stick it out unless the side effects are unbearable. So i cleared my work schedule of all travel for the next month to give this the best shot of working....
Im not that familiar with zoloft..alot of times you just have to take these meds to see how you react to them... everyone is different and as long as your doctor is there to help you monitor it ... i wouldnt be afraid.....good luck
I had tried it once before and doctor told me to take half a pill 5 mg for two days then go up to the full 10 mg pill.... found the tapering up was too fast and on the first day of the 10 mg pill felt awful and went off it..... now im back on it a few weeks later and tapering up much slower... did 4 days on 5 mg then going to do another for with 7.5 mgs (3/4 pill) then up to 10 mg before i see me doctor on wed...
I have been told by my doc and by numerous people on this site that it can take up to two weeks for your body to adjust to the meds and the side effects to dissipate and another 4-6 weeks before the full therapeutic effect takes place. So I think the key with these meds is you have to stick it out unless the side effects are unbearable. So i cleared my work schedule of all travel for the next month to give this the best shot of working....
Im not that familiar with zoloft..alot of times you just have to take these meds to see how you react to them... everyone is different and as long as your doctor is there to help you monitor it ... i wouldnt be afraid.....good luck
Hey JGF25... i actually tried Wellburtin after my first attempt with Lexapro. Unfortunately it was not the right drug for me... the stimulating effects were unbelievable and i stayed on it for 3 days and then stopped. I think for my type of anxiety and my personality (already pretty stimulated by nature) lexapro is a better choice to achieve a more stabilized effect for me. But that remains still to be seen.... i'm gonna taper up to 3/4 tablet tomorrow for the next 4 days with the hopes that with minimal increases like that the side effects will not exponentially increase.... i will keep ya all posted....
I tried a few others before wellbutrin so I know how you feel. Here's hoping that Lexapro is the one for you!
Posting this daily chronicle in case anyone else is going through a ramp up on Lexapro or another SSRI.....Well... day 5 of this round of Lexapro and i upped it to 7.5 mg (3/4 10 mg tablet today) with the hopes of fending off any major increase in the side effects - which have for me been increased nervousness/agitation, tingling in my arms and legs (that was there before but seems more pronounced) lightheadedness.... gonna stay at this doage until Wed when I see my doc for a checkin on how im doing on it..... took a .25mg clonazapam yesterday and it took some of the edge off.... no problems sleeping at night other than I seem to wake up every 3 hours but then go back...
Well day 5 of being back on Lexapro... at 3/4 tablet dose in the morning (7.5 mg) and have to say that the nervousness and edgeyness appears to be subsiding a bit... didn't have to take a Clonazapam (klonopin) yesterday to take the edge off which I am considering to be a good sign since I had to the day before.
Gonna stick at this level till Wed until I see my doc and then the plan is to go up to a full 10 mg tablet for a week or so and then begin ramping up again 1.25, 1.5 and then hopefully up to 20 mg by first week in August which is I think where the doc wants me to stay for a while.
onward and upward....
Gonna stick at this level till Wed until I see my doc and then the plan is to go up to a full 10 mg tablet for a week or so and then begin ramping up again 1.25, 1.5 and then hopefully up to 20 mg by first week in August which is I think where the doc wants me to stay for a while.
onward and upward....
Day 7 and the heightened nervousness is still here - still at 7.5 (3/4 10 mg tablet) plan to go up to full 10 mg tomorrow unless this nervousness gets any worse today. Had to take a .25 mg klonopin yesterday around noon to take the edge off..
Doctor agreed with me to give it one more week at the full 10 mg dose and if the side effects don't get any better she is suggesting we consider trying something else like Paxil.... I know these meds are hit and miss until you find the one that works for you.... but i'm not giving up on Cipralex (Lexapro) yet...its only been a week and want to see what happens if I give it a good two weeks.....
Doctor agreed with me to give it one more week at the full 10 mg dose and if the side effects don't get any better she is suggesting we consider trying something else like Paxil.... I know these meds are hit and miss until you find the one that works for you.... but i'm not giving up on Cipralex (Lexapro) yet...its only been a week and want to see what happens if I give it a good two weeks.....
good luck i hope it works out for you......i might be starting mine today or tomorrow. i wanna talk to my therapist first. but i wont see her till 12 so i dont know if i should start taking it in the later afternoon or just wait till tomorrow morning (psych dr said take in the morning)
I'm glad you're posting your progress. I was prescribed lexapro a few weeks ago also at 5mg and have been too scared to take it. I'm interested in your progress. Good luck. I hope it works for you and me too( if I ever get brave enough to try).
Well i'm on day 8 and am now up to the full 10 mg tablet as of this morning after tapering up from 5 mg (half tablet) to 7.5 (3/4 tablet) over the past week. Woke up more jittery this morning than yesterday morning. Did 30 mins on the treadmill to try and take the edge off and some breathing exercises.... might have to take a Clonazapam (klonopin for my american friends) if the edgeyness gets any worse now that I upped the dosage. I know these side effects can take a week or two to clear so I am hoping they start to clear soon otherwise doc is suggesting if I go another week without any improvement we will have to consider trying something else... she is suggesting Paxil. So not giving up yet...but looking and hoping for some light through the side effects trees....
Had to get on here so I could see your update! I wouldn't give up until you have 4 weeks under your belt...I was calling the doctor at about the same time point you are...and then the next week too. Then I hit that magic point where it wall all better. If you switch, you would have to start all over again. I know the jitteryness really stinks, believe me, and I thought it would never go away but it did. Hang in there and looking forward to seeing your progress.
Thanks... yeah im calmin down a bit now... took a .25 mg Clonazapam to take the edge off and it seems to be better. And trying to remember to breathe.... im not giving u just yet....
Really like the fact that you are giving your daily chronicle. It shows people that are ready to give up where they may be on day 7 or a month down the road. So glad to see you are hanging in there. It's hard when you feel like it's never gonna get better. When I tried Lexapro, I gave up on it. Then I found out that most SSRI's cause the same increase in anxiety, initially. My doctor (at the time) didn't explain any of this to me. Luckily I found this site and was more positive with the Celexa. I have found it to be the least stimulating for me. My mom loves Lexapro and it causes no problems with her sleep. Hope you have good luck with it and thanks for sharing your experience.
thanks everyone for your comments and encouragement. It means alot! I will keep posting everyday....
Day 9 ... 2nd day on 10 mg after tapering up... this morning was a bit better than yesterday. Didn't do any cardio exercise this morning like I did yesterday which seemed to tense me up afterwords...I took a .25 klonopin to take the edge off around 10 AM....today the nervousness still there although appears to be less this morning than yesterday... seems like mornings are the worst... when I initially wake up I am ok but when i get up and start moving around the physical symptoms and nervousness come back ... going to stay at 10 mg now until next week and seeing doctor on Saturday to see whether she thinks I am OK to go up to 15 after that.
Also doing breathing exercises in the morning, once in the afternoon at work and in the evening to try and correct the chronic hyperventilation that is causing all the tingling and lightheadedness symptoms according to my doc.
Anyway that's this morning's update... gonna try and see if I can do today without a Klonopin.....
Also doing breathing exercises in the morning, once in the afternoon at work and in the evening to try and correct the chronic hyperventilation that is causing all the tingling and lightheadedness symptoms according to my doc.
Anyway that's this morning's update... gonna try and see if I can do today without a Klonopin.....
Its so interesting how everybody's body works differently. I took Lexapro back when I was younger and it was my miracle pill for the awful depersonalization I was going through at the time. It didn't get me back to full normal but lots and lots better to where I was able to function on my own. Now the depersonalization is back and I'm back on Lexapro, been on it for about a month with no significant improvement. I have not had any side effects though. Like you, my doctor prescribed a very low does of Wellbutrin generic and I couldn't stand it. It made my stomach queasy. So I'm on 10MG Lexapro. Your side effects should be going away pretty soon. It's a great drug if it works well for you. Glad you have some anti-anxiety medication too, I have Ativan for when I need it also.
Still sounding good. I hear you about fighting the Klonopin but sometimes you just have to give in. I took it and then went and layed on the couchat work for 20 minutes when I got tired. The jitteryness was mostly in the morning. It was amazing that at night, I felt like my regular self and then the next day it would all start over....keep shooting for that magic 4-6 weeks!
Yeah I guess I don't like the idea of masking the side effects with another drug cause then I can't tell if I am adapting to the drug or not on my own and I am also a bit worried about building a dependency on Klonopin.... my doctor doesn't seem to like the idea of me taking it everyday and put me a real low dose... .25mg.... and I am only taking it once a day when I need to take it so I have been told the chances of dependency are small but I guess there is a part of me that still doesnt like it.... but I know 9 days is too soon to judge the Cipralex (Lexapro - I don't know why drug companies market different in Canada than in the US... confusing!!!) and I cleared all my travel schedule for work until mid august to really give this a shot in a low stress environment...... so day by day I guess for now....thanks for the words of encouragement eveyone!!
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