Posted by Atlrunner2002 on November 17, 2002, at 14:08:36
In reply to Lexapro after two weeks, posted by Mike P on November 16, 2002, at 21:14:32
> I don't seem to be having any luck at all with 10 mg a day. I am still seriously depressed and anxiety ridden. I thought it would have kicked in sooner. I just hope that it works. I am so tired of feeling so miserable.
Mike, hang in there, and maybe even consider raising the dose. I raised it from 10 to 15 mg after 3 weeks, and it made a HUGE difference! Here is a "diary" of my first 8 weeks on Lexapro:
Week 1: Started on 10 mg in the morning. Major dry mouth, VERY wired and rapid heartbeat took .25 mg Xanax 3x/day to help with this),
major insomnia, but had so much energy it didn't affect me! Zero appetite. Significant decrease in depression starting Day 4, no affect on anxiety.Weeks 2 and 3: major dry mouth, some, but very little appetite, COMATOSE day and night. Occasional and short-lasting nausea and headaches. As far as depression, up and down from day to day. Slight affect on anxiety - was able to cut back on Xanax. Starting to notice I'm feeling like "myself" again at times!
Week 4: Still on 10 mg in the am, and have now added 5 mg in the evening, to see if it will help more with the anxiety. Still a decreased appetite, although improving, dry mouth started to improve, no more nausea and headaches, feeling significant help with both the anxiety and the depression. Less and less Xanax required. Sleeping like a baby - 10 hours a night! Feeling better and better each day. I'm on my way back!
Weeks 5-8: Dry mouth, headaches and nausea completely gone. Appetite almost back to normal. I now have days where I take no Xanax (even 3
days in a row without it!) and days where I take up to 2 Xanax for anxiety. Most nights sleeping well through the night, requiring only 8-9 hours of sleep now vs. 10, with the exception of a couple of nights I woke up with some insomnia. Was able to go back to sleep though. Mainly feeling HAPPY again on a daily basis! I still notice some slight agitation and physical tension now and then. Able to shrug things off without another thought that, pre-Lexapro, would have sent me into a tailspin.I seriously feel almost guilty about taking the Lexapro at this point b/c it seems like a "Happy" pill to me! I love it! I actually have had people tell me they ENVY me for having such a great, down to earth attitude! Life is good!!
Don't get me wrong, there are still things that bother me, but they don't paralyze me any more, and I am able to put things in proper perspective, and to get over them MUCH faster than I could have before, and to move on to much more productive things. My business is really improving as a result!
My advice - stick with it! I see a lot of people cutting back on their doses, but for me, actually increasing the dose seemed to be the key to fewer side effects and better control of anxiety.
Good luck!
poster:Atlrunner2002
thread:127973
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021116/msgs/128033.html