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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Impermanence on June 2, 2004, at 19:50:11
I've been taking 10mg for five weeks now with no positive results whatsoever, in fact it's been very difficult getting used to just that amount. I talked to my pdoc today about how bad it has made me feel so far and still she has decided to up my dose to 15mg from tomorrow and then to 20mg in a few weeks (with my permission obviously).
I'm going along with this as she is a professional and must know what she's doing. Along with this she has lowered my dose of bromazepam (which I did NOT want) as it has been my best friend for a long time now and is the only thing keeping the anxiety from Lexapro away.
I have a serious social phobia and she thinks the higher the dose of Lexapro the better is is for anxiety, is this really true? or just bull**** to taper me off the benzos?Another thing thats bugging me is if it's so hard for your body to get used to ssri's then what the hell is it going to be like coming off them.
Is it really worth it?
Posted by King Vultan on June 2, 2004, at 20:28:43
In reply to Lexapro questions again.., posted by Impermanence on June 2, 2004, at 19:50:11
> I've been taking 10mg for five weeks now with no positive results whatsoever, in fact it's been very difficult getting used to just that amount. I talked to my pdoc today about how bad it has made me feel so far and still she has decided to up my dose to 15mg from tomorrow and then to 20mg in a few weeks (with my permission obviously).
> I'm going along with this as she is a professional and must know what she's doing. Along with this she has lowered my dose of bromazepam (which I did NOT want) as it has been my best friend for a long time now and is the only thing keeping the anxiety from Lexapro away.
> I have a serious social phobia and she thinks the higher the dose of Lexapro the better is is for anxiety, is this really true? or just bull**** to taper me off the benzos?
>
> Another thing thats bugging me is if it's so hard for your body to get used to ssri's then what the hell is it going to be like coming off them.
> Is it really worth it?
She may be a professional and know what she's doing, but prescribing the proper med still winds up being kind of a guessing game. As I've taken umpteen different meds and know how difficult the side effects can be, I certainly feel some sympathy for your situation. In my case, though, I am an unusually quick responder, and the positive effects would always counterbalance the negatives to some extent to make the situation more bearable. It sounds like that is unfortunately not the case for you, which must make it doubly difficult.I'm curious as to what types of issues you have beyond the social phobia and anxiety and what types of negative effects you are suffering from the Lexapro. In partial response to your question about anxiety and a higher dosage of Lexapro, the textbooks say that SSRIs like Lexapro are indicated for this, as serotonin seems to play an important role in mediating anxiety. Paradoxically, though, they can increase anxiety (usually in the very initial stage of treatment) in some individuals. I have not taken a benzo myself, but my impression is that they do have a more powerful effect on anxiety than do SSRIs.
Todd
Posted by Bill LL on June 3, 2004, at 9:34:37
In reply to Lexapro questions again.., posted by Impermanence on June 2, 2004, at 19:50:11
I don't know the answer about lowering bromazepam. Your doc is definitely doing the right thing in increasing your Lexapro. I take 30 mg Lexapro and it eliminated all of my depression and most of my anxiety. The only other psychotropic drug I take is Strattera which I just started 3 weeks a go. So far, it has further reduced my anxiety.
Posted by Mariposa on June 3, 2004, at 9:44:48
In reply to Lexapro questions again.., posted by Impermanence on June 2, 2004, at 19:50:11
> I've been taking 10mg for five weeks now with no positive results whatsoever, in fact it's been very difficult getting used to just that amount. I talked to my pdoc today about how bad it has made me feel so far and still she has decided to up my dose to 15mg from tomorrow and then to 20mg in a few weeks (with my permission obviously).
> I'm going along with this as she is a professional and must know what she's doing. Along with this she has lowered my dose of bromazepam (which I did NOT want) as it has been my best friend for a long time now and is the only thing keeping the anxiety from Lexapro away.
> I have a serious social phobia and she thinks the higher the dose of Lexapro the better is is for anxiety, is this really true? or just bull**** to taper me off the benzos?
>
> Another thing thats bugging me is if it's so hard for your body to get used to ssri's then what the hell is it going to be like coming off them.
> Is it really worth it?It took me 9 weeks before I noticed any improvement on Lex. I started at 5mg, went to 10mg week 5. I had increased depression and anxiety during the *adjustment* stage, these lessened greatly after the 9 wk mark. Have been on Lex 15 mos. now, currently @30mg. From the many posts I have read, it seems to be more difficult to get off these meds than it is to start up and get used to them. In my case I would say it was all worth it as the Lex has helped control my outrageous PMS. I would listen to you doc and give the Lex a chance.
Good luck!~~~8|8
Posted by MGOLDW on June 3, 2004, at 11:59:59
In reply to Re: Lexapro questions again.. » Impermanence, posted by Mariposa on June 3, 2004, at 9:44:48
5 weeks is not enough time to judge if the Lexapro is going to help. Hang in there for at least 8-10 weeks. I know it is not easy, but if you are like the majority of patients, you will notice a positive change.
Getting you off the benzos is the best thing that your pdoc can do for you. Benzos are not recommended for depression related anxiety; in fact a SE of Benzos is depression and more anxiety.As of getting off the drugs, I stopped taking Celexa 40mg after 2.5 years of taking it. I did tapper it down 10mg every 2 weeks. I had no withdrawl problems. Maybe a little headache, but that's it.
Good luck, let us know how you are doing.
Posted by beatrix34 on June 4, 2004, at 10:22:21
In reply to Re: Lexapro questions again.., posted by MGOLDW on June 3, 2004, at 11:59:59
I have just switched from Effexor to Lexapro and am definitely noticing increased depression and a little increased anxiety, but not too bad. I also notice that I am sleepy on the Lex so I am going to try taking my meds before bed today.
I am hoping that the results will be good as I have no other SE's on Lex and it has been almost a week at 10mg.
Before the Lex I was on Effexor for just over a month, the effects were good on my mental health but I couldn't sleep and experienced anorgasma, with total loss of sex drive. I had to take additional meds to sleep...since I've switched I'm not having that problem at all now. I too am hoping this is the right one for me :) Good luck to you!
Posted by Mariposa on June 5, 2004, at 9:33:06
In reply to Re: Lexapro questions again.., posted by beatrix34 on June 4, 2004, at 10:22:21
> I have just switched from Effexor to Lexapro and am definitely noticing increased depression and a little increased anxiety, but not too bad. I also notice that I am sleepy on the Lex so I am going to try taking my meds before bed today.
>
> I am hoping that the results will be good as I have no other SE's on Lex and it has been almost a week at 10mg.
>
> Before the Lex I was on Effexor for just over a month, the effects were good on my mental health but I couldn't sleep and experienced anorgasma, with total loss of sex drive. I had to take additional meds to sleep...since I've switched I'm not having that problem at all now. I too am hoping this is the right one for me :) Good luck to you!I too had increased depression and anxiety ATTACKS (which I rarely had befor starting Lex) in the beginning, extreme sleepiness also. These did go away, anxiety by wk 5, depression wk 9. Extreme sleepiness went away after wk 3, and ever since I have been able to go to bed and fall asleep quickly and easily, sleep soundly through the nite. I was a total INSOMNIAC before Lex ( a large cotributing factor to my depression). I would continue taking Lex for this ALONE, but it has also helped w/ terrible PMS.
If you are through the first week and not feeling too bad from se's you are probably not going to experience anything worse. First two weeks seem to be the roughest for many who have posted here (self included).
Hang in there!~~~8|8
Posted by beatrix34 on June 5, 2004, at 11:24:18
In reply to Re: Lexapro questions again.. » beatrix34, posted by Mariposa on June 5, 2004, at 9:33:06
Thanks! That sounds very promising! I am happy to have something that is not killing me with SE's I took my meds before bed last night and woke up this morning feeling rested. I think that may be the trick for me :) It's too bad that the positive effects seem to take a while to kick in but I feel hopeful and excited that I may feel good shortly :)
Thanks for the encouragement!
Bea
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