Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lynn970 on September 27, 2005, at 19:10:31
I just started lexapro. I think it has been almost two weeks now. It seems to be working. Today I had a touch of anxiety. Is it because the medicine has not fully kicked - in yet?
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on September 27, 2005, at 21:49:03
In reply to Anxiety, posted by lynn970 on September 27, 2005, at 19:10:31
It may be the case that it hasn't kicked in yet. On the other hand, days with anxiety will always be there. As long as it is only a touch of anxiety, I wouldn't be too discouraged. Old habits die hard (unfortunately). Hope the lex keeps doing good things for you.
Best,
EE
Posted by Phillipa on September 28, 2005, at 0:41:28
In reply to Re: Anxiety » lynn970, posted by Emily Elizabeth on September 27, 2005, at 21:49:03
Does it really work on depression as I may be starting it myself? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by UgottaHaveHope on September 28, 2005, at 0:54:39
In reply to Re: Anxiety » Emily Elizabeth, posted by Phillipa on September 28, 2005, at 0:41:28
... at least touches of it. Hopefully, though, the anxiety won't be in the large doses that troubled you before you began the med.
Keep us posted on everything.
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on September 28, 2005, at 1:01:12
In reply to Re: Anxiety » Emily Elizabeth, posted by Phillipa on September 28, 2005, at 0:41:28
Hey Phillipa,
I don't know if you meant to direct this to me or not, but I figured that I'd answer. I've known a number of people who have found it very effective for depression. I take it too, but as you may have noticed, I take 5 other meds to treat my anxiety/depression--so it was far from a complete cure. BUT, it absolutely did do something for me on both fronts and that is why I have stayed on it. I don't think I've really had s/e's from it either, but I'm pretty lucky w/ s/e's in general.
Best,
EE> Does it really work on depression as I may be starting it myself? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by med_empowered on September 28, 2005, at 3:47:42
In reply to Re: Anxiety » Phillipa, posted by Emily Elizabeth on September 28, 2005, at 1:01:12
hey! It could be a couple things. Some people respond really well to SSRIs (and other antidepressants) when dealing with anxiety and/or depression. Some people have an partial response; some people have no response, and some people experience bad side effects. Lexapro is purified celexa, so you get celexa (which is probably one of the "cleanest"--most selective--antidepressants available) minus some side effects; the overall result is an effective, well-tolerated medication. So..in your case, it sounds like the antidepressant is having a fast and very helpful effect on your anxiety. It could be that your anxiety will be *reduced* on lexapro, but not *eliminated*. Depending on just how bad your anxiety is now, and just how bad this "touch of anxiety" affects your functioning, you may decide to add another medication, increase the lexapro dosage (keep in mind this may well lead to extra side effects w/o an increase in benefits...or it may prove to be very effective) or simply accept this new, lowered level of anxiety. Its really a matter of how your remaining anxiety affects your functioning: if you feel kind of anxious, but you can socialize, go to work, go to school, handle your life without undue stress, I'd say keep everything where it is, and focus more on self-help and/or therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy combined with antidepressants seems to be very effective for a lot of people). If the remaining anxiety is still pretty intense, but tends to be short-lived, you might want to consider an as-needed benzo (your doc will help with this) or something like Buspar, which could help with underlying depression while also helping anxiety (keep in mind: buspar doesn't work for everyone, and some people do find the side-effects intolerable). If you give the lexapro another couple weeks, you'll see (more or less) the full effects; after about 6-8 weeks, an SSRI has had time to work its therapeutic action, so you'll know for sure by then just how effective this treatment will be for you (lexapro, by the way, tends to work a bit faster than other SSRIs; that said, I'd still give it a bit longer before you come to any definite conclusions about how effective it is, unless you're having side effects). Good luck!
Posted by lynn970 on September 28, 2005, at 6:36:14
In reply to Re: Anxiety, posted by med_empowered on September 28, 2005, at 3:47:42
This is the end of the thread.
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