Hi Kate, how long did your side effects last?
Are you currently on any medication?
Hi Chantelle, did your teeth chattering stop?
6-8 weeks
Yes still take the tablets
How did you manage for 6-8 weeks of teeth chattering.
My teeth and jaw are aching.
Are you feeling better now?
It comes and goes I had so many other side effects the teeth chattering was just part of it.
I take 5mg now would love to get to 10 but I can't face all the symptoms again.
I have had jaw issues since being on them and awful short term memory but I also have a couple of other conditions so that doesn't help
Hello dear,
i hope y re feeling much better now, and have no effects anymore.
In fact I have started cipralex with 10mg since June 15, with no effects , after 3 weeks, increased the dose to 20mg with no effects as well. But on October I reduced myself the dose to 10mg, stupid of me, so I had not a clear result concerning stress problems and anxiety. A month ago I have started again the dose of 20. Half the morning and half the night. To tell y the truth generally I feel better, but when I have to face one of my previous phobias, as to go shopping with my 15year old daughter and driving far away from home and shop in a mall for example, in this thought I feel very stressed and think that I have also to take a 5mg of lexotanil (Valium) in order to feel better. Sometimes I wonder could I ever stop taking benzo to feel relaxed? Today I have started to read the mental benefits of the whole breath and from now on I try to be focus to the whole breath that helps of stress problems. Thank y that y listen to me. I wish y good health!
hi Alicat883
I intend to take cipralex , but I fear that does not benefit me & make it worse .. please i need your advice ..
Among the things that I suffer in addition to the anxiety are fear attacks and difficulty breathing ..
Appreciate your help
Thank you
hi justine
I intend to take cipralex , but I fear that does not benefit me & make it worse .. please i need your advice ..
Among the things that I suffer in addition to the anxiety are fear attacks and difficulty breathing ..
Appreciate your help
Thank you
Hi Justine,
I understand your worry that it won't work but give it a try it could change your life like it did mine. I white-knuckled my way through life for over 20 years until finally I just couldn't do it anymore. I was sick and tired of being scared and anxious ALL the time and my panic attacks were increasing with regularity and severity. It took about 3 weeks for the meds to fully kick in but I felt an immediate difference by day 3. I could feel all the anxiety slipping away and for the first time in my life I had hope. After the 3 weeks it was skies the limit, I wasn't afraid of anything and my whole world opened up. Give the meds a chance and take a leap of faith for yourself, what have you got to lose? It's a little scary but the benefits for me totally outweigh any worries I had. It's been 4 years now and I will probably be on these meds the rest of my life in order to feel "normal" but for me it's worth it. You can do this and I hope you get the same results ! Best of Luck.
Hey everyone
I'm starting to use escitalopram for my ADHD, starting by 5 mg for 4 days then step up to 10 mg and continue with it.
I just need to ask about two things:
-my college finals are very soon and I'm studying nowadays, will escitalopram make me feel drowsy and sleepy? I'm on the 2nd day of medication and I cant judge, plus I have no Idea what will happen when the dosage is risen to 10 mg, so I ask.
as for a student, do you advise me to take it when I wake up or before bed? I don't want to waste days in fighting drowsiness.
-also I need to know if anyone on 10 mg has encountered sexual side effects (lipido decrease and impotence).
thank you all in advance.
Hi Damon,
I have been taking Cipralex for one year now, 20 mg. I found that my body was becoming too used to this drug- As it no longer worked for me anymore. When my DR tried to switch me- I began to have withdrawal symptoms. My DR had to put me back on Cirpralex- We are now trying to find another drug.
This drug will make you drowsy.
Hi AliCat,
I'm new her today. I've been on Cipralex/Excitalopram for 4.5 years mostly at 10mg daily. In the past couple of weeks I've been experiencing increasing anxiety for which my doc has prescribed increasing my dose to 15mg saying that 10mg is just the lowest therapeutic dose. 3 days in to 15mg and I was climbing the walls last so much that I ended up taking an ativan to sleep. Have you ever had to increase and if so, does what I'm going through sound common?
I too will stay on this med as long as it works 'cause it's been a Godsend for me. I'm hoping this "blip" will ease up soon.
janny
I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks my whole adult life. The term for what 99.9% of people on this thread are going through is called Social Anxiety Disorder or what I like to say SAD. I have been to dozens of GP;s, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and they all wanted to prescribe anti-depressants to me.
That was like prescribing sugar to a diabetic, for me. It's a genetic disorder just like alcoholism or dibates, etc..Now I am sure anti-depressants are lifesavers to manic depressants or people who suffer from severe depression, but wouldn't you think that it makes sense to treat anxiety with anti-anxiety medication? I take Clonazepam for my anxiety and it is the only thing that reduces my anxiety. It is also called Klonopin, I think. Why don't doctors want to give this to their patients?
2 main reasons, in my opinion. 1 it is a benzodiazapine and as such, drug addicts will get high off it if they can get there hands on it.2 If the patient got well with the proper medication, then they lose a patient, which is the cynic in me, but in some cases, not far off. My nephew suffers from the same anxiety and panic attacks that I do and he is only 18 and I don't want him wasting his time on anti-depressants that do nothing for him. I also don't think medication is the only answer. Once on the proper medication, a person should do either or both relaxation techniques and'or meditation to increase the effectiveness of the drugs so one is not solely dependant on them. Also, regular physical activity is paramount, because, besides keeping you healthy, it releases endorphines which are released in response to pain and stress and which in turn help to alleviate anxiety and depression. lastly, have a healthy diet, I make sure to juice..that is using a juicer, several times a month. your diet can be a big contributor. Why would anyone want to take a strong stimulant like coffee or black tea that just increases your stress levels!
I think all people who suffer from severe social anxiety are OCD and perfectionists and are probably extremely bright. Hope this helps.
Oh my, I so agree with your statement on coffee or black tea. I find anything with high levels of caffeine exacerbates the anxiety and depression (e.g. soft drinks, but they are unhealthy anyway). My doctor also recommended the exersize, and a therapist for relaxation techniques, and my naturopathic doctor gave me a list of foods that also help boost the serotonin uptake (pumpkin seeds, chicken, turkey, cheese - anything with triptophan in it), and I do acupunture which works fantastically. I would recommend that to anybody. I can't stress that last one enough.
I did it all, and came off the Cirpolex, but it wasn't enough. I gave my body about six moths to find a balance again, but it just didn't. So I am starting it again, but with a low dose and hoping that is all I need. I don't like being dependent on medication at all, and one of my concerns is with my kidney and liver function being affected long term, but my doctor said it is actually not that hard on the body, which is one of the reasons this is the go-to medication. All the side affects that you experience going on and coming off are terrible, and it takes so damn long it feels like you are falling apart. But once my body found that balance it worked great. The Cirpralex worked in the past, so I will stick with it. I am too paranoid about getting addicted to any of the *pam drugs to try anything like Clonazepam, that it would probably make my anxiety worse. Catch 22.
Hi Damom,
I am 24 years old and have been on Cipralex 20mg for about a year now. This medication really did save me and my anxiety/depression. I wouldnt say this drug is a negative, I just noticed that as time passed- It didnt work as well for me, which I had to add other drugs.
My body became VERY dependant on it- When I tried to switch off Cipralex onto something else, I started to have withdrawal symptoms and had to go back on it.
The nervousness and jitters are normal. If you are only on day 8- you still have some time to go as it does take a couple of months for it to work properly.
Hi kerry..hope ur doing fine... I started cipralex 7 weeks ago... 4 weeks 5mg thn 2 weeks 10 and now 15...i still wake up anxious in the morning and it lasts few hours.. When this morning anxiety will go away??
I am on cipralex for about 5 days at 5 mg in the evening. I am having a lot of sleepiness, yawning, delayed or no ejaculation, decreased sexual desire. Should I stop it?
But feeling is slightly improved, i don't know, with this or due to clonazepam which I took for one to two day in a recent panic attack.
I am having this low self esteem and depressive mood since childhood. I think I got much much less what I deserved due to this low self esteem.
hello roland, i have the same side effect of morning anxiety so know how awful it feels
i started out on 10mg escitalopram and had some morning anxiety and other side effects, but they went away after a few weeks. i then moved to 15mg and had the side effects again (morning anxiety being the most troublesome)
a few weeks later the side effects passed
then, i decided that, although i was feeling a bit better overall, i wasnt feeling as good as i hoped, so i decided to move up to 20mg, which i have been taking for about 10 days, and i have the awful morning anxiety back again unfortunately (and dreams are more vivid/frequent)
as much as i cant stand these side effects, personally i am going to keep taking the 20mg for at least another week to see if the morning anxiety goes away, and i suggest you give it a little longer also, if you can put up with it
note: i take my escitalopram at around 11am each day
hello, i would recommend continuing, because 5 days is not very long and the side effects are due to the meds getting to work on you (which is distressing and annoying i know, but unfortunately for many people, taking SSRI medication means you might feel worse before you feel better)
after 2 weeks, if the side effects have eased to the point of not being so bothersome to you, i would recommend moving up to 10mg
however, if the side effects prove too much perhaps you could try a different SSRI, such as sertraline, which (from studies) tends to be quite well tolerated in comparison to other SSRI's
I feel that exact way. I'm just not quite sure if im ready to start this medication. Im 21, and just started my new job. I dont think I would be able to go through all those side effects; but my depression has also become quite crippling.