I just took my first dose of Escitalopram 5mg. I'm scared as hell!
Dear Simone,
I hope that you are tolerating the Escitalopram (5 mg). That is a very small dose and it's likely that you won't experience any side effects. I've been on the drug for 16 years at doses of 5, 10 & 20 (in addition to mood stabiliers).. Plan to titrate down to 5 mg bit by bit.
Remeber everyone is different and you will have to see how the med works for you. Please don't spend time worrying or watching for side effects, that will sap your energy.
Why are you scared as hell? Arnt you tryin to help urself? Dont take it if your that scared. If in your mind your already setting yourself up to fail or have isdues then dont take it. Or think of it as you are putting yourself out there an adking for help. Alot cant even do that. So think positive.
Just scared of the side effects. I was feeling okay today. I was on my way just now to drop my daughter off at her god mothers house & had to pull over because I had a panic attack.
Well your on a really low dose. I started at 10 then on to 15mg. No real side effects except gained wt an sleepy all time. Its one of the more non-activating antidepressantts. I stopped because of those side effects an it wadnt helping with depression. It really helps with anxiety though. I need both. Don't fret about side effects. Dont read the Internet.
Bit of a harsh reply Zio. people come on this forum for support, opinions, & advice, not lectures. you should know yourself that depression & anxiety (especially just starting treatment) that your symptoms may be magnified with worry &anticipation of starting meds.
Hi Simon. try not to be scared. its always daunting starting a med, especially for your mental health problems, & the internal questions, worries & anticipation of it can be overwhelming sometimes. remember my previous posts to you - try not to "what if", expect "normal" side effects of increased anxiety especially in morning temporarily for first 2-4wks & at every increase in dose (just use strength to tell yourself this when/if it occurs that it is normal & temp). Plenty of kind people on this forum to talk to, ask questions, or just vent if you need to. x
5 mg is ok you should be fine. At 10 it starts working is m on 15. Still debating if I should stay on it or go to Fluoxentine. Please Let's us know how you are doing. I hope it works for you!
Hi Karin, I really need to ask you you wrote about mood stabLizers. I am on 450 ex Ligjium and Pristiq which is antidepressant basically better version of Effexor. I started taking 10 mg of Escitalopram on June 9, my mother was so worried about me she gave me some of hers and it really worked. The brand was actually Dexapron. Really good. Then about a week ago got off the Pristiq and just kept taking the Escitalopram and upped it to 20. It was awful panic attacks I think from stopping the Pristiq. So now I am on 15 mg, I have to cut the tablets of 10. I am afraid to get American brand. The brand I have is from Colombia which I'm ports it from Spain.
Any way I wanted to know what mood stabilizers you take and what your Escitalopram lab is? A week ago I wanted to kill myself and today I am doing a whole lot better with 15 mg of Escitalopram Pristiq and Lithium, though getting up in the morning is still a challenge. But I need to function, I have two kids and a husband plus I need to do something besides just Zumba. Thank you for your help!
Thank you. I started with the 5mg and felt fine the entire morning and then that night while driving I had a panic. The street lights got blurry and I started seeing double and that's when the panic set in. I didnt continue taking the medicine. I started CBT last week and I go back Wednesday so I'm going to try to defeat this without medication. It will be my last resort.
Hi Vanessa. I didn't continue the medication. I took it Friday morning fely ok all day then Friday night while driving I had a panic attack. Not sure if it was a direct effect from the medicine or if it was because I was out at night. I don't get out much at night because I get super anxious.
Hello Karin! I took the lexapro Friday morning and felt fine the entire day even went to the store to get my daughter a few outfits which was an accomplishment for me. Friday night while driving I had a panic attack. Not sure if it was the medicine or if it was just due to me being anxious while being out & driving. I didn't take it again and stayed in the house the entire weekend.
Sorry to here that Simon. good luck with the cbt. I had that on a one to one basis about 6yrs ago - it was lifechanging for me in dealing with anxiety & depression. It makes you change your thought processes so you dont "what if, what if " & get swept down the river of anxiety. be open minded & stick with it. i hope it helps you as it helped me.
Thank you! Did the CBT alone work for your anxiety? Or did you have to take medication as well?
I still take maintenance dose meds(15mg escitalopram & 80mg propranalol - a beta blocker for anxiety), but the cbt empowered me to deal with big stressful situations i would've previously been very much unable to cope with mentally. it gave me a whole new perspective & approach to everyday life & the problems that we encounter. it takes a bit of self-discipline, but over time it becomes 2nd nature in your own behaviour, thinking, & how you deal with things. I've had prolonged bouts of depression & anxiety since aged 19, I'm now 45, so always susceptible to it, but cbt was a gamechanger going forward.
Thanks for your response! What is CBT?
I totally understand about being out at night. Anxiety ups! Just a question have you considered 450 extended realease lithium at night? It might help. Just a suggestion.... It might be really good for you. I have been doing a lot of research on different forums. And so much good feed back. I take it at night. But this year has been so hard emotionally that I guess I needed the Escitalopram. Just 10 mg is good for me anymore and it makes me anxious.
I really hope everything works out ok. I want everyone to be well. Everything looks so dark and all the what ifs just drive you mad. I totally understand because I have lived it, you just wish the joy would come back. And I am still trying to stabilize. What is CBT?
Hi Vanessa,
I take Lithium (900 mg at night), 10 mg of Escitlapram (tapering down to 5 mg) and Seroquel XR 20 mg pm.
Hi Karin, I feel so sleepy in the morning. It's so hard to get up. I am on Pristiq 50mg and 450 extended realease lithium. And in the morning 10 mg of
Escitalopram. I hope this is ok for me sometimes I feel like I have cotton around my brain but it usually subsides by 3:00 pm. I still don't know if I should consider adding Lamictal to the lithium or just switching out Escitalopram to Flouxetine. Confused. My doctor has not found the right fit. All the others were from my psychiatrist in Colombia, South America. For me years the Pristiq worked and so did the lithium. 450 in morning and at night. But I became very disorganized forgot to take them for like 6 months while also having marriage problems. So that sent me into a dark whole of negative thoughts. I am still stabilizing myself and earl easing negative thought of divorce and abandonment.
Hi Vanessa. cbt is congnitive behaviour therapy & really helps people with chronic anxiety/depression - probably more so with the anxiety. if you are open with the psychologist about everything in your life (don't hold back), it really helps going forward to change your thought processes & deal with life & it's challenges/stresses better. counselling is more to open up with someone unbiased to try & address problems or just speak about problems you sometimes didnt even realise were there. i have had both over the years for different reasons, & both have their place in treatment for anxiety & depression, but i found the cbt to be really lifechanging in not making me such an anxious personality all the time as has been the case for many years. being open & open minded on your part is essential for both counselling or cbt. I am not a person to be taken in easily by things like "oh try herbs" or "try chinese medicine" that kind of thing, but was pleasantly surprised by how both counselling many years ago, & more recently one to one cbt, helped me be a stronger person more able to get problems into perspective & deal with day to day stress more effectively without sending me into a spiral of anxiety or depression. xxx