New to Escitalopram, advice needed.

Treatment and medication
1

Last week I was prescribed Escitalopram for anxiety and depression, however I'm really scared to take it. The dose is 5 mgs, but I was considering cutting it in half when/if I start taking it.

Can anyone tell me about the start up effects, long term side effects, and basically if this med has or hasn't helped you? All replies are greatly appreciated.

I used to be on Zoloft for many years, then quit for a few, and now it's time to get back on an antidepressant again, but I refused to take Zoloft again.

Thanks for reading this. 💜

2

Hi I've been on this for just over 9 weeks, started and still on 10mg daily.

I can't say whether I had any real side effects from it as I was already dealing with withdrawal from Trazadone and Mirtazapine at the time so was in a bad place anyway.

I take this along with Quetiapine and Diazepam.

The Quetiapine was prescribed as I was in crisis and suffering chronic anxiety and panic attacks.

Everyone reacts differently to medication, but I would definitely give it a go.

3

Thanks so much. 💜

I was given Ativan to take with it to help combat anxiety, but I'm used to Xanax so it's hard to get used to.

Have you felt any benefits from the Escitalopram?

Starting and stopping meds is such a pain.

4

Hi,

It's difficult to tell to be honest because of the Quetiapine.

But I think I've felt benefits, but it took about 7 weeks!

It is a nightmare changing medication as you never know how your going to react to it!

I had a very bad reaction to Sertraline a few years ago yet my daughter gets on fine with it.

You can never tell until you try, I'd definitely advice that if you decide to take it and suffer any adverse effects you contact your GP.

Have you had to taper off your other medication first?

5

I was on sertraline for many years, but about 5 years ago I quit cold turkey. It was hell, but xanax helped me through it. Then I simply remained on xanax, because I didn't want to be on another antidepressant. They helped with anxiety, but I felt so flat. Unfortunately, the time has come to go back on an antidepressant because anxiety and depression have a major grip on me now.

I'm 46, so I don't doubt that depleting hormones are playing a role. About 6 years ago I had a partial hysterectomy, which can bring menopause on 5 years earlier than expected. I have no other symptoms aside from the emotional part, yet. I've also recently lost 2 family members, one in June, and one in July. However, the hardest loss to deal with is the loss of my mom in 2015. Diagnosis to death was only 6 months, and since she lived below me, we were quite close. I don't think I ever properly grieved for her, because I got sick shortly after, and have since ended up with 2 surgeries. My grieving has consisted of bursts of meltdowns that are kept hidden.

Now that sicknesses, surgeries, and deaths are over with, the depression has set it, and anxiety is worse. There's no leaving the house, driving, or basically doing anything, plus being alone has been causing panic attacks. Everything is just a big ball of yuck right now, and the thought of start up effects of a new med hasn't helped.

6

I can relate to a lot of that.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 13 years ago, I was only 43 at the time, I had a lumpectomy , chemotherapy, radiotherapy and 5 years on Tamoxifen.

I'd had a hysterectomy 4 years previous but retained my ovaries the reason being, ironically, was because I couldn't have HRT due to a family history of breast cancer.

I lost my mum last September, to Parkinson's disease, the end came very suddenly and I wasn't ready ( although you never are ) I spent 4 days and nights at the hospital with her in her final days, along with my brother and sister, we never left the hospital.

I was completely devastated and am still grieving now, I've had counselling for bereavement which helped a little.

Then in June this year I lost another family member.

I think that loss plus attending the funeral triggered everything again for me.

My anxiety got worse, so dr took me off Trazadone cold turkey, big mistake, I started on Mirtazapine at 15mg and wasn't too bad but when it was increased to 45mg my anxiety heightened out of the window, I had severe panic attacks, couldn't eat, non stop shaking, it was horrendous!

I was referred to a mental health nurse specialist at my surgery who put me on Escitilopram as he said it was the gentlest SSRI , my GP then added Quetiapine too as I was in crisis.

Took a while to settle, and although I still get anxiety it's not as bad.

I still find it difficult to attend social events and usually cancel, making some excuse as to why I can't go.

We had to cancel a holiday to Portugal in September this year as my anxiety heightened again at the thought of it.

It was only two weeks before that I'd managed to catch a bus for the first time for ages!

Be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up about things you can't do, that's what I've been told.

Sending you hugs 🤗 

7

Oh wow! Our stories our quite similar. My mom had cancer of the epiglottis, and I took her to every doctor appointment, every radiation session, and sat with her during every round of chemo. She would get really cold after chemo, so when we got home I got her cuddled up on the couch with an electric blanket, got her whatever she wanted, then took care of house issues, feeding pets, cleaning etc. I tried to make sure that she never wanted or needed anything, because it would already be there. Once treatments were done, we had to wait a bit to have a PET scan done. During that time I noticed her ankles were a little swollen, so I got her a wedge pillow to elevate her feet. Things went downhill from there. She woke one morning and couldn't remember my phone number, and was too weak to walk upstairs to get me. My sister had called her during that time, but didn't come over, or even call me, she just went to work and my mom was left like that for 3 hours. Once I found out, it was time to get to the hospital. During one of her nights there, they did emergency surgery on her heart, and put in a pericardial window. Something didn't look right in the fluid, and they found a couple odd looking pieces of tissue, so a biopsy was done. Yep, it was cancer. Her original cancer in her throat was gone, but it went to her heart. I tried so hard to get her strong enough to at least come home, but that didn't happen. I got a call from the hospital saying she coded during the night, and family should get there. Once there, I had to wait forever for my brother and sister to show up. Even though I was power of attorney, I wanted to include them in the decision to stop life support. It was the right decision, but the hardest I've ever had to make. I just held her hand and told her that we fought so very hard. Tears wouldn't stop, then I got really hot and dizzy, and had to go outside before I passed out. Within minutes I felt a calm come over me, and I knew she was gone. My phone rang, and it was my husband saying that she passed. It's as if she waited for me to leave, as crazy as that sounds. My brother and sister were in by her, but they were never part of her care. Even during treatments, my brother only visited once for a few minutes, and my sister would only call. I know it's because they figured that I had it all handled, but that wasn't the point, because they could at least visit. My mom was her normal silly self until she went into the hospital, so there's no excuse. It's not like I was asking them to anything in the line of care. In the world of cancer there's that saying "Nobody fights alone", and that was very true for us. I told my mom from the start that this isn't her journey, it's our journey.

This is merely a fraction of what I've been through, and it has obviously taken a toll.

It's too bad that you had to cancel vacation plans for now, but it's great that you were able to catch a bus. I'm not that far yet, so hopefully I can pluck up the courage to try the meds.

You've gone through quite a battle yourself with the hysterectomy, battling breast cancer, (and winning) losing your mom to a terrible desease, and then having to deal with head meds. You've come so far, and have a lot of strength, even if it doesn't seem like it at times. Just in case you don't see it, you need to know that you're really amazing! 💜