I am due to start taking Escitalopram 10mg,but thinking of halving these for the first week,as scared of side effects. Any advice on how good these tablets are for anxiety,also any initial side effects to look out for,would be gratefully received. I was on Citalopram for 19 years,but changed to Sertraline this summer as Citalopram had seemed to stop working. Unfortunately after 5 weeks the Sertraline caused chronic,debilitating diarrhoea,so came off that two weeks ago. I would love to be well for Christmas,but at the moment the thought of it just panics me :-( x
Hi Justine. i have been on escitalopram for about 8yrs. i am 43 & have suffered bouts of anxiety & depression since age 19. i was on citalopram before this but they made me feel worse so i was switched to escitalopram. i started to feel noticeably better after about 4wks. the side effects i got were headaches for 1st couple of weeks which disappeared as my body got used to them, my pupils were a bit dilated/wobbly for 1st week but that disappeared too, & i occasionally get hot sweats/flushes but nothing too bothersome compared to other anti depressants i have had in the past. i find this medication good for me. it makes me feel like the true me again. no more tearfulness, negativity, over worrying, i am able to deal with everyday stress, communicate confidently with people, & sleep properly. i have recently been on the max 20mg daily due to ongoing illness to stop me worrying out of control & getting too down about my illness, enabling me to carry on working & keep a sensible perspective on everything. i am just reducing to 15mg this week (so far so good). my usual maintenance dose is 10-15mg daily which keeps me stable. one other thing i highly recommend is one to one cbt (cognitive behaviour therapy). i was referred by my gp for this about 3yrs ago & it was genuinely life changing. to describe it, you are taught to retrain your thoughts & STOP negative thoughts/worries that lead to anxiety/depression in their tracks. it stops you thinking about what probably won't happen, & what is more realistically likely to happen. it stops you going into "what if that happens" "what will people think" kind of thoughts that can lead you into an anxious spiral. as you probably know with anxiety & depression we tend to think of the worst possibility & worry about it really happening in many situations. i have applied what i learnt from cbt in so many situations at work, problem solving, family disputes etc. your gp can refer you. i hope this helps, persevere with you meds for at least 4wks & see how feel. if you're worried about the dose, you could split the 10mg & try 5mg for 1st 3 or 4 days, then go upto your prescribed 10mg. good luck xx
Dear Justine,
It's alway a bit scary to start meds, I hope that the Escitalopram will work for you. I've been on Cipralex (same medication as Escitalopram) for the last 5 years, at an dose of 10 and 20 mg respectively. This has been the gentlest medication to date and has few side effects. At 20 mg. I experienced heavy sweating, which was alleviated when we lower the dose to 10 mg.
I have found a reduction in anxiety and depression without feeling medicated. I have been on numerous antidepressents and benzodyazipines for anxiety / depression. Now I just take the
Oops hit the wrong key. Continued.. Now I take 20 mg Escitalopram, Vitamin D and use a SAD Lite (full spectrum). The only side effect I experience on the med wer
Hi looloo,thank you very much for your reply. I'm so pleased to hear Escitalopram has been good for you,it gives me confidence. I'm sorry you have suffered with anxiety and depression for so long,and that you have an ongoing illness (I hope that gets sorted too). A similar experience in the fact I am 42 and I started taking anti depressants at the age of 19. Your cbt experience sounds amazing,and the fact it can retrain your thoughts,it would be lovely to stop the irrational thoughts,panic and negative worries. I am so pleased it has helped you in such a big way. My gp
has referred me to 'Time to Talk' and I have been accepted for cbt therapy,so on the waiting list for appointments. Thanks again for your positive response,kind regards Justine. PS.do you take the Escitalopram am or pm?
Hi Karin,thank you for your reply. I am relieved to hear Escitalopram is one of the gentlest meds you have experienced and that it has worked for you. Was just a bit panicked after the Sertraline experience,which was far too activating for me in every which way. Pleased to hear a SAD light helps too,and the sunshine vitamin. Kind regards,Justine
Hope our replies help to build confidence in trying a new drug. It's scarry when you've had medications with strong side effects - I am reticent to try new meds from my own new experiences. Let us know how the Escitalopram works for you. kl
Thank you Karin,I will. This forum has been invaluable,not just for advice and information,but for the fact of not being alone with anxiety. People are truly lovely on here x
Hi again Justine, in reply to you, i take my escitalopram in the morning when i get up with my breakfast or a glass of milk if i dont feel like breakfast. i would agree with Karin in that this is the gentlest anti depressant i have had; it doesn't make you feel spaced out or over medicated like some can. i hope you get on well with the cbt. you may find yourself talking about things with your therapist you didnt even realise contribute to anxiety/depression. be open minded & open, & if they give you thought diaries to complete between appointments, do complete them as situations arise between appointments, they help to re-enforce the strength of thinking differently to avoid anxiety. keep us posted xx
I have been taking Escitalopram 10mg for about 6 months now and am now feeling much better. Had a few side effects initially but nothing to worry about. Hope it works for you.
Hi Justine - this is exactly what happened to me!
I was on citalopram for years, working really well but then it just seemed to stop working and my anxiety flared up.
I was swapped onto sertraline snd about 4 weeks in started getting chronic, really debilitating diarrhea, up to 20 times a day, watery and having accidents this was ongoing for weeks being told by my gp to persevere until I refused to carry on and saw a different gp.
I tapered off sertraline and then stopped for 48 hours after being on 50mg for a few days and my tummy settled a lot straight away!
After the 2 days, I started escitalopram 5mg and have now been on this for 3 days - today I woke up with that awful run to the loo explosive watery diarrhea again after 4/5 days of it being more settled and am really worrying the same effect is happening and it won't settle - I was wondering how are you getting on with the change now it's been a couple of months?
Thanks in advance for any info or advice!
Sarah
Hi Sarah,sorry to hear you went through the same experience. I have been taking Escitalopram for approximately 8 weeks now,and have to say it's great for me,and hope it will be for you too. Hang on in there,hopefully the diarrhea will settle,I haven't had any problems with it on Escitalopram. It is meant to have very few side effects and be really good for anxiety x
That's great news, I'm really happy it's working well for you
Could I ask how long did you have between stopping sertraline and starting the escitalopram? I'm wondering if maybe it's still the sertraline in my system or a mixture of the 2 things or general settling in period!
Thanks
Sarah
I had a gap of three weeks,my choice,not the gps. It took a good three weeks before my tummy settled after stopping the Sertraline,so I reckon it's still in your system a bit. The only side effects I had starting Escitalopram were slight headache,nausea and lack of appetite x
That's good to hear, I'll stick with it for a bit and see how I go. I certainly wouldn't mind the loss of appetite bit!!
Thanks
S x
Hi Sarah
i really hope you are feeling well. Your story matches mine exactly. I've been on sertraline for about 8 weeks. The diarrhoea has been absolutely terrible. The Doc assured me it would settle. It hasn't.
Could you please tell me how you found the new anti depressant?
Did you have any withdrawal symptoms from the sertraline or any start up side effects from your new anti d?
Best wishes J
About to start escitalopram for my intrusive memory and thoughts and obsessive thinking with anxiety attacks . Doc prescribed me 5 mg before sleeping . So lets see
Hello. I'd like to know how your first week has gone?
I started last night and am incredibly nauseous today (purposely didn't look online before).
Hello,
I am glad you shared this post.
I am taking Lexapro, but the move to 30mg seems to have caused bad diarrhea.
I am waiting for a call back from my psych md now.
I went from 10mg to 20mg and now 30mg. That is when the diarrhea stated.
But m main point was to thank you for sharing.
Jessie
How did you get on Vicky? I'm nearly 2 weeks in on Escitalopram 5mg and am in a state of panic most of the time, much worse that before I started it. I'm almost unable to go out. Had massive panic attack last week while driving as well so not driving anywhere. I had expected the symptoms to increase at beginning but it's nearly 2 weeks and still panicking - will I feel better anytime soon?? Did you?