Waking up with panic attacks

Treatment and medication
1

Hi everyone 1 week on lexapro from 5 days on 5mg to now on 7.5mg.

I keep waking up each morning say 12am 3am etc with major panic attacks. Heart racing and shortness of breath. Is this possible a reaction to lexapro? I’m finding the first week extremely difficult and I hope it gets better because with broken sleep and having an increase of anxiety this is ■■■■!!

2

Hi Ryan, it is possible and even kind of normal...symptoms getting worse in the beginning. I had the same. It helped me just to acknowledge that this is "only" a panick attack, and if it happened in the middle of the night i used to wake up, drink some warm water, distract myself with something like a tv show, and just wait for it to pass. I had many and I guess I just got used to them in a way that I started treating it as something that just needs to pass through, a "necessary evil". It surely doesnt make things better if we start worrying about being worried, it just triggers other panicky reactions.

I also got my first dose of 7.5 mg yesterday and had a terrible pain in my stomach, uterus and other organs, that lasted for a few hours and didn't let me sleep. I've never had it before and it was a bit scary.

I'm sorry you re going through this, but it will pass, and will be better. <3 I've done it twice before, was hard but finally always worked. 

3

Thank you Nama, sorry to hear you are struggling aswell. I have been having panic attacks for around 11 months so they are nothing new just the all of a sudden wake up and getting one is scary. I hope the lexapro calms it down a little. I have diazapam on hand but don’t want to keep taking it. You can’t win 😭

4

Ryan.. sounds pretty much like Lexapro working it’s magic.. u just gotta go thru some storms to get to the Sunshine..I to experienced the same thing.. it will pass.. almost week 11 of 10 mg. Of Lexapro.. Things do get better..Stay Busy and Stsy Positive..😊

5

It took me 7 weeks to level out on Lexapro 5mg.  So if you can stick it out, it just takes time for your body to get used to it. I didn't have to raise the dosage thank goodness.  Because everytime you raise the dosage you have side effects again. 

6

Lexapro is strong/potent as hell/ effective for depression and anxiety like no other SSRI. With great efficacy comes the potential for great side effects. I would call my doctor and ask for some sort of rescue medication for the first month, ativan or klonopin. One of these will rally help in reducing any Lexapro side effects you mustn’t experienced. I’m telling you, 4-6 weeks on Lexapro and you will be thankful you hung in there, just don’t do Lexapro alone, without a rescue Med. I hope you find an adjunctive med that makes you feel better.

7

Thanks Dave, sounds like you have had great success? I have been given diazapam but really don’t want to rely on it.

8

Hi Nicole, you sound very positive. Thank you I’m 8 days I’m so  hope to see a change soon just wish it would hurry up 😭

9

My apologies #auto correct. Nickie

10

If diazapam helped me, I’d stick with it. I hope you stick with it and stay on Lexapro for 6 weeks, at least. Hang in there, the side effects should go away soon.

11

Hi Dave, yes it works just don’t want to get addicted to it. 

What mg are you on?

I will stick to it got no choice hate living in constant fear.

12

Ryan... just hang in there my friend.. you will feel better daily..stay in touch..😊

13

I will private message you with updates 😀

14

Ok.. now remember to do so...

15

 So I’ve been on Lexapro in total now, 31 days. I increased from 10 to 20 mg six days ago. I have drowsiness around the clock. If the drowsiness does not go away, I’m going to drop to 10 mg. My background is pharmaceutical sales ( I sold Zoloft for 10 years), point being, the Lexapro studies showed that 20 mg was no more effective than 10 mg, in their own clinical trials.

16

Can tell you what side effects probably is not going to go away, and that is the destruction  of my libido.

17

Did your panic attacks at night subside ? How long did they take to go away.

18

I got on fine with Citalopram, but Escitalopram supercharged my anxiety to stratospheric levels and after 5 weeks of hell I quit cold turkey as I couldn’t take another second of it.

Thinking about it now, my GP started me on 10mg and increased it to 20mg after 4 weeks. It seems it would have been better to start on 5mg.

So is it common for it to make you super anxious before actually making you feel better?

19

how are you doing now? IM ON day 22 and the shakes and anxiety are horrible.