I've been on 5mg for eight days and want to go up to my target goal of 10mg, but am still feeling side effect of slight nausea every evening with the 5mg. Do you have to have no more side effects from current dose to move on to larger dose? Also, thought I'd ease into it by cutting tablets and trying 7.5 mg for a few days first. I'd be grateful for any advice I can get!
Hi Diana,
I posted here as well a couple days ago with a similar question and haven't received any responses either. I am wondering if this med is right for me? I am on day 12 of 5mg and feel like my anxiety is worse than the first week at 5mg. I also have had bad nausea and actually had dry heaves and vomiting on days 9 and 10. Not sure what to do. Been pretty miserable. Lots of crying cause I feel so bad. What are you taking the med for? Anxiety and/or depression?
Thanks,
Holly
Hi, Holly
So sorry you are feeling so bad. I've taken this med on and off for the past eight years, but can't remember how long the side effects lasted the other times. I'm taking it for anxiety. Most of my anxiety right now is due to a long bout I've had with IBS. I get the queasiness between 5 and 6 PM and it usually feels better after I eat dinner. What time does your nausea kick in?
I hope you'll start feeling better soon. In the past, for me, the side effects have eventually cleared up and the med has worked great for my anxiety.
Thank you for your reply. Been having a horrible day. Yesterday was better. Not 100% but I was able to go to my doctors appointment which is about 45 minutes away. Just felt somewhat normal. Then today it is bad. Terrible anxiety, headaches, nausea and I did end up vomiting again. This is the first time I have been on lexapro. Was previously on zoloft for many years. Worked great for me. Totally anxiety free. Started having some issues of not feeling well and tried to increase my zoloft dose and things just went downhill. I had always been on 50mg. Long story shortcut vomited for about two months ups to about 6 times a day on bad days. Thought it maybe relayed to the zoloft so discontinued it to see if it was the reason. The vomiting continued and finally saw GI doc and after a couple weeks was diagnosed with a bad gall bladder. Had gall bladder surgery about three weeks ago. I have always been on my Zoloft for anxiety/panic so knew I should probably restart meds and heard great things about lexapro so am trying to give this one a go..... Been very rough. Zoloft was rough starting but don't recall feeling to nauseous and vomiting like I am on the lexapro. Some days I am just basically out of commission. I take my med before bed. I tend to get the nausea vomiting around 1 or two in the afternoon. It is more like a reflux. I have bad bouts of increased anxiety/rapid heart beat that may last most of the morning into the afternoon. Does it increase your anxiety levels to when starting it? Just wondering if I am experiencing side effects still at 12 days in or if imy anxiety is just getting worse. Don't want to increase to soon but on the other hand I sometimes wonder if that is the answer. Was hoping the SE would have been calming down by now. Just feel kinda stuck. I know the ins and outs of Zoloft but never have tried another med. Does my SE sound normal or is that just not the right med for me? The vomiting is what concerns me the most. I know heightened anxiety is normal with Ssri start up but nevertheless it is no fun.
Ugggh!
Thanks for your reply. Good to hear your a Lexapro Pro!
Hi Holly.. I am on 20mg. I didn't feel so good on the lower dose so I jumped to the high dose and I felt strange for about 2 weeks and now I feel great
Hi Cynthia,
Thank you so much for your reply. What dose were you on prior to going to the 20 mg and long were you on that dose. What do you mean by strange? I am very sensitive to these meds. Did you have bad nausea and anxiety increase when increasing? Just feeling so down and discouraged right now.....
Any additional insight on your experience would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much!
I started at 5mg but it was not holding back the anxiety and I felt sick and my head felt light. I by passed 10mg and jumped to 20mg. I felt like dizzy but my anxiety got under control pretty quick. In two weeks I was much better and in a month I was feeling great
Hey Cynthia,
How long were you on the 5mg before jumping up? Did you have any other side effects other than dizzy?
You are so awesome for helping me out. I really appreciate you taking the time. Is this your first SSRI? Do you take in the morning or at night?
Hi Holly & Diana. i've been on escitalopram 15mg daily for over 4yrs for anxiety & depression & it maintains me very well. its normal to get temp side effects when you start this med or increase dose for 2-4wks while your body adapts to it. side effects can include: increased anxiety especially in morning, increased tiredness, sweating, dry mouth, nausea, dilated pupils. when i started this med & when i increased doses, i did get more sleepy for 2-3wks, & more anxious in morning, dilated pupils, & dry mouth, but it only lasted approx 3wks. It is VERY important to take this med in the morning when you get up - both my doc & pharmacist told me this. Hope this helps you both a bit, take care xx
Hi Looloo,
Thanks for chiming in! I guess I am now wondering if I should be increasing now or if I am getting side effects still from adjusting to the 5mg. I started at 2.5mg for two weeks but feel more anxious and down on the 5mg. I am on day 13 of 5 mg. I also start wondering if I am relapsing as I had to stop my Zoloft of 5years trying to rule out if it was causing medical problems. I have been off of it for almost 7 weeks. Not sure if I should be increasing or giving the 5mg more time. I had a problem on the zoloft when I got my dosage to high which was only trying to go up to 100mg so kinda scared of going to high but I need relief..... What was your tritation timeframe?
Thank you so much!
Hi Holly. from what i remember i started on 10mg but it made me feel weird, so i started 5mg for couple of weeks, then went up to 10mg for about 4wks. then 15mg 4wks, then 20mg. i was on 20mg for some time as i was quite bad at one point, but when i had been feeling myself again for approx 9mths, i went down to 15mg & have been fine on that since. I haven't gone down any further as for the last 4yrs I've had other illness with bowel conditions that have caused me no end of stress, so i stick to 15mg. I've also started perimenopause this year at 45 & gone on to hrt in april. so certainly won't be trying to go down to 10mg anytime in the near future. I've had a long history of anxiety & depression since age 19, whenever i've had a long spell off ad's, it hits me again eventually, so if i have to stay on them to keep me as the real me, then so be it. I would perhaps phone your doc & see if he thinks you should go up a notch on the meds yet hun. xx
Oh my. You sound a lot like me! I am 45 as well and started on Zoloft in my early 20's for severe panic and depression. I had tried to come off of it a couple times but always had to restart so a finally decided I was a med for life kinda girl. I am totally okay with that. My life is good once I am stabilized on them and that to me is priceless. Zoloft was wonderful and has been the only anti depressant I have ever been on. Thought maybe it was pooping out on me but then had the gallbladder problems so not sure it was ever the zoloft but discontinued it to rule it out and then it was determined my gallbladder was bad. Vomiting daily, constant nausea, two trips to the ER. It has been a mess the past 4 months. I have lost just over 40 pounds. I have read great things about Lexapro so thought I would give it a try. Just scary as I have never had anything other than the zoloft and have started that one about three times so I know what to expect on it. Just not sure if I should give the 5 mg another week or if I am just delaying the inevitable. I have a horrible time with increases so don't want to go that route if not necessary. I kind of lost faith in my PDoc as she acts like my reaction to starting these meds are not the norm. I called her on day 7 as my heart was racing, bad anxiety etc. She advised me drop back down to 2.5mg and acted like it was not normal that I felt that way..... She claims none of her patients have this reaction....? I know better and that is why I have turned to the forums. So now I don't trust her advise. She thinks that it should be no problem to hop right on to the 10mg at the start..
Anyway! Have you been on other ssri's?
Thank you so much......
Yes I have used other meds. If you over think every little feeling you will feel worse. I jumped to 20mg and get the yucky feelings over with. I was on 10mg but it was not holding back the anxiety. At 20mg I am good
Hi Cynthia,
I just get the worst side effects. I think I am very sensitive to all meds. What did you have as far as side effects and how long did they last? The SE totally put me out of commission sometimes. It is horrible.
Thanks again 😀
Heavy head anxiety sick to my tummy. Last about 4 weeks
Hi Cynthia,
When you were on the 10mg you felt that way or when you increased it. You did 10mg for 4 weeks then increased?
Now I'm confused again....so it's OK to increase dose while you still feel side effect (nausea) on lower dose?
Isn't this just fun Diana?
Sounds like if you think you are ready to increase and manage it is fine. I am just so hesitant as I don't want to be a higher dose than needed. I am not sure if my anxiety and nausea are still side effects and I am trying to still adjust to this dosage. I don't want to make it worse if I may feel better once the side effects ease up. I am still getting really bad headaches and tension in the neck area, spikes of anxiety and some dizziness. I just feel like these are worse than when I was on the 2.5mg so tends to make me think it is still the increase side effects....
I am just so unsure what to do myself. Do you get really bad increased anxiety during start up or increases? I wanted to wait out side effects and see how I felt but then I start thinking maybe these aren't side effects and I am getting worse....
I know a lot of people do one week on 5mg and then go to 10 there after. I think I would die. Lol
Doctor put me on 10 my I didn't want to do all the side effects so I jump to 20 mg in like 2 weeks.. Felt not so good but it passed and I felt so much better. Stop over thinking it you are making it worse
Hi Cynthia,
I think I am over thinking it because I went to high at one point on my Zoloft and became very ill from it. That was just about 3 months ago. So I am now worried about that. I also get extreme anxiety on increases and just hate it. I guess I need to probably just go ahead and go to the 10mg. I am just now in the past day or two getting a bit of an appetite back from the increase to 2.5mg. Like I mentioned - I have had a rough 3 to 4 months of too much Zoloft and then the vomiting starting up to 5 and 6 times a day. Doc had me stop my Zoloft very quickly to see if it was the cause. Ended up being gallbladder and had it removed about 3 weeks ago. Just so tired of constantly feeling bad and trying to get back on my feet. I had been on the Zoloft for 5 years straight so stopping abruptly was terrifying too. Just been so rough and I want to feel better and just dread upping again. I really have a rough time with adjusting. My anxiety gets extreme, heart races, nausea, hard time sleeping, no appetite. Sorry I sound so wishy washy. Also this a new med for me so that is kinda scary. I have used Zoloft for 20 years on and off but mostly on. You are right - I am worried about it and it doesn't help. I have been off work for about 4 months due to all of this and I am generally a non stop kinda girl so this has been a real setback for me..
How long did it take for your start up side effects to pass?
Thanks for your input....