Medication

[katiebug12]

hey everyone. it's been a while since I posted anything but I have been talking with my therapist about my medication I have been taking for depression. I was on 10 mg of Lexapro for two weeks until my doctor increased my dosage to 20 mg of lexapro per day. At first I was taking it at night but it made it hard to fall asleep so I switched it to the morning. Well, I have been waking up around 4 - 5 AM nearly every morning sweating and cant go back to sleep for about an hour or so. Sometimes I sleep til 6 AM but then there are times when I go back to sleep I will sleep until 10 - 11 AM and then take my medication. I feel like the medication is helping and I have only been on it for about two months. Are these symptoms that go away or does this get better? I have been trying to not be in bed all day but I have noticed that some days I still stay in bed all day.

Does anybody else have these issues?

[corrine245]

Hello Katie! I am here with some loving support. I am currently on lexapro 20 mg started on 10 mg I am having quite similiar issues to you i have been on the med for 2 months and I notice I had a hard time sleeping so i took my dose in the morning. I noticed that the past 2 weeks I have been staying in bed much longer sleeping until the same times as you even noon. Its like i send more time in bed and I cant fight my body and some nights I have trouble pulling myself out of bed and its only 8 pm. It feels so nice to have someone whos going through similar issues. I am here for you

[Marshall64]

I'm on 10 mg of Lexapro. My doctor said that 20 mgs can cause anxiety. I don't think the Lexapro is working anymore. I can't decide if should quit or increase it.

I have always had issues with sleep so I don't know if it is worse or not.

[Hidden]

I am with all of you. I read a post some time ago that it gets better. It takes about ninety days to obtain a happy medium.

[GregariousGrace]

I was on lexapro in college. It helped. Looking back, the first few months I had trouble sleeping. I took seroquel an hour or two before bed for about 2 months. That really helped me sleep. It is amazing how important sleep is for the body. I think I took the lexapro for two years. Then I was fine since then until about a year ago when I was having health problems. I kept telling myself that this is situational. When I get better physically, my mid will follow. It has not.

I am currently on Prozac. I have read many people complain about it. I started it a while back for anxiety. 10 mg. Then in February I was having stomach pains. She upped it to 20 mg (I think she knew I was experiencing physical manifestations of stress but didn't tell me because that would cause more stress). In late April or early May she upped it to 40 mg when I told her, "I think I'm depressed". After about three weeks I told her I wasn't better yet and should be better. She told me to keep taking it until I could get into the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist told me she wouldn't think of adjusting it or changing it until after 8 wks but added welbutrin (i have only been on that for 5 days as of this post) to help with motivation. One day I turned on the tv (something I haven't done in so long) and watched some dumb teen movie. It was really sweet. I cried.

I was actually excited by my sobbing. I felt as though I am finally starting to improve. I felt that i had a normal reaction to what was going on around me. The movie was sad and I felt that sadness and I cried. Before I was telling my doctor that, "I think I am depressed but I don't feel sad. I just don't feel anything." I am finally starting to feel again.

Hopefully I will soon have motivation too.

The point of all of this is to keep taking your medication but also tell your doctor everything. Sadly there is not a brain chemical test. (My doctor joked with me and said because I got too depressed and didn't make it) ha. Probably true. But anyway find a doctor you trust. Even if that doctor is not a psychiatrist. Go to a good psychiatrist. Go to a counselor you trust. In college I felt as though it was difficult to tell the psychiatrist things that were easier to tell my gynecologist, so I signed papers letting them talk about me. Maybe you could do that.

Now, I wouldn't say I'm jaded but less apprehensive and more understanding of hippa etc. I have only seen my current counselor twice. The first time he asked about any past emotional disturbances, depression, etc and I told him about my sexual assault. He immediately stopped and asked if I was ok with a male counselor. I told him, "we will find out together."

I also feel weird trying to give you advice because I feel like such a train wreck right now, but the first time I was depressed, I could not pin point a reason. I had a good social network, I exercised, I ate healthy food, I was actually doing well in my classes. Most would say my life was made. Yet I was depressed. The doctor checked my thyroid (which is important and I'm glad he did) and it was normal. He thought maybe I was bipolar because I wasn't sleeping and part of why I told him my life is great I shouldn't be depressed. He then decided it was severe depression. I took the medicine wanting instant results. That doesn't seem to happen with serotonin.But I got better then and I have faith that I will get better now. You will too