This is my first time here and posting. I appreciate and value hearing about others experiences, thank you in advance for sharing. I began taking Cipralex(Lexepro) just over three weeks ago. I am a petite person and generally sensitive to medication. I started at 5mg for week 1 and then 10mg from that point. Quite quickly after beginning the Lexepro, I noticed an improvement in my overthinking and worrying and general level of anxiety, however I continue to feel like I'm intoxicated, wonky and dizzy(like I've had several drinks) which for me is pretty unpleasant. We are in lockdown here at the moment so I am at home, I wouldn't be able to work like this!. I was hoping by this point that these side effects would pass? I'm wondering what I should do going forward...whether to go back to 5mg, stop taking it, or stick with it in the hopes that it will normalize. Has anyone else experienced similar??
Thank you.
5 Replies
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Hi and welcome! I would call and talk to your doctor.
Call your prescriber and talk to them. Tell them exactly what you are experiencing. There are plenty of other meds that are similar to Lexapro, so ask your prescriber if maybe one of those could be a better fit.I used to take Lexapro about 15 years ago. I was anorexic and had anxiety. I ended up on a very high dose of 40 mg (and I was only about 85 pounds at that point). I never experienced the dizziness or intoxicated feeling. My main side effect was lack of emotion and feeling numb, so I did get off of it and, thank goodness, my emotions did return. I will say this, getting off Lexapro, especially higher doses, is hard. You get these things called "brain zaps" that feel like little electrical shocks in your brain, and they just happen at random times. So if you're already having negative side effects, you should definitely talk to your prescriber about them. I'm on Sertraline (generic Zoloft), 150 mg, and it's been working pretty well with no noticeable side effects except for maybe some increase in my acne. I'm taking it for depression (which has improved greatly), social anxiety (also improved but is still a work in progress), and OCD (not too much improvement, but I'm very strong willed and stubborn so it will take more than meds to fix it).
Hope this helps some, but definitely call your prescriber.
Yes, not with Lexapro, but with Gabapentin, which is used for anxiety but also to prevent seizures from going off benzodiazepines. I was on 100mg 3 times a day at first, and the psychiatrist eventually moved it up to 300mg 3 times a day. She said it was a relatively low dose, but I was getting lightheaded and kept feeling like I was going to faint. She lowered it to 2 100mg 3 times a day, and I get to benefit from the improvement it created, but its not so high I feel light Im going to faint. I wouldnt necessarily go off it, but leave a message for your therapist if your appointment is far off, and explain how your feeling. My psychiatrist usually calls me back in a couple hours if Im having medication issues. I have a video visit with her on Thurs, and actually am gonna have to either go off this because my insurance is changing and they wont cover the lower dose in the quantity the dr prescribed which is 180, but it will cover 385 of the higher dose a month. Go figure. Doesnt really make sense, but it is what it is. I hope you and your therapist find the right dose for you, and that your depression remains at bay! Best wishes, and Happy Holidays!
Hi there, I've been on Lexapro ( however different generic name of escitalopram : don't think that matters tho). Anyway I'm on 15 mg for about last year & a half. Was up to max of 20mg, not sure why it was lowered?? Never have I had any sensation that you described here!!I would definitely report your side effects to Dr or Psychiatrist! You posted this about 3 weeks ago, so I'm assuming u already have! I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, but haven't been dilligent about checking in lately! Sure hope it has been resolved ✌️
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