I am 8 days into taking a starter dose of Lexapro for anxiety? My anxiety has gotten worse. Has anyone else experienced this?

[ArtistP]

I am 8 days into taking a starter dose (5mg) of Lexapro for anxiety? My anxiety has gotten worse and I am not sleeping now. I am having to use xanax to settle my mind enough to get a little sleep. I am suppose to up my dose to 10mg today but am on the fence about this. I don't want to make things worse.

[NiBa5]

Hello

I hope you won't suffer so much till your brain will get adjusted into Lexapro. I remember it took a while to begin to feel positive effects from antidepressant. You can google "initial reaction of antidepressants." Its a time to be patient..... But if your initial reaction is too severe, please consult a prescribing psychiatrist. Hugs

[ArtistP in reply to NiBa5]

Thanks. I have an appointment with my doctor and will talk things over with him. Hugs back.

[NiBa5 in reply to ArtistP]

I was on Lexapro and Buspiron (anti-anxiety med) combination for a long time till I quit it. 5 mg is a minimum dose to start. I hope it'll work for you. It's really a trial and an error process till we can find the most effective SSRI, SNRI or SDRI since we don't know which one is most effective. I went through the same passage that you're going through. Please take care. Hugs

[ArtistP in reply to NiBa5]

I was on citalopram for 10 years and lexapro for 5 before that. They were life changing. I stopped 10 months ago on the suggestion of my Dr. The current situation with covid and working under these conditions and seeing your coworker and clients as a danger really is most of my anxiety. I don't know why I am having such a hard time with the meds this round. I started reading Claire Weekes book "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" last night which explains how anxiety works and her method for dealing with it. It has given me a little hope. If you haven't read it I recommend it.

[Meowandruff]

I'm sorry you are having this trouble. Whenever I don't feel adjusted to a dose of medicine, I wait before increasing it. I let my doc know why I am waiting. If I continue to have trouble at the lower dose, I won't increase it. Peace and healing to you.

[ArtistP in reply to Meowandruff]

I am on the same page. I am not increasing my dose until is speak to my doctor. I have an appointment with him in a few days. I may actually try and take it at night instead of in the morning. Thank you for your response. I helps to hear from others who can understand what I am going through.

[jessicjames]

Hello. I can understand this but this is actually what actually pharma drugs do to your body. Lexapro basically inhibit the uptake of serotonin and is used for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorder. But it does take time to settle and show its effect on your body. I used to take Xanax and Lexapro too but I realized they work to a limit. And our body gets immune to high dosage. I would rather recommend using a holistic approach. You can try CBD oil. Once my friend suggested to my aunt and it worked. For me, I prefer trying natural and herbal ways. I divert my mind from indulging in different activities and reading. Reading helps the most. Here is a complete guide on how to manage anxiety mangoclinic.com/anxiety-man... I t will be very helpful for you. Just give it a read.

[ArtistP in reply to jessicjames]

Thanks for the advice. Just hearing from others who are or have been in similar situation is helpful in and of itself. I have a CBD sleep formula coming in the mail. My biggest issue seems to be sleep. I also love to read but at night when I'm home from work my anxiety can be so bad its hard to read. I am hoping I will adjust soon. I will check out the link. Again your input is much appreciated.

[jessicjames in reply to ArtistP]

Hey, I think CBD goes best for your sleep. It is a wonder drug. It can calm you. Cbd oil I prefer.

[ArtistP in reply to jessicjames]

calmbywellness.com/product/... is the link for the CBD oil I have coming. I will let you know how it works for me.

[Blueruth]

Lexapro can cause seratonin syndrome. It is very serious so you should let your doctor know. I had it once on another med. I cut the pill in half until I had adjusted. mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

[ArtistP in reply to Blueruth]

I was told to take 5 mg/day by my doctor. I cut the pill in half yesterday and took 2.5 in the morning and the other 2.5 at last night. The reason I did that was because I want to try taking the medicine at night and didn't want to go 36hrs without any dose. I felt pretty good today. I am considering dropping down to the half dose for a while and slowly move up to 5mg. I am going to discuss it with my doctor on Tuesday. Thanks for the advice.

[Blueruth in reply to ArtistP]

Three times doctors over prescribed and it wasn’t good. Twice I had told them I am sensitive. Good luck on Tuesday.

[Agora1]

Hi ArtistP, as others have said, medication is a trial and error process. However, just

as important as the dosage is, the time of day you take it as well.

I was given Lexapro while in the hospital and it was given to me with my lunch each day.

It took 4-6 weeks to reach full efficacy and then I was weaned off my benzo (Xanax).

I have found Lexapro to be a life changing drug for myself.

I wish you the same. And if Lexapro isn't the drug of choice for you, there are many out there.

Give it a chance. Good Luck and Welcome to the Forum xx

[ArtistP in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I was on Lexapro for 5 years form 2005 t0 2010 and it changed my life. I then switched to citalopram because my insurance didn't cover Lexapro and there was no generic at the time. I was on that up until about 10 months ago. I was doing pretty good drug free but Covid and other things crept up on me and my anxiety went way up. I put myself back on citalopram and put myself on to high a dose. I started myself on 20 mg. I did that for 5 days until my anxiety just became to much and I called my doctor. My doctor said it was to high so he switched me back to lexapro and only on 5mg. My anxiety is much better but I still can't sleep without a xanax. I am thinking of asking my doctor for a sleep aid prescription. Have you ever used a sleeping medicine?

[Agora1 in reply to ArtistP]

ArtistP I have never and will never use a sleep aid.

What I do use is Meditation and Breathing exercises

morning, afternoon and evening each and every day.

It has basically taken the place of my benzos which I was

left on for 30 years. Once I weaned off them safely, I got

into using Meditation and love the fact that I am in control,

can use it at anytime and it's free.

The thing with sleep aids (as I've seen through the eyes of my daughter)

once you start, it's like any other medication. Your body gets use to it

quickly and then it no longer works. I am though, a believer that there is

a time and place for medication when nothing else works. But while on meds,

it's best to find other methods that can enhance the medication so that one

day if you need to stop, you have something us to lean on. xx

[Anxiouslisa]

Yes. I was exactly the same and was terrified to go up from 5mg. I also had to take Ativan because the anxiety was so bad when I started lexapro. Now I’m on 20mg and feel it saved my life. My anxiety much improved. It took me a full 8 weeks to get used to lexapro, but I’m so glad I stuck it out.