Trying Lexapro for Depression - side effects are a bit rough so far...

[ShareYourLove]

Hi,

I've been dealing with unusually low depression for a while. I have anxiety, and have had some depressions over the years, but this has been different.

I'm procrastinating on EVERYTHING...everyday stuff, like laundry, cleaning, grooming (I used to be like a cat! lol!), etc. Like, everything feels like a chore, like a burden and I'm just getting by.

I'm like, pretty much phoning it in (acting, like I'm on stage) at my job, putting everything off, but - dang - that just makes you feel even more unhappy to see everything piling up! >_< UGH!

Anyways, I finally found a new therapist and started taking Lexapro last week.

They started me on 10 mg and after 4 days I had to stop because side effects were too damn intense for me (like, sweaty, shaky, insomnia, electric "jolt" types things, etc.). Doc said to try snapping them in half (5 mg) and try to give it a week.

On day 2 now at the lower dose. Side effects not AS crazy, but still feel "off" (brain fog, insomnia, unable to focus, a little nausea)...I guess my question is for folks who have experience with Lexapro or similar SSRI's...

Do the side effects eventually stop - does it take long for them to go away/get acclimated to them - did Lexapro ultimately help you in the end?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

(And I hope anyone who also woke up feeling bad today, finds something - even just one little silly thing - to smile about!)

Thank you!

[Freesoul66]

Hi. I have no experience w lexapro, but tried a bunch of other ssri s .. you have to be patient. Normally, after a week or 10 days the s/e should be gone... I’m on Zoloft and have no s/ e but was a bit nauseous in the beginning too. After two weeks I was better but had to increase dose. Still not back to me though good luck... give the 5mg some time - ssri s take a good 6 weeks to kick in. Good luck. Xo

[ShareYourLove in reply to Freesoul66]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Iwan! Patience, huh? (Figures...my weakest character trait - patience! Heehee!). Wow - 6 weeks huh... I am feeling hopeful, though.

I took the 10 mgs for about 4-5 days. Entirely stopped for 1 day, then immediately began 5 mgs (now 3 days)...so I guess in total, I'm about a week in.

And - this morning I actually woke up (not feeling that "instant bummed-out/anxiousness" upon coming back to consciousness/awareness) actually feeling a little Energized. Almost like I had a couple of cups of coffee.

(Not in a bad, jittery or like, tweaked-out sort of way, but just like a returned sense of energy!) I don't have the nausea anymore, the weird little split-second sweat-things are less, too and no electric jolts.

So - yeah, I hope that this is some indication that maybe my body is acclimating to the anti-depressant and that it WILL help me get that point of traction I need to regain control.

I hope it will work and that the 10mgs (even though not a crazy high dose) was just too much too fast for my system.

I appreciate your advice and experience though. It gave me the "oompfh" to keep at it, and try a lower dose.

Keeping fingers (and toes!) crossed! Thank you for the "Good Luck" wishes, Iwan!

♥️

[Hidden]

Hi, I have been through trial and error with multiple antidepressants. However, lexapro was excluded for me because it was less potent.

The side effects you were experiencing.. were side effects I experienced at 250mg of venlafaxine and that’s not the starter dose

Based on people commenting about antidepressants on this group, I find it absolutely ridiculous these doctors tell you it’s nothing severe and to give it time. Fine listen to the doctor give it a week. Excuse my passive aggressiveness, this is towards the doctor. Fine go ahead and try 5mg and give it a week but Jesus Christ. All the experiences you are experiencing EVEN at 5mg, was what I experienced at 250mg and I told them to get me off of it because it was harming me more than benefiting me.

Now I was on 250mg for a couple months before it turned on me, and initially worked at the starter dose of 75mg. The point is, antidepressants affect everyone differently and to say the least this is why they do trial and error on us because they don’t know how our body will react despite their scientific studies.

Everyone’s body is different. Someone told me 10mg lexapro made her feel happy and renewed like she just was reborn.. she really did look rejuvenated. But for you, it’s sounds like it’s hurting you more than benefitting... jeez please give it a week and tell that doctor that you want to try something else and it’s hurting me more than benefiting me. Assert yourself, you have right as a patient. I would also advise you to read the pamphlets the pharmacy gives you in terms of what are normal versus severe side effects. I’m sure what you are experiencing is severe/requires attention and you should be off of it. Do not listen to them if they want to up the dosage. The higher in dose you are, the more difficult it is to get off of it slowly and deal with the horrible withdrawal effects..

Smh doctors these days are killing me..the normal side effects you would’ve experienced could have been as simply as nausea, maybe even a bad tasting film on your tongue. I’m currently on Prozac and another antidepressant and Prozac gave me no trouble and the only trouble the other antidepressant gave me is the bad tasting film on my tongue. Every other antidepressant I tried in the past literally was a roller coaster of unexpected severe side effects. They believe it’s because I’m sensitive to these medications but somehow I managed to get to 250mg of venlafaxine, but they did say with venlafaxine, specifically, it works well at standard dose compared to higher dosage.

[ShareYourLove in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for sharing your thought GA! Yea, I totally get where you're coming from. When I started those things - man - that was nuts! After just a few days, I was like, "Nope, hell no!" He was, though, very responsive and said try the half dose for a week and then we'll see if it's a good fit.

So, that's where I'm at. Today is like 8 days and I'm feeling way more normalized.

I tell ya, antidepressants are just bizarre drugs I think. Like you said, everyone has different chemistry and when ya start messing with brain chemicals - and with people who are already feeling unbalanced - they can make things go sideways!

He suggested maybe one of the older AD's, like Prozac or Zoloft, but figured that because I have anxiety, too, that Lex might be a better fit.

Is the Venlafaxine an SSRI/AntiDepressant, too?

I'm so glad to hear that it seems to be working for you. It can be so frustrating for people when they're not feeling right (as it is) and then get medications that add to their discomfort cuz it can take so long to find the "right one for the right person," ya know?

[Hidden in reply to ShareYourLove]

That’s really good you’re feeling better I’m happy for you. I just get so frustrated because sometimes doctors don’t understand what hell they put patients through and sometimes patients have a hard time telling them.. I went through the horrible run of trial and error like a little guinea pig and it was absolutely horrible. I’ve been on other medications most of my life, but these drugs are something else! They’re very scary in that sense lol.

Yeah I realize speaking about medications helps because you could bring it up and ask about a certain drug to see if it would fit you. I don’t want to scare you with what I’ve experienced but they were trying to treat my anxiety too. Zoloft was an instant nightmare for me ): if you ever want to talk more about this we can talk in private message! I also have really bad insomnia and have had trial and error with those medications as well if you ever need to explore that.

Yeah I almost literally wanted to toss all my antidepressant medications because they were giving me a horrible time with side effects and the horrible withdrawal effects I have yet to ever experience with other drugs I take on a daily basis 😪.

Venlafaxine is actually a SNRI. So it stops the reuptake for both serotonin and norepinephrine.