breakthrough anxiety

[Erik481]

hey everyone. I went though some serious medical issues last year and ended up on 10mg of Lexapro. 4 months ago I had some triggers which made me relive those events and the Lexapro pretty much stopped working. Before my pcp retired my Lexapro was upped to 15mg ( 15 days ago). It has definitely not helped yet. Been getting by on .25mg of Klonopin every other day or so for two weeks. Anyone have experience on when this dosage increase will kick in? The nausea I’m having too is pretty rough

[Barbloki]

I took lexapro for a while and it didn't help me so my psychiatrist tried me on another med. It took several different ones to find one that worked. I think our body chemistry changes and then meds stop working. I also know for a fact from reading lots of others comments that the FDA doesn't regulate the generic manufacturers so we may not be getting the same exact mixture of the drug when the manufacturer changes. That has happened to me 3 times when the manufacturer changed. It was like I was taking a sugar pill and the new xanax didn't do a thing. My dr called in another rx for xanax but with the previous manufacturer and it started working again. The same thing happened with ambien. I would recommend you pay attention to the manufacturer on the bottles of your meds. If it changes from month to month then you could be reacting to that.

[Erik481 in reply to Barbloki]

Appreciate the response. Lexapro worked great for me from 2008 to 2011. Then tapered off and had no issues until I got physically sick bad which cause the anxiety to come back. That worked well again until recently and I just hit a wall.

[Barbloki in reply to Erik481]

You definitely need to tell the doctor. Maybe they need to try you on something different and as I said, maybe the manufacturer changed one of the ingredients they use to formulate the drug. The pharmacist explained it to me once that the generic companies have to use the same main ingredient as the brand name company that invented the drug but they can use different ingredients to cut with it. And since they are not monitored by the FDA, they could be putting sugar in there and we wouldn't even know it.

[Erik481 in reply to Barbloki]

I have an appointment with a new pcp this Monday so hopefully they either up the dosage again or change it all together. I just don’t want to wait all that time for stuff to kick in. This last time I was put on Lexapro it took like 6 weeks to work and it’s been 16 days since I went up to 15mg and nothing has happened

[Barbloki in reply to Erik481]

I'm no expert but I would say it's not the right medication for you. I started a new med on March 19 and I already feel better (Celexa). I hope your new PCP is opening to listening and helping but if not, please find a psychiatrist. They specialize in this stuff. Let us know how things go.

[Erik481 in reply to Barbloki]

The pcp has a background in mental health so I’m feeling good about it. How is the Celexa?!

[Barbloki in reply to Erik481]

It seems to be working already. My depression is better. The only thing I'm still struggling with is the morning anxiety. I wake up sweating and anxious but as the day wears on I start to relax. From doing lots of reading and learning from people in this group, it has to do with adrenaline and cortisol in our bodies and the circadian rhythm. It also has to do with the amygdala in our brains. I read all about that in a book by Dr Catherine Pittman. They say knowledge is power but so far I haven't been able to fix the anxiety. I have to take xanax in order to calm it down.

[Erik481 in reply to Barbloki]

What little depression I have is just from the anxiety and not being the person I know I am. It’s perturbing.

[Myfish18 in reply to Erik481]

I would raccamend to write Like gratitude things like what you are grateful for ... that has helped me be more helpful and made me feel better then the negative and basically I think u should journal and of course if you need it I can give you my own prompts .. these things can help with positivity .... I also think like write what food and drink you take and see how u feel after... I have tried half water and half coke whatever pop u wanna get please get half water it helped my anxiety too... .I think also like write how you feel after the appointment.... also like journal in general

[Angil64 in reply to Barbloki]

Yes I believe the manufacturers work differently as well.

[LoveRed44]

Hi! I’ve been on Lexapro 20 mg for many years and have no issues. 10 mg is a very small dose. However, as you know, meds affect ppl differently. Klonipin has also helped me in the past. Best wishes!!

[Erik481 in reply to LoveRed44]

Maybe I need to go up to 20. I’ve been on 15 for idk like 16 days but no change. 10 always worked

[LoveRed44]

Just my opinion, but my understanding that 20 is standard dose and some ppl take 60! Whatever it takes to get better!!!