I'm such a goof....

[DeeM3]

After 9 months of trying anything and everything for anxiety, I gave up and was prescribed 10mg Lexapro today. The problem??? I'm terrified to take it! Lol. Took half (5mg) and just waiting. Anyone else take it?

[Christory77]

I have a medication phobia also. I let my worries get the best of me and I talk myself out of taking them. You’ve already taken the first step. With something like lexapro it’s likely you won’t feel any of the therapeutic effects for a few weeks. Some people say they start feeling better in a couple of weeks and by 4-6 weeks they feel a lot better. It’s not an overnight thing. Don’t be discouraged. You took a low dose likely to lessen the side effects. Just be aware of how you feel and talk to your Dr. About anything that feels off. Congrats on taking the first step.

[Agora1]

Hi DeeM3, join the rest of us. We are all afraid of taking medications. Christory77 is right in that it can take from 4-6 weeks to reach full efficacy. I am on Lexapro 15 mg for the last 5 years. For me it's been the best drug w/o any side effects and doesn't make me sleepy. Good Luck on starting on your road forward. Wish you well xx

[Jeff1943]

DeeM3, anxiety about taking anti anxiety medications is just another symptom of anxiety. You say you turned to medication because you tried everything for anxiety, I presume this means you have read 'Self help for your nerves' by Doctor Claire Weekes first published 50 years ago which has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to recover from anxiety disorder and cintinues to be a best seller on Amazon where of the hundreds of reader reviews over 90% found the book Very Good or Excellent and the phrase 'Saved my life' frequently appears.

[Usagold]

I'm afraid of meds too. I took Zoloft 15 years ago after 2 or 3 failed attempts at others. I did fine once I was on it and had survived the 1st week of exponentially worsened anxiety symptoms. Stayed on it for 8 mos. Before that, I had a kidney stone back in 1999 and they gave me a Xanax in the ER. I started feeling like I couldn't breathe and my heart was racing. I thought I was dying. They thought I had had a reaction to the drug, but looking back, I think it was a panic attack. Maybe It was because I felt drugged? Regardless, it scared me enough that I've never taken another one. I don't take cold medicines, aspirin.. or anything, because I'm so hypersensitive to them. Is it just our anxiety, or are we really feeling the drugs more than most people? I feel so drugged if I take anything, yet my husband can take half the bottle and feels nothing. I don't get it.

[Agora1 in reply to Usagold]

Hi Usagold, oh how familiar that sounds in regards to being super sensitive to drugs as well as over the counter meds. I have realized over the years that anxiety scared me but so did feeling a peaceful calm from a benzo. I think our bodies are so confused as to what is normal that we feel everything to a higher degree. The fact that we don't like feeling out of control feeds into that fear as well. We really have to be our own advocates in health care because we are more "sensitive".

Take care and have a good weekend. xx

[Usagold]

I know several people on Lexapro who swear by it. If I tried it, I would do like you and start out with a low dose. My sister in law has been on it for about 10 years. It helped her with her anxiety, but she wanted to come off recently because of weight gain. She tried weaning off, but her anxiety kept coming back, so she gave up &!decided to stay on it. When I was on an SSRI 15 yrs ago, after about a month I was anxiety free. After a while, I felt so normal I didn't need it anymore. I had no trouble weaning off of it and stayed relatively anxiety free for years.

[Chris2323]

I was the same so afraid of meds I tried everything for 2 years and I just got worse I started 10mg of lexapro 11 weeks ago still on 10mg and I have to say I'm doing great now the first 2 weeks I was very tired but after that every day got better

All the best to you

[DeeM3]

Thank you all! I have not tried that book yet and will definitely do so. I survived the night with insomnia and the sweats. Today I'm a little groggy but drove, shopped, and juggled the kiddos. I found myself dancing in the store!!!! The places that trigger me to tense when I'm driving did not. My mind was like " tense up tense up!!! " But my body wouldn't. I will see how it goes.

[Lalakeyss]

Me too! I have not taken mine yet. I'm super terrified. I too, was only prescribed 5 mg😩

[DeeM3 in reply to Lalakeyss]

I'm doing 5 mg once at night and it's taking the edge of with no side effects. I no longer feel myself get anxious over things that shouldn't. I was very worried but now looking forward to see how I am a couple of weeks from now.