Antidepressant question

[christyssn123]

I am currently on 2.5 mg Lexapro. Its great and takes the edge off. However, I did have some panic attacks and my doc mentioned 5 mg might be a better standard low dose. I want to take 5 mg but I am scared of serotonin syndrome or any side effects with increasing dose. Any advise? I have taken lexapro in the past and did great on 7.5 and 5 mg. Tapered off. 2 months I did fine. and then had to restart again to 2.5 mg. Any advice for me?

[Madigansmom]

Not sure what your history is. But it seems like you were successful when you took a mildly higher dose in the past. And it seems like your doc is in tune to your needs and challenges. I have struggled with the same concerns re:meds in the past. It finally boiled down to, I wasn't feeling "good" in the absence of meds (or on a smaller dose). Why would I want to continue feeling badly?

And. Don't forget. The increase for you might not be permanent. You can always taper down if you find too many ill effects. Good luck. It is not a simple choice. But it does seem like you have an open mind, a realistic outlook and that you are motivated to feel better. Meds are far betterresearched and developed than the early era Antidepressants.

[dutchgirl71]

I think the standard dose for Lexapro is 20mg. I’m sure you would be fine trying different low doses to see which works best for you.