After trying to bear this anxiety and depression the natural way, I have decided to start Lexapro. The natural did work a little, but I need something better. My doctor just sent it the subscription to the pharmacy. I am scared about starting it because I have tried for so long to use natural products, and stay away from medication. I have read a lot of success stories of people who have found relief with lexapro, so I can confident it will work. But I am really nervous about the side effects.
Have anyone had any serious side effect or just side effects that lasted a long time? and how long does it take to start seeing a little improvement?
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stovall1992
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I have been in similar situations many times and have been considering going back on myself. Lexapro for me has been amazing in the past. I have generalized anxiety disorder and with that, get many physical symptoms that spiral and make it difficult to function/not be debilitated. I recommend starting very low dose and slowly going up to what your dr. Prescribed. Ask them how to do but maybe even start with 2.5 to try to avoid side effects. I didn’t really have side effects that were any worse than I could handle after the anxiety. They are short lived (usually in the beginning while body and brain adjust) and the medication works wonders. I remember a week or so after trying, being amazed at how i had changed. My only issue with the meds is I am someone who gains a lot of weight while on them for more than a few months. That doesn’t happen with everyone, but it happens to me every time and now I am overweight to begin with as I only lose some of the weight each time I come off. Otherwise, I highly recommend Lexapro when you can’t get out of the slump on your own. It has the least side effects and can really help you to live a “normal” life. I saw a small improvement in a week and by 2 weeks I was feeling much better. At. A month I probably didn’t remember what it was like before. Of course, everyone is different. I had success this past time going up to 7.5 in the beginning, then weaning to 5mg soon after, which maybe mitigates some of the side effects. Good luck !
oh wow, thank you so much for this. I am definitely in a slump and I just can’t seem to see the end of it. I’m so tired of feeling like this. I haven’t been working because of the anxiety and depression, so I feel even more like a failure. I was diagnosed with GAD and have anxiety with somatization. The anxiety symptoms is what gets me, and sometimes i’m afraid to leave the house. The natural supplements just isn’t working as well as I want it to, and I need some relief. my doctor prescribed me 10mg, but I will start off small to prevent side effects.
I have taken Lexapro 3 times in the past several years and never had any side effects. Each time when I was better able to cope with life, I was able to wean off of it very easily by breaking the pills into halves, and quarters. 1st time my son was in Iraq, 2nd time his ex-wife was driving us all crazy, and 3rd was a severe depression like I had never known before. Only the 3rd time, the depression was so bad that I had to add Xanax for about a month until it backed off. I am now again off of it all, except occasionally a little Xanax to fall asleep. Lexapro would be my antidepressant of choice. Never take Cymbalta if you can avoid it. I was prescribed that in the beginning of my MS and it completely numbs your whole life. It is horrible to wean off of. Stay clear of that drug!
All I can say is that I was very irritable when on Cymbalta, had no other emotions whatever, no sexual feeling, no tears (which sometimes are a relieving emotion), just existence. When I was trying to wean myself off of it, was when I went into the deepest depression of my entire 76 years! I had to take the Lexapro plus Xanax for a while, to come out of it. I found out later that Cymbalta was designed for the medication to be depended on for the rest of the patient's life. The withdrawal issues are horrendous. Take with caution!
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