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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Blackfoot on January 25, 2004, at 15:00:14
I am looking for some help in determining whether or not Lexapro is making me feel worse. I have been taking 10 mgs for 11 days and the only effect I have had is I am sleeping a lot better but every morning I am feeling worse and worse. Despair, hopelessness, and so on. I am wondering if anyone has experienced getting worse before they get better using Lexapro. I have no physical side affects. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Posted by KathrynLex on January 25, 2004, at 16:34:49
In reply to Lexapro effects, posted by Blackfoot on January 25, 2004, at 15:00:14
Hi Blackfoot,
A little over a month ago I began taking 10 mg lex for anxiety/depression. My second day on it, I was more depressed than I had been a very long time. But this went away by the third day.
Is there something besides the lexapro that is contributing to your despair? If you're female and your time of the month is rolling around that could be the cause. For me, lexapro has made me feel off during certain phases of my menstrual cycle.
I urge you to call your pdoc and discuss this with him. Physical side effects are tolerable, but to have your mood declining in such a way could be a cause for concern. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Best wishes.
K.
Posted by Blackfoot on January 25, 2004, at 18:11:04
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects, posted by KathrynLex on January 25, 2004, at 16:34:49
Thank you K,
I am a male and the effects are getting worse. I do have outside events that are really giving me anxiety and despair but i feel as though I should not be getting worse. I do not have much faith in the doctors I have been talking with. I seem to know as much about what is going on than they do. It is amazing to me how everyone is affected differently by these drugs. I feel that it is a hit and miss situation. I just do not want to hold out for another few weeks only to find that this does not work.
Posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 8:34:47
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects, posted by Blackfoot on January 25, 2004, at 18:11:04
> I am a male and the effects are getting worse. I do have outside events that are really giving me anxiety and despair but i feel as though I should not be getting worse.
I can empathize with you on this, it's hard to keep a good perspective on life when you've just started a new drug that _does_ have side effects, and the positive effects take _weeks_ to really begin.
> I do not have much faith in the doctors I have been talking with. I seem to know as much about what is going on than they do.
That does make it tougher. Hopefully you can regain some faith in yourself by participating in this forum. There are many new Lex users here (I'm in week 7, and I did have a rough time those first couple of weeks).
> It is amazing to me how everyone is affected differently by these drugs. I feel that it is a hit and miss situation.
My sense from reading the Lex posts here is that it is more of a "hit" than a "miss", but there are a lot of side effects and "challenges" being described here.
> I just do not want to hold out for another few weeks only to find that this does not work.
I understand completely. You feel bad and want to feel better as soon as possible, which is natural. Lex doesn't work overnight and there will be some harsh days. I hope you can find it within you to hang in there on this and give it at least a month to six weeks before you make a decision to stop. You may want to keep a journal of your experience so that you can look back and realize that you _have_ had some good days, which is hard to remember when you are in the middle of a really bad day.
You may want to ask your pdoc for a small script of a benzo such as Xanax or Ativan, which can help with the drug-induced anxiety that many people (including myself) experienced during the early weeks. Knowing you have a "PLAN B" can be very reassurring, plus BENZOS WORK!
I hope this helps you!!!
Posted by Blackfoot on January 26, 2004, at 9:07:18
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects » Blackfoot, posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 8:34:47
Thank you so much Wildman, That information is very helpful. I have been wondering if one of the side affects of Lex is more anxiety. It seems like it gets worse each day in the morning. But by the afternoon it is more tollerable but i think it also has to do with knowing my day is ending and I will be going home to comfort. Please keep in touch.
Posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 9:34:32
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects, posted by Blackfoot on January 26, 2004, at 9:07:18
> Thank you so much Wildman, That information is very helpful. I have been wondering if one of the side affects of Lex is more anxiety. It seems like it gets worse each day in the morning. But by the afternoon it is more tollerable but i think it also has to do with knowing my day is ending and I will be going home to comfort. Please keep in touch.
I read where peak serum levels of Lex are achieved at 5 hours after taking the medication. Since I always take my med at 7AM while I'm waiting for my coffee to brew, this means that I would get "hit" with the heart palpitations and anxiety at around noon. It would last for about three hours and then I'd be much better. That lovely sitation happened on day 2-5 or so, then went away for a couple of weeks. I've had that happen only sporadically since then.
What time do you take your Lex? My pdoc recommended taking it first thing each day, and that has been useful advice for me.
Some people have characterized the Lex anxiety as wanting to "jump out of your skin", which is a great description. I've likened it to a "nicotine fit gone bad", and I wanted to run 10 miles in hopes that it would subside. No fun.
Fortunately, that is a fleeting side effect. Later on, you may experience what has been called the "Lex Flu" where you are sluggish and dragging and maybe achy. Lex does give me occasional insomnia, and the next day after that is rough.
I know that after an "insomnia night" (even though I do get _some_ sleep) I really am dragging much more than I ever would before I started taking the Lex. I find it very helpful to REALLY WORK ON GETTING PROPER SLEEP while on Lex. That, for me, has been the key for my positive Lex experience.
Of course, it's wintertime, and this is a sleepier time of the year for me than the summer so I guess I'm fortunate to have started taking it during the darkest time of the year, when I am least active.
Posted by Blackfoot on January 26, 2004, at 9:57:27
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects » Blackfoot, posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 9:34:32
I take the Lex around 8:00 AM but the anxiety I feel is when I wake up @ 5:00 am. I do not seem to get a "hit" after taking the med but it is hard to tell.
Has your experience taking Lex been good in making you feel better? It sounds like yuo are on a roller coaster with it. I am very discouraged about the possibility of this drug making me feel any better. I am sleep much better but that is giving me more enrgy to worry. UGH!
I feel like this is the way I will be for the rest of my existance. Not a very comforting feeling.
Thank you again.
Posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 11:56:58
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects, posted by Blackfoot on January 26, 2004, at 9:57:27
> I take the Lex around 8:00 AM but the anxiety I feel is when I wake up @ 5:00 am. I do not seem to get a "hit" after taking the med but it is hard to tell.
So you get the anxiety right when you wake up? That does not sound fun. Perhaps you could try taking the med right when you wake up. Maybe that will shift your side effects to a different time of the day. Just a thought. I used to get the "hit" 5 hours after taking it, but that only happened during the first week.
> Has your experience taking Lex been good in making you feel better?
Yes. There are good days and not so good days, but overall I am having a positive experience.
To describe my experience in engineering terms, it is like a "damped oscillation" (exaggerated ups and downs that decrease in amplitude over time to where I feel that I am closer to a steady-state).> I am very discouraged about the possibility of this drug making me feel any better.
I was too, and that seems to be a common experience from what I have read around here. I received many positive comments from people here and that helped me tremendously. Please give it more time, time is your friend.
> I am sleep much better but that is giving me more energy to worry.
Sleep and proper rest, I am finding, are really important to me right now. It's like my quality of sleep determines how the day will go much more so than before I started on the Lex. I used to be able to have a bad night of sleep and be able to "fight my way out of it" and get through the day with coffee and lots of high carb food. That strategy doesn't work anymore for me.
> I feel like this is the way I will be for the rest of my existance. Not a very comforting feeling.
I think I know how that feels, but please try to stick with it. There is hope. Even if Lex is not for you there are other things to try.
If you are struggling with anxiety see if your pdoc can give you some Ativan or Xanax. That really helps to take the edge off and may help you to stick with it (I think I would have quit if I didn't have my Ativan - it doesn't take much, just 1mg when needed. I think I've taken 4 or 5 of the 30 1mg pills I was prescribed. It really helps to have a PLAN B of medication when you feel that anxiety - you feel that you have a SOLUTION, albeit temporary, from the Lex anxiety or your "baseline" anxiety).
Hang in there and please post again if you need anything. I've gotten a tremendous amount of excellent info from this forum, and hope to be able to contribute and keep it going.
Posted by KathrynLex on January 26, 2004, at 13:57:55
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects » Blackfoot, posted by Wildman on January 26, 2004, at 11:56:58
Blackfoot,
I just had to write and say that things DO get better. I'm on week 7 of 10 mg lex and my anxiety/depression has diminished quite a bit. I didn't notice results until about week 5, but they were worth waiting for.
I take my lex between 10:30 and 11:00 pm. At first, I did this so that I could sleep through the more unpleasant side effects. Now, I do it out of habit and have no problems sleeping.
Again, I can only urge you to hang in there. If lex turns out to be the right drug for you, you'll be really glad you waited it out.
K.
Posted by Blackfoot on January 26, 2004, at 18:15:22
In reply to Re: Lexapro effects, posted by KathrynLex on January 26, 2004, at 13:57:55
Hi Kathrynlex
Thank you for the encouragement. I have spoken with a few people today and I get conflicting advice. Some say that I should not be feeling anxiety and should stop the Lex and some say it is normal and to hang in there. It is so confusing to not get any more of a definitive answer from the medical profession. I feel that I get better advice from this website!!!!
I do not want to stop taking the lex for fear of not giving it enough time to work but if i am making things worse by staying on it, I don't want to do that either.
Oh well, I will just keep going until I cannot stand it anymore or I will feel better.
Again thank you for your support.
This is the end of the thread.
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