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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
ive been on 10mg of lexapro for anxiety and obessive thoughts. ive been on it for 3 weeks. i feel more angry or irritable. is this going to pass? or does this mean i should go off it?
i keep reading stuff about how some of the side effects of these medicines do not go away!!!
Posted by Phillipa on December 17, 2008, at 13:06:54
In reply to lexapro 10mg, posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
Oh I'm sorry are you taking a benzo like klonopin short term with it? Love Phillipa
Posted by jms600 on December 17, 2008, at 16:38:45
In reply to lexapro 10mg, posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
I was on Cipralex for months, but can't say that it ever made me feel particularly irritable or angry. I know that drugs which affect noradrenaline can make you more irritable - mirtazapine being one example (I can definitely vouch for that)!
Not sure if drugs which specifically affect serotonin can make you more aggressive - any ideas anyone..?
Posted by bleauberry on December 17, 2008, at 17:15:27
In reply to lexapro 10mg, posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
I was on 5mg to 10mg lexapro a few years ago in combination with zyprexa and did not have any agitation, anger, or irritation.
I tried it again a few months ago by itself and by the third day I was as mean as nuclear bomb. I couldn't explain why that happens. Some might put a label on it such as bipolar or idiopathic reaction. I find that not useful. It's kind of like saying of a broken washing machine, "Well, something's wrong with it and it don't work right."
Choices:
-Reduce the dose to 5mg or 7.5mg (cut pills) and try to stabilize there for a week and see if anything changes
-Add something else to chill out, either for temporary use or possibly as long as you are on lexapro. The lowest effective dose possible of xanax, klonopin, zyprexa, or seroquel for example.
-Stop it and go directly to a new med.
Personally I would try #1 above for a week and see. Then it would be a toss-up whether to do #2 or #3. I would have to follow my gut instincts at that time, probably based on whether I have felt any hint of improvement.
There is no way to know if these reactions will go away or not. My hunch is they probably would smooth out over weeks and months, but at what cost along the way to family, friends, lovers, and co-workers? It does kinda have to be managed one way or the other.
The first place to start is to call your doctor and share your concerns.
Posted by raisinb on December 18, 2008, at 9:44:12
In reply to lexapro 10mg, posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
Best thing to do, probably, is to call your pdoc and tell him/her what you are experiencing. Then let the doctor decide what to do.
Increased anxiety can be a common start-up side effect of SSRIs. After three weeks, it's hard to say whether you are experiencing a start-up side effect or one that will stick around.
Also, I think it's possible that 10 mg of Lexapro (which is the lowest maintenance dose, I think) is not enough to relieve your symptoms. Lots of people are on double or triple your dose.
However, like I said, I think you should call the dr.
Posted by DuckDuckGoose on December 18, 2008, at 12:29:35
In reply to Re: lexapro 10mg » deerock, posted by raisinb on December 18, 2008, at 9:44:12
I'm currently on lexapro and experience no irritability or anger, but I would strongly recommend taking just 5 mgs for a few weeks and add a benzo like ativan, if at all possible. You might find that your system can't tolerate it , but I would give it a good chance - its the best ssri I've been on.
Posted by qbsbrown on December 22, 2008, at 19:44:46
In reply to lexapro 10mg, posted by deerock on December 17, 2008, at 12:37:44
I found that lexapro did nothing for my anxiety except increase it a little (probably the stimulating effect). It also had no effect on my OCD tendancies.
That said, it is the ONLY antidepressant that works on my depression. And for me, less depression equals less ocd.
Best of luck
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