[rhubarbpie]

I began Lexapro about one month ago to help with my crying fits. The MD suggested 10mg and it has largely worked wonders for crying.

However, it hasn't helped my mood at all and I fear its effectiveness is beginning to diminish. Tuesday I cried for the first time, although much, much less pronounced than before.

I visited my MD today for a prescription. My problem is he gave no direction and has ice in his veins. "Should I increase the dosage?" "Yes, you could do that." "Should I stay at 10mg hoping that its benefits will increase?" "Yes, you could do that too."

Has anyone increased dosage from 10mg to 20mg? What are the pros and cons?

[Rhapsody]

Q: What dose of LEXAPRO should a patient start with and how do you know if the dosage should be increased or decreased? When the dosage is increased or decreased, what does that do to the body and what does it feel like? What are the minimum and maximum dosages?

A: Most patients are started at 10 mg/day. Some patients might be started at 5 mg (especially those with severe anxiety disorder, or who are old or ill from other medical conditions), but most start at one 10 mg tablet. The medication is taken once a day, most commonly in the morning, but some prefer to take it in the evening or at noontime.

For all patients, 10 mg/day is the recommended starting dose of LEXAPRO. 10 mg/day is also the maintenance dose for many patients. If the dose is increased to 20 mg/day, this should occur after a minimum of 1 week. LEXAPRO can be taken morning or evening once daily, with or without food.

Your doctor may suggest a decrease in dosage if you experience side effects that do not go away after approximately 2 weeks. (Most side effects, like nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, headache, slight increase in anxiety, do go away within 2 weeks).

Once the side effects disappear, they usually do not return. However, if your physician recommends increasing your dose, the side effect may return for a brief period of time (usually no more than a day or two).

* * * * * * * * *

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

[1Dar]

I am currently taking 30mg of Lexapo daily. I guess I don't really notice a difference. The only time I really notice its effects is when I forget to take it. I guess for me it is hard to know what "normal" is because I have been down for so long that I really don't know any differnt other than my really low days and my extreme high days, which are few and far between. If you don't feel that your doctor is helpng, find a differnt one! Your doctor should be able to talk to you and you should be able to run things past them too.

Dar

[rhubarbpie]

Did you increase your dosage to 30mg?

I agree that I need another doctor. I felt that way the first visit but didn't want to hurt his feelings. I'm sure he's trying but it seems his main aim is to get out the door.

[LilacRat]

I take 20 mg for OCD and depression. It works well for the OCD. My mother takes 15 for the same problems and it has helped her. I was told by my NP that 20 mg is the normal max but you go above that without severe side effects.

[wi_fighter]

I went from 10 to 20 mg with no problems, but definitely get another doctor, and try not to worry about hurting his feelings.

[LMo]

I started at 5mg and ended up at 10mg. I could barely stay awake for the first 2-3 months while on it, but it was worth the benefits. 10mg seemed to be enough so I didn't ever go up to the full 20mg prescribed, but I was also afraid of getting any sleepier than I already was.

I agree with wi_fighter - get a 2nd opinion. People go to a doctor for information, not for a guessing game.

[rhubarbpie]

I understand you increased your dosage to 20mg with no problems. But did it help? How long had you been on 10mg before increasing?

[Hopefull]

Get a new doctor. That doctor sounds like someone who isn't concerned with helping you to get the best treatment possible. That's not good. Perhaps a counselor or good friend can give you good referral.

[ickydog2006]

When I took lexapro it gave me organized mood swings. It would kick in for around 3-4 hours but then would drop me to way depressed. They tried pping my dosage and it made me feel manic. I couldn't sit still or focus for more than a minute and I got really paranoid.

Wellbutrin worked much better for me

But that was just my experience

i take 30mg at about 5 in the afternoon. i can't take it in the AM cuz i get too sleepy and i don't take it at night cuz i take trazadone 75-100mg at night. i guess it's working...
w_i

[Monty_girl]

I was switched to Lexapro the end of Oct first of Nov? After I couldn't handle the side effects of Wellbutin XL. I was started on the 10mg's and have stayed at 10mg's. Might want to wait a little longer to see if it will start helping more. Might take your system longer to get adjusted to it. One month isn't very long yet.