10 mgs LEXAPRO and a crap load of other stuff!!!

so im having physical health problems and the stupid doctor chalked it all up to anxiety....i dont know maybe it is but if it is then i must have major extreme anxiety that comes when im not aware..but anyways...
So he decided (this very brilliant doctor of mine...who called me a hypochondriac) put me on 10 mgs of Lexapro....is it supposed to do anything to you? I feel like im a taking a pill just to waste time in my day...my boyfriend says im exactly the same...i did find out i have a bad reaction when i take lexapro and tylenol pm....something with numbness and not being able to stop moving...and he said to take it at night...why at night? Am i to impress people with lovely attitude at 3 am? If it is to make me sleepy then its not working cuz i dont get sleeply...and i still have pain because he only gave me medicine for IBS....so Im taking Lexapro, Advil, no more tylenol pm hehe, Zelnorm (IBS), backpain relieve medicince, Fibersure suppliment. Some of these medicines are twice a day, 3 times a day...or whenever pain hits...Im sorry for the rant....I just am overwhelmed and if they say its all anxiety based....they arent HELPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you...all my love....Inny

Hi Inny. I can relate to your frustration. How long have you been taking Lexapro? It takes a while to have any effect.

I have suffered through IBS since I was in my early 20s (I'm 36 now). I tried many diet plans to try to control my IBS. The only thing that ever worked for me at all (before I started taking an SSRI) was the Eating for IBS diet in combination with daily yoga practice. The diet didn't work all the time though. I had fewer attacks, but the IBS was still a problem on a regular basis.

It turns out that anxiety and stress have the biggest impact on my IBS. When the anxiety is lessened the IBS symptoms go away.

I took Celexa for over a year to deal with anxiety and panic attacks and as a wonderful side effect, I noticed that my IBS got better. Now I'm on Lexapro -- and once again it has had a positive effect on my IBS.

There are a lot of seratonin receptors in the GI tract. Some of us have very sensitive enteric nervous systems. The vicious cycle of IBS is that just living with it and worrying about when the next attack will hit causes stress, so the IBS get worse, etc.

Lexapro can take 3 or 4 weeks before you notice positive benefits. Give it a fair shot and monitor it closely with your doctor. You never know -- it just might have some positive effects for you.

Cheers. I hope you find some relief.

P.S. I take Lexapro at night too. I chose to do it that way because for the first 10 days it was upsetting my stomach and I would rather deal with that at night than during the day. That side effect has gone away though. Lexapro has a cumulative effect. It doesn't act instantly or just for a few hours. It needs to be in your system at consistent levels all the time. So, the time you take it probably doesn't matter. Your doctor probably suggested taking it at night just in case there were any side effects at first.

Hi, I take lex too. I started with 10mg, but actually I couldn't sleep well.....so I have temazepam for that and take Lex in the morning. No stomache upset for me. It took over 3 weeks for me to notice anything more than having NO appetite. After my anxiety wasn't releived AT ALL I went up to 20 mg and have felt WAAAAAYYYYY better with the anxiety. I felt a noticable difference on the 20 mg dose after 1 an 1/2 weeks!

I guess, if your side effects aren't bad with lex, keep the dose going and after a week or two more, if you don't feel relief, tell your doc and they will probably up you to 20mg.

The only effects I ever felt:
diarrhea (for like two weeks)
no appetite (for three weeks--bummer, that's over)
kinda wiry if I took at night (switched to morning and a sleep aid)

At 20 mg, I think I'm where I need to be. Everyone is deifferent but lex is usually well tolerated so maybe give it a bit longer.

Thanks guys....i will keep taking the Lex and see how it works and as for my physical symptoms...no they didnt make everything all better...just helped slightly not much though. Thank you for responses

love, Inny

I take Lexapro 10 mgs for depression. I discovered that it lowers anxiety too. The anxiety effect happened after a month and a half or so though. For me, it is like icing on the cake since I wanted help with lack of energy, focus problems and crying too much and got a nice effect on my worrying my head off. I take it in the morning because my doctor thought it might cause insomnia (one possible side effect). I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to cry, go back to bed and throw up at the same time. Not how I wanted to feel while running a cash register. My first night, I kept feeling like I might throw up which screwed up my sleep for a few nights. After that, I started to adjuct physically to having more serotonin in my brain and stomach. I haven't found any effects on eating. I still am gaseous and smelly too often. I sometimes think that eating is my problem. My body just doesn't like food anymore. I have thought about beano to see if that works. If you have good luck with an improvement in physical problems, let us know.

My side effects (except insomnia) wore off after a month altogether. I never felt sick though. Never had an appetitie at all, but felt gassy, and uncomfortable. It wore off, after some time......good luck.