Questions, opinions about Cipralex

(Also called escitalopram oxalate, say that three times fast!)

So this is my first time on any meds for depression.

Besides all the stuff I can find on the internet about side effects and what to take with it, and what not to take with it...

What are people's impressions of it?

He's starting me on a low dosage (it's a 10 mg tablet, that he told me to split and have half a day - at least until I see him in around 2 weeks)

I'm realizing now I didn't ask enough questions of him or the pharmacist when I got the prescription filled. It's all still sinking in. I'm on antidepressants. Eep.

I believe he said it would only affect the serotonin levels, which is a good thing compared to those which interfere with other neurotransmitter levels ... right?

He also said that this was the best drug he could think of that would have the least amount of interaction with another drug I'm on. No, there's no way to avoid an interaction unfortunately, I asked but will do some research as well.

it is an SSRI and it does only act on serotonin receptors pre-synaptically, not heaps of receptors like the older TCAs and MAOIs did and as a result have a lot less side effects.
It's side effects are the same as any other SSRI - you could get dry mouth, nausea, diarrhoea, headache or nothing at all. But these side effects will only last a week or so and will disappear as your body gets used to it.
The reason to start on a low dose is to try and avoid getting the initial side-effects. Often if you titrate the dose up you don't get side-effects, or very minimal.
But you have to wait a few weeks before you see effects - they say 4-6 weeks on the correct dose, so that is 4-6 weeks after you have been taking the full dose he wants you to, but many people can see a difference in 2-3 weeks.
Congratulations on taking them.....it can be a big step.
Just my opinion but you should try them for the 6 weeks - if you notice no difference or you get bad side-effects you can always stop. You don't have to commit today to taking a pill forever, it's your body, only you know how it feels, but your doctor must think that it might help.

Thanks so much (((smiley1984)))

He's seeing me in about 2 weeks and said I might be able to see some difference by then. This was the type of information I was looking for, so thanks very much. Didn't find as much info as I wanted online.

Interesting reading:

http://www.crazymeds.org/lexapro.html

Cipralex = Lexapro?

Hmm... interesting site Perna. Thanks

I find mayoclinic.com is a really good place to look up drug information too.

splitimage

thanks splitimage, will check it out.

Man, do I have them.

Headache, nausea, food tastes bland, I'm not even hungry, constipation, achiness, tiredness and I just generally hate my life.

I feel worse NOW than I did BEORE.

Does it get better? When do the symptoms normally get more manageable/disappear?

What can I do to make it have less impact? (the side effects, not the drug)

Is it a viable and good option to take the pill (which is supposed to be taken in the morning) before I go to bed at night so I avoid some of the side effects?

Can I do that?

I'd phone my pharmacist or the psychiatrist but it's a holiday here at my university, and Monday is Thanksgiving.

some people talk about there being 2 types of SSRI - activating and sedating ones.
Cipralex is a sedating so some say if you take it at night it might help you sleep a bit better, but I'm not sure if their is any evidence to support that but you can try and see how it goes. It doesn't matter what time of the day you take it.
Try to stick it out. They generally say side-effects will be for a week or so and the first few days are the worst - that's why psych meds are hard to start because you get the side effects in the beginning before anything beneficial happens so you feel like you are taking a pill to make you sick.
some people who seem to be sensitive to drugs start taking a lower dose - a quarter of a tablet and work up from there, it may help side effects but does take longer to get to an effective dose. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you tell your dr exactly what's happened/what you did when you see him.

I like wikipedia for looking up stuff, so check this out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipralex

there are also lots of links to other SSRI info - and the intro talks about how it is one of the most selective SSRIs

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canders7 said:
Cipralex = Lexapro?

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"European" (and Canadian :-) versus U.S. names is all.

Perna, that is a really interesting website!

My doctor gave me a prescription for Lexapro for anxiety but when I took the scrip to the pharmacy and saw the price tag ($76/month at 10 mg a day), I decided not to get it filled. Just can't afford that right now. My doctor prescribed Lexapro instead of its cousin Celexa because she said Celexa has worse side effects (e.g. nausea) and less specificity. I know it is terrible to have to take a med that makes you feel sick to your stomach so I opted for the Lexapro. Oh, well. I'll never know. I was never too keen on the idea of taking an anti-depressant for anxiety, anyway.

canders, I've heard the first week or so is the worst. Just push on through the difficulties and see how you feel after a week or so.

My doctor said Lexapro is also weight neutral (you won't gain weight as with Paxil and others), but some websites do say you gain weight with Lexapro.

Good luck!

I'm already taking only half a pill (what he told me to do) ... I just never expected to feel this bad! I'll try it at night then, thanks so much.

I'm glad it's a selective SSRI, considering how badly I feel now - the last thing I want is my other neurotransmitter levels being messed up.

Thanks smilley.

Awesome! Thanks Perna I saw the stuff saying the difference between European and American name changes, but nothing about Canadian! hehe

He prescribed Cipralex for exactly that reason for me sunrise, I'll try to wait out the symptoms...

But man, it's brutal. thanks sunrise.