[Kiya]

Ok so when does this stuff start kicking in? does it take time to build into the system? Am i feeling weird because it's just in my mind.... or does it start right away? I'm also taking 100mg of 5HTP which i have read increases the activity.

Advice and comments very welcome!!

[Christina86]

Hey (((((((Kiya))))))))))) I noticed some positive side effects within the first week of taking Lexapro, but they still say it can take 4-6 weeks for the full effects of the drug to kick in.

You're feeling weird because the drugs do weird things to get accustomed and settled in your symptoms, all perfectly normal in my experience.

[Lemon]

I think I felt better after 1-2 weeks of taking 10mg of Lexapro. But after that I didn't see much improvement so after about 10 weeks I went up to 20mg. I've seen fairly steady improvement since then and it's been a couple months.

By the way, I don't think I have any side effects except maybe a little more prone to headaches. Seems like there is a wide variety in how people react to meds and side effect levels.

[Kiya]

ty christina and lemon....

*ugh* i have been soooo ill today... falling over when i try to stand, queasy, feeling blank.... maybe i'm a "lightweight", or the 5HTP really seriously ups the doseage and how it works. Naturally dr is off on tuesdays and never has a back up. did finally get a call back from t though (pmhnp) and she said to skip tonights dose and call dr in the morning.
positives have been not crying at the drop of a hat, and working on my grad paper early =) but i also spent a good portion of the day too sick to move. *cries*

[Christina86]

((((((((((((Kiya))))))))))))) Yeah, one of the complaints I've heard while being on Lexapro (that I've also experienced) is being a bit "out of it" ... blank, and inability to concentrate at times. Kinda like being on autopilot.

Hope your doc gets back to you ASAP!

[aggie83]

I've been taking Lexapro for a week (I've had Wellbutrin for over a year) and it makes me nauseated for abotu 20 minutes every morning (the Lexapro). I sure hope that goes away soon. I have also had low grade headaches as well.

Kiya, I hope you feel better soon!

[Kiya]

(((((((christina, aggie)))))))))
So i skipped last night's dose. No queasiness today =) but still spinning a bit, and still unsure on my feet. I do have headaches everyday - i wonder if the drug increases them...
Still hope to hear from MD... I think her call times are noon and 2. it's 11. thankfully i do not take the dose until bed. i also have t tonight, so if i don't hear from md, at least i have a good back up.
The nice thing is that even this morning i got up and actually did things - cleaned house and did chores. that is a nice change from the past few months. =)

[EJ711]

We do have great moderators!!

[Christina86]

I do know that taking it at night is supposed to be easier on the system, especially right before you go to sleep... you sleep through some of the nasty side effects.

Hope the doc called back?

[iamtwilight]

I'm going through my old journals and according to it, I had started feeling better in 10 days. Decreased anxiety, helped my fear of steep slopes and stairs.. in general I started to ascend from the 7th circle of hell.

For the first week, I was also very out of the loop. But it got better quite soon.

I really hope this med works for you.

[Kiya]

Christina, Katie - thanks. still no call from md... it's 5pm now. at least i see t tonight and can ask her. I noticed the nice effects of being a bit more upbeat (rather than dragging my face on the ground) wore off around noon. I think my face is now hanging lower than ever and i just wanted to not move for any reason. So i will take another half to night.... see how tomorrow goes...

[Kiya]

I don't know what else to do. MD hasn't called.. I called her Tuesday, tomorrow's Friday. So, Mon i took half the dose and we know how that went... tuesday i didn't take it (and T said that was fine) wed still no call from MD, so i asked t that night and she agreed that I should take the half dose and talk to MD in the morning. I also decreased the 5HTP from 100mgs to 75mgs. Thursday was (oh today) less sick - still migraine, but not as bad as Tuesday. So I am skipping the dose tonight (and took full 5HTP) and tomorrow if MD doesn't call, I guess I will take half the 5HTP (50mgs) and then again the half lexapro. see what that does. She won't call, i guess i gotta experiment on my own.

[Christina86]

(((((((((Kiya)))))))))))))) I can't believe your doc hasn't phoned back!

[314159pi]

lexapro can lower your blood pressure--but not dangerously. That can account for your dizzy queasyness. You may be suffering from a side effect that is blood pressure related called "postural hypotension." That just means if you get out of a chair too fast then you get dizzy and might collapse. The thing to do if you feel this coming on is to just get up more slowly.
I have been there and done that--I take 30mg/day at bedtime.
Lexapro is good stuff but it won't make your sex life more enjoyable thats for sure.
pi

[Kiya]

Christina - MD never called =( I even called again Fiday morning. So I am taking matters into my own hands and taking 50 mgs 5HTP on the days that I take 5mg Lexapro (every other day) and then 100mg 5HTP on the days I don't, so we'll see how this goes.

Pi - yes that sounds like what was happening. I'd get up too fast and the whole world spun away. I am already anemic, so maybe that doesn't help. Thanks for the info.

Kiya

[coralproper]

I just started yesterday, 10 mil for GAD, I've been taking it with a blood pressure med, and yesterday all I want'd to do is sleep,
today I feel a little better.....but maybe I'll start to take it at night
since I have been taking it in the morning

[Kiya]

coral - they have me taking it at night - and even the next day all i want to do is sleep. i had to cut down to 5mg.

[MissCharlotte]

Kiya,

I have been on lexapro for about a year. When I began on 10 mg it was too much for me as well so I had to cut back just like you. I went down to 5 mg per day and slowly built up to 10. It took about 2 weeks before I really felt a lot better. I also had nausea and diarrhea. Those symptoms diminshed after about 6 weeks or so. After a while though it didn't seem to be working anymore so I tried to go up to 15 and Boom! My anxiety increased so I had to wean off and try effexor. Effexor raised my blood pressure so I went back on 5 mg of lexapro which isn't enough so I am having another eval this week.

Good luck. I think it's worth trying--just go up slowly.

Oh yeah, the dizziness. Well, I felt that this week on a day I forgot to take any so I think it does cause some dizziness.

[Kiya]

6 weeks!!!! Oh good lord. my MD just finally got my stomach working right!

[Lemon]

Kiya - any call back yet?
All I could do was sleep all weekend. Everytime I sat down I'd fall asleep for a couple hours. I wonder if it is the Lexapro. I've been on it since Nov though and haven't really had this side effect before so it seems strange that the sleepiness would just show up now. Anyone else have that? Maybe I just needed it.

[coralproper]

I just took my 10 mil pill, I figure I'd rather take it around this time
than the morning.

[MissCharlotte]

You know, I've been very sleepy again this weekend too. I don't know if it's my depression coming back (and it has been) or if it's the lexapro or the klonopin which I also take for anxiety as needed.

Lemon I think you will have to wait a few days and see if the sleepiness continues or not. Kiya, how are you doing?

Peace

[Kiya]

Hmmm... well i am choosing to no longer take it every Other day like i have been - it is making me really super jittery when it wears off on the second day and the urges to SI get bad. so *sigh* because of the jitters today (and the urges that are getting worse) i just took my half dose about 20 minutes ago - 6 hours early. I'm suppose to take it at bed, but I worry what would have happened if i had waited.
So i may suffer for that soon, but it is better than the alternative? yeah... probably.

[bchlyn]

kiya... the jittery was one of the side effects i had on lexapro in the beginning it does go away... i was on it for about 2 years and it worked well ... when i started it he started me on a real low dose and then increased me in stages... i think it was 5, 10, 20... i did the best at 10...lyn

[Kiya]

thanks for the info - i really appreciate yours and everyone's responses. i think i am starting to get used to this.... this is day 6.