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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 4WD on August 14, 2005, at 21:55:14
Hi all.
Please see if you can help me make sense.
I was on Celexa 10mg (sensitive to meds - side effects) for four months and it was working okay but I was still waking up scared and having anxiety/fear (which was slowly getting better and which was currently treatable with 1/4 - 1/2 mg day of klonopin).
I went to a new pdoc (who I like and who I think is trustworthy). I told him I wanted to be off Klonopin and wanted an AD that would deal with the anxiety. So he switched me to Lexapro 5mg. After about 3 days the anxiety was much worse and I was more depressed. I increased the Klonopin to up to 1.5 mg/day, figuring it was just startup anxiety. After almost two weeks it was still awful. I talked to the pdoc and told him how much worse the anxiety was. He told me to cut the Lexapro down to 2.5mg. I did that on Friday. Today is Sunday and I am still having high levels of anxiety and depression (much worse than on Celexa).
Is this just something I should ride out? How long is a fair trial for the Lex before I conclude it is making me worse instead of better and give up on it. I feel so bad. So sad and so hopeless that nothing is ever going to work except for the things whose side effects I can't tolerate.
I am having the same but worse side effects on Lex as on Celexa - sore tense muscle spasms in my upper back and very dry mouth - on 2.5mg!
Please somebody tell me what to do. Keep trying the Lex at 2.5mg til I see the pdoc on Friday? Go back to 5mg Lex (it's as bad at 2.5 as it was at 5mg)? Go back to the Celexa and tell him I couldn't stand it?
Marsha
Posted by bart on August 16, 2005, at 10:24:23
In reply to Does Lexapro suck or is it me? Please help., posted by 4WD on August 14, 2005, at 21:55:14
Is it possible your body is still going through slight withdrawal from celexa until the lex kicks in? I know that lex is just an isomer of the celexa molecule, but maybe your body still registers it as a completely different molecule that will take a couple of weeks to work not unlike that of when you first started celexa
Posted by charlie-no-nose on August 19, 2005, at 21:43:40
In reply to Does Lexapro suck or is it me? Please help., posted by 4WD on August 14, 2005, at 21:55:14
I have taken Lexapro for over an year. It helped me greatly with anxiety attacks (the kind that go bump in the night). but has not helped with depression (neither did previous drugs--tri-cyclics, MAOI's, SSRI's, other AD's or ECT) I also began Seroquel for sleep about the same time, so it may have been responsible for the relief from anxiety. charlie-no-nose
Posted by 4WD on August 20, 2005, at 12:44:01
In reply to Re: Does Lexapro suck or is it me? Please help. » 4WD, posted by charlie-no-nose on August 19, 2005, at 21:43:40
I guess I'll keep on with it for now - the other options are not too appealing. Pdoc says raise it to 7.5 for a couple of days. If no relief, raise it to 10 for a couple days. If still bad or worse, give up and go back to Celexa.
Oh well...
Thanks,
Marsha
This is the end of the thread.
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