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Posted 6/25/2011 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have a question. My doctor increased my lexapro from 20 to 30mg. The side effects I had when I first started it all came back. I have had racing thoughts and what feels like manic episodes like crazy since the increase. For a few days now, I have had instances where I cant look at any one thing for more than 10-15 seconds at a time, all jittery/twitchy.. Before the med increase, I had a few nights where I guess I was having bad dreams and grinding/gritting my teeth and bit completely through my night guard one night and the next night bit partially through my lip.. Told the dr and he was a huge jerk about it saying it was a dentist issue..

Taking things people say WAY wrong, super worried abotu my friend Marian's surgery on Wednesday.. freaking out because dont want it to be a repeat of my friend Debbie's stay last year which ended up with her passing away.

My best friends are fighting and might get a divorce... along with the racing thoughts, i think the borderline personality is coming out big time.. Ive been sounding boards for both my best friends but Joe I have gotten closer to & other thoughts have been entering my mind, even though I know nothign can happen with it....

Fighting an increase in depression along with it all too :-/

This ended up being a ramble instead of a question. I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced such a change in behavior after an increase in lexapro?

Posted 6/25/2011 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
You will probably have this for a week or two while your body is adjusting to the med change. Try to deal with the changes and don't give up on the med. Try writing everything down and see if that helps with the racing thoughts. Once you have written it down, it generally goes away. Like filing your thoughts in a file cabinet. Then you can shut the drawer.

I don't think your friend Marian will be a repeat of what happened before, but I can see where it would effect you. Try to have faith that everything will be okay. It is so important to have faith.

Know that we are all here for you. Take care....

Hugs, Karen
Posted 6/26/2011 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
i started it and went of fairly rapidly. was too intense for me nicole. but hang in there a tad longer my friend. keep talking with your doc as well. with much compassion, jamie
Posted 6/28/2011 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Feeling like Im falling backwards so rapidly..............
Posted 6/28/2011 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
maybe time to see the doc nicole. with much healing compassion, jamie
Posted 6/28/2011 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

I take the same medication as you and do find that changing the dose can affect the balance of your body but this does pass as you get used to the new dose so stick with it if you can. The maximum dose for Lexapro is 20mg so 30 does seem high?

Hibee
Posted 6/29/2011 12:02 AM (GMT 0)
doing ok today, I have an appt with my therapist on the 30th so have written down the side effects & when Ive had them to take in with me.

Hibee I was told 20mg was just a starter dose
Posted 6/29/2011 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
I copied this off of a site about lexapro dosage.

Maintenance Treatment

It is generally agreed that acute episodes of major depressive disorder require several months or longer of sustained pharmacological therapy beyond response to the acute episode. Systematic evaluation of continuing Lexapro 10 or 20 mg/day in adults patients with major depressive disorder who responded while taking Lexapro during an 8-week, acute-treatment phase demonstrated a benefit of such maintenance treatment [see Clinical Studies]. Nevertheless, the physician who elects to use Lexapro for extended periods should periodically re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment.

Maybe this will help you.  It sounds like they usually start you off with ten mg, then go to twenty after three weeks.  Maybe the doctor put you on too high of a dose.  I would research it.

Hugs, Karen

Posted 6/29/2011 8:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi

I take 15mg and have just looked at the leaflet in the box which says 20mg is the highest dosage so 30mg does sound high to me which may be the cause of your problems but im not a doctor so check it with them. Lexapro (Escitalopram) is one of the more potent ssri's so a smaller dosage is sufficient.

You can get Celexa (Citalopram) which is very similar which has a top dosage of 40mg.

Hibee
Posted 6/29/2011 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
i'm thinking the same as above, the max lex dose should be 20mg. I experience the same type of smyptoms when i tried to get on Celexa, but not with the lexapro. I am currently on 20mg of lex
Posted 7/13/2011 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry for not getting back sooner... Things still havnt really improved. I last saw my therapist on 6/30... shes out of the office for most of july so wont see her again until 8/3... I talked with her about the affects of the medicine since the increase.. She called my med dr & requested and earlier appt.. It got bumped up from end of Sept to mid Aug... Well I left a note with the med dr's secretary (at the request of my therapist..) to call if I could get in sooner... I received a call today & have an appt in the morning with a nurse practitioner
Posted 7/13/2011 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
Good deal,

Please do let us know how it goes.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 7/14/2011 8:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hello;I've tried lexapro a few times.My Dr. started me out on 10 mg and it seemed to work good for about three weeks;then I started getting emotional;hostile and more depressed.The side effects were terrible;the grinding of the teeth was one that drove me crazy and the constant racing thoughts;I always felt like I was in a fog.I tried it several times after that and it was just too much for me.I've had a hard time finding the right med since most ssri meds make you feel looney one way or another.It does seem that 30 mg of lexapro would bother you;maybe a med switch might help?I hate doing trial and error with those meds;it's nerve-wracking,grr... 
Posted 7/14/2011 10:25 AM (GMT 0)
Well tonight has been VERY emotional.... my best friend that I babysit for doesnt trust me with her kids alone right now because of the issues Ive been having... After a long talk found out its because shes worried about me, not that I'd do somethign to her kids. We tried to get me admitted to the hospital tonight.. but I was not bad enough yet.. GRRRRRRRR!!! Try to get help before it gets bad and they say no! Plus the lady that was doing the screening kept smiling at my friend that went with me the whole time while she's telling us she cant help me... was very upsetting for both of us... couple hours of sleep before appointment....
Posted 7/14/2011 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
Just got home from my med appt... I really liked this nurse practitioner! I wish she was my med dr. The lexapro was reduced back to 20mg and she added abilify 10mg She thinks have bipolar II but have to wait to see my main med dr to confirm it
Posted 7/14/2011 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
Nicole,

I take abilify too. Never felt so good in my life. It really helps. Good luck!!!

Hugs, Karen
Posted 7/14/2011 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Karen!! I feel pretty good about today so far. I wish I could switch med drs.. this lady was really nice (& i could understand what she was sayin! lol)

Hugs! Hope things are going well for you!
Posted 7/18/2011 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
I havnt been able to get the abilify yet.. waiting on payday this week but can tell a difference with the lexapro being back down to 20mg. :)
Posted 7/18/2011 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
I hope that you can get the abilify soon. It is very expensive. Do you have insurance? I do and I have to get mine this week. The copay is 40.00. But my doc writes it for 20's and I cut them in half. That way it lasts me two months. Plus she givesd me samples. That really helps, when I remember to ask for them. I was just there and I forgot again. Oh well.

I am glad that the lexapro is working for you. The abilify helps the lex to work better too. Plus is a mood stabilizer and an antipsychotic, and for bipolar. It works for a lot of different things. I think you will find you will like it. Though it doesn't work for everybody, when it works, it works well.

Take care Nichole.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 7/18/2011 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
my copay is $40.. said insurance saved me $567! just for 30 pills.. thatss nuts! I didnt tthink about asking for the 20 & cutting'em in half.. that would be nice! Im glad I get paid wednesday because tonight is my last dose of lexapro & its $40 too lol i saw the commercials on tv about abilify & was thinnking about calling& getting the trial offer or whatever they called it
Posted 7/18/2011 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
That would be cool. It seems to start working right away. Sometimes the company will help you out even with insurance. I like it. It has really changed the way that I feel. I can't remember the company that makes it. But they might help you. They are probably the ones doing the free trial offer. Brain fart there. Oh well...

You sound so much better. I am glad that you are feeling better. Depression really takes a lot out of us. I know that for sure. It is nice to feel a little better.

Take care,

Hugs, Karen
Posted 7/18/2011 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
Its kicked my butt this summer!! Never thought I'd get bad enough that my friends would be the ones freaking out.. I was just sleeping through everything.. taking 2-3 ambien either a day or sometimes at the same time. Falling asleep up under a table & not remembering my two friends trying to wake me up which made it s they dont trust me much alone with their kids anymore without worrying if i was ok and the boys were safe. Its getting better but Im becoming too dependent on them and have had to step back which is easy to say but hard for me to do :) its awesome though to know that i have my friends that will stick with me thrrough even the toughest times
Posted 7/18/2011 8:30 PM (GMT 0)
Why were you taking so many ambien? I hope you dont mind me asking. I take one right before I go to bed. Plus a xanax. Was it because you were depressed? Iff you don't want to answer that is okay. I was jusst curious.

It is good to have friends that care. But yeah, I can understand them worrying.

I am glad that you are feeling better now.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 7/18/2011 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
I was wanting to sleep through everything.. Didnt want to do like any permanent damage but just sleep for awhile so I wouldnt have so many racinig thoughts

Thanks! Hugs
Posted 7/18/2011 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
That is what I did too. But I just slept, didn't need anything to help me. Couldn't stay awake. Fibromyalgia and depression setting in at that time. Slept for close to two years. But learned to take life one day at a time. And wasn't worrying about anything. Couldn't. I had all kinds of debt at that time. I just ran away from it all. And actually it helped me at that time.

Hugs, Karen
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