I am about to start Lexapro and I am looking for advice

Hello All,

I have read many posts and apologize if this sounds redundant but I would truly appreciate any feedback to my specific situation.

I have claustrophobia and GAD, both of which I have been dealing with since I was a child. I graduated college with a degree in finance and went to work at one of the big banks. My anxiety levels were extremely high and I was forced to do things I normally would avoid, such as air travel, high floors of a sckyscraper and traveling overseas. I have been prescribed Lexapro several times but always talk myself out of taking the medication. I was also relocated to NYC for a period of time but the anxiety from riding the subway caused me to resubmit for a transfer back to my original city. My doctor prescribed me xanax to deal with flights, elevators and subways but I rarely used it until recently.

I am now a few years into my career and currently in business school working on my masters degree and received a promotion at the same bank I have been with for my entire career. They relocated me to a new skyscraper but the stairwells are locked on the floor and the elevators can take a long time to reach my floor. This triggers my calustrophobia and has caused me to turn to using my xanax more frequently. I know taking xanax is only a bandaid fix so I went back to my doctor and she urged me to take Lexapro. I am prescribed to take 5mg a day for a week and then up the does to 10mg.

My fear is that the side effects of lexapro will interfer with my work routine and could adversely affect my grades in graduate school. I have done a great job white knuckling my anxiety in the past but I am ready to take control of my life, allow my career to grow and see the world.

I plan to start the medicine this Wednesday evening since I will have a few days away from the office and school for the holiday. I plan to take my xanax (.5mg) to alleviate the panic attack side effects of lexapro. I then plan to stop using xanax all together after the lexapro side effects subside. Any input you can offer on the effects the medication will have on my performance or on my plan to begin taking the medicine would be greatly appreciate.

Side note: My doctor mentioned that since I have claustrophobia and already deal with panic attacks regularly, lexapro causing panic attacks is unlikely. I do not know how much truth their is to this because I know she really wants me to start the medication.

Hey BSchoolGuy,

First off, I just want to say--GOOD JOB! Sounds like you have done a lot with your life to this point, and while having anxiety too. Awesome! I thank you for sharing your story with us, because without realizing it, you have helped me put into words some of the reasons that my anxiety levels have increased to such a great amount that I now take Lexapro too. :)

My life came to a point where I too had to do A LOT of the things that I would normally avoid. :/ I didn't realize I had anxiety though, and started having panic attacks and a handful of other anxiety symptoms---and I believed there was something physically wrong with me, I went to the doctor and emergency rooms for all of my other symptoms! So...way to go on getting a grip on this before it landed you in my shoes! :)

As for the Lexapro---I take that now, and what I can tell you is that I find myself doing SOME of the things that used to cause me a GREAT deal of anxiety, without the anxiety! It has been a life changer for me, and I am only on 1/3 of a 10mg pill. In January I will likely bump it up to 5mg and be ready to face even more of my anxiety triggers! I did not have many of the side effects other than jittery and a bit nauseous for a few weeks. Those were way better than my daily anxiety though! Dr. Oz recommends taking pills like that with something that has peanut butter in order to allow the pill to absorb slower and the side effects not to be as draining.

I am so excited for you! I hope Lexapro does as much anxiety-removing for you as it did for me! Good luck! Please check back in and let us know how you are!

TooMuchAnxiety,

Thank you for the feedback! The last thing I expected was to be able to help someone with my post but I am glad I could. I am relieved to hear your side effects were very mild, seems there may have been some truth to what my doctor said! I find the peanut butter approach very interesting and would I certainly would not mind putting down a few PB&Js before bed. I plan to take the medication in the evening, hoping I can sleep through some of the side effects and hopefully cause them to be mild while at work or school.

Thanks again!

LOLOL. Thanks for that laugh BSchoolGuy. Enjoy those PBJ's!