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Recently started taking Lexapro and have questions

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Posted 3/20/2015 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
I had developed lots of anxiety, and was having a very hard time ever relaxing if I was not doing something to keep my mind busy. At times I would feel like I was going crazy from worrying about how I was feeling. I went to my doctor had he put me on 10mg of Lexapro to help with my Anxiety. I am on my 12th day of taking Lexapro.

I do have some questions about how I have been feeling since I started taking it. On about the 3rd day of taking it I started feeling better. My anxiety dropped greatly, and I felt like I had a lot more energy. I could actually relax and watch TV. However on the 9th day I started feeling my anxiety coming back. The last few days I have been feeling a lot more anxiety, and feeling more and more tired each day.

Is this a normal thing to be happening when first starting on Lexapro? I know that it can take 4 to 6 weeks for it to fully take effect. I am just confused by how well I was feeling for a few days, and that I am now feeling a lot like I did before I even started taking it. I went to bed early last night, and feel even more tired today than I did yesterday.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior on Lexapro? I am trying to stay positive that it is going to work for me and that I just need to give my body time to get adjusted to it.

Thanks for any feedback you have.
Posted 3/20/2015 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear you have been struggling with anxiety but pleased that you have spoke to your doctor about this.

Unfortunately when starting any antidepressant it is usual to get worse before you start to get better so stick with it if you can and you should start to see an improvement if not go back and speak with your doctor. Lexapro is a good medication in my opinion but we all react different to AD and what works well for one person may not work as well for an other.

I would also suggest you look into therapy such as CBT as it is that which will really help you and your doctor would be a good person to as about this.

Stay with us and keep posting

Hibee
Posted 3/21/2015 4:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi CM and welcome!

Hibee has advised you well, so I will just wish you well on your start up, and recommend checking out our Resources for great self-help material that will benefit you during this adjustment and beyond! Find the Resources at the top of the main page.

Keep us posted and we will kept you on support.

Scaredy Cat
Posted 3/21/2015 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your responses. I am hoping that with time the medication will begin to help. It can just be a little tough trying to stay optimistic when I feel worse this week than I did the first week after starting on Lexapro.

I hang out with a couple of friends online, and I feel great when I get to see them online and my day goes much better when I am hanging out with them. The problem that I think I have is that I start thinking about when I will see them next. I start worrying about how much I am thinking about them, and then get anxiety that I can't stop thinking about them. I start worrying that I am only going to be able to relax and not feel anxiety once I get to see them online. I don't know why I started feeling like this. I used to never feel this way.

I keep trying to tell myself there is nothing to worry about. However it has become very hard to just relax and not feel anxiety all the time.

Thank you for letting me talk about what I am going through.

Canman17
Posted 3/22/2015 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
CM,

Yes, come here and talk to us anytime.:)

Glad to hear that you find comfort in talking with friends...maybe we can also be a part of your support system.:)

Talk to you soon,

S.C.
Posted 3/22/2015 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
Hi CM

Yes talking to people who can relate to what you are going through can be really helpful and therapeutic so do stay with us we are here to support you.

Hibee
Posted 3/22/2015 10:19 AM (GMT 0)
I started lexapro about 15 days ago. I, too, had positive results the first few days and then it seemed like things got much worse. Now, at this far in, I'm feeling more eve throughout the day. The anxiety is still there, but is manageable and I'm feeling stronger and less shakey/off-balance then I did 2 weeks ago. I'm also only on half the prescribed dose right now, to minimize s/e. I plan to increase to full dose this Friday and anticipate a return on increased anxiety.

I hope your feeling better soon!
Posted 3/22/2015 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Jennhep for your post. It gives me a little comfort that someone else has had similar effects early on from the Lexapro, and it does give me hope that things will start to get better soon. I hope that increasing your dosage doesn't result in your anxiety increasing, and that it instead helps to continue to reduce yours.

Hibee and Scaredy Cat,

Thank you for being supportive. It really does help. I know this is going to take time and work to overcome. The thoughts and anxiety that I have are just very confusing to me. I wake up in the morning and start thinking about the 2 friends that I get to hang out with online. I start worrying that I am not going to be able to stop thinking about them. I start getting anxious feelings, and worry that I can't make those go away unless I get to see them online. That makes me think about it even more, and have even more anxiety. I can't figure out how to stop this constant thinking, worrying, and anxiety that I am only going to feel good and relaxed is if I get to hang out with them online. I don't know how I got to this point either. I have a good job, a good mother, and sister, so I don't really have anything to worry over so much. I am just hoping that I can get back to a place where I can feel relaxed more and not anxious all the time thinking about when I will see these 2 friends again online.

Thank you again for listening and giving me a place to talk.
Posted 3/23/2015 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
I just wanted to post a quick update.

On Sunday morning I felt pretty bad. I felt shaky and weak at times, and had a lot of anxious thoughts. By Sunday afternoon I started feeling a lot better. I was able to relax, read a book, and watch some TV. I still thought about when I might see my friends online, but I didn't have the anxiety that if they didn't get online that I wouldn't be able to relax.

Today has been very good so far. I woke up with more energy. I really have not had anxiety today. I can think about seeing my friends, but those thoughts are not consuming my mind and making me have lots of anxiety.

I do find myself worrying some that I could slip back into having the anxiety that I was having before. However it seems like I have been able to manage that worry pretty well today. I am really trying to not let that worry bring the anxiety back.

I am hoping this is a sign that I am getting balanced out on the Lexapro. Today is my 15th day on it. I am feeling much more like the few good days that I had when I first started taking it. Hopefully this means that I have gotten past the time when the drug has actually made me feel worse.
Posted 3/23/2015 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
I hope so too!

Even if you run into an occasional detour along the road to feeling your best, know this is normal...

...and all in all, things are looking up!

Wishing you continued progress. Keep us posted!

S.C.
Posted 3/24/2015 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Scaredy Cat for your reply.

Today I am not having a good day so far. I keep worrying about how I am feeling, and that I can't stop my mind from thinking about it. I am having a very hard time not worrying about how much I am thinking about the two friends that I hang out with online, and that I am only going to feel relaxed and good if I get to see them online later today. I don't know how to keep my mind from constantly worrying about this.

I woke up this morning nervous about how I was going to feel today, and I don't think that helped at all with keeping the worry and anxiety away. It also doesn't help that I have been fighting a cold/allergies the last two days.

I am not sure what I should do at this point to help fight this constant worry. I know what I am worrying about is totally irrational. I should be able to relax and feel good even when I am not online with my 2 friends, but I just can't seem to stop thinking about them which leads me to worrying about how much I am thinking about them.

I keep hoping that the Lexapro will start providing some relief so that I can manage to get control of my thoughts again and reduce this constant worrying. I felt so good on days 3 - 8 of taking Lexapro. I just wish I could get back to those good days.

Any encouraging words of advice that you have would be appreciated.

Thanks
Posted 3/24/2015 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

Lexapro can take anywhere between 6-8 weeks to reach the full beneficial therapeutic dose so stick with it and you should start to see some improvements soon if not I would go back and speak with your doctor.

Try not to fall into the trap of thinking medication will cure you as that is not the case it will only help to ease your symptoms so it is important to do some talking therapy such as CBT so that you can learn self help techniques to help you manage your anxiety better.

Have a look at our resources thread for some useful links to self help guides.

Hibee
Posted 3/24/2015 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hibee,

Thank you for your reply. I am going to stick with the Lexapro and give it time to reach it's full benefit. I am trying to stay optimistic that I will see some difference from it. I also know that medication is not the 100% cure for my problems. I am just hoping for some relief.

I know that just telling myself to not worry is not an answer either. I am looking for some self help guides that may provide help for me.

Do you have any specific self help guides that you could link me to that you think would be helpful for my specific situation?

I know that there is no quick answer to the problems that I am having, but I do hope to start making a little more progress to getting back to the person that I used to be.

I do really appreciate your feedback and support. It does help to have a place to go and talk.
Posted 3/24/2015 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Here is the link to our Resource Guide in its entirety:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=9&m=104206

Below I've also posted some individual links that I think may be helpful to you.smile

For general stress reduction/decompressing:

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

For persistant/troubling thoughts:
Self Help Printable Work Book for OCD and Intrusive Thoughts

http://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/obsessioncompulsion.asp

There is a lot of material to be found in that first link...look through and see what looks most beneficial to YOU! smile

Glad to hear you are interested in self-help! It is really effective if practiced regularly!

S.C.
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