Lexapro- some unusual side effects

about 5 months ago I was given an rx for Lexipro -5 mg once a day- I took it before bed. I woke up @ 2 hours later with a feeling like I had 5 cups of coffee- it was horrible. I was almost hallucinating...I immediatly stopped the drug. 

I do take xanax - 1/2 a pill at bed time usually, and occassionaly once during the day as well, depending on my anxiety level. My dose is to break a .25 mg tablet in half. And believe it or not, .125 works for me.  I have an unusually low tolerance for all drugs and alcohol so it never takes much to kick in for me.

I was given another rx for 5mg lexipro and told to give it a try- I was told to break it in half- and take 2.5 mg once a day.  I am on my third day on half a pill and I still feel like I am speeding - I feel hyper -like I am on the verge of a panic attack -but luckily, so far, it never materializes. although - it seems my stress/depression related symptoms (heavy legs, occasional paralytic swallowing like thingy, and SOB) have subsided. AND... it also feels like my sympathtic nerve response has been put to sleep- which is a good thing because as you all know that little nerve can completely unnerve somone with an anxiety disorder.

My concern is that all I see here on this site are people talking about brain fog, and/or sleepyness.  I have the opposite.  I feel like I need to take half a xanax to calm me down mid day... which I do- but is this normal?  Should I keep taking this drug?  I would liek to know your thoughts..

thanks

mommmm

I am also sensitive to medications and have a low tolerance as you described here but it is odd how over time our bodies seem to adjust to the meds and dosages.  As for the Prozac it is an older medication, it is an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) which is normally prescribed after SSRI's prove to be ineffective to a certian patient.  Of course this just depends upon the physician and what kind of antidepressants he/she feels are most effective...that is where I feel some of us who have these disorders get caught in "the doctor trap". 

Anyhow, I was on Prozac for a short period of time and it didnt work out for me.  The good thing about it though was that I was able to recoginize the problems very quickly and contact my doctor for a change.  I wont go into what the problems were for me as I know this medication is an effective form of treatment for alot of people and I dont want to discourage you or anyone else from taking it. 

All I can say is do your research on the medication so your informed about it.  If after doing that you feel that it may be something that wouldnt be right perhaps you could suggest to your doctor an antidepressant that has some of the least side effects...such as wellbutrin or something along this line.