Bribarian Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 I started taking Lexapro about 7 years ago. I've been up and down, left and right with the medication on different dosages. After a while I was only taking 5mgs, till recently issues arose and I ended up here at 20mgs. Only this time everything feels different. I'm waking up in panic many days. For the first few weeks I felt like I was literally on speed. I couldn't sit still and I had incredible energy, my mind was wide awake always. Now I've crashed and feel horrible. There's a startup effect I've noticed with Lexapro that is horrible. It's like a mixture of a panic attack and dark depression rolled into an acute episode, usually the first couple days you raise the dosage. Well, now I'm having that randomly. Is it time for me to get off this drug and look elsewhere? It's so bad now, my doctor has added Zyprexa to try and stabilize me cause she thinks I'm entering into a psychosis. I guess it's possible it triggered mania in me, I just don't know anymore. I'm so mentally confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friction Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 I'm on 20mg of lexapro too and it's not treating me very nicely at all. I feel as though my anxiety has worsened. I am barely sleeping on it and I'm crying all the time. I feel like crap. I am going to my doctor on Tuesday to discuss changing medication. If you really feel as though the lexapro is not helping you or is making things worse, maybe it would be a good idea to consider trying something else. I don't know. I just know that for me, it isn't worth it. Hope you find some relief soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bribarian Posted July 4, 2010 Author Share Posted July 4, 2010 I'm on 20mg of lexapro too and it's not treating me very nicely at all. I feel as though my anxiety has worsened. I am barely sleeping on it and I'm crying all the time. I feel like crap. I am going to my doctor on Tuesday to discuss changing medication. If you really feel as though the lexapro is not helping you or is making things worse, maybe it would be a good idea to consider trying something else. I don't know. I just know that for me, it isn't worth it. Hope you find some relief soon. Relief, that'd be nice, I'm starting to aim for just less pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayEyes777 Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 It honestly sounds like Lexapro just isn't working for you anymore. I agree, startup on Lexapro is truly awful - I'm only on it for 2 months and I'm STILL trying to get past the side effects - though the panic attack/dark depression portion of it did eventually pass for me (thank goodness because I was pretty much ready to throw in the towel at that point). But I think when it comes to the point where you're tweaking the dosage up and/or down and getting no relief whatsoever, that it means the drug has "pooped out" on you. From what I've read, you may be able to come back to it at some point in the future but for now, it's just not doing its job anymore. How long have you been at 20 mg? It IS possible that you just might need more time at that dose - I'm just about 4 weeks at that dose and still trying to stabilize. Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 After a while I was only taking 5mgs, till recently issues arose and I ended up here at 20mgs. Only this time everything feels different. I'm waking up in panic many days. For the first few weeks I felt like I was literally on speed. I couldn't sit still and I had incredible energy, my mind was wide awake always. Now I've crashed and feel horrible. That is usually a bad sign with an SSRI. If your diagnosis were bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder, most people would be urging you to see your doctor about switching to an AAP and/or lithium. There's a startup effect I've noticed with Lexapro that is horrible. It's like a mixture of a panic attack and dark depression rolled into an acute episode, usually the first couple days you raise the dosage. Well, now I'm having that randomly. I thought jaw pain and headaches (from clenching and grinding in your sleep) were the more common start up effects. Between that, hypersomnia, and akathisia (a rare, but documented, side-effect), I couldn't even go 2 weeks on Lexapro. Is it time for me to get off this drug and look elsewhere? I would think so, and I'm guessing that's where your doctor is headed with the Zyprexa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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