Questions about Lexapro

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-04-2003
Questions about Lexapro
5
Wed, 11-19-2003 - 1:25pm
Wow, what a difference a few days make. I wrote on Friday about being too embarrassed to see a counselor or ask my doctor about meds, but after a horrible weekend I'd had enough of feeling bad, and I made an appointment with a therapist and my doctor in the same day. The therapist was really nice and suggested I should talk to my doctor about taking something for depression and social anxiety. My doctor was really cool about it, and she prescribed Lexapro and even gave me a month's worth of free samples! Why was I ever so afraid to seek help?? Anyway, I do have a few questions for anyone who's taken Lexapro. Did it make you feel spacy for very long? I took it yesterday and I've felt a little nauseated and totally spaced out ever since. I hate that spacy feeling. I also feel a little silly somehow. I feel like laughing for no reason at all today. I know the stuff isn't supposed to work that fast, but I definitely feel something. Also, how did it affect your sleep? I have horrible insomnia, and I don't want to take something that would make it worse. My doctor said I may have to adjust the time of day when I take it if it disturbes my sleep, but I really need something that would HELP me sleep. 3 hours of broken up sleep a night is not enough! Thanks for answering!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2003
Wed, 11-19-2003 - 2:22pm
When I started it 5 weeks ago..I was spacey and tired alot..

You might get a horrible headache that doesnt go away for about a week, and then wham one day its gone and you really feel better all the way around.

I have taken Anti Dep. in the past and they have done the same thing to me. Bad headache while " underconstructioin " I call it.

With Prozac I couldnt sleep. With Lex..I can..so I guess it all varies from one person to another.

Goodluck and give it a good chance...your body and mind needs to adjust to the new meds.

L

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-05-2003
Wed, 11-19-2003 - 4:06pm
I had the same problems with Lexapro when I first went on it. Not so much the spacy-ness, but the nausia for sure. It lasted I wanna say for about 5ish days. Can't remember, but I remember just under a week. Also, for the insomnia, check on what you are eating around 6ish. I found that if I had any amount of caffeene after 6 I couldn't sleep forever! I was on ambien for a little bit, but took myself off because I was afraid of becoming hooked. Hope this helped a little!

Trix

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Wed, 11-19-2003 - 6:49pm
I went on lexapro that was my first med it made me really tired to the point I would fall sleep at work it was bad took all the energy that I had and threw it out the window I wasnt on it long enough to have that side effect go away couldnt afford to i would have lost my job.

I hear though that the way I responded to it was a fluke I also got spacey also thtat i would have taken 100 times over the tiredness but give it time the effects will wear off soon they usually dont last for too long.

good luck

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Thu, 11-20-2003 - 11:16am
Lexapro was the first med my doc prescribed. It took about 5 days of extreme nausia for me to quit. I didn't feel better in the least and then i couldn't even get out of bed, i was so sick. I already couldn't eat anything to begin with, but now i was having trouble keeping down whatever i did eat as well. I know the initial side effects are supposed to go away after about a week, but i just didn't have to stomach to wait to find out... literally.

So good luck. I hope you are one of the majority that feel better from it.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-2003
Thu, 11-20-2003 - 12:59pm
What is your dosage? The reason I ask is the first time I went on Lexapro I went through 3 weeks of no sleep and worse than that the horrible anxiety I felt 24/7. My Doctor said he would increase the dose (I was on 10mg) and it would make it better. I did not believe him, and it was at that time that my bf killed himself, so I was a mess from that and did not want to make it worse by increasing the dosage (and in my head) increasing the anxiety. Boy do I wish I had listened to him. I started therapy, and it did help, but I was still a mess, crying all the time not eating and no sleep. Finally I called my doc and he agreed to increase the lex to 20mg....................BEST thing I ever did for myself. I do take one ambien to help sleep (I still have anxiety that I won't sleep) But the depression has seemed to have lifted (I still have days of being low, but more days that are good) I am more focused than I have ever been in my life. I realize I have been suffering from depression my whole life, and this one major incident in my life triggered a bad result. Which in a way was good, cause I got the help I have needed for so long. Anyway, I hope you stick it out. As for the nausea, 10mg bad first few days, 20mg one day. GOOD LUCK!!! Maybe you should try to increase the dosage or get something to help you sleep

Peg