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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
lexapro for anxiety
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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lexapro for anxiety
by pumpkin674, Oct 02, 2004 12:00AM
Hi, i just started lexapro 5mg 6 days ago, the last two days i started to feel dizzy, but no relief to my anxiety or my irratibility. i never realy had any major side effects other than a headache the first day, now i seem to have develpoed a cold about 3 days into treatment, i'm not sure if the meds caused it but my nose is blocked up. i was wondering if upping the dose to 10mg would help. i started on 5mg on my own, due to sensitivity, also i go back to work tomorrow after taking my 1 week vacation to take the lexapro, i was wondering if upping it to 10mg will have bad side effects and for about how long. 2 years ago i was put on paxil cr 37.5 mg due to a sudden battle with panic attacks and agoraphobia, when i say sudden i mean sudden, iwent to work normal and left work that day and was out for 3 months. the paxil seemed to help alot with the fear and anxiety but i put on 25lbs in the 6 months i was on it, so my dr. weaned me off it b/c i wanted to try to handle things w/out medication. i purchased lucinda basset's tapes and books and they did help alot. i also had severe withdraw from the paxil thats why i have been fighting this feeling for maybe a year now with the anxiety,b/c i didnt want to start a med and have to go throught the hell i went threw with the paxil i also have a feeling of being unbalanced like i am going to fall over that started after stopping the paxil so my dr. thought is was allergies and when allergy meds didnt work he sent me for a ct scan and that came out fine. he thought it was something inner ear so he sent me to a ent, i had a eng done and he said all is fine, he told me to take my dr. advice a take the lexapro and he said it will help with the unbalanced feeling. so i started the lexapro like i stated in the begining. i also have mvp that i have had for about 11 years. i take toporol XL 12.5mg in the am and 25mg in the pm. I am at my witts end and i was wondering if you have heard of anyone getting accupunture for anxiety, i read about it on the net but dont really know how true it is, if its not too expensive i think i will try it out.my sister gets severe panic attacks and ends up in the er after just about every episode but when its all done she goes about her life until the next one hits but i cant clear my mind of such negative thoughts, i dread thigns i have to do like shopping and resturants are the worst, the more i do these things the worst it gets, i thought the more you conquer what you fear the easier it gets. one more question me and my b/f are going on vacation in december and i was wondering if i was going to have any bad side effects from the meds will it happen before then? the trip is 9 weeks away and ive been on for a week. thank you for your time
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Oct 06, 2004 12:00AM
, Oct 06, 2004 12:00AM
the therapeutic dose is 10 mgs and there is no need to go higher. If your doctor agrees, you should try the 10 now and any side effects that are difficult will surface immediately and probably be gone within ten days...that is true for 95% of people.
I'm currently on lexapro 10mgc for anxiety also... How it went with me was day 1 and 2 didn't feel anything ... then 3-9 or day 10 I was getting bad dizzy spells after I took the pill about 20 mins later that I took it, so i started to take it in the pm and by the time I wake up I didn't feel it too bad, but give it like 2 weeks then try to evaluate yourself about if the medication side effects are subsiding. The other answer to your question about a trip 9 weeks later... they say the medicine should fully become active about 2 - 4 months ... but I wouldn't really worry about side effects around your trip maybe fatigue.
I'm currently working on losing my anxiety by using relaxation techniques and boy does it feel good... I'm about 70% less anxious then I was about 2 months ago (www.panic-anxiety.com) gives symptoms and tells you what to do.. it helps a lot.
Also anxiety mimics depression therefore if you find a way to overcontrol your anxiety you could stop medication all ahead as long as your serotonin levels are stable.
Good luck,
Steve
My goal is to get control of my panic and anxiety so that it does not rule my life.
I went to see a counselor and Psychiatrist. My Psychiatrist just kept prescribign medications for anxiety, my counselor actually helped me talk things out and get to some of the issue that may be causing my anxiety. Along with the in office therapy, she suggested I read the book called "Don't Panic" by R. Reid Wilson, PH.D. The book teaches you how to deal with and ultimately face your anxiety and panic attacks head on. The techniques including daily relaxation, positive talk during anxious times and relaxation at the time of anxiety. It builds on providing the ability and skills to invite panic head on and deal with it. The theory is that if you avoid it, it will always come back. If you face your fears and deal with them adaquately, then panic subsides. The book has worked really well for me. I am going to try next week to taper off the XANAX and slowly go back to a medicine free existence.
I am not a DR. and cannot recommend this in place of medications. I just choose to try to conquer my fear of panic with out drugs. I highly recommend this book which you can purchase for about $9.00. I has helped me a great deal.
I understand where you come from. I have had anxiety problems probably at three different times in my life. I took Lexapro for 9 months. I have never slept so good in my life. I took it in the morning. No dizziness nothing. It was great. It helped alot with social anxiety. I didn't feel the diziness ect that I used to feel when I was in crowds of people. I took Paxil for one month, during which time, I flew to VA. I didn't even break a sweat. (Problem with crowded airplanes and airports. Go figure) With other meds I still had the problem boarding planes. I don't take SSRI's now. Much of my anxiety has been helped with meds and therapy. I am taking Piracetam to see if it helps with my obsessive thoughts. So far so good. It seems they hit all of the sudden and then go away more quickly than they used to. SSRI's help you gain weight of which I am desperatly trying to lose. Hope you have success!!