3rd Day on Cipralex....Tell Me It Gets Better...

[countrygirl100]

Started taking 5mg cipralex every morning 3 days ago now.  I feel really awful in the mornings.  Really bad anxiety, headachy, no interest in my normal activity.  I have three young kids and a great husband.  I just want to feel normal again. Looking for some positive feedback.  How long does it take for these meds to work? Thanks!

[nursegirl6572]

Sounds great!  Thanks for the update!  Your side effects should start to subside soon.  Usually around the 2 week mark, they have improved quite a bit.  You're doing great.  Just hang in there.  Another couple of weeks, and you should be feeling a LOT better!

Keep us in the loop!

[countrygirl100]

Thank you so much for your reply.  I am on day 8 now of 10mg cipralex.  I am definately feeling better compared to a week ago!  I find the mornings are the hardest.  Feel a little "whoozy" and foggy headed in morning.  I do have quite a bit of nausea throughout the day but hopefully this will subside once I adjust to the meds.  I appreciate your caring reply and I am keeping my fingers crossed for a day when I feel myself again:))

[christineyvette]

This was EXACTLY how I felt when I went from Luvox to Cipralex. YES it does get better. You have to give your body time to adjust to the medication.

[nursegirl6572]

I forgot to add, make sure you get into therapy as well as using the medication to treat your anxiety.  You really will benefit from it.  While the medication will help with the symptoms, therapy will teach you coping techniques useful for handling anxiety when it pops up, or is severe.

Also, therapy during this medication adjustment period would be beneficial as well.

Fingers crossed!

[nursegirl6572]

You've JUST started the medication, it does take a while to start noticing improvements.  It can take up to 4-6 weeks to really notice changes, although a lot of people report that they can feel some mild improvements after a couple weeks.  

It's also normal to have some side effects, they will also typically start improving by about week 2.  The headache and increase in anxiety are likely side effects, those are two pretty common ones.

With these kinds of meds, the more patient you can be, the better, because it IS a process that takes time.  Sometimes, after the 4-6 weeks are up, people require a dosage increase also, as the med may be working, but not to the desired level yet.  So, as you can see, sometimes it takes a couple of months to get to where you would like to be.  Try to think positively (I know, easier said than done).

You're feeling lousy, and want to feel better NOW.  I know, I remember feeling like that, and remember thinking 4 weeks seemed like a lfetime, but it isn't.  Just try to be patient, and stay as busy as you can.  Distraction works wonderfully...the less you think about the meds, the side effects and wondering, "is it working yet?", the better.

Please keep in touch, let us know how you're doing.  Fingers crossed that you get some relief soon!