Escitalopram immediate side effects?

[jiminshanghai]

I'm experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. I saw a doctor yesterday. He put me on 10mg escitalopram, taken at night.  I took my first dose last night.  This morning, I feel terrible: nervous, nauseous, light-headed. Can it be the escitalopram, and can it cause side effects so quickly?

[Paxiled]

I don't believe the above is true.  Side effects start right away; what takes time are the beneficial effects you want, because it takes time for the brain to adapt to working in an unnatural fashion, as these drugs alter the natural way your brain processes serotonin.  Because side effects and effects vary so much by the individual, it's hard to say if the drug is the cause or not -- some people who are anxious also get anxious about taking medication.  One question would be, though, how bad is your problems?  How much is it affecting your life?  If you're still functioning well did you try therapy before trying medication?  Are you getting your medication though a psychiatrist, who only does this kind of thing, or a regular doc, who does a little of everything but not a lot of anything?  Because not only are these meds hard to start taking, they are also hard to stop taking, and you want to be under the care of someone who you talk to first to learn whether they are aware of that and seem to know what they're doing.  At any rate, if the drug is something you do need, give it some time.  If what you're feeling doesn't go away and is more than you can handle while waiting for the month or so it takes for the drug to start working in the beneficial sense, then this isn't the right drug for you.  Another factor here is how well a particular person absorbs a drug -- if you absorb it poorly, it won't work, but you also won't get much in the way of side effects from it.  If you absorb it really really well, the side effects might be quick and bad but the beneficial effects will be stronger as well, possibly, for the same reason.  Some people find antidepressants very stimulating, which might explain the increased nervousness.  You might get used to it, you might not.  Only time will tell if it's the drug causing this and if it is whether it will stick around or go away once your brain gets used to it.  

[AnxiousNoMore]

Likely too soon for side effects, especially the nervous one because an SSRI takes a while for any mental effect. Most side effects go away with time anyway. If you feel this way tomorrow you might want to call your doc or pharmacist for advice though.