Lexapro?

[johnnyky]

So I have palpitations pvcs and fast heartbeat but eliminating caffeine and starting Metroprolol has helped a lot. But I also have pretty severe social avoidance and anxiety especially in unknown situations and people. I've been unemployed for some time because I'm so anxious about starting a job. I've been taking Xanax as needed for awhile which helps the anxiety and also just recently stopped Propranolol and started Metroprolol. I also have obsessive negative thoughts about health problems that probably don't exist. My GP prescribed me 10mg Lexapro to take daily. But I'm scared to take it because I've heard so many horror stories about ssri's. The beta blocker helps my physical anxiety symptoms but the avoidance, lack of motivation, & anxiety are still there. My cardiologist recommended I take the Lexapro too. So should I just take it? I know it's one of the newer ones so maybe fewer side effects? Has anyone else with avoidance and anxiety had luck with Lexapro? I can take the Xanax but it only helps so much. Thanks.

[johnnyky]

Thanks for some reason I'm just so scared of ssri's I guess I'm afraid I'll get a bunch of bad side effects but at the same time my anxiety/avoidance isn't getting any better. Xanax works wonders but I don't want to take it every single day. It's weird I'm not scared of other meds, I take a beta blocker, xanax, allergy meds, etc, but yet I'm scared of an ssri. I do trust my doc I have a great relationship with her so I know she wouldn't prescribe something she felt would do more harm than good, I'm just afraid of all the horror stories people have about ssris and saying they don't work and all you get are bad side effects..But I won't know til I try I guess. My script is for 10mg a day of Lexapro maybe I'll divide the first in half and see how I do. Way back I was given Paxil 20mg and I took a half of it and it made me extremely sick and nauseous I'm afraid it might happen again.

But my anxiety is pretty bad so maybe Lexapro being a newer better med it will work. I'm just scared to take that first dose.

[achillea]

The problems you describe with anxiety do kind of cry out for a bit of pharmaceutical aid, and my experience has been that these medications can be terrifically helpful.

However, it's important to know that we are all different, and one particular med will not work the same for every person.  One size do not fit all.

For  example, my shrink tried me on, as I recall, four or five SSRIs, and they were all different:  Celexa made me so relaxed I hardly got anything done.  Prozac made me jumpy.  Lexapro made me feel just a bit more nervous--and in addition, it made chocolate taste like chalk!  I'd rather be able to taste chocolate than feel calm, so that one was a deal-breaker.

Finally, we found that Zoloft was the best one for me.  It just made life feel normal.

Do be aware that it takes a minimum of two weeks to feel the full effect of any of the SSRIs.  That means you stay in close contact with your doc during that period of time to report how you are feeling, so he/she can help you adjust to any problems you might have in the early days.

So go ahead and try the Lexapro.  If the pill can be split, you might ask your doc about 'sneaking up' on the dosage so you don't get the fully whammy all at once.  This can be a useful approach for those fearful of new medications.