# Take Lexapro when needed?



## encognito (Dec 25, 2009)

I really want to take a second dose of Lexapro because I was very upset today because of a stupid encounter that really made me so embarrassed. I am still thinking about what happened and it's driving me mad.
It's just my 3rd day on Lexapro 10mg. Has anyone tried taking 2 doses?


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## No Surprises (Nov 1, 2009)

Bad idea. If you've been prescribed 10mg a day, then your insurance (assuming you have it) will likely have this schedule programmed into their system, and they'll refuse to pay for a refill until enough days have passed for you to have nearly finished the drugs that were previously filled. If you get too far ahead ahead of yourself, you'll have to pay out of pocket for the next refill.

Of course, this is aside from the fact that acutely taking an increased dose probably won't enhance the antidepressant action; you'll just end up with heightened side effects for a day.

A good drug to take following emotional trauma is propranolol. Its ability to blunt sympathetic arousal can prevent the consolidation of distressing emotional content. This is why it's been shown to help prevent PTSD.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Taking a double dose is just going to make you feel worse. The antidepressant action isn't going to kick in any sooner, but it will be activating some undesirable serotonin receptors, so it's a really stupid idea.


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## encognito (Dec 25, 2009)

Yeah, I resisted taking it. Thanks for the advice!


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## sublimit (Aug 16, 2009)

Haha, SSRIs don't work like that unfortunately.


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## britisharrow (Jun 18, 2009)

Doing so is a waste of time. Lexapro is an SSRI, meaning it's the kind of drug that takes 4-6 weeks to start affecting you. Taking an extra dose will have absolutely no benefit whatsoever.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Unfortunately it wouldn't work with SSRIs. It would with SSREs though, we need some on the market as antidepressants.


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## mark555666 (May 1, 2008)

euphoria said:


> Unfortunately it wouldn't work with SSRIs. It would with SSREs though, we need some on the market as antidepressants.


You mean SSRA's? (serotonin releasing agents)

If so take a look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5,6-Methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI)

Bring MDAI on the market as a medicine. This will probably never happen because of "abuse potential".  However it's still legal to buy, but for how long?

What we need is a serotonin releaser that only act on the "good serotonin receptors" (don't ask me for this stuff you probably know more about this or rocknroll714  ) with a duration of 8-10 hours. The crash at the end of the day could be a problem though.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

No, he's talking about serotonin reuptake ENHANCERS (eg tianeptine, kind of the opposite function of SSRIs).


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## britisharrow (Jun 18, 2009)

My first reply was regarding Lexapro (Escitalopram), an SSRI. Taking an extra dose will have no immediate effect as it takes weeks to work.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

As many others have said above, an extra dose will not help. SSRIs aren't drugs for PRN (as needed) use. They take several weeks to reach full effect, so an extra pill one day isn't going to help.

As for taking 20 mg, that's a perfectly safe level (I'm pretty sure Lexapro pills come in that size). Eventually, you doc may well increase your dose depending on your response.

A benzo (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, etc.) would be the kind of pill that would help for those especially hard days. Benzos work within the hour and are thus suited to use as needed.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Freesix88 said:


> You mean SSRA's? (serotonin releasing agents)
> 
> If so take a look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5,6-Methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI)
> 
> Bring MDAI on the market as a medicine. This will probably never happen because of "abuse potential".  However it's still legal to buy, but for how long?


I was going to say the DEA would never allow it, but you got to it first. What someone with anxiety or depression really wants is a pill that works NOW, not something that *might* work in 4-8 weeks.

Of course, the DEA isn't going to be fond of drugs that produce a profound mood-altering effect rapidly, since those are exactly the kind of drugs that junkies also love.

So, as usual, the interest of legitimate patients takes a back seat to "saving" junkies from themselves, leaving us as "collateral damage" in the War On Drugs.


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

They have to keep junkies alive so they can fill their drug-riddled brains with propaganda to secure their votes in the next election! lol


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

korey said:


> They have to keep junkies alive so they can fill their drug-riddled brains with propaganda to secure their votes in the next election! lol


Junkies don't tend to vote, unless we count pot smokers. Pot smokers don't just vote, they've occupied the White House for at least the last 17 years.

Prescription pill-poppers also vote as do functional alcoholics. Of course, both of those are deemed socially acceptable as long as you appear at work not visibly intoxicated.

I'd really love to know why Obama, the first black president (technically mixed race), continues a drug policy that fills prisons to the brim with a largely minority population. I'd love to hear him explain how our nation's drug policy helps poor blacks & other minorities.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

There has been research in a combination regimen of SSRI + pindolol -- I believe it gives sooner results than SSRIs alone. Pindolol wouldn't block all the initial bad effects of SSRIs though.


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