# First night of Lexapro



## dawna81 (Jan 4, 2014)

OK so I got my lexapro filled and took my dose tonight as this line of meds make me sleepy. but now im dizzy and movement makes sick to my stomach. I read that this goes away after a while, but how long does it take?


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Give it a week maybe? I don't know. You might take half the dose for a week to ease into it.


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## dcanalyst75 (Dec 28, 2013)

I'm on my 5th week of 5mg. Didn't want to take it either, but knew I needed to do something. The fatigue does get better and you will start to feel better. Give it a little time. My body is still adjusting to it and I still have some dizzy days, but it's getting better. Hang in there


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

Hail fellow escitalopramitors,

Today was my first day of Lexapro as well. I'll be periodically posting here with my experiences, and I encourage you to do the same!

*Background*
I'm an introverted first year grad student with only moderate SA. The SA does become serious when I'm forced to socialize for longish periods of time with strangers, or even friends. I become mentally exhausted and what few cognitive resources remain become focused on the fact that I am having trouble contributing to the conversation. I begin to feel weak and lame. Experiences like this have conditioned me to feel apprehensive about social events-- it's very rare that I am ever looking forward to a gathering with more than 2 people. I can prolong my "social boner" to some extent with alcohol and benzos (klonopin/ativan), but I dislike these drugs because of their effects on cognition and memory. I definitely cannot take them during the day, when I feel pressure to join my colleagues for lunch. These lunches are very uncomfortable for me-- I am already poor at making small talk, and the substantive conversation tends to be over my head (normal of course for a 1st year grad student surrounded by experts).

I have decided to try out low-dose Lexapro. My hopes are that it makes me actually WANT to socialize, rather than having socializing feel like an onerous, mind-scrambling chore.

*Day 1*
Woke up this morning and took my first 5mg of Lexapro. Felt jittery and a little mentally scrambled-- I was having trouble doing good work (reading scientific papers and coding). My thoughts were moving fast. Slightly more positive affect than usual. About 3 hours after the drop I had some nasty diarrhea but felt fine post-excretion. The rest of the day was mostly normal, but I noticed a few strangenesses:


 I found myself lingering in a restaurant after eating lunch (I typically eat my lunch alone) reading something on my phone longer than I normally would. I have no idea why, but I just didn't feel the urge to leave.
 Yawning without the usual accompanying cognitive tiredness
 The sides of my lower back felt slightly sore


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## thelonelysound (Dec 10, 2013)

I don't remember sleeping for a week. I must've microslept, of course.

too much to handle for little, if any at all, proven efficacy.


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## thelonelysound (Dec 10, 2013)

mccamel said:


> I had some nasty diarrhea but felt fine post-excretion.


who doesn't?


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 2*
- took 5 mg of Lexapro immediately on waking up
- diarrhead in the evening, not as bad as Day 1
- a feeling of tightness around the jaw, and an indescribable but different feeling in the chest/lower-neck area. This feeling is very similar to one of the physical symptoms of coming onto a DXM (cough syrup) trip, but at a lower intensity.
- cognitively normal
- frequent yawning without feeling tired
- slightly more positive affect than usual


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Lexapro side effects lol

Lex is the placebo they like to give out when the others give side effects


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## dawna81 (Jan 4, 2014)

Well I quit taking it after that first night and lost my thread so I didnt post on it. But it gave me 2 panic attacks right out of a dead sleep. So yeah....no. Im not taking it anymore after that first dose. Personally Ive been through the whole experiment stage on meds and Im going to just request getting back on what I know works.


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## dawna81 (Jan 4, 2014)

CD700 said:


> Lexapro side effects lol
> 
> Lex is the placebo they like to give out when the others give side effects


Its not a placebo, but that was funny lol


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

What makes you laugh at the idea of Lexapro side effects? Even if you've taken a boatload of Lexapro and felt nothing, that means very little. It's pretty clear that individuals respond differently to SSRIs.

BTW, I fully acknowledge that anything I describe here could be a placebo effect. Just reporting what I experience-- there's nothing less "real" about a placebo effect anyway.


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## dawna81 (Jan 4, 2014)

mccamel said:


> What makes you laugh at the idea of Lexapro side effects? Even if you've taken a boatload of Lexapro and felt nothing, that means very little. It's pretty clear that individuals respond differently to SSRIs.
> 
> BTW, I fully acknowledge that anything I describe here could be a placebo effect. Just reporting what I experience-- there's nothing less "real" about a placebo effect anyway.


From what ive been through with finding the right med, I am super sensitive to almost everything out there. I got on good ol Prozac and had no side effects at all. Lex is in the same family as prozac, which is why we went ahead and tried it. but yeah...not a good idea for me.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

mccamel said:


> What makes you laugh at the idea of Lexapro side effects? Even if you've taken a boatload of Lexapro and felt nothing, that means very little. It's pretty clear that individuals respond differently to SSRIs.
> 
> BTW, I fully acknowledge that anything I describe here could be a placebo effect. Just reporting what I experience-- there's nothing less "real" about a placebo effect anyway.


I am guessing lexapro has helped you a lot ? 

I was just expressing my experience with it...
YES for me it was the biggest sugar pill out of them all and I have actually tried them all

No need to fanboy your placebo


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## grabow (Jan 18, 2014)

I just started taking escitalopram this week too, except my doctor has put me on 20mg a day. It's my first time taking any medication like this so it's a pretty weird sensation at times. The last two days I've felt horrifically nauseous, even having to get off the metro at one point cause I thought I was going to pass out. Today I had slightly less nausea and my appetite is better than the first couple of days but I did at one point in the day feel like I was scagging on a load of pills. My pupils were dilated to **** and my jaw was stiff. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping and was trying to get in a nap before I had to go back to work. Not a chance, honestly felt like i was coming off a three day session, lying fidgety and feeling a bit sick. Any clue as to how long this will last? Is this normal adjustment or should I go back to my doctor? Cheers


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## nevmx (Mar 20, 2013)

mccamel said:


> - frequent yawning without feeling tired


Oh yeah, this only gets worse and worse. I was on citalopram and eventually I felt nauseous and got gag reflexes after yawns. It did get better after a week though


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## watertouch (Nov 4, 2013)

I sat down with my first anti-dep pill of Zoloft holding it in my hand for 2hours. Before i swallowedd it...

Just dont read the package leaflet...

Placebo and hypochodria goes hand in hand...


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## GiftofGABA (Oct 2, 2013)

5mg of Cipralex helped me modestly with almost no side-effects for a good amount of time. After 1-2 years I started getting anhedonia and only realized it was the drug after 4 years. Oh, the SSRI yawns, how could I forget those!

Also:


mccamel said:


> I had some nasty diarrhea but felt fine post-excretion.


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 5*
After taking 5mg for my first 4 days, today I did not take a pill (doc instructed me to go through a "loading period" and then begin alternating days). I was in a good mood, I was not yawning like a madman, and I did not have any jittery feelings or tightness in the jaw. All in all I felt quite normal, though perhaps again a little brighter mood than usual.


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

grabow said:


> I just started taking escitalopram this week too, except my doctor has put me on 20mg a day.


With the side effects I was getting from 5mg, I imagine I would have much the same experience as you on 20... good luck getting through the lead-in period!


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

GiftofGABA said:


> 5mg of Cipralex helped me modestly with almost no side-effects for a good amount of time. After 1-2 years I started getting anhedonia and only realized it was the drug after 4 years.


On lexapro i got that after about 3 months. Felt awful. It just wasn't for me.


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 8*
- More diarrhea, almost immediately after taking the Lex in the morning-- ugh
- Jittery feeling in the morning, but less than the past week
- Tightness in the jaw again, but also attenuated
- Almost no yawning!
- No noticeable effect in terms of desire to socialize or anxiety


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 10*
- I am normally a lurker on Reddit and other forums-- I just usually don't feel the desire to comment. I've noticed over the past few days, though, that I spontaneously feel an urge to write responses more often. In a similar vein, I've called up friends who live far away spontaneously when normally I would just never feel like making a call. It feels as if some kind of subtle blockage on expression/desire to interact is starting to lift.
- I've had sweaty hands every day I've taken Lexapro so far. This is sort of a pain, but not a big deal.
- I think I'm experiencing the beginning of reduced libido. I'm normally something of a porn addict-- nothing too heavy, but I would have a hard time quitting my 4-5 time a week jerk-off habit. Since I started taking lex, I've noticed that I just don't feel like masturbating very much-- I've done it a few times out of curiosity, and it was weird. It took me longer to get aroused, I didn't get as hard, and my orgasms were not as pleasurable. Given that in the past I've had issues maintaining wood the first few times I become intimate with someone (but no issues thereafter), this is bad news. I'm going to ask the Dr. for some Viagra or Levitra to counteract this issue at the next appointment.
- I am experiencing a little bit of insomnia. Normally, I sleep very well, usually very smoothly through the night. Two nights since starting Lex I've randomly woken up at like 3 in the morning, and have only returned to sleep after probably 30min - ~1hr of tossing and turning. I've ordered some orange-colored glasses which I will be wearing at night to lessen my exposure to blue light, which I am hoping may counteract this issue.


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## thelonelysound (Dec 10, 2013)

mccamel said:


> *Day 10*
> - I am normally a lurker on Reddit and other forums-- I just usually don't feel the desire to comment. I've noticed over the past few days, though, that I spontaneously feel an urge to write responses more often. In a similar vein, I've called up friends who live far away spontaneously when normally I would just never feel like making a call. It feels as if some kind of subtle blockage on expression/desire to interact is starting to lift.
> - I've had sweaty hands every day I've taken Lexapro so far. This is sort of a pain, but not a big deal.
> - I think I'm experiencing the beginning of reduced libido. I'm normally something of a porn addict-- nothing too heavy, but I would have a hard time quitting my 4-5 time a week jerk-off habit. Since I started taking lex, I've noticed that I just don't feel like masturbating very much-- I've done it a few times out of curiosity, and it was weird. It took me longer to get aroused, I didn't get as hard, and my orgasms were not as pleasurable. Given that in the past I've had issues maintaining wood the first few times I become intimate with someone (but no issues thereafter), this is bad news. I'm going to ask the Dr. for some Viagra or Levitra to counteract this issue at the next appointment.
> - I am experiencing a little bit of insomnia. Normally, I sleep very well, usually very smoothly through the night. Two nights since starting Lex I've randomly woken up at like 3 in the morning, and have only returned to sleep after probably 30min - ~1hr of tossing and turning. I've ordered some orange-colored glasses which I will be wearing at night to lessen my exposure to blue light, which I am hoping may counteract this issue.


mania? or not.

just get a sleep mask instead of orange-colored glasses.

the libido thing isn't going to go away, but you can treat the ED.


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

thelonelysound said:


> just get a sleep mask instead of orange-colored glasses.


The orange glasses are for wearing around the apartment before going to sleep, not for actual wearing while sleeping-- I used to use a sleep mask, but have since succeeded in largely blacking out my room.

*Day 13*
Today was an off-dose day. I am in general experiencing a lack of motivation to do work, which is worrisome-- I have some deadlines coming up, and I feel like normally at this time I would feel the urge to bust my ***. Not feeling it yet... which is scary when I reflect on it. I have not experienced more sleep disturbances in the past several days, and my socializing seems to be a little smoother. I noticed myself holding people's gazes longer-- normally, if I look at someone on the street and they make eye contact, I immediately, reflexively look away. I seem to feel less of an urge to do this now, which is emerging from a greater sense of self-confidence/vanity. You might even say I feel like I have my head up my *** a bit.


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## LongHardRoadOutofHell (Jan 27, 2014)

mccamel,

thanks for sharing your experiences, I have enjoyed reading them.


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

LongHardRoadOutofHell said:


> mccamel,
> 
> thanks for sharing your experiences, I have enjoyed reading them.


Glad someone is finding this useful-- before starting I found it surprisingly difficult to find a detailed personal account of what the first weeks on an SSRI are like.

*Day 15*
Today was another off-dose day and I felt quite normal, aside from a headache (which is rare). I suspect my anxiety may be a little blunted. I am still not experiencing the same urge to bust my *** I have in the past (and I still have work deadlines looming...). Yesterday I gave a speech at Toastmasters that went very well-- I felt the usual anxiety pre-speech, but it was nothing overwhelming. On stage I performed very well.

Most of my side effects have attenuated. I am not yawning nearly as much, have not experienced any recent sleep disturbances, and yesterday I did not feel jittery at all after taking the lex. My sex drive also seems to be returning to normal, suggesting the earlier reduction I reported may have been a placebo effect. One side effect that has NOT gone away is sweaty hands. This is occurring only on days that I actually take lex, and it's pretty annoying-- nothing like wiping your hands on your pants before shaking a hand...


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

mccamel said:


> The orange glasses are for wearing around the apartment before going to sleep, not for actual wearing while sleeping


Smart thinking!


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 19*
I think I've reached the post-side-effects point. I took Lex yesterday and felt basically nothing. No yawns, no sweaty hands, really nothing noticeable-- of course, nothing positive either. Certainly no greater desire to socialize. Now it's a waiting game to see whether the coming weeks introduce anything new...


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

lexapro the biggest placebo of them all
They give lex when people complain of s/e on other ad's

"of course, nothing positive either"
Why you taking it then ? You have to have belief in this drugs for the placebo to work
Your 19 days in have no expectation of benefit, you really need some positive event in your life to happen or the placebo is gone


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

CD700 said:


> lexapro the biggest *placebo*


You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Caedmon said:


> You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.


what do you think it means


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## JSeinfeld (Jan 20, 2013)

I'm sorry to be pessimistic but the sexual side effects was the reason why I got off citalopram 3 times. In my case at first it was ok, for the first 2 months it just took longer to orgasm, and I like it because I tend to be a little "quick" sometimes lol. 

But eventually my libido started to decrease and that was NOT cool. I have a girlfriend and it wasn't cool when I was never "in the mood" 

So it helped me with depression but the 3 times I tried it, quitted it in about 3 or 4 months when it use to decrease my sex drive. When I stop taking it, my sex drive comes back normally in a few days. And also my depression! Lol

But maybe, and lets hope, its not your case!


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

CD700 said:


> "of course, nothing positive either"
> Why you taking it then ? You have to have belief in this drugs for the placebo to work


You speak as if I'm just supposed to know already or take your word for it that Lexapro doesn't work. That would be a mistake. Why am I taking it? Because in order to know whether something works, you need to try it out and see what happens. These drugs are not even supposed to be fully effective at the 3-week mark, which is even more likely when one is on as low a dose as myself.



JSeinfeld said:


> I'm sorry to be pessimistic but the sexual side effects was the reason why I got off citalopram 3 times


Crossing my fingers on that one-- maybe things are different with escitalopram though?


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## LongHardRoadOutofHell (Jan 27, 2014)

Any updates, Mccamel?


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## mccamel (Jan 16, 2014)

*Day 23*

As reported before, side effects have remained totally absent. I've also had a few experiences over the past few days that are making me think the Lexapro may be working. While my anticipatory anxiety about social events has not decreased, I've found that when I'm actually IN them I am performing better-- it's like my trigger finger for speech has been loosened. I find myself engaging and interacting more smoothly, without getting sucked into the vicious circle of observation and self-consciousness. Enough experiences like this may start to extinguish my anticipatory anxiety.

On another note, I went to see the psychiatrist for the second time today. After he squinted at me and asked if we'd met before (we had an appointment three weeks ago...), we agreed that I should move onto taking 5mg every day and backing off if I see a lot of effects. I also got him to provide me with boner insurance in the form of a free sample of 4 viagra pills and a voucher for 30 free cialis... definitely overkill, but I suppose another nice addition to my little drug bank (ativan, klonipin, lexapro, weed, booze).


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

Screw lexapro diarehea. Day 5 for me.


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## LongHardRoadOutofHell (Jan 27, 2014)

The only symptoms I have are fatigue and that I cannot sleep at night.

Getting 3 hours of sleep is one of the worse feelings in the world.

I cant stop thinking to fall asleep.


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## Jfisch (Mar 11, 2014)

I have been on Lexapro for about 6 months now, and I seem to be the only person in the world who has had zero side effects from it. 
I am on 20mg a day. 
Even when I began the medication, I had no poor reactions whatsoever.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

" I've also had a few experiences over the past few days that are making me think the Lexapro may be working"

That is the placebo effect starting to work for you

Basically its a shift in mental thinking that usually starts from a positive event/events in everyday life that people attribute to the medication "working". It creates a snowball effect from this fundamental change in ones mind set and creates an environment for moving forward.

What is wrong with this ? Nothing really

People get defensive about their SSRI when I call them placebos but as long as it helps that's the important thing


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## Cati (Feb 14, 2014)

Lexapro didn't work for me either and it made me really tired.


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## Cassoulet94 (Apr 3, 2014)

CD700 said:


> " I've also had a few experiences over the past few days that are making me think the Lexapro may be working"
> 
> That is the placebo effect starting to work for you
> 
> ...


People are not defensive; it's just annoying that you keep saying that SSRI have only a placebo effet. SSRI did'nt work for you, we get that. But that does no mean that when someone feel some good things, it's necessarily the placebo effetct. In fact, you don't have a clue.


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## srschirm (Jun 25, 2006)

I'd like to get an update from mccamel. But if he hasn't visited here lately, that may be a good thing, lol.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Cassoulet94 said:


> People are not defensive; it's just annoying that you keep saying that SSRI have only a placebo effet. SSRI did'nt work for you, we get that. But that does no mean that when someone feel some good things, it's necessarily the placebo effetct. In fact, you don't have a clue.


Well I am just venting from my years and thousands of $ wasted on SSRI junk.

BTW its not just me who has no response but nearly half the people in documented trials have none. SSRI vs Placebo results are not convincing and that is even with possible manipulation from drug company's.


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## labradormum (Apr 13, 2014)

I started on 10mg Lexapro - had headache and felt sick for the first 2 weeks and panic attacks got a lot worse during that time but then it eventually settled down - probably took 4-5 weeks to actually start working.

Ended up having dose put up to 20mg and then got changed onto something else altogether because once the panic attacks stopped I ended up going into massive depression (and kind of wished I could have the panic attacks back instead because at least they didn't last long each time!!) 

Any SSRI will likely make you feel crap for a few weeks - doctors seem to forget to tell people that (mine did, I just remembered it from the last time I was on antidepressants years ago!)


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