Lexapro day 3. advice please!

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:34 pm

So the first night was ok and than night 2 and 3 were hell. especilly tonight. i seriously feel like i am on some crazy drug. I cannot comprehend anything and when i try to fall asleep i wake up hearing things. Its weird. Like i'll hear people and sounds and i'll jolt up from that and it makes me feel i am crazy. I am all trembly and feel i am litterally going crazy because everything feels like slow motion and i am soooooo out of it and i am only taking 5 mgs of this stuff. i cut the 10 in half. I am having the worst panic attacks on them and i dont know what it is but the combo between lexapro and my ativan do not mix well. It makes me even more anxious and i wanna crawl out of my skin. I feel so tired yet cant sleep. Is this normal? Should i consider another anti depressant?? I get so nervous to go to bed because i feel all weird and start hearing things and get startled and wake up. this is frightening me so much!!!! I used to be only on ativan and that worked wonderfully alone but with lexapro I feel like a crazy person. I dont want to mix these together anymore at all. i already did it three times and got bad experiences. I just wanted to see if maybe it was a coincidence. But its not. has anyone else experienced something like this with lexapro?? Also i get the strangest leg cramps that hurt bad from the lexapro.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:46 pm

Also, i am getting insomnia with this drug. will these side effects go away?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:46 am

Holly J - I have been on Lexapro and Ativan for about 2 years now. The side effects at first were a little strange, but the did go away pretty quickly (1-2 weeks). I was started on 5mg for about 2 weeks, and then 10mg after that. It has really helped me once I got used to it. Hang in there with it for a few days and see if things improve for you. I think you will find it really will help in the long run. Also, I asked my doc if I could take the Lexapro at night and he said I could. The only problem is that he said It could mess up my sleeping, but it didn't for me. Hope this helps you in some way. Keep me posted.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 2:16 am

Thanks Nelson. so eventually the ativan and Lexapro will start to work noraml? Because i feel really weird on them together. I feel like i am on some hallucinigine when on ativan with the Lexapro . When id take ativan w/o the lexapro it helped a lot and didnt feel weird. I felt a little disconnected and tired thats all. But iv been on 5 mgs for 3 days and i slept like 3 hrs and when i wake up i am in panic and just feel really weird and totally scared and nothing is making me feel better. I'm really jittery and feel very depressed too. I just wish i wouldnt feel this bad im afraid its only going to make me feel worse. has anyone ever felt this bad ? I feel like i cant even work like this its really bad.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 2:48 am

Hi Holly, yes the Lexapro did the same to me, and I stopped it, but am back on and doing great. I started at 5mg for 2 weeks, then went up to 7.5 for a week before going to 10mg. And even then I had a day or 2 of anxiety after about my second 10mg dose. But now all is well, and I run about 2 miles every morning to help burn those morning jitters. I don't take Ativan, I take Klonopin which is also a Benzo but like Valium, is a constant in my system. No ups and downs, and I think that is what kept me from feeling the side effects so bad. I am now weaning very slowly off the Klonopin with no problems. Also, I take my Lex at night, and I also take 500mg of Magnesium to help with sleep. Someone here on the board told me about the Mag and after a night or two, the difference was PHENOMENAL!!!!! Best of luck.

NinjaFrodo · Post by **NinjaFrodo** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:19 am

Hi Holly, I have been on Lexapro for about 6 months. I had some weird feelings/sensations the first week or so, but then after week 4 I got worse and they upped my dose to 20 mg. (I started out on 10 mg.) Since then I have been getting back to my normal self. It seems like the longer I am on it, the better I feel. I have also started taking 2 fish oil tablets a day and calcium w/vitamin D. I know it's hard to feel that way, but I think if you hang in there you will really be glad you did! Good luck!

Faith_TX · Post by **Faith_TX** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:59 am

Stick with it Holly, you will be glad you did, what you are feeling is probably a combo of meds and your anxiety about taking the meds. You need to give it time to work, you should start to see some small improvemnts with 2 weeks or so and each week on it get better. I thought I felt great at week 4 but now at 4 months I feel fantastic!!

So stick with it, you can do it, and you will feel good again. You need to try this to get your life back.

These side effects will pass. If you feel the Lex is keeping you up you can take them in the morning.

Keep us posted.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:42 am

hey holly, i know that at first you take lexapro your anxiety level goes high. when i first took lexapro by the way im on 5mg for 3 months now was scared to up it but i feel comfortable on 5mg. so the first week was hell for me too, couldnt eat, sleep, had burning sensations on parts of my body and i got a painful pressure on my thigh then would go away had to stick threw it. if you want to feel better you gota stick threw the side effects thats what everyone told me. what levels me out is every morning after breakfast i take 2 capsules of calcium and magnesium oh man it mellows me out all day then after dinner i take my meds i wait an hour and take my b-complex then i go to bed is sleep good been doing this for 3 months now and everyone i know tells me how they have seen a change on me.

the brand i take for my calcium and magnesium is Solaray and for my b-complex is Nature Made with vitamin C. take supplements trust me it will level you out.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:34 am

Hi Holly,

My best advice to you would be to call your doctor and ask if this is normal. Everyone responds to drugs in different ways and maybe your body is telling you something isn't right. Remember, antidepressants in theory are supposed to make you feel better, not worse. Maybe your doctor can switch medications so that you aren't having these reactions.

Just a thought - I have had a lot of experience with this in the past.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:23 am

Thank you everyone for the support. Well I went to the psychiatrist today and she wants me off the lexapro and prescribed me pristiq. She said she didnt like the way i responded to it and says i am very sensitive to it which is odd because a while ago it used to not make me feel bad. Anyone ever heard of pristiq? Im SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nervous to start this. I hope i dont get any bad side effects. I do feel totally depressed today. I have no motivation and its making me panic too. I feel so irritable and dont know what to do with myself. its tough. i hope this stuff doesnt make me more depressed.