fear of taking lexapro

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:13 am

so a few years back iv taken lexapro 10mg's and i mean the first two weeks i had a little insomnia and leg cramps as side effects but thats all. i stopped taking it for a year and than started again .. what happened is the first pill i took i had a bad side effect. i had real bad nausea AND i started hearing things and had nightmares all night. this was just from the forst day i started it up again. i thought i didnt want to give up and maybe this is just a coincidence so i took it again the next day and BAm same thing happened. it was terrible. i didnt get why the 10mg of lexapro was making me feel this way when it didnt the first time i had taken them a year ago AND it had been out of my system for 9 months. i am so confused. i stopped taking them the second day and decided to take celexa which didnt work for me at all. i remember lexapro working a while ago but when i took them the second time they made me feel so sick and as if i were literally crazy. i feel like i NEED to take an anti-depressant but am so scared to take lexapro again.. ahy did it have this scary effect on me the second time? can anyone help me out with this? has this happen to anyone before? thanks guys

BMW26 · Post by **BMW26** » Tue May 06, 2008 6:23 am

The mind is a powerful thing…nightmares are common on antidepressants and probably most chemically altered substances…why your hearing things could be related to the out of body experience some antidepressants make you feel when you first take them as well as heightened anxiety/ hyper vigilance… Celexia is of the same family but is a little less potent and chemically manifests/binds differently…I am assuming that Lex worked for you before that’s why you are taking it again and really don’t know your circumstance as to why you would warrant it again…make sure you are trying all the basics e.g. cognitive therapy, exercise , eating , de-stressors including lifestyles…I personally am not a big fan of ssri’s , but If the “Doom and Gloom” took over I would try something…I would assume that you could start out with a smaller dose even as low as a ½ of a ½ and work your way up as you would work your way down and just keep on keepen on and try not to think about it so much /get busy doing something for a couple of weeks …sounds like you have a history on the meds so remember your not “losing it” as you didn’t before as long as your not having extreme Mania e.g. no sleep, pop up refreshed form a few hours sleep, then be concerned and speak with your doc….hope this helps

Grandpopajohn · Post by **Grandpopajohn** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:46 am

This post is bringing up painful memories for me. I took Lexapro for 3 weeks about 6 months ago. I had all of those same side effects that you mentioned as well as others. I really did feel like I was crazy. I couldn't sleep, my mind raced, I had wierd thoughts, nerve zaps in my brain.....I still think after 6 months off of it I still have lingering side effects. You are not alone with this experience. On Drugs.com there are many many people who discuss this. Take care.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:41 pm

I didn't care for Lexapro at all. I had horrible side effects, and worsened symptoms when I took it.

I don't really know why your body would react differently to it the 2nd time around. Perhaps it's just not right for you right now, and it was back then. You should ask your doctor about it, and maybe the both of you can find a medicine with less side effects.