Should I increase my meds?

harlow · Post by **harlow** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:40 am

This may sound silly as I am only on 5mg of Cipralex/Lexapro but feel so anxiuos and continually depressed. Its been 3 weeks on 5mg. I am supposed to go up to ten..but ofcourse I am scared to do that too. I am scared of everything it seems. I hate this anxiety so much.

Should I have felt a difference on 5mg? Maybe it just does not work for me? I am sick of feeling hopeless but often feel there is no hope for me. Gosh I sound so negative.

Thanks for any insight

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:45 pm

From what I was told by a doctor when I tried Lexapro, 10 mg is a therapuetic dose. They start you out on 5 mg just to make sure you can tolerate it and to minimize side effects while your body is getting used to it.

Follow your doctor's advice. If you don't like it for any reason, you can tell your doctor you want to try something else.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:08 am

10mg is the lowest theraputic dose recommended, with 5mg you most likely are not feeling the full benefits of the meds. If your doc told you to increase to 10mg than I would.

Dont worry about SE, if you have any they are mostly likely going to mild and tolerable and go away within a week or two, you may have none. Believe me the SE are nothing worse than the anxiety you are feeling now.

I take 10mg and it works great for me. I started to feel the benefits within 2 weeks and now at 4 months I can really say that I am anxiety/obsessive thinking free. So give it some time, but I find it to be a good drug, you just need to find the right dose for you.

Good Luck.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:12 am

I'm with you!!!!!! The first time I started the Lex, I started at 5 then after a week went up to 10 and started feeling real agitated, jittery, VERY NAUSEOUS, etc. so I stopped it. A month later, my psych doc told me to try again, because it seemed my anxiety was better controlled and I had my Klonopin at a therapeutic dose as well. Now I am back on 5 of Lex for 2 1/2 weeks, and he has left it up to me when to go up. He also said that I may only be able to tolerate 5mg. He told me "a little lexapro is better than no lexapro", which made me smile, and its true, drugs affect people different ways. I think maybe after a month I may try to go up to 10, but for now, no more nausea, anxiety is much less, and side effects are gone. Best of luck.