In my mind I KNOW that my anxiety is keeping me from taking it, and I KNOW that I really need to give it a try so I can try to get better, but I'm so scared of having some kind of a terrible reaction! I get the pill in my hand but I just can't get it to my mouth. The panic sets in and I can't do it. I can take Xanax ok and I never had any kind of reaction to it at all, but I know it's not good for long term. I've been on it for a couple of months now but my Dr. insists that I need to get on an SSRI. I need some encouragement! Has anyone ever had or heard of anyone having a SEVERE life-threatening reaction to Lexapro? Help please!!
princesscol
10-31-2005, 05:26 PM
To help reassure you I’ve never heard of anyone dying from Lexapro. It is the anxiety stopping you and I wish I could tell you that it’s going to work but it may not. The only thing I can tell you is you definitely won’t die. I promise. I’m just like you I hate taking any kind of medicine and if you can take Xanax then you should get the courage to take Lexapro. I’m a chicken and I have both meds sitting on my dresser at home and haven’t taken either one. About the Xanax maybe you could help me I was prescribed .25mg and was wondering if you get that drugged up feeling from taking it. That’s what I’m afraid of.
hry33
10-31-2005, 05:29 PM
tell your doc the problem and ask him if you can take the first tablet in his rooms and then sit in his waiting room for 1 or 2 hours
anxiety sufferers often need a low starting dose of antidepressant meds, perhaps 5 or less of lexapro, get a pillcutter from a pharmacy
this fear of a new med is common, you can also take the first tablet then spend some time in a hospital waiting room
NANAX10
10-31-2005, 10:53 PM
Hello!
Regarding the Lexapro, perhaps I can be of some help. Trust me, I was just like you in starting this medication. I kept it on my table for about 2 months and finally I realized I needed something to help me in my fight against depression and horrific anxiety. I ended up with palpitations for weeks (still have them) and that is when I decided I had to give it a try.
Been on Lexapro for about 6 weeks now and I can tell you I noticed the difference within a two week period! I started on .5 of a 10 mg. and stayed on that for about 3 weeks and then went up to 3/4 of the 10 mg and then the full 10. I had to go back down to the 3/4 because it was making way tooooooooooooooooooooooooo sleepy (I take mine at night). I can honestly tell you that it has little side effects. Each time I went up on the dose, I would find myself very drowsy, but that is about it. I think you should give it a try. One dose will not kill you (promise).
Lexapro has made a tremendous difference in my life. I have a good friend who is on it too and she is doing wonderful now. I am a very 'light weight' when it comes to medication so you should try cutting the tiny pill in half and start with that. I had to do it my way and take it one step at a time and voila'...!
Hope this helps you some.
Kathy
sayNOtoanxiety
11-01-2005, 12:35 AM
Thanks to all who replied! It really does help. I'm going to call my Dr. tomorrow and see if I can come in and take the first dose and sit in his waiting room for awhile. I never thought of that but I think it just may help. Thanks all!
Maureen1andonly
11-01-2005, 06:40 AM
Hello...I too know where you are coming from. I have severe medication anxiety (in fact severe anxiety problems all round). I've been nervy all my life but went into a depression around Easter time, and have felt dreadful since then. I've had small quantities of diazepam, which I find do help me, but my doctor insists, like yours, that I go onto Citalopram, another SSRI antidepressant. It took me ages to finally make the massive step towards taking them, working up from 10mg to 15mg, and I insisted my husband stayed with me to race me to the hospital if I became ill. That never happened, of course, but I came off them because I found I was more anxious in general, as a side effect, and just hated being on them. However, I feel that I have to give them another try as I still feel poorly. It's like being trapped. I just need to get past that side effect stage. And then I worry about coming off them in the future.....will that make me ill? I'm sure you worry about the same things. It's our anxious nature.
My fear of them has grown, and when I look at a tablet I feel as if I am looking at a monster of terrible proportions. My husband doesn't understand and ridicules me. It's a living hell....feeling ill and yet feeling unable to do something about it. I just wish I could wake up feeling normal for once.
These tablets will not kill us....I think we know that deep down....yet we feel unable to deal with the possible side effects. It gets to the point where it has to be decided whether to put up with feeling anxious to the point of being almost unable to function, or finding some inner strength to take the plunge and try these little tablets. It's so difficult.
On the plus side...my psychiatrist told me that if only one person in several thousand has something happen while taking the tablets, even if it can't be totally put down to the medication, it has to be listed as a side effect. So the chances are very remote that anything will happen of a serious nature. Even so, if you are medication nervous it doesn't seem to help much :-(
Good luck
Maureen
hry33
11-01-2005, 07:22 AM
to turins
lexapro is a prozac type antidepressant, these meds often help a lot with anxiety and you dont need to be also depressed for them to work
Maureen1andonly
11-01-2005, 07:25 AM
to turins
lexapro is a prozac type antidepressant, these meds often help a lot with anxiety and you dont need to be also depressed for them to work
Is that also the same for Citalopram? I feel more anxiety than depression so am wondering if citalopram may be used if you are anxious rather than depressed.
thelxepeia
11-01-2005, 06:24 PM
This sounds so silly, but put the pill in my mouth, but couldn't get myself to swallow, physically. So while I was eating.. I get this weird thing where if I'm eating, usually meat or sweets, if I chew, I have to swallow.. I can't just hold it in my mouth, I involuntarily swallow.. and I just threw the pill in the back of my throat.. and ta-da. Kept busy to forget about it and so far, I'm doing ok.. today was my first dosage of Lexapro.
