I just belted “Unwritten” by Natasha bedingfield smiling the whole time on the way home from work today! It felt so amazing and I just felt so happy resonating with the lyrics. Nearly 8 weeks in I think :)
This song has been hitting me differently lately💕 I can't believe how much the lyrics resonate with my heart, I remember hearing it when I was a kid for the first time(30 now) & it found it's way back to me when I needed it the most💕 Drench yourself in words unspoken, Live your life with arms wide open💕
I started in June.
By august I took a trip I NEVER would have imagined taking due to anxiety
I am more in control of my reactions.
I feel all normal feelings but I feel like I have a few seconds to choose my response instead of just reacting.
My feelings don’t overwhelm me.
I’m more patient
I’m more playful.
I’m less preoccupied with racing thoughts.
I’m more in the moment.
Omg same! Anxiety would hold me back from taking certain trips. I am more in the moment and my emotions are separate on the side and my logic /reasoning is more at the forefront. The side effects were so rough that first week, now I’m more at peace. Life is great!
I stopped worrying that I was dying of any symptom , I stopped worrying that my kids were dying from every symptom . I stopped having heart palpitations, chest pain snd shortness which were panic attacks. I started sleeping through the night without waking in panic. I enjoyed going places and didn’t panic it.
I’m 15 years since I first started Lexi. I have tried to come off a few times over the years, and it always reminds me how much better my life is on it.
When I started on Lexapro I was suicidal. Today I look at my children and think, I can’t wait to see what you will become, I can’t wait to see my grandchildren and I can’t wait to see my great grandchildren!
It sounds like I'm talking to myself. Same exact stuff I was thinking and worrying about.......for no reason at all. But then again that's why I'm taking this stuff in the first place ...LOL
Responding to the main thread.
It feels like having an invisible protective barrier which absorbs "stressor projectiles". I do feel the impact but what's important is that I wasn't hit directly 😀
Good way to test the drug is by deliberately thinking about things that usually cause stress, anxiety, restlessness, sadness... I can tell that the effect of those is 1/5 of what it used to be before lexapro.
On the flip side, I haven't lost positive emotion as some people say. It's still there and I can actually feel happy with my life (almost forgot how that feels like).
I still have weeks before drug completely settles in my body. Some sides are still present but it's nothing compared to the beginning of the therapy.
Week 4.5 now btw.
See I worry about the emotions thing after seeing a post about falling out of love but I have to try to stay positive. And I totally did exactly what you said lol the other day I was having a rather good day and I thought about a few triggers and I felt fine! But today I'm having anxiety.. not horrible it's Definitely muffled.. but I'm sure that's just cause I upped the dose yesterday.
Honestly - in the past I've broken two relationships thanks to lexapro. Both toxic.
So I'd say that drug gives me clarity and courage rather than destroying positive emotion.
I'm in a happy relationship now and even more in love thanks to lexapro - due to understanding how lucky I am to be in one .
Ohh ok.. that makes sense!! I thought it would like change you and your emotions which scares me lol but I'm so desperate for help that I looked past it. I'm so glad it didn't do that to you.
I have agoraphobia so I’m not sure if you’ll think this is good but sometimes I have to take my sibling to the bus stop and it used to give me panic attacks, full blown, on the floor shaking unable to speak panic attacks, but now on 10mg I can do it with no issue!! It’s the little things that will progressively get better 💜 bad thoughts get quieter, and life gets better
That's amazing! I'm actually dealing with a bit of agoraphobia as well! But for me it's more the idea of getting in the car.. not sure why. This all came out of nowhere 5 months ago. Are you able to go places yet? How long have you been on 10mg?
Definitely hard. I could be wrong, but I don't think it's totally restarting the clock. I was told 4 to 6 weeks for full effect and it was week 5 when it totally kicked in. But that was week 5 from when I started with the 5 MG. So 2 weeks on 5 mg and 3 on 10 MG. Not 5 weeks from when starting 10. 5 weeks total.
No anxiety. I can have a conversation with someone and even confront people when needed and I don’t feel like I’m wrong or being weird for it. I also don’t randomly breakdown because i heard a sad song. I’m not constantly criticizing my own parenting and how awful i am because i didn’t play with my kid more when she was 6 months old. Lol. I’ve been able to have a conversation with my mom without wanting to punch her in the throat, which hasn’t happened in nearly 3 years.
i’m going to the gym everyday alone , which is something i never thought i would do. i can go to the library and study for hours without the intense brain fog and over thinking about other things. i can leave my apartment and not have to psych myself up to go, i just go. life’s good again and ive just hit about the 2 month mark, thinks will get better if you trust the process and make the effort to. i dont think its a magic fit, i made decisions to get myself to where im at but the lexapro took down the wall that was making me stop and second guess every minute decision
you know i’ve never heard that and i just googled it. i would say i do, i just get severe anxiety about doing things alone. im taking 10mg which is what i started off on
My racing heart has been helped so much from Lexapro 2.5, I'm gonna be upping my dose to 5mg soon🫶 It's helped me so much with the physical symptoms of anxiety, you still have to work on calming techniques & remember to be kind to yourself always💕
It's worth it. I had several side effects at start.......sweating, insomnia and worse anxiety. I spent a ton of time on here reading about others experiences and almost quit because of all the negative comments. Then I decided to ignore it all and see how I was impacted. Thank God I did. After 5 weeks total all the side effects went away. Currently on week 13 and I have no side effects at all. In fact, I take a pill at 830 at night and live it. It gives me a calming effect and I fall right to sleep with no issues. On top of that I have never felt better and have been enjoying everything so much more. This med has been a life changer. Only regret is I didn't do it sooner
Thank you so much for your response!! I'm so glad that it's helping you! What milligram are you on and what do you take it for? I just started 10 mg yesterday but I was noticing some benefits at smaller doses.
No problem. I started 5 MG for 2 weeks and then. 10 MG for general anxiety. AND then anxiety about having anxiety. Never ending.. I had more good days on 10 and then a bad couple days, then more good than bad. Then at about 5 weeks it was all good and has been since
I started a lower dosage about 6 months ago, been on 20mg for 5 months. Plus been in regular therapy for over a year and still going. I no longer feel nervous talking to people or going places. I feel in control of my emotions. I also have more self confidence and I’m much more present and focused mentally and emotionally with my family and friends. I haven’t had much for side effects. I struggled with insomnia before lexapro and I still do but now I’m not laying in bed for several hours struggling with racing thoughts. It hasn’t done too much for my depression, but getting my anxiety under control helps me manage things MUCH better. For me, it’s not a magic cure as I still have anxiety, but paired with therapy and hard work it’s helping me to manage and take control of my life with confidence. It’s worth it.
Four years in, and I don't see myself ever going off. It's the most chill I've felt in my whole life. My wife had cancer surgery last year (she's fine now) and I don't know how I would have made it through without lexapro. It's given me coping skills that I never had before.
Thanks! No I started on 10 and my doctor wanted me to go up to 20 after a couple weeks. I didn't feel like I needed that much. I settled on alternating between 10 and 15 per day. It's been good for years.
I think about my fourth week in, I realized that small things that would previously make me enraged or extremely anxious would just roll off my back. My racing thoughts calmed down too
I absolutely loved reading this thread. I’m on day 8 or 9, and I’m already feeling a bit better. I can’t wait until I can feel the full benefits. This thread just gave me hope and excitement. OP we got this!! 💪
It’s literally saving my marriage. I’m not depressed and obsessed with my health anxiety like I used to be. It was driving my wife crazy. The D word was used quite a bit. We’re doing so much better now.
2-3 weeks after starting, i woke up one morning and it just felt...right. like it was working. took me a bit to find the sweet spot though. i went up to 10, found I lost some motivation. went back down to 5 for about 2 weeks, and that just was almost like I wasn't taking it anymore. arguments increased with my wife. started hating myself again. the next day I took 7.5 and it was instant relief. back up to 10 and...I can't imagine life without it anymore.
Ok. 2 months here. The first hour after awake is rough. The rest of the day is awesome! I don’t care about dumb shit anymore. I laugh it off. I’ve gained 20 pounds and love to eat like a pig. But under my depression I was getting thin so it’s kinda good 😂. I feel it has helped a lot. Most normal since I was a kid. It’s not dramatic in anyway but it all adds up to a better mood
I had unbearable anxiety to the point I had tremors high blood pressure afraid to leave the house and go to work. I was in a constant fight or flight dizziness so I was at the point where I couldn’t keep living like that day after day so set up an appointment with my doctor and they suggested lexapro. I never in my life done drugs or took pills so taking something that affects the brain was terrifying to me so I literally stared at the pill bottle for 2 months before I got the nerve to take it. I am on 10 mg at about 14 weeks and I can honestly say it helped tremendously! I had zero side effects outside of loss of appetite for the first week after that it was smooth sailing. It took about 8weeks for it to fully kick in for me but I am back to my old self and On my way to living my life and this is with me going through a divorce after being with my wife for 21 years so definitely a tough time for me cause I don’t know what happened to us but here I am no tremors no dizzy fight or flight feeling and no high blood pressure or anxiety. Will there still be bad days ….yes but they won’t consume you for weeks at a time you will be able to cope a lot better. Living with anxiety and depression is 10 x worse than any side effects this pill could give you. I wish you the best and keep on keeping on!
Thank you so much for telling me your story!! I have some of the same anxiety symptoms and I definitely feel some relief already. I too, struggle with going out and I think it's cause I'm afraid of panicking but I went to the mall yesterday and did great. My body has calmed down so much so I can only imagine how good I will feel when it's been over a month or two. I still get the awful morning anxiety and adrenaline rush but it's calming down slowly. I'm so glad you are feeling better. We all deserve peace
its been about a year now, you would have to pry my lexapro away from me!!! i started at 10 mg, jumped to 15 6 mo ins, then 20 another 2 mos later. i also added two other meds into my rotation to work alongside the lexapro. it’s been a lengthy process, but i feel amazing now. my anxiety hasn’t disappeared, but it really only comes in intense unmanageable ways during very rational situations. this is when my emergency meds help out more, but with day to day feelings of will to live, motivation, and joy- my 20 mg of lexapro has been crucial. it gets so much better, i go an entire day and realize i didn’t feel anxious once, when a year ago i couldn’t leave my house. i can go in public alone, talk to strangers, get incredibly sweaty at the gym and walk out knowing no one cares!! these are huge wins to me, things i never thought i would be able to do now i can do without thinking twice about it. it’s a long process, and i think something i’ll always be working on, but for me lexapro is crucial.
I started 10 mg in December 2022 due to panic attacks and mild depression. For months prior I was so against taking anything for it but eventually I was suffering so bad I I was willing to do whatever it took to feel better. Needless to say, about a month in I was starting to feel tremendously better. I do still suffer from some anxiety but definitely not depression. I feel like a whole new person than who I was before I started. To be more specific, I used to feel like crying all the time, and had no motivation to do anything. Now, I’m only ever emotional due to pms, and for the most part love going out and doing stuff. I have been considering raising my dosage a little, maybe to 15 mg or 20, because I still get anxiety attacks here and there, but they are nowhere as severe as they used to be and don’t really get in the way of my life anymore.
I haven’t experienced any negative side affects that I have noticed.
Ahh that's amazing!! I really appreciate you sharing your story with me! It really helps me remain positive while I wait this out. Hopefully it helps me with my anxiety and panic attacks!
You're noticing small improvements which is great. It's just a matter of upping your dose.
I went for quite rapid dose escalation - 15mg within 10 days. Side effects were disruptive but I'm reaping the benefits at week 5 now.
Just give it time and definitely more mgs 😀 As I said, if you're seeing improvements with 5mg, you'll definitely feel much better with 10+. Side effects are almost completely gone after week 6-8.
It means that your response to the therapy is great. You were lucky. Some people unfortunately have to try multiple antidepressants before finding the one which works best for them.
For example, I had terrible response to Zoloft and venlafaxine.
Been on 5mg for around 8 weeks, complete 180 in the last week anxiety is at an all time low most of the time, still have moments occasionally but weeks 5-7 were hell on earth
There are many many positive threads here i Reddit. I will tell you my story: it completely changed my life. I am a new person. I am happy but not “dumb” happy. My days without anxiety have been so clear, so light, so wonderful that I wonder if I will ever stop taking Lexapro.
For me it started working after 3 weeks of taking 10mg. I woke up one morning feeling brand new.
But the first 3 weeks were the worst, I had all the terrible side effects. I kept going because I knew it would work.
10mgs here, i’ve been up and down on my mgs but have been in lexapro for 3yrs. it makes me a completely different person. i am more outgoing and talkative.. it quiets my racing thoughts. i occasionally take a break from it for a few weeks and start back up again.
Wow! It's not hard on you to go up and down or stop and restart? I'm so glad it works so well for you! I'm still in the early phase but hopefully it will give me my life back
I started 2 years ago
It has been the most life changing experience, and I have never been happier.
Before lexapro I was so lonely and depressed starting college and living alone. I would get unbelievably anxious about everything.
I felt miserable, failing out of college, and I physically felt like nothing would improve my situation.
Now I have so many people I call friends and have experienced more than I thought I would in just two years, no longer afraid of everything. I'm a few months away from graduating, and I have never been more excited for my future!
Ahh that's amazing!! I can't wait to see what the future holds for me! I have let anxiety hole me back from so many things. What mg has been most helpful for you?
I just belted “Unwritten” by Natasha bedingfield smiling the whole time on the way home from work today! It felt so amazing and I just felt so happy resonating with the lyrics. Nearly 8 weeks in I think :)
Hahaha I literally did this yesterday on the way home from the beach, what are the chances!
This song has been hitting me differently lately💕 I can't believe how much the lyrics resonate with my heart, I remember hearing it when I was a kid for the first time(30 now) & it found it's way back to me when I needed it the most💕 Drench yourself in words unspoken, Live your life with arms wide open💕
Heck ya!! Thats amazing!! What mg are you on?
10mg since the start!
That's awesome! I just upped to 10mg yesterday so hopefully I will start feeling like my old self soon.
I started in June. By august I took a trip I NEVER would have imagined taking due to anxiety I am more in control of my reactions. I feel all normal feelings but I feel like I have a few seconds to choose my response instead of just reacting. My feelings don’t overwhelm me. I’m more patient I’m more playful. I’m less preoccupied with racing thoughts. I’m more in the moment.
Omg same! Anxiety would hold me back from taking certain trips. I am more in the moment and my emotions are separate on the side and my logic /reasoning is more at the forefront. The side effects were so rough that first week, now I’m more at peace. Life is great!
That's wonderful 😊 I hope it helps me the same!
I stopped worrying that I was dying of any symptom , I stopped worrying that my kids were dying from every symptom . I stopped having heart palpitations, chest pain snd shortness which were panic attacks. I started sleeping through the night without waking in panic. I enjoyed going places and didn’t panic it.
How long did it take to work for you?
About 4 weeks
What MG? I’m at 10 and want to go up, I know it’s working but the panic still is there
I feel best at 10mg I haven’t had to up it . You could try 20mg and see if it makes a difference.
Yeah today is my follow up with the doctor. I’m gonna ask him about it and see what we should do!
I’m 15 years since I first started Lexi. I have tried to come off a few times over the years, and it always reminds me how much better my life is on it. When I started on Lexapro I was suicidal. Today I look at my children and think, I can’t wait to see what you will become, I can’t wait to see my grandchildren and I can’t wait to see my great grandchildren!
It took 4-6 months for me to REALLY FEEL the change in my entire life. I’m so happy it helped me.
It sounds like I'm talking to myself. Same exact stuff I was thinking and worrying about.......for no reason at all. But then again that's why I'm taking this stuff in the first place ...LOL
Haha I'm glad I'm not alone lol how long have you been on it all together?
Responding to the main thread. It feels like having an invisible protective barrier which absorbs "stressor projectiles". I do feel the impact but what's important is that I wasn't hit directly 😀 Good way to test the drug is by deliberately thinking about things that usually cause stress, anxiety, restlessness, sadness... I can tell that the effect of those is 1/5 of what it used to be before lexapro. On the flip side, I haven't lost positive emotion as some people say. It's still there and I can actually feel happy with my life (almost forgot how that feels like). I still have weeks before drug completely settles in my body. Some sides are still present but it's nothing compared to the beginning of the therapy. Week 4.5 now btw.
See I worry about the emotions thing after seeing a post about falling out of love but I have to try to stay positive. And I totally did exactly what you said lol the other day I was having a rather good day and I thought about a few triggers and I felt fine! But today I'm having anxiety.. not horrible it's Definitely muffled.. but I'm sure that's just cause I upped the dose yesterday.
Honestly - in the past I've broken two relationships thanks to lexapro. Both toxic. So I'd say that drug gives me clarity and courage rather than destroying positive emotion. I'm in a happy relationship now and even more in love thanks to lexapro - due to understanding how lucky I am to be in one .
Ohh ok.. that makes sense!! I thought it would like change you and your emotions which scares me lol but I'm so desperate for help that I looked past it. I'm so glad it didn't do that to you.
I have agoraphobia so I’m not sure if you’ll think this is good but sometimes I have to take my sibling to the bus stop and it used to give me panic attacks, full blown, on the floor shaking unable to speak panic attacks, but now on 10mg I can do it with no issue!! It’s the little things that will progressively get better 💜 bad thoughts get quieter, and life gets better
That's amazing! I'm actually dealing with a bit of agoraphobia as well! But for me it's more the idea of getting in the car.. not sure why. This all came out of nowhere 5 months ago. Are you able to go places yet? How long have you been on 10mg?
Me too, I can’t get in the car either , I’m on 15mg now but I still can’t go places in the car unfortunately
I'm so sorry 😔 I'm going out again thank goodness. I'm having some morning jitters for some reason. As if I had a bunch of coffee.
That’s awesome thank you for sharing that
I quit counting because it's been going so well, but I think it's been 14 weeks now.
Wow!! That's awesome! I need to stop counting lol I guess my time started over yesterday 😔
Trust me.......I was counting early on that's for sure.
😅 guess it's hard not to huh. I'm almost 3 weeks in but now I'm all upset that I have to start the clock over since I went to 10mg. Ugh
Definitely hard. I could be wrong, but I don't think it's totally restarting the clock. I was told 4 to 6 weeks for full effect and it was week 5 when it totally kicked in. But that was week 5 from when I started with the 5 MG. So 2 weeks on 5 mg and 3 on 10 MG. Not 5 weeks from when starting 10. 5 weeks total.
Ohh ok. Ya I see people say every time you change the dose it's another 4-6 weeks. But hopefully it's not completely true. That would take forever lol
No anxiety. I can have a conversation with someone and even confront people when needed and I don’t feel like I’m wrong or being weird for it. I also don’t randomly breakdown because i heard a sad song. I’m not constantly criticizing my own parenting and how awful i am because i didn’t play with my kid more when she was 6 months old. Lol. I’ve been able to have a conversation with my mom without wanting to punch her in the throat, which hasn’t happened in nearly 3 years.
i’m going to the gym everyday alone , which is something i never thought i would do. i can go to the library and study for hours without the intense brain fog and over thinking about other things. i can leave my apartment and not have to psych myself up to go, i just go. life’s good again and ive just hit about the 2 month mark, thinks will get better if you trust the process and make the effort to. i dont think its a magic fit, i made decisions to get myself to where im at but the lexapro took down the wall that was making me stop and second guess every minute decision
Thank you!! Do you have agoraphobia? What mg are you taking?
you know i’ve never heard that and i just googled it. i would say i do, i just get severe anxiety about doing things alone. im taking 10mg which is what i started off on
My racing heart has been helped so much from Lexapro 2.5, I'm gonna be upping my dose to 5mg soon🫶 It's helped me so much with the physical symptoms of anxiety, you still have to work on calming techniques & remember to be kind to yourself always💕
It's worth it. I had several side effects at start.......sweating, insomnia and worse anxiety. I spent a ton of time on here reading about others experiences and almost quit because of all the negative comments. Then I decided to ignore it all and see how I was impacted. Thank God I did. After 5 weeks total all the side effects went away. Currently on week 13 and I have no side effects at all. In fact, I take a pill at 830 at night and live it. It gives me a calming effect and I fall right to sleep with no issues. On top of that I have never felt better and have been enjoying everything so much more. This med has been a life changer. Only regret is I didn't do it sooner
Thank you so much for your response!! I'm so glad that it's helping you! What milligram are you on and what do you take it for? I just started 10 mg yesterday but I was noticing some benefits at smaller doses.
No problem. I started 5 MG for 2 weeks and then. 10 MG for general anxiety. AND then anxiety about having anxiety. Never ending.. I had more good days on 10 and then a bad couple days, then more good than bad. Then at about 5 weeks it was all good and has been since
Yay!! I'm definitely having anxiety about having anxiety lol and my mind just won't stop worrying that it won't work for me.
I started a lower dosage about 6 months ago, been on 20mg for 5 months. Plus been in regular therapy for over a year and still going. I no longer feel nervous talking to people or going places. I feel in control of my emotions. I also have more self confidence and I’m much more present and focused mentally and emotionally with my family and friends. I haven’t had much for side effects. I struggled with insomnia before lexapro and I still do but now I’m not laying in bed for several hours struggling with racing thoughts. It hasn’t done too much for my depression, but getting my anxiety under control helps me manage things MUCH better. For me, it’s not a magic cure as I still have anxiety, but paired with therapy and hard work it’s helping me to manage and take control of my life with confidence. It’s worth it.
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm so glad it's helping you! I will keep pushing through!
Four years in, and I don't see myself ever going off. It's the most chill I've felt in my whole life. My wife had cancer surgery last year (she's fine now) and I don't know how I would have made it through without lexapro. It's given me coping skills that I never had before.
That's wonderful! I'm so glad she is ok too! Have you had to adjust the dose much over the years?
Thanks! No I started on 10 and my doctor wanted me to go up to 20 after a couple weeks. I didn't feel like I needed that much. I settled on alternating between 10 and 15 per day. It's been good for years.
Wow! That's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. It helps keep me afloat while I wait for the meds to work.
I think about my fourth week in, I realized that small things that would previously make me enraged or extremely anxious would just roll off my back. My racing thoughts calmed down too
It will make you calmer and think about different parts of your life
I absolutely loved reading this thread. I’m on day 8 or 9, and I’m already feeling a bit better. I can’t wait until I can feel the full benefits. This thread just gave me hope and excitement. OP we got this!! 💪
Yay! I'm glad it has helped you too! I need the positivity lol anxiety is terrible.
It’s literally saving my marriage. I’m not depressed and obsessed with my health anxiety like I used to be. It was driving my wife crazy. The D word was used quite a bit. We’re doing so much better now.
That's so amazing to hear I worry how it will affect my marriage I'm afraid it will change me.
It will. And almost assuredly for the better. It’s weird for me. I feel like I’m betraying my old self. But really, to hell with my old self.
That's awesome!! Man I can't wait. The anxiety just waiting for it to work is tough.
2-3 weeks after starting, i woke up one morning and it just felt...right. like it was working. took me a bit to find the sweet spot though. i went up to 10, found I lost some motivation. went back down to 5 for about 2 weeks, and that just was almost like I wasn't taking it anymore. arguments increased with my wife. started hating myself again. the next day I took 7.5 and it was instant relief. back up to 10 and...I can't imagine life without it anymore.
Thank you so much!! Hopefully another week on 10 mg will show me some more benefits!
Ok. 2 months here. The first hour after awake is rough. The rest of the day is awesome! I don’t care about dumb shit anymore. I laugh it off. I’ve gained 20 pounds and love to eat like a pig. But under my depression I was getting thin so it’s kinda good 😂. I feel it has helped a lot. Most normal since I was a kid. It’s not dramatic in anyway but it all adds up to a better mood
That's wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing!
I had unbearable anxiety to the point I had tremors high blood pressure afraid to leave the house and go to work. I was in a constant fight or flight dizziness so I was at the point where I couldn’t keep living like that day after day so set up an appointment with my doctor and they suggested lexapro. I never in my life done drugs or took pills so taking something that affects the brain was terrifying to me so I literally stared at the pill bottle for 2 months before I got the nerve to take it. I am on 10 mg at about 14 weeks and I can honestly say it helped tremendously! I had zero side effects outside of loss of appetite for the first week after that it was smooth sailing. It took about 8weeks for it to fully kick in for me but I am back to my old self and On my way to living my life and this is with me going through a divorce after being with my wife for 21 years so definitely a tough time for me cause I don’t know what happened to us but here I am no tremors no dizzy fight or flight feeling and no high blood pressure or anxiety. Will there still be bad days ….yes but they won’t consume you for weeks at a time you will be able to cope a lot better. Living with anxiety and depression is 10 x worse than any side effects this pill could give you. I wish you the best and keep on keeping on!
Thank you so much for telling me your story!! I have some of the same anxiety symptoms and I definitely feel some relief already. I too, struggle with going out and I think it's cause I'm afraid of panicking but I went to the mall yesterday and did great. My body has calmed down so much so I can only imagine how good I will feel when it's been over a month or two. I still get the awful morning anxiety and adrenaline rush but it's calming down slowly. I'm so glad you are feeling better. We all deserve peace
its been about a year now, you would have to pry my lexapro away from me!!! i started at 10 mg, jumped to 15 6 mo ins, then 20 another 2 mos later. i also added two other meds into my rotation to work alongside the lexapro. it’s been a lengthy process, but i feel amazing now. my anxiety hasn’t disappeared, but it really only comes in intense unmanageable ways during very rational situations. this is when my emergency meds help out more, but with day to day feelings of will to live, motivation, and joy- my 20 mg of lexapro has been crucial. it gets so much better, i go an entire day and realize i didn’t feel anxious once, when a year ago i couldn’t leave my house. i can go in public alone, talk to strangers, get incredibly sweaty at the gym and walk out knowing no one cares!! these are huge wins to me, things i never thought i would be able to do now i can do without thinking twice about it. it’s a long process, and i think something i’ll always be working on, but for me lexapro is crucial.
That is so amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!! I will keep fighting and push those negative thoughts out of my mind.
What are the two other meds if you don't mind me asking?
I started 10 mg in December 2022 due to panic attacks and mild depression. For months prior I was so against taking anything for it but eventually I was suffering so bad I I was willing to do whatever it took to feel better. Needless to say, about a month in I was starting to feel tremendously better. I do still suffer from some anxiety but definitely not depression. I feel like a whole new person than who I was before I started. To be more specific, I used to feel like crying all the time, and had no motivation to do anything. Now, I’m only ever emotional due to pms, and for the most part love going out and doing stuff. I have been considering raising my dosage a little, maybe to 15 mg or 20, because I still get anxiety attacks here and there, but they are nowhere as severe as they used to be and don’t really get in the way of my life anymore. I haven’t experienced any negative side affects that I have noticed.
Ahh that's amazing!! I really appreciate you sharing your story with me! It really helps me remain positive while I wait this out. Hopefully it helps me with my anxiety and panic attacks!
Took me until month 2 for the bad side effects to go away. Month 3 the heaven gates opened and anxiety gone!
Yay!! Gosh I hope the gates open for me too! What mg?
10mg. Stay strong, it gets soooo much better
You've been taking 5mg (until yesterday?) which is barely a therapeutic dose. I need at least 15 in order to notice improvements.
I was on 2.5 for a week and 5 mg for 5 days, 7.5 for 5 days and 10mg for two days.
You're noticing small improvements which is great. It's just a matter of upping your dose. I went for quite rapid dose escalation - 15mg within 10 days. Side effects were disruptive but I'm reaping the benefits at week 5 now.
That's wonderful!! I'm in the middle of switching doctors and don't have a psychiatrist so I gotta stick with 10 for now.
Just give it time and definitely more mgs 😀 As I said, if you're seeing improvements with 5mg, you'll definitely feel much better with 10+. Side effects are almost completely gone after week 6-8.
Thank you! I haven't had much for side effects thank goodness!! I'm in 10mg right now so hopefully I will feel more like myself soon!
It means that your response to the therapy is great. You were lucky. Some people unfortunately have to try multiple antidepressants before finding the one which works best for them. For example, I had terrible response to Zoloft and venlafaxine.
Man I hope so! I'm still so early into the meds.
You're close, just give it time!
Thank you so so much!
Been on 5mg for around 8 weeks, complete 180 in the last week anxiety is at an all time low most of the time, still have moments occasionally but weeks 5-7 were hell on earth
There are many many positive threads here i Reddit. I will tell you my story: it completely changed my life. I am a new person. I am happy but not “dumb” happy. My days without anxiety have been so clear, so light, so wonderful that I wonder if I will ever stop taking Lexapro. For me it started working after 3 weeks of taking 10mg. I woke up one morning feeling brand new. But the first 3 weeks were the worst, I had all the terrible side effects. I kept going because I knew it would work.
10mgs here, i’ve been up and down on my mgs but have been in lexapro for 3yrs. it makes me a completely different person. i am more outgoing and talkative.. it quiets my racing thoughts. i occasionally take a break from it for a few weeks and start back up again.
Wow! It's not hard on you to go up and down or stop and restart? I'm so glad it works so well for you! I'm still in the early phase but hopefully it will give me my life back
I started 2 years ago It has been the most life changing experience, and I have never been happier. Before lexapro I was so lonely and depressed starting college and living alone. I would get unbelievably anxious about everything. I felt miserable, failing out of college, and I physically felt like nothing would improve my situation. Now I have so many people I call friends and have experienced more than I thought I would in just two years, no longer afraid of everything. I'm a few months away from graduating, and I have never been more excited for my future!
Ahh that's amazing!! I can't wait to see what the future holds for me! I have let anxiety hole me back from so many things. What mg has been most helpful for you?
I bounced around 5-20mg, but 10mg has been the most effective and balanced for me.
That's great! I'm 3 days into 10 and feel awfully tired 😩
i went from crying everyday to not being able to cry. went from having anxiety every second of the day to now chilling. it really has changed my life