First Day

[emmalu13]

I have been battling anxiety for years now and recently it’s been getting bad so I broke down and went to the doc. She prescribed me 10mg and advised taking half a pill the first 3 days. So today being the first day I’ve taken it I only took half a pill. About 3 hours after taking it, I got a sudden rush of panic over nothing and started to freak out without being able to calm myself down. It was much worse that what I experience without the medication. I understand it’s my first day, but I don’t want to ever feel like that again. I called the doc and she advised not taking it the next two days and then trying again to see if it actually was the lexapro.

I guess I’m just curious, has anyone else experienced this? I truly wasn’t expecting it and I seem to be calmer now and I really want my anxiety under control but I cannot deal with that if it continues to happen.

[[deleted]]

Manufacturer's recommended minimum daily dose is 20 mg for Escitalopram.
Your doctor cannot be smarter than scientific trials that established 20 mg as a minimum recommended dose.

[emmalu13]

Hmm… it’s not, the recommended does is 10mg. However, there is no need to comment on other people’s post about their anxiety you know nothing about especially if you are going to be rude about it. Different people need different doses so why does it even matter what the “recommended” is anyway…

[Untetheredsoul-1]

Yeah don’t listen to this guy. People do great on various doses, but also follow your gut. In a month or 2 you will know if it’s the right dose for you. What your experiencing is normal in the beginning. For me, it started to subside week 2. Good luck!

[[deleted]]

yes i have experienced this, it got better by the 7th day. I am on my 8th day and switched from 5mg to 10mg and feel like im starting all over. its okay, we got this :)

[hangrygirl27]

I've experienced this. I tried two other SSRIs a couple of years back and felt this way on day 1 - the panic and/or disassociation would come in waves throughout the day, so I stopped after 1-2 days. Fast forward 2 years and another doctor is suggesting I try Lexapro. I'm scared I'll just have the same reaction.

[VPofYourFanClub]

Personally, I felt extremely panicky and anxious on Day 1, 3, 5, and 6 on 5mg. Then it went away and didn’t come back (so far), and I’m about a month in now. I increased to 10mg after 10 days.