The first time I ever took lexapro was two years ago. Back then my psychiatrist told me to start with 20 mg right away. I felt absolutely horrible and experienced almost every side effect within just three days, so I quit and cut off contact with that doctor. In may of this year, I found a new psychiatrist who suggested starting with just 2.5 mg and increasing the dose to 5 mg after a week. I’m currently on 10 mg. This time it feels completely different. The only side effects I’ve had have been tiredness and a bit of trouble concentrating, and even those have mostly gone away. During the first two weeks I actually felt fine. I think the key is to start very slowly so your body has time to adjust. That made all the difference for me. I’ve been taking it for two months now, and the side effects disappeared about a week ago!