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Side effects of Escitalopram (Lexapro) after initial 6-week period?
Hello! I recently started treatment for anxiety and was prescribed 10 mg escitalopram (known as Lexapro, depending where you are located) for a 6-month period to start.
I adjusted to the medication pretty well and the commonly known side effects, such as difficulty concentrating, dizziness, etc. passed by around my 10th day of taking the medication. I'm about 7 weeks in now (1.5 months). Between the 2nd week to 5th week I believe I was feeling pretty good, I felt noticeably less anxious and was generally super upbeat, but the last two weeks, my head has been feeling strange, it's hard to describe. It's not quite dizziness, or vertigo, not headaches. It might be closer to a lightheaded feeling, but it isn't that either.
This is really the purpose of my post, to find out is others have experienced similar sensations after 6 weeks of taking escitalopram, and how long it lasts. The reason this has come to my attention, is because a lof of side effects are reported to subside within the first two weeks of use, which initially was the case for me, and apparently it can take between 4 to 6 weeks for patients to feel the full therapeutic effects, so I'm a bit concerned now as to why this head sensation has come on.
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I’m always having trouble with side effects when I try to start a new medication, the symptoms are sometimes the same as mentioned with the medication but then the symptoms start to change and that’s usually when I either call the pharmacy or doctor to be sure that all is well. I think that you should get another opinion to make sure that your symptoms are normal, it really doesn’t sound to me like you have a problem but I’m not a doctor and I always believe in the saying, if in doubt check it out, best wishes.
@brimc1
I experienced similar symptoms and they were due to lower sodium levels in my blood.
My personal doctor initially didn’t think that it was possible, because - as in your case - the effects appeared later than expected, but the blood test results convinced him.
After I weaned off the medicine, I felt normal again.
By the way, I read about the possible effects of Lexapro on sodium in the blood, in the information leaflet that was given by the pharmacy. So it’s not something obscure.
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4 ReactionsProb brain fog.
I have had anxiety n depression for 12 yrs. Im 74 yrs old.About 7 yrs ago I went on 10 mg Escalopram for racing thoughts. It helped immensely. Recently I picked up many new depressionn anxiety symptoms. Looking back , it was a lot worse than I thought. My PC Dr. Increased my dosage 20 mg. This has helped my anxiety ,depression issues. But the weakness n fatigue is devastating. To the point causing me to fall and finish trashing my bad knee ,Ive babied for yrs. I went to a Psychatrisr, she tried decreasingEscaloprzm to 25mg, start me on Generic Ziff. When this hit my blood stream. I had terrible psanic attacks n stopped Zoloff. I go back to Psychatrist in a few weeksLooking at depression meds n side effects. I fear that I am screwed. Im afraid im one of those people that might be better off living with symptoms. I have also taken phenobarbital n phenyotin for 55 yrs. No seizures in almost 35 yrs. Phenyotin can also cause fatigue.
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2 ReactionsThats Generic Zoloff.
Excuse typos exhausted as usual
Ill take a hug anytime I can get it, virtual or real.
A little more info. This all runs together for me, it has been ongoing for
me for over 8 months. The weakness n energy,add in focus issues and more
all started before going to the 20mg escalopram dosage.
I went from walking over 3 miles a day average most days for over 5 yrs.I
was also riding my exercise bike over 3 miles a night. Now I can barely
ride 5 to 10 min.I am able to walk less than half a mile if Im lucky. Even
less now that I will be needing a new knee. Very frustrating.
To rkjb1951. Do you mean escitalopram? If you’re taking escalopram you probably should stop it. It is not FDA approved, nor does it appear to be approved for use in the U.S.
Don’t take my word. Send a brief email to druginfo (at)fda.hhs.gov describing your symptoms, the drug, your prescriber & pharmacy. If that seems overboard, you are the one suffering. I also would mention the generic “Ziff” as well. I’ve only heard of “Zif-8” (but what do I know?) which derives from a metal and is used to enhance drug delivery to your system. To submit a report about an adverse drug reaction: 1-800-FDA-1088. An online complaint form is not hard to Google.
Side-effects of unusual or uncommon severity or lengthiness may be reported. FDA advises one, if possible, to save a sample of the drug in question. For a paper form, download FDA 3500B.
I think I prb spelled it wrong. The drug is genetic lexapro. Prescribed by my PC. The original Paychatrist who recommended it highly recommended it. My new, current Psychatrist I an going ti is very familiar with the drug. It seems tk have less side effects than thd other antidepressants. Almost everyone I looked at has horrible side effects. It looks like sbnewbknee is in my future. On s bad leg with lots of problems.
t In spite of our ailments.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas
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1 ReactionI can spell, but cant type especially on a phone. Anyway. Getting a new kned sometime in the future. This leg had lots f issues from a old injury. Doesn't help depression.
Could you call your psychiatrist and asked to be seen quicker? Maybe put on a waitlist for cancellations?