Lexapro - the 4th time around
Yeah - I started my 4th stint on lexapro about ten days ago. It’s
helped to pull me out of rough patches three other times and I’m
hoping it helps again.
I am a 45 year old male dealing with GAD and some depression. I had
always been a worrier of sorts and was subject to low moods but I hit
a real rough spot in 2004 caused by a health issue for a loved one
(an issue at it turns out that was not nearly as bad as my anxious
mind had conjured)—At any rate I went in the space of six short
weeks from being what I thought was a fairly well-adjusted (if high
strung person) to becoming a nervous wreck–reduced to laying all day
in agony on my living room couch. I was finally put on 10 mg of
Lexapro and Seroquel for sleep. The startup was hard — I am one of
those people who experience an increase in anxiety and some insomnia
in the startup phase. I had to cut back to 5 mg for awhile - then
back to 10 mg–I was feeling alot better within 4 weeks—and within
4 months I felt so good that I decided to quit Lexapro altogether—–
-not a good move. I spent the next year fighting my anxiety with
herbs and supplements with mixed results.
I went back on Lexapro in the Summer of 2005 and stayed on it for
about a year. It helped me function through some stressful times. I
dropped back off in July of 2006 but found myself going through a
rough spot around the beginning of November and went back on. It
seemed to take a little longer to work the 3rd time around but I felt
better in about 5 weeks or so. But, I felt kind of up and down all
winter and thought about raising the dosage (I’ve never taken more
than 10 mg) -However I seemed to have luck in dropping it back down
to 5 mg and then decided to drop back off it at the end of April,
2007. Then stress at work really caught up to me and July was a
really bad month. I started back on Lex about 10 days ago— going
from 2.5 mg to 5 mg. Its too early to tell how it’s working yet. I’m
taking the startup slow.
For those of you who are on Lexapro for the first time I would advise
(for what its worth) you not to follow my example and drop out too
early (once you’re feeling good). It’s best to use Lexapro as a tool
to look clearly at the root of your problems –to identify your
stressors and to get the help you need. It’s only now that I have
begun to take steps to finally change my lifestyle– especially my
approach on how I deal with stress in the workplace. I am also for
the first time looking at CBT as an aid.