Anyone on escitalopram 20mg?

[strawberrydream]

I have been prescribed this. I was on 10mg but my GP increased it today.
I feel a bit worried about the double dosage. Anyone on or been on this? I am on it for anxiety/social phobia and panic attacks. I suffer with mild depression also.

[LizaLu]

I have been on 10mg escitrolpram since August for anxiety. I have found that my anxiety is greatly reduced but still feel very low and stressed so was thinking about going back to the doctor. Like you I have concerns about uping the dose. I have been on lustral before for PND and found it great so I thought about asking for that but that was for depression and this time it is anxiety so I don't know if it would work the same. Sorry I can't offer anything more constructive but will be watching this thread.

[bubblerock]

I'm on 20mg for the same reasons (not depression)and I didn't notice any side effects when I went up from 10mg.

[LizaLu]

Just had a thought. When I started on them I read on the info that people taking them for anxiety should take 5mg for a week and then go up to 10mg to reduce risk of increased anxiety. My doctor had prescribed 10mg so had a chat to a nurse on NHS Direct and she told me to just break them in half for a week. You could try having 15mg for a week and then up to 20mg.

[strawberrydream]

Thanks Liza. I am worried if i will have horrid side effects with 20mg although i didnt on 10mg. the bizarre thing is, i was prescribed Citalopram first and had really bad side effects with it but i am ok on esitalopram. arent they the same drug? do you know.

[strawberrydream]

bubblerock - are they any good for your anxiety.

[LizaLu]

There not quite the same drug because accidentally the pharmisicist gave me citalopram by mistake but I noticed on the packets that it had a different active ingredient and took it back to check and he said yes it was different and was very apologetic. Why has gp increased dosage? Had they helped with your anxiety at all?

[strawberrydream]

he just said that i needed 20mg as the 10mg although effective, wernt doing the job, i still felt quite anxious. i was only on 10mg for 2 months. do u think this is long enough to see if they work or not?

[LizaLu]

For me they took about 4 weeks to do anything but by 6 weeks my anxiety had reduced quite a lot. Now I just feel stressed and low and don't feel happy/confident to start doing new things like join an exercise class which is what I want to do. I think 2 months should be long enough to notice an effect. If you had no side effects on 10mg You should be alright to go up to 20mg. Can you plan an easy stress free week to help?

[strawberrydream]

no such thing as stress free week for me.

[LizaLu]

Mmm yes - that probably was over optimistic. If I planned to do nothing all week then ds would go nuts being in the house. Plus doing nothing can never be true! Bubblerock had no side effects so hopeful you shouldn't. I start counselling next week so don't know whether to hold off trip to gp for now and see how that goes?

[strawberrydream]

I start aniety management the end of January. Why dont you ask your GP about this?

[strawberrydream]

anxiety

[LizaLu]

My gp seems pretty usless but will ask. I wanted cbt not counselling and they said thats for things like agrophobia?? Thats not true is it? My sister has had anxiety too and she had cbt and found it really useful. Maybe counsellor will know of courses. Is it a group thing.

[strawberrydream]

LizaLu. I have been on the 20mg escitalopram for 3 days and haven't noticed any nasty side effects, but I have noticed I do feel considerably calmer .

As for the counselling, I start mine in February, and it is a group thing. About 5-10 people. I hope there is nobody I know. It lasts for 1.5 hours a week for 6 weeks.

As for CBT, I asked my GP for this and she said point blank no. She said it wouldnt be any good for my condition .