Would appreciate hearing your experiences of Escitalopram

[Bicnod]

I've been prescribed Escitalopram (5mg daily starting dose) by my GP after years of anxiety and low mood which has escalated over the last year to the point that I know I could do with some sort of re-set.

The packet has been sat in my cupboard for the past 2 weeks - I'm really nervous about starting taking them (have never taken SSRIs before). I can't quite put my finger on why. I'm worried about side-effects (particularly interrupted sleep as my sleep is crap at the best of times) but I think I'm mostly worried about not being me anymore? I'm not even sure what I mean by that.

Anyway, if anyone has experience of taking Escitalopram that they would be willing to share I'd be very grateful.

Absolutely no side effects. Most normal I've ever felt.

Thanks @BritInAus for replying - can I ask how long you were on them for and what dose? And if you stopped did you have any trouble weaning yourself off?

Bumping to see if anyone has anything to add 🙏

It's the best one I've been on so far and I've been on all the SSRIs at some point.

I've found it fine..a lot better than most. Have been on 20mg for a few years now.

It saved my life! I’ve also been on 20mg for several years now.

I was also worried about side effects but it was fine.

Yes, I found this to be an excellent antidepressant: no side effects and completely calmed me from a very odd health anxiety illness a few years ago. I now take sertraline which is also good but the escitalopram was great for anxiety.

Brilliant for me, after the initial couple of weeks with a dry mouth and feeling spaced out , no side effects either. I ended up increasing up to 40mg a day. Have recently finished coming off them after the dr said I'd been on them too long (4years). The withdrawal has been pretty awful, I'm still having what feels like electric shocks in my brain weeks later. I came off them really really slowly. I would take them again if I needed too though !

Sorry just looked it was 20mg I was on not 40

Yes. I found them useful and eventually stopped after a couple of years. I’m now on sertraline which I prefer although it has taken a few weeks to feel the benefit.

Thanks so much everyone, all very reassuring. I think I will start them later this week. Working myself up to it.

How does it work with the dosage? I'm starting on 5mg a day, did you all start on a low dosage and then increase? And how do you know if/when you need to increase the dosage? I have one month supply and chat with GP at the end of that so presumably at that point if needed? Will 5mg actually have an impact? Am I over thinking this?!

My friend has it. He gets on really well with it. A nee GP swapped him to citalopram but he didn't manage at all well with that, so sapped back.
I also had his bit out 4 stone on with it!

Twice both times it helped considerably. 5mg is very very low. Especially for anxiety. For depression 10mg - 20mg is pretty normal, I was on 40mg for sever anxiety (situation related) which improved after a few months. You are better to build up slowly an avoid the electric shock side effects mentioned up thread. After a month if you do not feel any better talk to the doctor about increasing, rinse and repeat. My mum has just gone up from 20-30 after a couple of years as it stopped being so effective. Give it a go, honestly you could feel so much better.

Thank you, that makes sense. I think I will give it a go. I feel torn as I'm pretty good at just keeping on keeping on and could in reality just carry on doing that. Which makes me think I can't be that bad so shouldn't really medicate unnecessarily. But the anxiety is becoming almost painful and is incredibly overwhelming at times and intrusive negative thoughts are definitely on the increase. I just feel like I'm constantly on super high alert and it's so exhausting. Hopefully once the world has calmed down a bit () I will feel less on edge. Thanks everyone who posted, much appreciated.

I started on 10mg (citalopram). I was meant to increase after a week but it was so good I didn't and stayed on 10mg. The GP said that was fine if it is helping. It definitely takes the edge off which I needed to recover.

Citalopram has been absolutely life changing for me. Op you say you could just carry on as you are. Just keep ploughing through. I could have done the same and I'm so glad I didn't. They have made me feel as if I'm not just pointlessly carrying on.

They gave me such an upset stomach to begin with so maybe take them on a day you know you’ll be at home all day just in case!

Otherwise, they did help me. I’ve stopped taking them because my issues are ADHD not depression/anxiety and I’m determined I want the right medication for that.

I stupidly stopped taking them cold turkey and they brain zaps are really horrible so do take the advice to cut down gradually seriously if you’re stopping for whatever reason.

Some people are talking about Citalopram which I understand isn’t the same thing? It was escitalopram I took.

Op, have taken it in the past and had zero issues with it so a positive experience.

If you don't get on with it, or it doesn't help as much as it should, speak to your gp - there are plenty of other options that can help.

Keeping on keeping on is all well and fine to an extent, but the danger is that you reach a point where you just crash. It's not weak to accept help, much like its not weak to take iron supplements when you're aneamic!

I take 10mg and have done for a couple of years. If your GP hasn't suggested how to start, I'd think on just 5mg you'd be fine to just start one a day. Otherwise maybe half a day for the first week. If you decide to stop anytime, it's important to taper off too.

@ChampagneHead

Some people are talking about Citalopram which I understand isn’t the same thing? It was escitalopram I took.

Definitely not the same drug although similar.I think some people are talking about citalopram as the usual max dose of escitalopram is 20mg.

Not the same drug. I took Escitalopram (started at 5mg increased to 10mg) and was switched to Citalopram (10-20mg) and then switched back again as escitalopram worked better for me but was more expensive. It was a private prescription so I had to pay. The only side effects that I remember are very vivid dreams. Good luck OP

@Zerrin13

Citalopram has been absolutely life changing for me. Op you say you could just carry on as you are. Just keep ploughing through. I could have done the same and I'm so glad I didn't. They have made me feel as if I'm not just pointlessly carrying on.

This is what I want - to feel that I'm not just getting through each day...