Escitalopram help!

[Bob74]

Hi all, hope you're ok.

I have a couple of questions for anyone that has had Escitalopram if you don' t mind? I've been on 5mg for just over 6 weeks and has definitely helped but not out of the woods... nervous to go up though... has anyone had relief on 5mg?

Then brands. I am on Teva but my latest prescription has given Brown and Burk - am nervous to change brands (though of course may actually be better!!) Did anyone have trouble changing brands or is it mainly the same? Thank you!

The brand makes no difference, the drug is made by multiple manufacturers to the same “recipe”

I can’t comment on its effectiveness but the change in manufacturer this month will not make a difference.

I'm on escitalopram for the past two months and it's helped me immensely. I was on 5mg for a month, then went up to 10mg. I'm way less irritable, less jumpy, less frazzled, less overwhelmed.

Thesheerrelief - great to hear! Did you jump straight from 5 to 10 or go via 7.5? Thank you for responding!

Smileforthebirdie - that's really good to know, thank you!

I struggle with anxiety (GAD) rather than depression.

@Thesheerrelief

I'm on escitalopram for the past two months and it's helped me immensely. I was on 5mg for a month, then went up to 10mg. I'm way less irritable, less jumpy, less frazzled, less overwhelmed.

Hi, can I ask how soon you noticed a change moving from 5mg to 10mg? Thanks

@Bob74

Thesheerrelief - great to hear! Did you jump straight from 5 to 10 or go via 7.5? Thank you for responding!

Smileforthebirdie - that's really good to know, thank you!

I went via 7.5mg for about a week, just to minimise any side effects

About a week to 10 days I think. I found the effects were cumulative - bit by bit I started to feel a lot better

Never had any issues with different brands, hasn't made a difference. I've been on 20mg for a few years, think I started on 10mg, felt more anxious when first starting but no issues increasing the dose.

I went onto to escitalopram from citalopram and it was much much better, no more excessive flatulence. Went up to 10mgs with no problems at all.
Then tried 20mgs for three months and just could not stand the excessive sweating which went on all night and all day and I looked a total mess so I've gone back down to 10mgs but that keeps me completely stable with no side effects.

Thank you all for your responses! I think I will gently work my way up to 10mg then. Am going away next week so will probably wait til I get back in case I do struggle with any side effects. Last question - those who went up to higher doses - did you have any weight gain? Bit worried about that! But a small price to pay for anxiety relief.

Hi Bob74 - I think we are in a similar place. I started on 5 in mid August and moved to 10 about 3 weeks ago. I have actually lost weight but I think it is because I have completely stopped drinking alcohol which is an entirely unintended side effect. My doctor didn’t tell me to but I seem to have completely lost interest in it and am making better food choices as a result.
I know I am less anxious on the tablets but don’t know how I expected to feel - I think I thought it would be a huge “wow” moment but instead it has been a gradual, almost tranquil, feeling.
Good luck.

@Bob74

Thank you all for your responses! I think I will gently work my way up to 10mg then. Am going away next week so will probably wait til I get back in case I do struggle with any side effects. Last question - those who went up to higher doses - did you have any weight gain? Bit worried about that! But a small price to pay for anxiety relief.

I went straight onto 10mg and found it helped immensely. The only side effect I really had was exhaustion. But I think that was related to another medical condition I’ve had for a while. I definitely felt a bit out of it for the first week and avoided driving in case I’d zone out.

As for weight, apparently escitalopram is one of the few antidepressants that doesn’t tend to cause weight gain. It decreased my appetite a bit and I had fewer depression related binges.

Good luck @ComeBackPeterComeBackPaul - keep me posted with how you're doing! I'm still on 5 at the moment and things aren't perfect but much better than they were.

@kwiksavenofrillsusername Very reassuring, thank you!

I’m another person on 10mg for GAD, I went straight onto 10 so can’t comment on increasing from 5-10mg. No weight gain and I feel so much better since starting back on it in July ( I took it for two years, came off last year as I felt better, but had a lot of stress over the summer☹️).

The worst side effect was a dry mouth for about three weeks, but then it went away. I honestly feel like “me” now, sleeping much better, coping well at work and able to socialize. My advice is to try 10mg and don’t over-think it. If you feel better, just enjoy your improved quality of life, because we both know how miserable GAD can be. 💐

I thought it was helping, but had to go off it because I must have been allergic. Had awful itchy beyond itchy skin rashes on my chest, back, and legs, to the point of going to a derm for a steroid injection, plus my toe joints became arthritic and I saw a foot doctor about that. Felt like knives were stabbing my toes. Took me awhile to put two and two together. After it was all out of my system my skin cleared up and my toes went back to normal. I've never heard of anyone else having this problem.

I liked alprazolam for anxiety. That stuff was great.

Then I got a divorce and the major source of my anxiety went away.

Due to increase my dose from 5mg to 10mg. Nervous as already experiencing side effects on 5mg. Maybe I should just take the leap? Advice welcomed