Lexapro anyone? RE: anxiety

bim38106

I just thought I'd share on here, because I feel "safe" here and it always feels good to talk things out

I've dealt w/ depression/anxiety since I was a teen and recently, it's gotten to the point where the week before and the week-of my period, my anxiety is getting so bad that it's affecting my life and I don't feel like I can control it anymore.

Today was my yearly OB visit and I finally decided to talk to my doctor. (Echowysp (sp? sorry!) If you read this, thank you, because your response to my FFFC/OU last week was the push I really needed to talk to my doctor!).

Anyway, I felt like a fool because the second he asked me how I was doing w/ 2 so close in age, and I told him "fine" and then he said his kids were 19 months apart and he knew how hard it was, and asked me again how I was doing..and I told him I wanted to talk about anxiety, and then started crying! But he was so understanding and talked to me about it and prescribed Lexapro for it, a low dose.

I just feel such a huge relief having talked about it! And a relief to be getting help. Now I'm just HOPING that this med works.. I also have chronic hives and my OB said he wouldn't be surprised if this helped that as well (fingers crossed but don't want to get my hopes up!). He said it could take up to 2 weeks to start feeling better...

So anyway, my point to this post was 1) just to get it out and share how it went. And if anybody is dealing w/ anxiety, to let you know that talking to a doctor wasn't scary or bad and was such a relief. As my doctor said today, "you don't have to live feeling like this". And he also told me that "I do have 2 extra little things in my life" that could be making it harder for me to deal with this

Also, has anyone been on this medication? What were you experiences w/ it?

nmr79

Wow, I was just going to post this:)  I just started taking it yesterday, so no experience to share.  I'm only on 10 mg, but I'm really hoping that it helps.  My anxiety is through the roof.  I'm depressed, but it's situational (hate being a WM away from DD all day, which contributes to my high anxiety...). 

I am a psychiatric nurse though, and I have taken care of many patients on antidepressants.  Side effects seem mild, and over all, most people seem to respond to it.  I also have a close friend on it, who said it changed her life (for the better).  Good luck!

excitedforlittleone

I used to take lexapro for my anxiety/depression and it worked amazingly.  I had to switch to Celexa after I had DS because I had no health insurance and lexapro would have been way expensive.  It worked really well for me though.  Good luck and I hope it helps.  Anxiety is tough...I've been dealing with it since I was a teen as well.  I can't imagine dealing with it and having two small children.  I hope you feel better soon )

bim38106

Thanks girls! That is all good to hear...

nmr, I hope it works for you as well! I think my doctor also put me on 10mg...I still have to go pick up the script tonight.

I've always had this crazy idea that I'm so lucky to have 2 healthy great kids and a great husband and life and what do I have to complain about...so I should just suck it up and deal with it because it's stupid to be feeling the way I feel! Doesn't help that my dad used to laugh at me when I tried to talk to him about my depression in HS.... anyway, I just feels so good to finally get it out there! And to know that my doctor didn't think I was crazy, and that my feelings feel...ok to have... and that I'm not alone in feeling this way and that it's just OK! Ah, it's just such a relief is all

Blackvelvet

I have been on Lexapro for several years though I was off it while pregnant.  It helps a whole lot with the anxiety but it hasn't helped at all with the hives but it would be great if it did.  The hives did start about the same time as the anxiety but they will not go away with anything

nmr79

bim38106:

Thanks girls! That is all good to hear...

nmr, I hope it works for you as well! I think my doctor also put me on 10mg...I still have to go pick up the script tonight.

I've always had this crazy idea that I'm so lucky to have 2 healthy great kids and a great husband and life and what do I have to complain about...so I should just suck it up and deal with it because it's stupid to be feeling the way I feel! Doesn't help that my dad used to laugh at me when I tried to talk to him about my depression in HS.... anyway, I just feels so good to finally get it out there! And to know that my doctor didn't think I was crazy, and that my feelings feel...ok to have... and that I'm not alone in feeling this way and that it's just OK! Ah, it's just such a relief is all

I'm sorry about the way your dad treated you:(

And, yeah, I can totally relate to the feelings of "I have so much to be thankful for...why am I such a nervous wreck?". 

I don't really like discussing my anxiety with my friends IRL, because they do worry a lot about me, and that results in a lot of phone calls, check-ins, etc.  I appreciate their intent, but I hate hate hate talking on the phone in general, so it just seems easier to do here.

July_2009

I'd beenon Lexapro for about 1.5 years and it has plusses and minuses. It helped with anxiety and depression. On the other hand, getting off of it was a PITA. It gave me dizzy spells, headaches and numbness, tingle sensations. During one episode I was crossing the street and felt so dizzy all of a sudden and I fell in front of a car.  I had severe withdrawl symptoms and had to cut down from 10 mg to 5 to 2.5mg. Just want you to be aware of the withdrawl issues.

lovejonesy77

I just started taking Celexa this week.  I, like you, had a melt down at a doctors appt on Monday.  It was good to get it off my chest and I had been saying to my husband that I dont know why I am complaining.  We both have great jobs (where so many are looking and cant find any), we have a beautiful healthy daughter and a good husband (all beit a tad annoying at times).  But for some reason, everything feels horrible and wrong.  So I started taking Celexa.  She said that it could take up to 4 weeks to feel the effects.  She gave me Celexa because my insurance wouldnt approve it because Lexapro is expensive.  So far my side effects have been a little upset stomach and some sleeplessness, but nothing too bad.  I have my fingers crossed that I feel better.  We just moved to a new town and I thought I was going crazy with anxiety over it.  I cried and wanted to call it off and back out of deal at the new place.  I was all over the place.  Hopefully it starts to make you feel better soon!    Thanks for sharing!

Ivana_Stolichnaya

I was on it for a year until I got my BFP and quit.

 

1) First day of using it I felt nauseated.

2) Helped with the depression and panic attacks

3) Packed on 25lbs with it....careful it adds weight.  When you've always been a certain weight and all of a sudden you find the scale going up and up and you haven't changed anything in your diet, there's something up.  Since going off my weight has gone back down.

4) KILLED my sex drive...no sex drive at all.

5) If you decide to go off the drug for one reason or another, do it slowly.  I went off cold turkey and within 5 days I was having bad withdrawals.  Head in the clouds, dizzy feeling, headaches, it was hard to concentrate, jitters, the feeling of zapping electrical impulses going down my arms and tingly feeling in the finger tips.