Reduced Cipralex/Lexapro Dose Side Effects.

[Stevee]

Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I have been on Cipralex for about a month and a half. My doctor started me on 10mg which I stayed on for 3 weeks and then bumped me up to 15mg for one week and then 20mg for the past 2 weeks. In the beginning I felt much better, even right at the start. I attribute that to just knowing that I was finally getting help. I did not really have many side effects when I was on the 10 or the 15 and I felt like I was feeling better everyday. When I went up to 20mg the wheels sort of began to come off. My doctor warned me that increased anxiety was a possible side effect but I thought that like being upped to 15mg I would take this new increase in stride. I did not, my anxiety increased and I felt very "out there" a lot of the time. Even after 2 weeks of being on 20mg I did not have any improvements, it all seemed negative. I also have a side effect I have come to call "lame brain" Basically just saying the most obvious thing and not being able to tap into my creativity like I was able to before. I saw my doctor a few days ago and she told me to go down to 15 again and see how things went but she did not give me a time frame which I find I always need as a guide. I have been on 15mg for the past 2 days and cannot really tell if I am feeling any better. I feel very drowsy and just creatively suffocated.

My question is how long should I expect to wait for the 15mg to be dominant in my system? I realize that the 20mg is probably still in effect. Also how long will these side effects last? I need some reassurance.

[ewood79]

Hi Steve I would say it would take as long as it does to settle down when you start a ssri.... Lexapro is a really good anti d for anxiety I'm on week 8 of 20 mg after coming of cipramil at a high dose. It's good so far.....

Keep persevering and I'm sure you will be right soon!

Cheers

[Donny]

Hi Mate

Cipralex takes 6 to 7 days for the dose you are at to reach a constant dose level.

if you have an short temporary increase like you have with going up to the 20mg dose it will take a little longer for the dose level in your body to come back down to the 15mg level. Does this make sense?

Your doc should really have waited until you were on 15's for at least a month before increasing the dose to 20. Sometimes, however, if you are having a really hard time with anxiety docs can increase the dose quicker.

This usually is done after your doc weighs up the pro and cons of giving you a increased dose compared to how much side effects it will cause.

I am on cipralex at the moment and was started on 5mg. the side effects were pretty bad but after a month the doc increased the dose to 10mg (the therapeutic dose) and holy crap the side effects (massively increased anxiety) were horrible.

I managed to get around this because I had a really switched-on shrink who suggested that I continue on with the 5mg tablets and he would get my doc to prescribe Cipralex Liquid Drops which would enable me to increase the dose 1mg per week and would stop the increased anxiety and other side effects.

It worked at treat I am now taking 8mg per week and rising to 9mg as of tomorrow. With absolutely no side effects.

I would recommend this way of increasing dose for people who cant stand the side effects of this ssri. It is pretty expensive (this from my doc) for the NHS to pay for which is why it is not prescribed and is fairly unheard of. £30 for a bottle of 15ml.

Hope this gives you some hope and gives you an option to increase slowly.

Kind Regards

Donny

[Stevee]

Thank you for the replies, I am feeling much better the past few days and I know it will just continue to get better. Do you think the 20mg was too strong for me or was it due to the fact that I was rushed on it so fast? This time I will take it slow.

[Donny]

Probably just went up too high too quickly

Good Luck