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desperateforhelp
19-06-12, 05:33
I have had anxiety/panic for 14 years, there were times it didn't bother me and times I was house-bound. I was on Fluvoxamine a number of years ago and have since not been on any medication. In the last 6 months I have developed a fear of having an allergic reaction to something...anything. I lost 20 pounds because I was convinced my throat would close from something I ate. I have never had allergies of any kind and do not know where this came from. Confusing. Anyway, it started a huge downhill spiral. I have started to eat more but am living in fear of everything it seems. It's out of control. I am not fond of using medication but realize that I need help beyond what I can give myself and this is affecting my life in every way, not to mention my overwhelming terror of having a reaction to the meds. I went to one doctor for a prescription for Ativan (knowing I was too scared to take it even though I have before) and she told me I should think about Cipralex. I have since gotten Cipralex and was instructed to take 10mg to start and go back to see the doctor in 2 weeks. It has sat in my drawer now for a month, haunting me. Majority of what I have read about it has been negative, very scary side effects.I know everyone reacts differently and I will have to take it to find out but has anyone had a positive experience with Cipralex? I need some encouragement to start taking these pills, I feel I need the help of medication at this point as my meditation, breathing excersises, and fitness are just not cutting it any more. I need to get my life back. I need to get myself back.

ewood79
19-06-12, 23:14
Hello,

Sorry you are having a rough time, I have been on this or 3 months now on 20 mg and it's a very good anti depressant, very few side effects and really helps with the anxiety....

Like anything the first couple of weeks are a little scratchy but nothing worse than the normal anxiety feelings we get.

In a month or two you will feel a lot better.... Good luck with it and start the tablets!

:)

grotbags
22-06-12, 11:48
I used to take Cipralex and found it very effective. In my opinion though, you shouldn't start on such a high dose. I started on 5mg I think, and even that was too high. I would start on 2.5mg if I ever go back on it, and work my way up gradually.

I must admit in my case there were a lot of side effects, but they did work a treat. I wasn't 100% back to normal on them, but I went from being housebound to having a reasonable quality of life (with the help of the occasional benzo) on a very low dose of just 7.5mg. 10mg just upset my stomach too much and I had to cut down. I am very sensitive to meds though.

I think Cipralex is supposed to be one of the better SSRIs and they don't prescribe it much here in the uk because of costs. They just put all the anxiety sufferers onto Citalopram generally, because it's so much cheaper. My doctor told me that Cipralex is supposed to be one of the "cleanest" SSRIs. If you try any antidepressant, this is probably the one to try first :)