up or down?

[Sober2000june]

thats' me been on escitalopram for 6 weeks now. 1st week 2.5mg, weeks 3 to 5 on 5mg and last 11 days 7.5(well more like 6 one day and 8 the other due to my accuracy in cutting the pill). I am staring to wake early again in the 7.5mg and really starting to toil again:weep:. I consulted my shrink a couple of weeks ago and she agreed to the increase to see if it'll help. I'm stating to think maybe i should've given 5 mg a bit longer. the other part of me is thinking, do i go upto 10 mg as it may have a more therapeutic effect??

just don't know what to do:shrug:.

any encouraging feedback greatly appreciated,

Paul

[Tufty]

Hi Paul,

just don't know what to do:shrug:. I don't know how many times I've said that to myself on the medication merry-go-round :). I took Escitalopram for 6 weeks and I'll never know that if it would of worked at a lower or higher dose, I took 5mg for 2 weeks and increased to 10mg over 2 weeks ending up at 10mg for the last two weeks. The first two weeks were horrible with nausea and panic, the middle two weeks were OK - less anxiety and felt more hopeful and week 4-6 were awful with depression and hopelessness. Should I have gone back down to 5mg, should I have increased to 20mg, should I have stuck it out another week? I still don't know the answer and sadly, only time will tell for you.

How do you feel compared to 7 weeks ago? Can you see any improvement generally? I found week 5/6 very challenging, maybe that's just the meds effect. If I were you I would try to stick with the same dose for another week and not rush to increase/decrease, let your poor brain try to adjust to the dose you're on. In hindsight I wish I'd been a little more patient and stuck it out, without increasing or decreasing.

As another poor responder to meds you know I can't tell you if, what, how much or when medication will work. Hope and time are the two factors we need to recover and we have both. I know you have family to give you focus and hope and we all have time, we will not be like this in 5 years time. We are survivors, keep living in today and survive another day, this nightmare will end as nothing lasts forever.

I think you're doing really well, I read about you taking your family away - that's bloody amazing given how you're feeling. Give yourself some credit.

Take care
Sam

[Sober2000june]

Thanks Sam,

feeling a bit more human in this evening. i guess I'll just have to plod on with the 7.5mg(ish).

Paul x

[clio51]

Hi Paul

Hope you enjoyed your holiday in France? Can't imagine driving that far very easy! I imagine it was very hard work,trying to be happy and normal when inside you feel crap! Really hope you enjoyed it I'm sure your kids did.

I would try to give it a bit more time for your head to get used to that dose,let it settle and start working for you. We are all different as you know, and I think it took a good 12 weeks for ven to start picking me up. I still today have blips and prob think I always will with GAD but it still freaks me out when the blips happen

Glad you feeling slightly better this evening.

[Jmac]

Quick question clio51... how long have you been on ven? How often do you get blips? I"m on year 2 of cipralex and am in the midst of a heck of a blip this past week. Doc suggests upping from 10mg to 15 mg.

[clio51]

Jmac

I've been on venlafaxine for a year! I get quite a few blips still but nothing like I was this time last year, I had no motivation,depressed couldn't face food losts 2 stone,was a nervous wreck with anxiety.I started on 37.5 then went to 75mg in about a month then 150mg about 3 months later I think.

I think I'm always going to get ups and down due to high anxiety. I use diazepam at these times.

I think I would try and see if it settles in the next week or so. If not then think about upping might just be a blip.

[Jmac]

Thanks clio. Things seem to be settling down somewhat so I'd say you're probably correct. It's a blip... just the worst blip so far in the past two years. I guess it happens especially during or follow times of stress which is most certainly the case right now.
Stay well.

[karenp]

I'd def go to 10mg Paul, that is when I truly started to feel a difference but had too many blips on that dose too so now I am on 15mg I am just about perfect!!!! NORMAL in fact xxx All the best of luck and I had no side effects as such going up xxxx

---------- Post added at 07:02 ---------- Previous post was at 07:02 ----------

Sam how are you darling??? xxxxx