Lexapro/Escitalopram

[the_anxious_mind]

Okay! So I have now been prescribed Escitalopram/aka Lexapro 10 mg by my psychiatrist, once a day.

I am SUPER phobic about taking medication. I finally got to where I was taking Diazepam but we decided that it would be best if I take an SSRI that would stay in my system longer and not just work in short bursts.

I AM FREAKING OUT about taking this med. Anyone have success stories with it? Also, I have read that you cannot/should not take Diazepam supplementally with Escitalopram but my psy insisted I could. What to do??

Also, and lastly, what if something does happen from taking this medication? What will the doctor do for me?? :scared15:

Scared to death. Thanks in advance!!!!

[swgrl09]

Ok - take a deep breath. Nothing to freak out about, as you haven't even taken it yet.

I have posted a lot on here in the past about my experience with lexapro. I have been on lexapro 2x and have been on diazepam in conjunction with it the entire time. I take diazepam as needed for sleeping. I usually take it 1-2x per week at a very low dose. There has never been an issue with taking it with the lexapro and I have never heard of a possible interaction between the two.

I was also really scared to take it the first time. I started at 10 mg and felt some side effects in the beginning. But they passed in a few weeks. The diazepam really helped with issues with sleep and anxiety in the beginning related to adjusting to the med. I almost didn't start taking it, but remember my husband telling me - try it, if it's bad you don't have to keep taking it.

If something happens, you get off the med safely with doctor's help. But honestly it's a safe medication. The most important thing is to give it time to do it's job. In the end, lexapro has really improved my quality of life. My anxiety is minimal when I am on it (I am on a maintenance dose of 20 mg now) and my depression is more manageable. I never thought my HA would be controllable despite years of therapy, but with lexapro, it is.

So nothing to lose by giving it a try. Like I said - you can always stop.

[the_anxious_mind]

Bless you! Any comments with encouragement are greatly appreciated. Your husband sounds supportive like mine. SO glad to hear your life is back--I look forward to that as well! Mild GAD with some phobias. ALso doing CBT :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

The drug interaction is Moderate. See below from Drugs.com's interactions checker:

Moderate
diazepam  escitalopram

Applies to: diazepam, escitalopram

Using diazepam together with escitalopram may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

You will find that same warnings on many meds, certainly SSRI's. However, using Diazepam to reduce the side effects experiencing when starting a med like this is a very common strategy.

Don't worry about it, millions of people do it. If you find any of the above being a problem, contact your doctor.

If the Escitalopram causes problems they will switch you to another med. If you haven't been on very long, you can stop meds like SSRI's without a taper without much in the way of withdrawal as that's linked to longer term use.

Don't worry about that. The common issue with these meds is starting side effects and many people talk themselves out of trying them when they read about them. Be realistic, expect there could be some side effects and possible increased anxiety but after 4-6 weeks all this should be gone and it cold taper off long before that anyway.

[the_anxious_mind]

The drug interaction is Moderate. See below from Drugs.com's interactions checker:

Moderate
diazepam  escitalopram

Applies to: diazepam, escitalopram

Using diazepam together with escitalopram may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

You will find that same warnings on many meds, certainly SSRI's. However, using Diazepam to reduce the side effects experiencing when starting a med like this is a very common strategy.

Don't worry about it, millions of people do it. If you find any of the above being a problem, contact your doctor.

If the Escitalopram causes problems they will switch you to another med. If you haven't been on very long, you can stop meds like SSRI's without a taper without much in the way of withdrawal as that's linked to longer term use.

Don't worry about that. The common issue with these meds is starting side effects and many people talk themselves out of trying them when they read about them. Be realistic, expect there could be some side effects and possible increased anxiety but after 4-6 weeks all this should be gone and it cold taper off long before that anyway.

Thanks for your reply, I guess I worry that something major will happen or I'll die. lol. I can laugh about it now but when I go to take it I flip. Can the doctor do anything to "help me" after taking it and I suffer a reaction?

[MyNameIsTerry]

If you look at the interaction symptoms, they are very basic ones. Drinking alcohol carries the same warning but that would just wear off, as would Diazepam which is a very quick acting med and it doesn't have an effect after a couple of hours anyway.

The type of reaction in the interaction warning would go on it's own once the interaction was removed e.g. one of the drugs.

The only other type is an allergic reaction and if its just the rash style reaction, your GP would just likely withdraw the med causing it to let the reaction calm down on it's own. That's not very common though.

I really wouldn't worry about this anyway. Those warnings exist so doctors know to monitor but the chance of them can be uncommon anyway. Like swgrl showed, she has no problems. I've taken Diazepam when starting my SNRI and had no problems. Loads of people on here have or are taking Diazepam when starting meds like SSRI's, it's the recommended strategy to help people get onto them.

We all understand about meds worries, many of us struggle with them too.

I don't think you will see an interaction, and allergic reactions are very uncommon judging by peoples experiences on here. In fact, the Diazepam might be a useful helper to start your med and you may be glad of it.

[the_anxious_mind]

If you look at the interaction symptoms, they are very basic ones. Drinking alcohol carries the same warning but that would just wear off, as would Diazepam which is a very quick acting med and it doesn't have an effect after a couple of hours anyway.

The type of reaction in the interaction warning would go on it's own once the interaction was removed e.g. one of the drugs.

The only other type is an allergic reaction and if its just the rash style reaction, your GP would just likely withdraw the med causing it to let the reaction calm down on it's own. That's not very common though.

I really wouldn't worry about this anyway. Those warnings exist so doctors know to monitor but the chance of them can be uncommon anyway. Like swgrl showed, she has no problems. I've taken Diazepam when starting my SNRI and had no problems. Loads of people on here have or are taking Diazepam when starting meds like SSRI's, it's the recommended strategy to help people get onto them.

We all understand about meds worries, many of us struggle with them too.

I don't think you will see an interaction, and allergic reactions are very uncommon judging by peoples experiences on here. In fact, the Diazepam might be a useful helper to start your med and you may be glad of it.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply Terry. I am feeling much much better about it!! I think I'm going to give it a try. When I first tried Diazepam I freaked. But slowly I worked up to it and faced it. I have had a 5 year phobia of medicine. It's definitely hard to face and reverse over a week period! Wish me luck!!

---------- Post added at 13:51 ---------- Previous post was at 13:39 ----------

Also, would it be best to take the Diaz before or after I take the Esc? ANd should I wait any amount of time before or after to take the other? Or does it even matter?

[MyNameIsTerry]

I don't think it matters. When I took Diazepam it was when I couldn't stand things anymore and it was only one a day. The idea of it is to very quickly calm you down and it doesn't work on the same brain chemicals as your SSRI.

I was exactly the same as you starting this once I read the leaflet in the box of my Citalopram. I was also the same taking my first Diazepam as I had built a fear due to a reaction I had to some things I was taking when weight training. I added in something that proved too strong and it gave me a massive adrenaline rush. From then I couldn't take basic things either like paracetamol or vitamin C. Then I stopped taking my asthma meds and ended up having a mild asthma attack.

Restarting my asthma meds made we anxious and it took weeks to calm it down through daily repetition. It was months before I took paracetamol again and longer for vitamin C. Vitamin C is incredibly safe!

I did start my first SSRI within that period as I knew I had to try something.

I'm one of many on here with past worries or stories like that so we understand this is hard for you.

[swgrl09]

I honestly started the lexapro and took it day by day. If I felt worked up, I took a diazepam. The diazepam would kick in pretty quickly and help. I mostly took it to get to sleep though, as I had some insomnia.

[the_anxious_mind]

Well guys, I finally started the Lexapro. At my pharmacist's suggestion, I have taken a half, which would equal to 5mg. And I will take the other 5mg tonight at bedtime. I would like to go ahead and just be taking it at night. I may be starting a daily diary... Thank you all for your support!

[dally]

Well done, the anxious mind!!
I am soo scared if reactions to taking meds, so I REALLY understand how amazingly fearful but BRAVE you are to be taking your meds.
I would love to read how you progress with the med, so a daily diary would be useful.
Wishing you wellxx

[swgrl09]

Well done, the first is the hardest!! Take it one day at a time.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, well done!!! :yesyes::yahoo:

It takes about 5 half lives to get to what they called "steady-state" which simply means as much going in as coming out. Your med's half life is 27-32 hours.

The way SSRI's work is initially they flood the "space" with more Serotonin and after about 4 weeks they also reduce how much you lose through by plugging the holes in the receptor, like when the holes in a shower head get furred up by limescale.

So, whilst reaching that steady state is fairly quick, the rule tends to be 4-6 weeks for the side effect window however that doesn't mean they stay as prominent throughout, even if you have them at all. When I went on Citalopram they were reducing by week 3.

Just take it day by day as swgrl says. Ask on here for support, loads of us know how it can be a hard time and we can help you make sense of what is happening so you know to keep going.

[shiznit76]

Well guys, I finally started the Lexapro. At my pharmacist's suggestion, I have taken a half, which would equal to 5mg. And I will take the other 5mg tonight at bedtime. I would like to go ahead and just be taking it at night. I may be starting a daily diary... Thank you all for your support!

I've also recently upped my dose on lexpro, be good to read your diary on your experiences of it

[the_anxious_mind]

Thank you all! Will begin a diary so keep an eye out! So far, so good. :yesyes: Supplementing with diazepam--if not I would probably go nuts!