How Long Will Side-Effects Last

[Nim]

Hi. So my doctor has diagnosed me with Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

My doctor started me on Escitalopram (I want to say) 4 weeks ago. For the first week I was at 5mg daily, after which I was bumped up to 10mg daily. In addition, in the past week my doctor has had me change the time that I take my dose from morning to bedtime, in hopes that in doing so I will be able to avoid bouts of tiredness during the day.

My problem is that I am still experiencing a fair amount of GI distress and Nausea. As far as I know this is a common early days side-effect of the medication, but for most(?) people it subsides after the first couple weeks.

I don't want to have to stop or switch to a different medication because that is its own special kind of hell, and I am feeling less depressed and less anxious since I started on this medication.

But it's not great feeling sick a lot of the time.

So I guess what I'm wondering is, are these symptoms likely to resolve in the coming weeks? Or, is it the case that if they were going to resolve they would have done so already.

Clearly everybody is biologically unique so it's probably not that cut and dry.

Other medication: Metoprolol ( High Blood Pressure)

Nim

[Bike Rider]

Hi Nim, on the meds that I take, the side effects lasted a little longer than indicated but did eventually go, so your are probably the same.

We are all different and thing react different, keep going.

[Rohit]

Hang in there , give it at least 4-6 weeks.

[ana]

I've been on Escitalopram since the 30th of August (5 mg for the first week,then 10) and the nausea had only been gone for the past 4 weeks

[Colin44]

I've just bumped an old thread of mines about this stuff.

I'm about the same time and dose in as you, I had a complete loss of apetite but force a banana or apple down you. If you get a belly rush as I call them I find a big gulp of water helps.


I started taking mines in the morning again but I am too struggling with tiredness and hard to get up. Come Saturday that will be me at the end of week 5.

[ana]

Stick with Escitalopram,everyone. It's a great medication once it starts working :)

[Colin44]

Hopefully mines will start working and the benefits will outweigh the side effects I've had. Just ended week 5 back on them.

[Shaman]

Hi everyone.

I started Escitalopram 6 days ago,. Third day i developed nasty pressure type headache, anyone of you have this side effect? Will it pass during treatment continuation?

My mental clarity also diminished. It is hard to find right word in conversation, when previous i was known from erudition.

My social skills are also impared, (ability to small talk), despite fact that my anxiety level drop significantly in that small period of time.

Also speed of mathematical procesing dropped down.

What are yours experiences? Whether these side effects have passed?

[Colin44]

^^^^ I'm now starting my 6th week and still getting them. Tummy in turmoil, hot flushes, sweats, bouts of increasing anxiety. Severe morning tiredness.

Slowly tailing off so hope it doesn't last much longer. Side effects 2 years ago lasted maybe just over 3 weeks.

Oh and crazy dreams too.

[ana]

I think a lot if the symptoms are just coincidental and we (sometimes wrongly) subscribe them to medication. I've only felt nausea as a consistent side-effect,but you should tell your doctor about any side effects and they might take you off the medication. Saying that,6 days in not enough time for side effects to develop

[Shaman]

After few more days i felt better. I am using esci with baclofen and tianeptine. Three days ago i increased dosage from 5 to 10 mg, fog hit me again.
So, when i am increasing dosage will side effects last as long as when i started drug for first time or less?

[ana]

I reckon the side-effects will not last as long when you increase the dose. I didn't have nausea when I upped my dose from 10 to 15 mg a few weeks back.

[Colin44]

Over 6 weeks for me now, had a horrible day on Friday and didn't want to keep taking them but did and had a much better weekend. Back taking them in the mornings now.

[Shaman]

I take 10 mg for 3 days and developed HORRIBLE alcohol craving. (google it, i cannot submit link becaus i have no more than 10 posts)

So i come back to 5 mg but i dont feel as good as previous on 5mg. My mental chatter is loud again.

[Nim]

I guess I'm at 6 weeks now.

I'm still having a lot of GI (upper and lower) trouble. On Tuesday I went out for lunch and couldn't finish my meal because I felt liked I was going to Ralf. I'm having heartburn on a fairly regular basis. Lots of burping, often accompanied by heartburn. Nausea some days. I cut way back on dairy, not sure if it's done any good.

Additionally, I'm back to taking my dose in the morning.

[Shaman]

And now i become impotent. No morning erections. Type in google escitalopram impotence. I cannot post links before i post 10 messages.

Is this unique to escitaroplam?

I was few years on sertraline and have so such side effects.

[Nim]

And now i become impotent. No morning erections. Type in google escitalopram impotence. I cannot post links before i post 10 messages.

Is this unique to escitaroplam?

I was few years on sertraline and have so such side effects.

All SSRIs have the potential to cause sexual dysfunction. If you are concerned about it I would suggest consulting your GP.

Nim

[karenp]

I was given Sertraline and it landed me in A&E so everyone is different, I am on 20mg of Amitriptyline (4th day) and still going through hell and was told Amy is easy next to SSRI's. But it's no different to when I was getting on Lexapro, which sadly just never worked for me despite going on max dose. But it works fantastic for other people. It just never took my anxiety away which is what I suffer with not depression. Hmm, AD's def mess up your love life but a small price to pay I thought, to feel normal again. It's happens very different for a man though, lol.

[Debs21uk]

I've was on citalopram for a long time an it was so long ago I can't remember too much of the side effects as I had an illness at the same time. I do remember having stomach problems and anything I ate gave me terrible problems with trying to digest. It did go away but I couldn't tell you how long it took. I am now on escitalopram which I hope will work as well as citalopram did, stick with it cos when it works it's worth the initial side effects.

Debs

[Colin44]

The upset stomachs will calm down after a while. MAke sure you have a full belly before taking it.