Escitalopram and me: longterm anxious insomniac

Hello All.

I am currently on 10mg Escitalopram, it is my third day. Before that I had 5 mg for 4 days and 2.5 for 3 days.

I was on Seroxat and Zopiclone 3.75 for 10 years, then Trimipramine and the same Zopiclone for 10 years.

I had to stop Trimipramine in January (having tapered off) because of cost and availability reasons. Withdrawal was hell. Insomnia came back, I went up to 7.5 Zopiclone. I tried going drug-free but the insomnia and returning anxiety meant I knew I needed to take something. My Gp put me on Mirtazapine 7.5 which didn't help much. My psychiatrist moved me onto Amitriptyline because it's similar to Trimip. It helped with anxiety and sleep but gave me bladder issues. I was then moved onto the Escitalopram. Sleep hadn't been great up to now, but I managed with maybe 6 hours in 4 sections. Anyway, last night I couldn't sleep at all. Dropped off about 6 am for about 3 hours.

I know insomnia can be a side-effect of Escitalopram, but I so hope it will get better. The bladder issues are still with me and thought to be anxiety-related. My psych gave me some Lorazepam to help me out, but I haven't taken it as yet. I'm a bit scared of it.

Feeling battered and beaten at the moment. Every way I turn there seems to be a fresh problem. I'm like a hermit and have been for two months really.

Thank you for reading. Can anyone offer any advice/hope?

I’m on Lexapro right now and I’m having the same issues as you, horrible insomnia. Supposedly it goes away after a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your reply. Are you on anything specifically for the insomnia like me?

---------- Post added at 16:41 ---------- Previous post was at 16:38 ----------

Sorry, also meant to ask what dose you're on?

Seroquel (anti-psychotic) is prescribed for insomnia, my therapist has told me. It might be worth looking into.

You can talk half of lorazepam at night. It will help you sleep. I did that when starting cipralex.

No, not on anything for the insomnia, sleeping pills have never worked for me. I'm on the lowest possible dose (5 mgs) and I take it in the mornings, so it's completely ridiculous why I can't sleep at all.

Thank you, Andre, I went ahead and took half a Lorazepam last night. Nothing seemed to happen so I took the other half. I certainly got some sleep, but I thought they were going to be really strong and knock me out. I've never taken a benzo before.

I haven't taken escitalopram (yet, I may be switching in a few weeks if my anxiety doesn't get better), but I have been on 40 mg of Citalopram for 5 years.

I had horrible insomnia for weeks after starting the Citalopram. Unfortunately, my doctor never mentioned it was a side effect of the medication. I thought I was getting worse, which was kind of a nightmare. When I went back in to the doctor after a week on Citalopram (at 20 mgs.), she upped me to 40! It was horrible. I did stick with it though.

For a few weeks, the only way I could sleep would be if I took Lorezepam AND Trazodone at night. Then I dropped down to using just Trazodone....and eventually nothing, once the Citalopram fully kicked in.

I've been on 10mg for three and a half weeks now so thought I'd update.

The sleeping has definitely improved. I take my Zopiclone and go to sleep within about 20-30 minutes. Up until the last two nights I've been waking three times. For the first week of this I would often lie awake for an hour or two each time. Then I started to go back to sleep pretty quickly. The last two nights I have only woken up twice. I'm getting about 7 hours a night, and I don't dread bedtime any more.

The nausea wasn't a big problem for me. I had it mildly at the beginning and when I raised the dose. Strangely it came back last Monday (2 and a half weeks in to 10mg) and has been getting me down. I have seen an improvement over the weekend though, so hope it is passing.

Bladder issues much improved, but this wasn't caused by the drug, it was anxiety.

Sweaty hands and feet gone! So weird but a real issue as my feet were sliding about in my shoes and giving me blisters.

My message would be to keep powering through the side effects. I just can't express how hopeful I now feel about my health and the future. I spent three months not living my life. I'm now looking forward.

Oh, and as far as weight goes: after putting on four stone (56 pounds) on medication and being stuck with it for 17 years, I have lost 24 pounds in three months. I don't know if the Escitalopram is just biding its time in this respect. I hope not!

Hi Sleepy! I was curious how you are doing now on the escitalopram? I still haven't switched yet (entering week 7 of this relapse, UGH), and the main reason is that I'm so afraid of getting really bad insomnia again! In fact, I've had to start taking my trazedone again at night due to anxiety over this, and just my regular anxiety.

Thanks!

Ive taken lexapro for almost 2 years starting 2014 im on 10mg daily. After taking it for 2 years straight i decided to stop it gradually. For the years 2016 and 2017 i was off lexapro and back to my real self. But come early 2018 anxiety and panic is back due to flu and throat symptoms.

Now im back taking lexapro for a little over a month.

Mbclubph, sorry to hear you had a relapse after going off the meds. That's great though that you were able to go med free for two years!

Are you finding the Lexapro working for you just as well this time around?

Hello Nervouskel,

I've been on the escitalopram now for 7 weeks at 10mgs. My sleeping has settled down now and I get 7-8 hours waking once, but I am still on my 7.5mg of Zopiclone.

For the last few weeks though I've been feeling unwell with swollen glands, ear pain and fullness and generally feeling unwell. Going back to see ENT this week, but worried my body could be reacting to the SSRI.

Sleepy, hopefully the ear pain, swollen glands, and feeling unwell is due to something else, since it seems like otherwise the escitalpram is working really well for you :-).

I just started my first dose of it this morning; 5 mg. for 6 days and then up to 10 mg. Should be interesting;-).

Well, several weeks on and still have the ear/gland problems. Investigations ongoing.

I have found that anxiety is breaking through again so today I have gone up to 15mg escitalopram. Hoping that the nausea won't come back hard.

Good luck, Sleepy!

Let us know how it goes moving up to the 15 mg.

Third day today on 15mg. I had trouble getting to sleep the first night, but dozed off after about an hour and a half.

Yesterday I had quite bad anxiety.

This morning I woke up at 6 and felt super anxious. I dozed off at about 8 and woke at 10 with a jolt and in a blind panic after a horrible stressful dream.

I so hope this is going to be short-lived. No nausea yet:)

At least the first three days are over :-)!!

Too true, NervousKel!

I took half a lorazepam and it's calmed me down a bit.

11 days on 15mg now and I feel much better in myself. Had tests for ear pain/fullness, sinus fullness and general malaise. All clear. Now I am aware that I am clenching my jaw. Have I been doing this all along and that has been causing my symptoms? I've read that it can be a side-effect.

I've also been feeling quite wired and restless, but SO much happier. Hoping these effects will fade. I really want to stay on this drug!

I've had a bit of jaw clenching on escitalopram, too. I did as well on citalopram; it did eventually go away. It seems to have gotten better on the escitalopram, but now with increasing doses I expect it to possibly come back again.

I think the jaw clenching could probably cause your symptoms, especially if you are clenching your jaw in your sleep.

Yes, I think so too, it would all make sense. I hope it does go away, along with the restlessness.

Good luck with your increases x

It’s been 2 weeks and 2 days on 15mg and it’s not going well.

I’ve been continuing to have ear/sinus issues and a general unwell feeling. Yesterday I was at a friend’s and I suddenly became aware of my speech, wondering if I could get my words out (I could), my legs felt weak, I felt unco-ordinated and my vision went strange. I was also very tired and lightheaded. This was definitely not a stressful environment. I do however feel this was all caused by anxiety. My son had just heard some bad news career-wise and was stressed and upset, and although I didn’t consciously feel anxious about it...well you know.

At home in the evening I felt bad again, felt I was starting to panic and took half a Lorazepam. I am very resistant to using these and have barely touched them, but I wanted to see if the problem was anxiety. After half an hour I did feel a bit better.

So is escitalopram not working for me? Is it a blip caused by the increase? Does it disagree with me? I really don’t want to have to taper off this and try something else, I want my life back. I haven’t been well since January. Advice anyone?

I'm sorry to hear it's not going well :-(.

I think your episode the other day was due to anxiety, not only caused by worry about your son's job situation, but also from the increase of escitalopram 2 weeks ago. Hopefully you are over the worst of it now, and should start to feel the benefits of the increase. It's such a shame that anxiety, depression, etc. usually get worse when increasing or starting these meds. I am hopeful that someday the scientists will invent an antidepressant that works immediately, or at least doesn't have any side effects!

Still feeling unwell. Last night I was just full of adrenalin, but not in a negative way, just really wired and hyper. Still like it this morning. Also still having sinus issues and painful ears. I’m seeing my psych in two weeks. I’ll just have to see what happens between now and then

Hopefully, it will all start to settle :-(.

Well here I am, 2 months on 15mg.

Horrible agitation, over-stimulated, wired. Twitching muscles, jaw-clenching, painful ears, sinuses. Anxiety’s fine though!

Woke ar 4am, that was it, too wired to go back to sleep. Today I decided to cut down to 12.5mg.

I’m fed up big time. The thought of having to change meds again makes me want to weep. I’ve already lost the whole of this year. I’m still unwell after over 6 months and we’ve got a holiday booked for September. I am absolutely dreading it.

Hopefully the decrease will help with the agitation!

Since you're decreasing, those side effects might go away really soon....maybe even in a few days. You could be doing great by the time your holiday comes around in September :-)!

Thank you for your support and sympathy, NervousKel.

Been on 12.5 for nearly a week now. Nothing has really changed. I did have some weird symptoms for two days: feeling faint, room spinning. A result of the reduction in dose, probably.

The wired feeling still features. I can’t relax, my head buzzes, I’m physically twitchy. The sinus/ear fullness and aching always accompany this feeling. Is it caused by tension and jaw-clenching? Still have raised sub-mental lymph node. Is this playing a part?

Seeing psych on Friday. Should I go down to 10mg? Wondering if this drug is going to be a keeper. I’ve been on it now for 5 months or something. Anxiety better but feel like hell.

Oh, that's too bad :-(.

It might be worth a shot to try going down to 10mg, and see if that helps. You could always go up again if the anxiety comes back.

It's so frustrating trying to find a med that will work, and without bad lingering side effects. Almost 3 months for me on escitalopram, and I don't feel any different than when I first started! I'm pretty sure I'll have to switch to something else.

Decided to stay on 12.5 for longer, then decreasing to 10 if the agitation doesn’t improve. If I’m finding it too distressing to live with, I may be giving Prozac a try.
Marvellous.

I'm sorry you are still having issues with the agitation :-(. Hopefully a few more weeks at 12.5 will level things out. Maybe it's like starting or moving up a dose: you have to give it a good 6-8 weeks to see what happens?

Thought I’d write an update.

I’m still on 12.5mg of Escitalopram and a nightly dose of 7.5mg of Zopiclone. I still have jaw-clenching which I believe is what causes my ear and sinus problems.

Now for the amazing positives!

I sleep for 6-7 hours a night, wake nice and early (for me) between 7&8. I’m not groggy, or feeling miserable about the day ahead as I was on 10 years of Trimipramine.

I have such a thirst for new experience and an enthusiasm for life. No more sitting on the settee watching the hours tick by any more. I’m planning, looking forward, I’m excited about everything.

I’m driving again. I’m not anxious about it, I don’t dread it any more, I don’t clock-watch getting more and more anxious as the time approaches to get in the car. I drink so little now that I’m doing the driving when we go out, and am saving us a fortune in cabs.

I feel so alert. I’m sailing through cryptic crosswords, answering twice as many questions on University Challenge as I used to and my memory is sharp.

The last ten years were lived in a fog. I slept for 11-12 hours a night and my anxiety was dulled, but at what cost? I also had weight-gain, heart arrhythmia and dry mouth and eyes.

I’m still concerned about the jaw-clenching and the problems it causes, and I wish I could drink more than one glass of wine without feeling rubbish, but I’ll take it.

It’s taken at least six months on my escitalopram journey, but I’m glad I began it. My message is persevere. This drug is no quick fix, but it deserves a fair trial.

Hey Sleepy,
Good to read your update - remember we were both fed up with the agitation and for me the twitches and jerks... my psych said to go back from 150mg sertraline to 100mg to see if it helped. It's been 2 weeks and it has helped but I'm not sure it's enough for the anxiety... She said if it didn't work to come off and try Pristiq. However, it pains me to have to go through withdrawals for weeks on end then start again :-(
I have been living life and its been ok - but just still not quite there sustainably.
I had a particularly rubbish anxiety fueled day today and I'm not sure if that is part of withdrawal, pmt or what's going on....
Anyway - 9 months on and still can't make a decision!!
Good job checking in again
Lisa

Sleepy, that's great news!!! It sounds like you are doing wonderful!

I, too, am finding escitalopram to be a long haul :-)! It's definitely more of a slow burner than a quick fix, at least for me!

Lisa-
I know just how you feel. I desperately don’t want to change meds with all that involves. I’m still considering dropping to 10mg to see if that helps with the jaw-clenching, but am worried about anxiety returning. It seems to be such a fine balance. Keep in touch.

NervousKel-
Are you still planning to stay on it? I’ve dropped my Zopiclone now by 25%. I’d like to at least get down to 3.75mg a night, but I’m not rushing it.

I went on a plane last week and was quite relaxed! Side-effects (ENT issues) weren’t good while I was away, but then I did have a bit of Cava every day! Back on the wagon now. Alcohol and escitalopram are definitely a bad mix.

Best wishes and positive thoughts to you both xx

I’m still here!
Still on escitalopram, but I’ve recently gone down to 10mg as the wired feeling never went away, nor the sinus/ears thing. Still on 7.5mg Zopiclone and sleeping patchy.

My anxiety has been nonexistent for many many months now, so I’m hoping I can get away with less esc.

My psyc tells me I’m unlucky with the side-effects I suffer from as most of his patients don’t.

How are you, NervousKel?

After two weeks on 10mg, I feel much better. The agitation has reduced dramatically and the ent symptoms have improved.

Has anyone else had these problems while on higher doses? Is anyone on 10 or less and finding the drug still helps their anxiety?

Still on 10mg. Anxiety still good but ent symptoms persisting. I have a cracked tooth from jaw-clenching and the dentist believes my fissured tongue is also caused by the escitalopram. Am I the only one here to experience this?
Still contemplating a switch to Prozac. The ordeal fills me with dread.

Ditching the Escitalopram and tapering on to venlaflexine.

This thread is done. Over and out.