My Escitalopram diary

[karenp]

DAY 21

Still on 5mg's of Cipralex.

Still had another rubbishynights sleep last night, I woke up at 2am and then just lay there but didn't really have any horrible low mood feelings which was one thing, just some irritability. I'm feeling very nervous right now as I have to ring my doctor up for an appointment and always get into a it of a state worrying they won't give me any more Lorazepam to help me through these early days, even though I am going to ask for some Zopiclone I think as it seems to work better for me and I never have any probs stopping it. Roll on when I've been and calm down and even better when all I need is my little white Cipralex pill, ha ha!
All in all I had a brilliant day yesterday though with no anxiety at all, apart from the usual dodgy start. I don't know about anyone else but even when i do feel good, I am still constantly wondering when the anxiety will come one where as I should just forget about it but I took my Son into town after school to Mcdonalds with my Sister and her 2 boys. The 2 youngest, including my horrible chimp were playing up showing off infront of eachother most of the time so I did feel stressed but only normal stress, lol!!! But I am getting out more now and feeling more normal whilst I am out where as a few weeks ago if I ventured out I'd either have nervousness or chest tightening symptoms or not be able to breathe right. I hope it's the Cipralex helping me not just the Llorazepam keeping me calmer but apart from my sleep, I think I can feel myself improving, it might be a good Christmas after all, heh heh!!!

[nicola1980]

Thats great news karen x x

[Tunnel]

Mmmmmmmm McDonalds!

KarenP: I am glad to hear you are starting to have better days! One of the first things i noticed when i started to feel better on Cipralex was when i was out in crowded malls or stores i didn't feel anxious anymore. I hate shopping on the best of days, but i think a lot of that is because it always made me feel anxious. I absolutely hate feeling anxious in public. It would make me grumpy! I go out shopping now with the wife and kids and i really don't feel that anxiety anymore. I still get frustrated at the crowds but thats normal for me. The anxiety i felt was more of a nauseous, nervous or worried feeling.

I hope your sleep gets better! The fact you are still having some really good parts to your day is a huge positive to me. You are feeling better despite the lack of proper sleep. I think once you get your sleeping issues resolved one way or another you are going to love life again!

Take Care,

Mike

[karenp]

DAY 22

After seeing my doctor yesterdy and telling her how rubbish my sleep is (which has been for months to be fair!) she decided to put me back on Zopiclone for a couple of weeks and says the insomnia will pass the more Cipralex takes effect, gosh I hope it takes effect after 7 months of severe anxiety and sleep deprirvation and 3 other failed ad's. I do think there has defo been improvement already though despite me obviously still needing to take sedative medicines to help me through these early stages. I'm so hoping I am going to be like you Mike ((((((:
I had a brilliant day yesterday though with only a weenie bit of anxiety around lunch time so I just switched on tv, had my lunch, drank a pint of water which I was told by the doctor I saw at the hospital is really good to drink as much as you can of. In fact apart from milk, I drink nothing else nowadays. Anyhow, I had my Sister and her 2 kids round for tea as her Husband was working till ten and felt very relaxed all day and dare I say it NORMAL.
After not taking any Lorazepam today and just the Zopiclone I do have a bit of nervousness now but it's way down the scale so maybe, just maybe, ESCITALOPRAM is doing something already. My mood is brilliant that is for sure and just need to totally kick this anxiousness now, fingers crossed without having to go up to the next dose but it I have to I have to (: I'm going to give this 5mg's chance first and will probably up in quaters to keep the side efefcts at bay, not that I've found the side effects at all bad starting up on Escitalopram

---------- Post added at 10:02 ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 ----------

I might even wrap the 2 pressies I've bought for Chrismtas so far today, lol!!! I am soooo unorganised this year but it's been a lousy year.

[Tunnel]

Glad to hear you got a better nights sleep. I am also happy to hear you are feeling better. My sleeping patterns are pretty good right now. I am not having any issues falling asleep, i do find i wake up here and there in the middle of the night to check the time. I guess somewhere in my brain i am worried i am going to oversleep my alarm which hasn't happened in a long time. Things are starting to look up Karen and it only gets better. As i stated before, i noticed a big difference at day 30. So, hopefully sometime around there you will feel even better.

As far as the dosage increase, if it were me personally i'd leave it alone until after Christmas. That will be roughly 6 weeks for you on 5 mg. You might feel good enough by then and wont feel a need to make an increase. I am leaving my dosage alone for now, because i am feeling pretty good. In fact i don't go back to the doctor until January 28th, so i won't be touching my dosage for a couple of months.

Take Care,

Mike

[karenp]

DAY 23

Still having rubbishy sleep but have Zopiclone to help. I took this for five onths whilst on Mirtazapine this past 7 months (Reminder: the Mirtazapine just made me more poorly hence the change to Escitalopram!) and because I took it every night to get some sleep it stopped working, I've been off it 3 weeks now and it's working great again but the sooner I am off extra meds the better.
I have no anxiety at all right now but just feel a little flat, not terrible, just slightly flat like I'm almost normal but not totally if that makes sense though early mornings are stilla struggle but not anywhere near as bad as they were before the Cipralex. I normally find once I have got up, got my little boy ready for school, come back from school and get on with my lovely domesticated stuff I am starting to feel much better and the worst of my day is over till tomorrow. I don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't on my sedatives at this point, whether I'd have anxiety during the day or if Cipralex is beginning to work on it's own. I am so looking forward to day 30 Mike, ha ha! But I really do think I am already so much better already even if it is partly the sedatives playing a part in that but wish I'd been introduced to Escitalopram months ago.
Not got much planned today apart from picking Wills up from school later so I might watch a dvd, I've been tot he shop and treated myself to some puff pastry mince pies with brandy in them so I shall scoff a couple of them tuning into my movie and just chill out (:
It's cold here to Mike but probs not quite as cold as Canada. It's really nice out in fact, sunny and still and a little bit frosty this morning, I love this time of year normally but am so disorganised this year with being ill for so long so need to do some serious Chrimbo shopping (: My 9 year old still believes in Santa 100% too so we need to visit Santa somewhere soon too so he can make me cringe with all the stuff he'll ask for like ipads and that, lol!
You know Mike, I think I am gonna stick with 5mg's of Cipralex for now and just give it time to reach it's full benefit and then ask to go up to 10mg's if I am still needing sedatives first thing when I am still feeling anxiety at this point and need them for sleep. Only 7 more days till I reach day 30 so I'd better be like you Mike, ha ha ha!
Mr G, how are you today anyhow????

---------- Post added at 11:11 ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 ----------

PS. awww ta Nicola. Hope you are feeling so much better too. I know you've just had yet more horrible luck losing your Grandad. This year will soon be over and surely it's our turn to have a brill one in 2013 (;

[karenp]

DAY 24

I'm feeling a it jittery today and have some anxiety but hopefully it will soon wear off. I think I worked myself up a lot yesterday over my ex Husband letting him get to me, so it's probs that and stil very early days on the minimum dose of Cipralex.
I did sleep a bit better last night so that's one thing, very tired today ironically (:

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 ----------

Mike, when you reached day 30 did you still have any anxiety at all or is that when it went away????

[Tunnel]

Mike, when you reached day 30 did you still have any anxiety at all or is that when it went away????

Karenp:

I would say by Day 30 i was feeling very little anxiety if any! My day 30 was November 9th, I have a daily logbook i keep at work and I just looked back at my working schedule on that date. It was 3 weeks ago today actually, and i had a really busy work day. I had a lot to accomplish that day despite being short staffed 2 people. Other then being physically exhausted at the end of that day I do not recall any form of anxiety at all. I also had a really good weekend the following two days after, so i would say my answer to your question would be "No, i can't remember feeling any anxiety on that day".

Take Care,

Mike


P.S. I think its a smart decision to stay at 5 mg, no sense in rushing it. Especially since you are sensitive to these types of medications. I'm no doctor, but i'd give your body time to regulate on 5 mg for minimum 6 weeks, you are half way there now.

[karenp]

Thanks Mike.
Well today I've had a real OFF kind of day, I just slept most of the morning (which I hate ever doing when I can't sleep at night) and I've had anxiety that's only just really worn off. How odd as I've been really great part from first thing for days but I hope to think of it as maybe a BLIP day (fingers crossed anyhow). For the first time since I started Cipralex I had those horrible feelings of being scared again though about where the anxiety was leading (ie.panic attack??) Luckily it never got any worse but I had to go grocery shopping and can't say I enjoyed it very much but hey, tomorrow is another day ((((((:

[karenp]

DAY 25

What a rubbishy nights sleep again. Even though I coudn't stay awake most of the day yesterday I felt so exhausted. I don't thik Zopiclone and Cipralex are doing me any good so am gonna ask to switch back to Lorazepam as I also feel very edgy at the mo, so disappointed as I really thought the Cipralex was beginnging to work but it's obviously taking the Lorazepam that has given me so many much calmer, anxiety free days at this point. Maybe it's just going to take longer for me to kick in or I am going to need the higher dose ): Just gonna see what my doctor says when I see him on Monday.