My lexapro diary

[Phill2]

Hello Phill

Yes I appreciate that but I thought that 10mg was a therapeutic dose for all adults not necessarily only for those over 65?

Isn't the range 10-20mg daily?

Hi Pulisa
This is the advice in the leaflet
"10 mg/day is the recommended dose for most elderly patients"
The max dose for younger people is 40mg but I'd be hesitant about going that high.

[pulisa]

In the UK that's the dosage for citalopram/cipramil but it's 10-20mg for escitalopram/lexapro.

I wonder why the dosage criteria is so different in our countries?

[Phill2]

No idea Pulisa.
I've just been diagnosed with pre diabetes and the levels for that in the UK are higher than here too

[pulisa]

I'm sorry to hear that, Phill. Can you manage that through diet alone?

I reckon your healthcare system is superior to ours which is all over the place at the moment!

[Phill2]

I'm unsure at the moment Pulisa.
I'm still learning about it.
Our health system isn't doing so well at the moment.
Lots of Drs and nurses unable to work due to Covid iso etc.

[jonjon]

So 6 days at 15mg as per doctors instructions.

Anxiety not any better.

A lot of brain fog and fatigue.

Went for a full round of blood work today.

Do you magically feel better at some point? Because there is no gradual improvement in my opinion. :-(

[pulisa]

I think you are expecting a lot from a medication alone, John. See whether your bloods come up with anything which could explain the physical symptoms but it won't help to focus on how you are feeling every day. Has your psychiatrist not suggested any form of therapy to complement the meds?

No you don't magically feel better at a specific time. Improvement is something which comes once you stop analysing your feelings and coming up short.

[jonjon]

It seems the lexapro is making my headaches worse. I always had anxiety headaches but they’re worse now.

I am seeing my neurologist tomorrow morning for Botox injections which treats the headaches.

I have read that increasing the dose of any antidepressant resets the clock on when they start to work. If that is true I won’t see any improvement until December. So so so disappointed

[pulisa]

I hope the Botox helps. I live with chronic pain too and it can really drag you down..if you let it. I had psychological therapy to help me manage my pain. There is no doubt that anxiety heightens pain perception and some days are obviously better than others but if you feel/perceive less pain you are going to feel better physically and psychologically and this won't be down to lexapro dosage so don't pay too much attention to dates and "rules" re potential efficacy?

[jonjon]

Since going up in dose I have experienced a really big increase in fatigue.

It has been 1 week at the increased dose and lately all I can do is lie on the couch.

I tried a strong coffee this morning to get me going but that causes my anxiety increase.

Anyone else had this bad fatigue reaction on this medication?