Doubling dose of Cipralex

[Vicky21]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here (this is my first post) but was wondering whether anyone could give me some advice on side effects with doubling dosage of Cipralex.

I have been taking 10mg for just over 2 yrs and it turned my life around. I suffered awfully from irritable bowel which caused a lot of anxiety and I was basically house bound as I was so scared to go out because of the pain.

Lately I have been feeling very nauseous and have been having, what I now know are, panic attacks. I control them by focusing on my breathing when I am on the toilet, but they have become so scary.

I went to the doctor yesterday and, to cut a very long story short involving a useless nurse and a saviour of a doctor, my dose has been doubled to 20mg.

Last night at about 2am I was in bed watching TV and felt very sick. I sat up and I don't know what was happening but I started shaking. I controlled it by focusing on my breathing until it passed but had to take 2mg of diazepam to make sure I didn't have a panic attack with it. The doctor yesterday gave me 6 2mg tablets to use when I feel I am about to have a panic attack to stop it happening.

Is shaking a side effect of upping the dose? I've never had it before, not even as a side effect when I started taking 10mg.

My side effects lasted 2 weeks when I started taking 10mg and after after 5-6 weeks, I felt so much better, but it took that long.

With 20mg....the doctor said it may take 1-2 weeks to feel better. Do the side effects only last a few days?

Thanks for any help you can give me - just need a bit of reassurance I guess!

xox

[seh1980]

hi Vicky,

I think that when you doble your dosage it is normal to go through all the side-effects again. They normally last a couple of weeks. Are you sure that the shaking wasn't just you having a panic attack? It could be that you're feeling quite nervous about increasing your meds..

Sarah

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[Vicky21]

Hi Sarah, thanks for your reply.

I'm not sure what the shakes were. I've never had that before.

I think maybe it might have been a bit of me worrying about taking the contraceptive pill. I didn't take it the other night as I had decided to stop taking it because it may have started my nausea off but I took it last night after thinking "well...I won't worry about it because I've got the new medication" and an hour or so later, the shakes started.

I think I'll stop taking it properly now. I guess it doesn't help that the doctor I saw yesterday asked about pregnancy when he found out I had been feeling sick. I've had a heavy period since and it was a one-off and, not going into details, I couldn't go through with the whole thing.

I take my double dose at about noon.....have always taken it at that time. Does it matter what time you take it?

Thanks!!

[vernon]

Hi Vicky and welcome to the site hope you get the help you need here which I am sure you will. Sarah is right I think it was just a panic attack, as I have learned over the years when you seem to be getting better the panic seems to change symptoms to scare you again, if this makes any since. Both Sarah and I have taken Cipralex, but I think Sarah is off them now. I had a really bad return of anxiety/panic 2 years ago after stopping drink, which I had, drank heavy and daily for 40 years to hide the anxiety and panic. I too have IBS I was having lots of tummy trouble and feeling sick most of the time (convinced I had bowel cancer and the doctor wasn’t sure too). I had lots of tests that took nearly 10 months to complete e.g. X-rays, Barium Enema, blood tests and a Sygmoidoscopy they weren’t pleasant tests but at the end it really helped me to find I just had IBS. I started on 10mg of Cipralex and after about 8 weeks they upped the dose to 20mg, I think I was a bit shakier when the dose was raised but not too sure as the anxiety and panic was bad so it could have been that. Like you I felt much better after starting the Cipralex, but took much longer to feel the benefits of the raised dose. I am still anxious and worry much too much about health anxiety but I do think I feel much better now on the raised dose of Cipralex. Hope this is of some help to you, keep posting and you can even join us all in chat anytime, everyone is friendly and you would be made welcome to join in the chat or just watch. Take Care. Vernon

[Vicky21]

Hi Vernon,

Thanks for your reply. I've felt a bit shaky today too and tired. I read online that side effects from upping the dose should subside within a few days but then others say within 14 days...!

I remember it took me 5-6 weeks to feel the effects of 10mg but the doctor did say a week or 2 before I feel the effects. Hope it's more like a week as I can't wait to be able to go out etc properly!! At the moment I'm not going out and hardly eating, as I've totally lost my appetite and am worried that whatever I eat will come out the other end with pain etc.

I didn't know there was a chat room here. Is it usually used a lot? I'd love to join in...

xxx

[vernon]

hi , the chatroom is at


usualy someone in after 8pm. I got the no appetite too at one stage even lost weight but think its more the anxiety ajan the cipralex higher dose. take car