Re: Cipralex - side effects and timing
There is no published requirement that I know of for what time of day you take Escitalpram = Cipralex, etc. The normal requirement is to take it as a single daily dose - more on this in a moment. There is no specific rule for food either.
Quite a lot of people seem to suffer nausea with the pills although I'm inclined to think that our underlying anxiety, depression & stress or panic is bound to provide quite a lot of that itself. Maybe the pills just let it out. On the other hand I found I needed to eat since the pills seem to destabilise my blood sugar a bit and that was already pretty wonky for me anyway. Despite an OK blood test I get a lot of high/low sugar swings and the pills seemed to make the dips lower. So I now always aim to have snack or meal before taking the tablets.
As I was still struggling to (get to & stay) asleep with a morning dose at 10mg - an original symptom of my anxiety & worries - my GP put me upto 20mg BUT I take the second 10mg at night. This makes it the maximum dose (for Esc') but unusually split into 2 doses. I've been mildly worried that everything I can find says "single dose" but its helped me a lot so I've been trusting him.
Some people say the meds make it hard to sleep. I had a lot of active worries that kept me awake at night, so the meds definately help me sleep. Infact to begin with I was very sleepy in the day as well, but I was the same before I started the meds so its hard to allocate blame.
All the other symptoms you mention are pretty common. They are documented as lasting for quite a few weeks as your brain readjusts to the chemicals.
Good luck with this. If you need to ask more - please do or PM if you want it private.
One last thought - definately don't vary the amount you take too often or at all fast, the extra fluctuations in the active dosage in your body will play havoc. Slow and steady is the normal rule.
__________________
Kevin, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK
Probably GAD & Phobias. Anxiety and renewed Depression medicated (Venlafaxine). Trying to improve.