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Started an SSRI med today for anxiety. Any ideas how long side effects last?

post #1 of 3
Thread Starter 

Hi there,

After years of trying to fight my anxiety naturally, I started an SSRI med called Lexapro today. Within about 2 hours I felt very drowsy and a little nauesous and my lunch did not look appetizing. I left work early and laid down for about an hour, but obviously I can't do that every day.

 

Has anyone had experience with this and how long did your side effects last? The Dr. said this was one of the more gentle drugs out there.

 

Many thanks!

 

ETA: I'm taking 10 mg. I just started reading on her about people's withdrawal symptoms. I'm scared to do this.

post #2 of 3
Did you take it with food? Keep food in your tummy and that may help with the nausea adjustments. I do think you'll adjust and I would expect the stomach stuff to settle within a few weeks.

I don't remember dosing specifics but I assume you're moving up in dosing--that's not your end dose point? Usually they start at a dose and then move you up and I'm wondering if your doctor just started you at the dose he thought you might need. You may need to start lower to minimize the effects. If they continue past a few weeks (probably won't) this may not be the best med for you. Some work better for people than others. It's been a long time since I did SSRI's but I did them for a long time and various ones. Some had side effects that others didn't for me. Weaning off completely can be tough depending on the drug but it isn't always an issue at all. Most of mine had essentially no issues with weaning off. Paxil, though, was horrible for me to wean from. I had the really bad symptoms and, you know what, I don't think about it at all--Paxil was just a blip that doesn't register on my life's trials even though I had a very bad withdrawal compared to the general experience. I could/should have switched to a different med I think and weaned from that one when we knew it was going badly with Paxil. But you're not going to go off--and moving from one SSRI to another is usually an easy switch. You won't really go off but just go from one to the next.

You need help. I'd encourage you to stick with this. Don't be afraid. If you don't tolerate SSRI's side effects wise there are other options as well like inositol but it's a pain to dose compared to the SSRI's. So keep with them. Stop reading stuff about withdrawlng from a med you just started and give it some time to help you cope better! hug.gif
post #3 of 3

I started taking 25 mg of sertraline (Zoloft) about three and a half months ago. The only immediately debilitating side effect I had was diarrhea, and it only lasted a few hours after I took the medicine for the first time.

 

I still have these side effects: sex drive even lower than normal, occasional queasiness in the mornings (rare, might be a coincidence), I have to urinate more frequently, and I often have even more trouble sleeping than usual. The sleeping is the only thing that bothers me too much. It helps that I take the medicine in the morning rather than later in the day.

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Mothering › Forums › Health › Health and Healing › Mental Health › Started an SSRI med today for anxiety. Any ideas how long side effects last?