Starting cipralex (lexapro/escitalopram), some questions

[lilgreen]

I just got my prescription. My dr. said to start off with 5mg for the first week, then 10mg thereafter.

- Should I take it at night or morning?
- I know I'm supposed to take it at the same time every day, but how much can this vary? What if I'm off by several hours?
- My dr. said I might get anxious while I'm adjusting to it. How long will this last? Is it likely to happen even if I'm starting off with just 5mg?
- When will I almost certainly start to feel the therapeutic effects?
- My dr. said that it's no problem to ttc (I'm laying low on this right now, though) and she recommended to even to stay on it throughout the pregnancy. She said the latest research shows it's safe for women with past healthy pgs. Should I question this or is sound advice?

Thanks so much for all of your help here and in my previous threads. I appreciate it so much!

[canadianchick]

I have been on Lexapro for several years and I love this med. I take it in the am but I believe that you can take at whatever time it works best for you. I sometimes forget mine and will often take it later in the day but I think, like with any med, it's works best when taken at the same time every day. You should start to feel some effects within the first 10-14 days. I am on 20 mg/day which is the high end of the dose. I have heard that it is safe to take when pregnant. I can't comment on that cause I had dd long before I started Lexapro. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. The only downfall is that I have some night sweats but I think part of this is that I am gearing up for menopause so it's likely a tossup whether it is the med or the menopause.

[Bad Horse]

Here's my experience with it!

- Should I take it at night or morning?
I take it in the morning, it just works well for me that way. Never took it later in the day, so don't know if it would affect my sleep to take it later.

- I know I'm supposed to take it at the same time every day, but how much can this vary? What if I'm off by several hours?
On occasion I will take it later, and I haven't noticed ill effects, other than occasional dizziness, which is always my reminder to take it.

- My dr. said I might get anxious while I'm adjusting to it. How long will this last? Is it likely to happen even if I'm starting off with just 5mg?
I didn't have any issues getting on it, I started at 25mg for a week, then up to 50mg

- When will I almost certainly start to feel the therapeutic effects?
I think 10-14 days is a good estimate, as pp said

- My dr. said that it's no problem to ttc (I'm laying low on this right now, though) and she recommended to even to stay on it throughout the pregnancy. She said the latest research shows it's safe for women with past healthy pgs. Should I question this or is sound advice?

I am 8 months along right now and have taken it throughout pregnancy. I feel like the info on it was good that I felt ok taking it, and it was a cost/benefit thing, too.
The only thing to consider is that is slightly raises the risk of pulmonary issues in the baby in the 3rd trimester, my pdoc mentioned this and said that I could look at whether I wanted to continue to take it throughout or not. Again, it came down to cost/benefit for me, and after more research into it on my own and consulting with an ob, a genetic counselor, and again with my pdoc I decided to continue taking it throughout. I get a LOT out of using it, and with my history of severe ppd along with bipolar I felt it was truly best to stay on it. I am also mostly UPing now, and planning a UC and feel comfortable with this while taking it.

[lilgreen]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I already feel better, but I've only been taking it for 5 days so it must be a placebo effect... ie. comfort in knowing that it's likely going to make me feel better.

Also, thanks for the experience/thoughts on taking it while ttc and pg.

I really appreciate it that you took the time to respond!!!

[Bad Horse]

Originally Posted by lilgreen

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I already feel better, but I've only been taking it for 5 days so it must be a placebo effect... ie. comfort in knowing that it's likely going to make me feel better.

Not necessarily! I think it CAN start to work faster, I know that it did for me, but everyone's different. Or maybe it was a placebo effect for me, too. But regardless I DID feel better after a few days, so no matter what the reason, it's working!

[oiseau]

I've been on Lexapro for about 2 years. I started the same way....5mg first, then up to 10mg the next week. I always take it in the morning. On the rare days I forget, I start to feel groggy and crappy.
I don't remember feeling anxious when I started taking it. For me, it took about a week to kick in and the day it did, I knew it. I felt so much better all of the sudden. Unfortunately, it hasn't stayed that effective over the past 2 years and I'm on 20mg/day now.
As for ttc, I second what way already mentioned about considering the costs v. benefits. I'm still a ways off from ttc, but unless I somehow miraculously get better between now and then, I'll probably stay on it. For me, I become non functional without it and there's no way I'd be able to take care of myself, let alone a fetus/baby without meds...so in the long run, the harm to my child would be more w/ me being off the meds than it would be to be exposed to meds in utero.
Good luck!

[emaye_to_2]

I've been on Lexapro for six weeks now. I cannot tell you how much better I feel now than before, one thousand times better!

I too ramped up from 5mg to 10mg to 20mg. I take it at night because the only real side effect I noticed was that I'd get reallly tired after taking the pill. Some days I forget; rarely.

I did not notice any anxiety in the beginning. It took 2-4 weeks for me to start feeling loads better.

Good luck!