Lexapro: Increasing Dosage/how Long?

Updated

I'm in my mid-thirties and have been suffering from anxiety for a long time. Have been taking xanax for many years and while it helps, I recently decided to give Lexapro a try. I've been on 10 mg for 1 week now. I realized immediately that I was sleeping better but today I had a slight panic attack (which I understand happens in the initial stages of taking the drug). My doc discussed upping the dose eventually but there's no specific timeline. So my question is this: How long did you wait before increasing the dose from 10 mg to say 15 or 20? I have a colleague who started on 10 mg and then went to 15 after one week. Not sure if that's the norm. Any replies would be greatly appreciated.

2 Replies

Earliest Newest Votes
1

It is important to give the drug several weeks to work. There is no way to know after a week whether or not you need to go up on it. Many doctors go up too quickly on these meds. Also, there is no guarantee that you will never experience a panic attack again just because you are on a particular med. I am on Lexapro and I have taken almost all the antidepressants at one point or another. They help, but they are not a cure. The most important thing is to be in therapy along with your medication and learn tools for dealing with your anxiety and panic when/if it arises.

Was this helpful? 0
2

Eric has a good point about using therapy to "learn ways to deal with the anxiety and panic when or if it arises". And I just wanted to branch off a little into that area without taking away from the initial discussion. In my personal experience overcoming anxiety in certain areas of my life, I don't think this point can be stressed enough if a patient doesn't want to remain dependent on something else for any longer than whatever allotted time frame is thought to be necessary; not that Lexapro is addicting per say, but since we aren't always in complete control of obtaining our meds through the hands of a middle-man (two in this case: doctor & pharmacist) - solely relying on meds for relief can potentially present more complicated problems than they're worth in the unlikely event that a doctor/pharmacist is unable to fulfill your request/Rx at any point in time. This may leave the patient susceptible to serious withdrawals. And I don't say this to deter you by any means. Just felt that it was something to take into consideration if you intend on taking Lexapro (or any prescribed med) for the long haul. This type of risk factor doesn't seem to bother many patients, but after coming across related stories on here from those who have been affected in such a way, I can only spread awareness to help keep others informed of any potential long term ramifications that come with many medications; especially those that affect how we feel on a day to day basis.

Was this helpful? 0

More Discussions:

increasing synthroid dosage

Have been taking 50 for several years--recently increased to 75--extreme fatigue--possible cause? ## According to the Ma...

2 REPLIES
Increasing Atorvastatin dosage from 10 to 20 mg

I am 78 year old male from India. I am diabetic but under control and mild bp under control. My cholestrol level is 113,...

3 REPLIES
Invega: Increasing dosage, pills or inj.

I have been taking Invega in pill form. I started at 3mg. 3 months ago. Recently this was upped to 6 and now am taking 9...

1 REPLY
Nuvigil - increasing dosage

I have been on 150mg Nuvigil per day for several years. Previous to that, I was on Provigil , but the insurance co. made...

1 REPLY
gabapentin for back pain. Increasing the dosage

My doctor has prescribed me gabapentin 300 mg capsules. for nerve pain in my back. I'm a little confused on how to t...

3 REPLIES
how long for lexapro to start working

About 5 or 6 weeks ago I started Lexapro. I was on paxil for about 20 years and it felt like it just pooped out and stop...

1 REPLY
lexapro how long for it to work

Been on lex for 7 weeks and suddenly my anxiety became worse. I'm now upped to 20mg for the last 4 days. Is this nor...

2 REPLIES
How long between dosages?

Hello everyone! I was just wandering if anybody else is sometimes off by the timing of taking their suboxone? My Dr. Tol...

2 REPLIES
How long will it take for increase in dosage to work?

I've been taking 50 mg of nortriptyline for chronic nerve pain for a few years now. Six days ago, my doctor increase...

3 REPLIES
Pan D Tablet dosage and how long?

I am having dry mouth and it smells very badly. I went to my doctor, and she suggested to me to take Pan D tablet. My qu...

3 REPLIES