Share review of Escitalopram

Escitalopram 2016-04-14 Person 4 5 0

Taking 10mg each day for general anxiety and mild depression. Been on it for almost 9 months now. At first the side effects weren't pleasant. Everyone's different, but I had trouble sleeping as the main side effect. I started taking before going to bed and the first night I woke up around 3am with an anxiety attack. I don't know if that was the medicine or me being anxious about taking medicine. My psychiatrist started me off at 5mg and increased to 10mg over 2 weeks. Anyway, I switched to taking it in the morning. That didn't really help with regards to sleep. I would have trouble falling asleep (took me around 30min or so whereas usually around 5-10min). I'd wake up after a couple hours and have a hard time going back to sleep. After 1 month or so of taking it, it was easier for me to fall asleep, but it still was hard for me to stay asleep. Again, I don't know how much this was down to me being nervous about taking meds (I have a problem with this) or it actually having an effect on me. The other main side effect is it dulled my libido, and this is really the only side effect that is somewhat still there. It has increased from when I first started, but I can tell it's not the same. It just happens though. It's a tradeoff. I was aware of all side effects before taking it. Minor side effects I've experienced are heavy sweating at night and constant yawning. These seemed to happen more often towards the beginning of taking it. I don't really notice that now. The side effects are definitely worth it though (in my case anyway). This SSRI is probably the best in terms of being safe and affective with minimal side effects. It's made me feel so much better just on a low dose of 10mg. Again, everyone's different, and I have no idea how it may effect you if you're considering it or something similar. My anxiety is still there, but it doesn't constantly nag me, and when it does happen, it's easier for me to control it. Definitely worth it, if you need it. Try CBT first though. It's the only method that will actually help you get better. The SSRIs are really just a crutch (and not a permanent solution) to help you work through CBT or similar. Good luck!