I'm suffering from moderate levels of anxiety and depression (have been for about a year) and my primary care provider recently prescribed Lexapro/escitalopram. No effect on the 5mg/day, which is a very low, very cautious dose, so at our most recent appointment she had me raise it to 10mg/day. None of the well-known physical side effects, except a little dry mouth. However. I've been feeling somewhat more prone to anger and minor anxiety attacks in the 3 days since the increased dosage. Not sure if this is the result of stress at school (anxious about upcoming quiz, plus possibly quitting an unpaid internship that doesn't seem worthwhile) or a result of the medication. Especially since this seems atypical -- Lexapro and other SSRIs are known to cause increased suicidal ideation, or fatigue, or apathy. I don't want to kill myself: I want to fight someone while screaming. My plan of action is to see if this state of affairs persists past the removal of immediate stressors (turning in all the assignments due over the next 2 days), and then contact my doctor ASAP. In the meantime, keep taking the meds, because SSRI withdrawal is often worse than the side effects of staying on it. Anyone else had similar experiences, or information that can help my ignorant ass?
oddly enough, i'm more prone to anger when i miss a dose. talking to the dr is the best plan, of course, but i've found with a lot of non-threatening side effects you're usually told to wait it out a couple weeks, so don't be surprised if that's the case. hopefully it's situational and not medicinal.
When I was on SSRIs, feeling constantly jittery and way more anxious and alert than usual was definitely a side-effect I had. (As far as I know, that's actually a moderately common outcome for bipolar people - they can either chuck you into fullblown mania, or mixed hypomanic/depressive episode, of which 'I am so anxious and angry and upset' can be an example. Not to suggest that that necessarily applies to you, just to let you know it's by no means unheard of.) Talking to doctor is definitely a good idea; it could be dose-adjustment fuckery, or it could be just flat-out side effect, so you may have to wait a few weeks and be prepared to return and be forceful about it if you're still having side effects and want off it/a different med.
Am bipolar, was prescribed Lexapro when the GP insisted on treating it as depression, this happened to me. Having something similar happen doesn't mean you're bipolar, but yeah, it's definitely 'ask your doc because maybe something is up' territory. (If there's any bipolar disorder in your family, make sure to bring that up, though.)
I'm just dealing with depression, and increased anxiety on Lexapro was definitely a thing for me. I also had increased anger, but I'd always chalked that up to having the emotional energy to experience anger at all... it very well could have been side effects.
My current med fuckery is I'm having a hellish time finding a prescribing psychiatrist in my area, and I am going to need it for more welbutrin within the month. Also I think I'm fed up with zoloft, and have like 3 full bottles of the stuff, don't know what to do with it, don't really want to toss it since it's so expensive and hard to get if you don't have a prescription for it. Also also, I want to try out ADHD meds, because it turns out I've probably got that and it's what's causing the depression(-ish symptoms?). How illegal is it to trade meds with someone? Like on a scale from 'not a great idea but it's your business' to 'you will go to jail if anyone catches you, and people will be trying to catch you'. Because I'd be down to mail this stuff off to someone who needed it or wanted to try it out, but don't feel like, yknow, going to jail.
@roach I can't speak as to antidepressants, but as far as ADHD meds go, it's very illegal. At least, for the stimulant varieties, since they're mostly Schedule II controlled substances. (They're such Serious Business that if I want to travel to the US with my ADHD meds, I need to get a special notarized form from the pharmacy that swears I'm not smuggling them. Last time I traveled, I just didn't bother.)
@roach lots of pharms have a "bring in your meds so we can do stuff with them" program. if they're expired they'll dispose of them in a way that's safe for the environment. if they're not expired, hey, maybe you can trade the pills in and they can at least help someone else. in the meantime, is a gp going to work for this kind of write-me-a-prescription shit? i ask because i haven't had a psychiatrist since 2011 and i haven't really had any problems except for with my benzos, and even that, nah, not really, gp just writes the scrips now. @The Frood Abides this sounds really weird but the anger miiiiight actually be an indication that meds are working. see, sometimes, you need medications to be able to feel things again, because depression leaves you numb and anxiety isn't an emotion, it's a state of being that's highly unpleasant. but the feels that you feel again? aren't necessarily happiness. it's totally reasonable, for instance, to get frustrated at the light that burns out, instead of just listless "welp that's never getting fixed." it's just that, when you haven't felt that way for a long time, it can feel a little off, like, why am i irritated at this little thing. one other effect of antidepressants is that SOMETIMES they can fix the executive dysfunction problems and make you functional, but can't do anything about the suicidal feelings/emotions, so that's why they put suicidal behavior/thoughts warnings on antidepressants, because it basically gives you the energy/functionality you need to finally do it instead of putting it off for later. but that's just an interesting fact, and one you didn't need to know. seriously, though, if that happens, do not pass go, do not collect $200, call your fucking doctor asap because that's a known effect.
talked to doctor, she says it's pretty normal and only a problem if it doesn't level out soon. which I think it has been? It's really weird. I did something incredibly dumb and tactless today and I only hate myself a LITTLE about it. I'm not sure if this is meds or just me running out of fucks to give.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. A couple days ago I developed tinnitus (high-pitched, persistent ringing) in my left ear. I haven't even been listening to loud music, much less exposing myself to dangerous decibel levels. But it turns out this is a rare (but known) side effect of escitalopram. As soon as it clearly wasn't going away, I sent my general practitioner a quick message though the university's online system. I haven't quit the drug yet because going off SSRIs without tapering = Bad. Now I think it's showed up in both ears. I'm scared I've done permanent damage. Has anyone else had a reaction like this? (Tinnitus runs in my family, but my father blames too much loud music in his adolescence for his)
Tinnitus is definitely unrelated. Was off Lexapro for over a month. Hopefully it doesn't get worse. Anyway I've been back on Lexapro for a few days now and the anger+anxiety response just kicked in again. HOPEFULLY this levels off because it actually seemed to be working on the depression last time I tried it, and it would suck to trade it in for a different set of incapacitating emotional problems.
I noticed my anxiety spiked when I went on Wellbutrin, however when my depression wasn't as crippling as normal my anxiety spikes anyways, medication or not. It's like a see-saw made of terrible.
updates: 10mg wasn't doing much but when I went up to 15mg I was tired all the time. so I just finished tapering off Lexapro and am feeling KIND OF SHITTY again. New psych prescribed Zoloft, so... after a few days to establish a baseline I guess I'm trying that.
nnnnnnot as anxious as recent events would typically make me. maybe the Zoloft is working? too early to tell.
