Hello Everyone!

I'm starting Lexapro tomr its the third med I've tried & I'm hoping it proves third time lucky!!

I was just wondering what time of day you all took Lexapro? My doctor forgot to tell me now I'm worrying weather I should start it tomr as I'm not sure when to take it! I'm switching from Mirtzapine which I took before bed.

I'm also a bit worried if I have to take it in the morning - some days I have to be up at 9 but otherwise sometimes I don't wake up until midday & I know your suppposed to take it at the same time everyday. Hum!

Hows does everyone get on with Lexapro? be good to hear peoples experience of this med!

Meg x

I take mine first thing in the morning
but as long as its once a day it wont matter when

its a really good med for my depression and anxiety

but I am having trouble since the dose was put up to 15mg a day I did have start up side effects on the 10mng - they all fade in aboiut 4 weeks _ am STILL hoping that the effects I now have will fade but it is seeming less and less likely as the days go by

its so very very good for my depression I have been putting off seeing the doc even though I am very very uncomfortable and sometimes its painful

good luck with the Lex as I say its brilliant for me just hoping the side effects go - or I will go back to the lower dose :)

I take mine in the morning as well. Usually around 7-ish, but today as I slept in a bit, I took it around 8. I would agree that you might try taking it whenever you can commit to a regular schedule and unless it affects you one way or another, leave it at that.

Morning or evening are typical, but if you had to take yours at noon every day, I couldn't see that being a problem, but you could always ask your pdoc to see what they say.


I'm on 3 weeks to the day today and while my depressive mood has improved, I'd like for the anxiety part to work better!!! I'm not crawling out of my skin like I was a few weeks ago, but I'd like more relief. I'm hopeful for the next week to come as that'll be week 4 for me!!!!

Prayers & thoughts ~ Randy

Thanks for you for taking the time to reply and thanks for bumping the other post Lizard - much appreciated.

I think I am going to take it this evening & if that proves problematic I'll try taking it at lunch time.

I notice some people have trouble falling asleep if they take it at bed time. I have that trouble anyway sometimes it takes 3 or 4 hours to nod off. I have been prescribed Zopiclone to help me sleep so I always have that to fall on. I haven't taken it yet, I'm too scared Lol! I'm a big chicken when it comes to taking meds!!

Viviane, I hope your side effects ease soon & its good to hear this med has helped you both.

Take care

Meg x

Good luck with starting the meds I hope it works as well as for you as it does for me

just remember that whenever you take it be consistent and if you do have to change the time of taking it then do so by an hour or two a day till you get it to the time you want - dont make big changes

Viv xx

Good luck Meg-- I take mine in the pm and it seems to help me fall asleep. Hope it works for you this time!

Good luck Meg! I started Lex about 3-1/2 weeks ago, and it does seem to help at this point. I'm not perfect, but I'm a lot better than I was. I wanted to mention too that I found taking my Lex with a Pepcid AC (and for the first week or so, some Extra Strength Gax-X) helped the gastric side effects tremendously for me! I guess I've had headaches too, but I had those before anyway, so I didn't really notice a change. I already have trouble sleeping if I don't stay up until all hours of the morning, so I take Tylenol PM at bedtime too. I just switched last night to taking only half my Lexapro at bedtime, because I think it was keeping me from sleeping deeply, even with the Tylenol PM, and that seems to help a lot so far. I didn't have a problem getting to sleep with it for the first week or so, but lately it has become a problem. I am hoping that this change will do the trick for me.

Let us know how it goes!

Thanks you for all your replies.

Well I started the lexapro Sunday night, as expected I slept awfully but I put this down the my anxiety about starting new meds. I always half expect something bad to happen so no surprise about terrible sleeping Sunday night.

Yestr morning felt fine, if anything a little bit queasy but thats being really picky! I couldn't eat all my cornflakes @ breakfast but managed dinner fine, as normal. I didn't feel so hungry which was good at the mirtzapine had me eating like a bottomless pit!!

Last night took my tablet at 8.30 ish, and went to bed at 11pm. Didn't get to sleep until gone 3 and woke at 6 ARGGG! I was really tired but so aware that I was trying to go to sleep! I ended up couting sheep in german lol! Goodness knows why German as I haven't studied it since school about 10 years ago I was surprised I remembered it!!

So fingers crossed for a better night sleep tonight.

I'll keep you updated!

Hope you are all doing okay.

Meg x

This post has been edited by Meg: Mar 14 2006, 06:14 AM

You might keep trying this for a few more days & see if things change.

If not, you might seriously consider taking it mid day.(or as early as you *commonly* can) I know your wake up routine isn't consistent, but if the latest you get up is like noon, then you could just schedule your dose for noon every day.


I take mine around 7am and find that I always have an easy time going to sleep. It might just be what's keeping you up at night right now. I'd probably still see it thru a few more days if it's more comfortable for you to take at night, but if not, then try switching to mid day & see what happens.

I get pretty groggy around 9pm, typically and by 10pm I can comfortably lay in bed & fall asleep. I still wake up around 4:30am every day, but I figure 6.5 hours of sleep is definitely do-able for me!!!!

Hope that helps!

Prayers & thoughts ~ Randy

perhaps if you dont want to take it during the day or in the morning you could try taking AS you go to bed so that it hasnt started to build up in your system until after you fall asleep - that way once asleep you might be fine and stay asleep

I used to take one of mine right as I went to bed - I cleaned my teeth took my meds then straight to bed

that worked for me as the side effects happened during sleep time and once asleep I was fine


th eother option is to take it as early in the day as you can at a time that you are always up eg for you that would be about noon

for me that is about 5.30 am (hehe)

5.30 lol.

Well its been nearlly a week so I thought I'd give you a quick update!

The sleep has been, well all over the place!! I had a few nights which were terrible and I hardly slept and then I had a few nights where I took a few hrs to get to sleep (which has been the norm for me over the past few months) I've been taking my tablet at 6/7pm ish which is a bit earlier than I orginally started it. My doctor told me to take my zoplicone to try and get my sleep sorted out so going to try that tonight.

My appetite has plumeted, I find it really hard to eat breakfast & find myself picking at lunch & tea and having no snacks at the moment. Needless to say I have lost weight this week about 5ibs in all!

My anxiety has been increased I've been feeling randomly anxious! Doctor said it could be discontinuation effect from the Mirtzapine, or a start up effect from the Lexapro or becuase I've not been sleeping well&not to worry to much about it.

My mood? well I know a week isn't long enough to tell how its going to effect me but my doctor said I seemed brighter this week ( I see her every week) and I think I was a bit brighter. I didn't feel any "happier" just like buzzy it felt like i'd had too much caffine or something! thats subsiding now & I'm feeling pretty miserable again today.

So its one week done several more to go!!

Hope you are all doing well Meg x

Meg hang in there

it will take time - for now do what your body wants (as long as you can drive safely and get to work-if you do)

sleep when you can and do try to eat if you are loosing weight that quickly you will soon become unhealthy so for now eat high calorie food as that will stop the weight plummeting and give you the energy you need

I started to feel minor improvements with Lex after the first week
and it just got better for the next four - then the dose was changed and I got the side effects back - still waiting for one of those to go - it is fading

hope you soon settle to the med and find it is the one for you - that will save another change of meds (I hate it when I have to do that )

and yes I do get up at 5 30 am
when I get up I dress have a quick cuppa walk the dogs for an hour so by then it is nearly 7am home shower dress for work put my face on do my hair and out of the door by about 7.50- on days I am not working I still keep the same routine as the dogs get up then :)

Meg,

I think I can concur with your feeling more anxiety starting up Lexapro. I don't know why that is, but I think it's definitely for real. Today is officially 4 weeks for me at 20mg and while I"m still not there, I'd say I've improved about 50%. I take a .5mg Xanax now..........(down from 1mg)........in the morning to help me get thru. My sleep is pretty good. I definitely get tired at night which is GREAT!! I love knowing that when I get into bed, I'll be able to go to sleep!!

This morning I woke up at my usual 5am-ish, but snoozed around 'til I went back down & was able to sleep between 6 & 7am (I think. I block view of the alarm clock per my pdoc's instructions so I don't "clock watch").

Then I kinda' rolled around a bit more 'til 7:30 when I woke up. That was kinda' nice. Of course weekends are nicer anyway as I *can* bum it a bit.

I'm gonna try & nap later too. Looking very forward to that!!

My honest advice to you is...............DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO GET YOUR SLEEP!!!! Whatever your doc prescribes, USE IT!! Get your sleep!!! Remember, our bodies, minds, eyes......do a lot of healing when we get sleep!! That, plus.......well.........I love sleep too much!!! I gotta have it!!

Ambien, Lunesta, whatever!!!! Take something to get your sleep.......and don't feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

Also........do you take any Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin or Valium??? If not, I'd highly recommend it if you need to get thru some short-term anxiety!!! Seriously!!!

Prayers & thoughts ~ Randy

I'm only working 3 days a week, and from home (social anxiety phobia has rendered me incapable of interacting with people) lucky for me my dad is self employed and works from home & needed some help so employed me! We're v quite at the moment so thats good!

I do have to drive to see my horses but touch wood my driving hasn't been affected.

Crikey I cannot imagine getting up at 5.30! I've never been a morning person!

I'm not on anything for my anxiety - I'm not good at taking pills I force myself to take the ADs in the hope that they may help but I'm dealing ok wt the anxiety at the moment. Just hope the random anxiety goes away soon. I can just be sitting and feeling anxious about nothing which is pretty hard to understand!

I didn't take my sleeping tablets last night I'm in a bit of turmoil over weather to take them! I've always been a big sleeper, easily sleeping 12 plus hrs so its been a shock during this bout of depression (getting on for 18 months now) having such problems with my sleep. the mirtzapine helped but I'm worried I'm just expecting too much. I mean I hardly do anything during the day so I can hardly expect to be tired!! all I want to do is sleep its good to be out of it for a bit! Maybe I should just bite the bullett & take the tablets see what happens. I;m anxious just thinking about it!

Lol Anyway enough rambling from me for now!! I'll let you know how I get on Meg x

Meg have faith in your doctor
and try taking all meds as prescribed for say 2 weeks and see what happens

do try to get some exercise - I am not talking gyms here
go for a nice walk if you are worried about meeting people drive to a quiet area - or go ride the horses anything to get you out in the fresh air and moving

it will help so much with the depression - it will also make you a bit sleepy too so should help with the sleep

I do hope things work out for you :)

Meg,

I was curious if you're "coming off" of mirtzapine (Remeron) and, if so....how? Since it's also an AD, you should probably be tapering off of it if you really *are* coming off of it. And, yes, don't sweat taking your sleeping tabs. Go for it!! Sleep is good!!!

I'll be very curious to see how the ***Buspar w/ Lexapro*** thread develops. Perhaps Lexapro will take care of the anxiety too some time down the road, but perhaps in the interim, we need something like Buspar to cut the anxiety. (???) I'm not a doc so I won't claim to know, but until Lexapro kicks the anxiety, and seeing as there are some reports of it creating some anxiety (at least initially), I think it might be worth a look at something to help kick that down initially.

Here's hoping we all have a nice, peaceful, restful, relaxing Sunday!!!!

Prayers & thoughts ~ Randy

The thing with the sleeping tabs is my doctor told me to take them as and when I felt I needed them. Well lets say my decision making leaves something to be desired & I simply could not make up my mind weather to take them or not!

Finally decided to take the sleeping tabs last night. swallowed it then instantly paniced and wanted to not of taken it but obviously it was to late then lol. Got to sleep pretty quick&definetly slept better but still woke up several times during the night :(

Randy ~ yeah I was on mirtzapine for about 5 months tappered off veryy slowly under docs suppervision & stopped completely 3 days before I started Lexapro.

Viviane ~ I do get out everyday (with the horses) I haven't riden them for 6 months now I just can't at the moment but I have been taking them for short walks in hand to graze so thats my excerise!! pretty limited but its something huh.

Hope you are both having a nice day. Xx

Yes, walking the horses is good!!!

In fact, may be better for you right now as it's *you* who needs the exercise. Walking is among THE BEST things you can do!!

Being outside is good
Catching some sun is good
Being around the horses is good

You've got a trifecta of good things going on there!!

And DON'T feel guilty about sleep medication. And, in fact, if they get you to sleep, but don't *keep* you asleep, I'd even mention that to your doc. Sleep is good! No doubt about it!! I think we all know that feeling of guilt after swallowing a pill, but experience has taught me more & more..........to NOT feel guilty!! The meds are there to help us!!! If you need it.....take it!!

Remember, you're healing during sleep, so it's about 100% better to sleep, than not!

Chin up!!!

Prayers & thoughts ~ Randy