Lexapro Dosage Increase?

Hey Everybody!

I'm a 21 year old student and I've been suffering with GAD for most of my life. It's gotten pretty bad these past few years to the point where I've entered a cycle where at times I've been unable to read/focus on my textbook readings. I have good days where I can read on and on and focus and wake up the next day with full blown anxiety questioning my ability to read. Its gotten to the point where I'm getting random heart palpitations while reading..

Long story short, I went to the doctors last week when I could not stand it anymore and was prescribed Lexapro. I began taking 20mg, but after the first night I could not stand the side effects and was told to cut down to 10mg. This first week on 10mg was amazing. I woke up with no anxiety, and was reading flawlessly without questioning myself every 10 secs. I was defenitely a lot happier. However, after a week I felt like anxiety creeping back. I'm not sure what to do. I'm scared to increase the dosage to 20mg because I'm scared the side effects will hit me hard, but more importantly, Im scared that the 20mg won't work and that even if it does I might build a tolerance to it. So I'm wondering if it's a good idea to increase the dosage to 15mg instead of 20mg. Any advise would do!
Thanks for reading!

Everyone is a little different, but I believe most antidepressants can take 2-4 weeks to give you the full benefit and/or to eliminate side effects.

I have anxiety and SAD. To deal with the SAD, I take an antidepressant that is similar to Lexapro, called Celexa. I start taking it in the late Summer, when the days get shorter, and stay on it until Spring is about to start. I tend to experience side effects, so when I start Celexa in the late Summer and go off it in the early Spring, I ween my way off and on by gradually increasing/decreasing the dosage over the course of a couple of weeks (i.e. 1/4 a pill for a couple of days, then 1/2 a pill for a week, then the whole pill.)

I'm wondering if you have taken Lexapro long enough to gain the full benefit. For myself, I don't like to be over-mediated. I like to test the waters after I've had a certain dose for long enough to realize the full benefit. If moving up to a higher dose, I'd ease my way into the 15 for a few weeks and then go to the 20 if needed. My goal is to eliminate side effects, while getting to the level needed for the optimum results (without over-medicating).

I know that the shorter days can really throw me into a tail spin. Try to get some exercise and sunshine. I find that an SAD light really helps me.

From what you have written, it appears you had a placebo effect for the first week or two. Lexapro takes 3 weeks or so to even build up in your bloodstream to have an effect. It is not a fast acting benzo like Valium or Clonipin. So, the fact that you felt wonderful immediately after taking Lexapro means to me that you believed your were getting some effect, so your body reacted accordingly. This is actually a good sign for you. Your anxiety will eventually be manageable. You have to be patient. Also, 10 mg Lexapro is a very low dose. After a month, you should up it to the 20 mg and stay on that. I would be you will start to feel better. However, if you need immediate relief, ask your doc for some Valium (Diazepam) or Clonipin.