Misc my turn...LEXAPRO

[deos68]

yeah just waiting for the fourth of july weekend to be over so i can head to the doc office on monday since she went out of town
...just realized you must be fucked up if you have your doc on skype and have her personal cell phone number on speed dial haha

 

[Mycophile]

you mean ciralopram rather than escitrolopram right..

the he max dose of lexepro(escitrolopram is 20 mgs)

Nope, sorry dude you are wrong.

I take lexapro (escitolopram) and both my psychiatrist and former psychiatirst said the highest EFFECTIVE dose is 40mgs, which is the dose I am currently on now.

Both agreed that raising lexapro beyond 40mgs doesn't increase its effectiveness.

Not sure where you heard the max dose is 20mgs but your information is wrong.

 

[JessFR]

I was on lexapro for a few weeks, then I tried to kill myself. Lol.

Don't worry I don't think the lexapro caused it, it just wasn't effective enough for me.

I'm on an snri and have been for years now. Its been more effective, I fear the day I gotta get off it though.

 

[deos68]

I was on lexapro for a few weeks, then I tried to kill myself. Lol.

Don't worry I don't think the lexapro caused it, it just wasn't effective enough for me.

I'm on an snri and have been for years now. Its been more effective, I fear the day I gotta get off it though.

you tried to kill yourself but for me not to worry.....hmm
naw i know the chances of an ssri giving you suicidal thoughts are very real
glad nothing happen to you
how do you know it wasnt the fault of the lexapro?

 

[Erikmen]

I guess this is not possible to know.

 

[JessFR]

I can't be absolutely sure. But i didn't feel any more depressed on it in the weeks leading up to it. I'd been on track for a suicide attempt for years, it was a relative small thing that tipped me over the edge. It had been building up for a long time. Then someone upset me pretty badly and that just happened to be the straw that broke the camels back. It wasn't rational. It's true I can't be completely sure. But I'm fairly confidant it would have all played out exactly the same without the lexapro given the state I was already in before it.

 

[Mad benzo head]

Nope, sorry dude you are wrong.

I take lexapro (escitolopram) and both my psychiatrist and former psychiatirst said the highest EFFECTIVE dose is 40mgs, which is the dose I am currently on now.

Both agreed that raising lexapro beyond 40mgs doesn't increase its effectiveness.

Not sure where you heard the max dose is 20mgs but your information is wrong.

it is in the UK, the reason why others are prescribed ciralopram is that even though they say it's half as effective it's not as dangerous to raise it beyond 40mgs (equivelent of 20 mgs of escitrolopram)

this is is quite a new recommendation from the NHS though. And off course docs in specific cases can go against usual guidelines.

"
3 How to take Escitalopram
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Adults
To treat depression
The recommended dose of Escitalopram is 10 mg taken as one daily dose. The dose can be increased by your doctor to a maximum of 20 mg per day."


https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/28937

thats just one link . There are loads of other sources.

the normal thing for a doc to do these days is to switch the user to citrolopram to go over the 40 mg thresehold(which is 20 for escitrolopram) rather than upping the escitrolopram dosage.

but those guidelines are not neccesarily going to be the same in other countries and even in the UK they started prescribing it in higher dosages before problems were encountered and they changed policy.

personally I have been on both and I prefer 10 mgs of escitrolopram over 20 of citrolopram any day of the week is a newer better drug that seems to be more effective even if many docs say it's exactly the same(function wise) just half as strong.

 

[Mad benzo head]

I can't be absolutely sure. But i didn't feel any more depressed on it in the weeks leading up to it. I'd been on track for a suicide attempt for years, it was a relative small thing that tipped me over the edge. It had been building up for a long time. Then someone upset me pretty badly and that just happened to be the straw that broke the camels back. It wasn't rational. It's true I can't be completely sure. But I'm fairly confidant it would have all played out exactly the same without the lexapro given the state I was already in before it.

Blaming ssris is as making people more suicidal is an easy way out. There is almost a logical reasoning behind it. It gives you more motivation to do something and if you are that depressed (suicidal) you shouldn't be on an Ssri and have been misdiagnosed. Sadly you need something much stronger and it has a lot more side effects. However it could be that the person could be fixed with an Ssri but as they can take up to 6 weeks to kick in the person may between this time top themselves. However this still leads me to believe they need to be on a much stronger drug and counselling.

 

[JessFR]

I'm pretty sure Escitalopram was simply a modification made to Citalopram purely so the drug company could repatent an existing drug after the one for Citalipram expired. Not saying I couldn't be wrong, but that's what i found when i looked into it ages ago.

 

[JessFR]

Blaming ssris is as making people more suicidal is an easy way out. There is almost a logical reasoning behind it. It gives you more motivation to do something and if you are that depressed (suicidal) you shouldn't be on an Ssri and have been misdiagnosed. Sadly you need something much stronger and it has a lot more side effects. However it could be that the person could be fixed with an Ssri but as they can take up to 6 weeks to kick in the person may between this time top themselves. However this still leads me to believe they need to be on a much stronger drug and counselling.

Umm, not entirely sure what you're trying to say. What ended up happening was I was put in a psych hospital for month, put on a snri (which fortunately I had no side effects too), got a bit better, then decided I was never going home, was homeless for a little while, then I found a place and got a hell of a lot better.

I'm still not the picture of mental health, but I'm much less depressed and I want to live now.

 

[Mad benzo head]

I am not saying anything about you . You didn't commit suicide and I don't know you and you don't seem suicidal. You were also in a phscotics ward so got a lot of extra treatment and an snri. So you weren't just given an Ssri script and sent home.

i am talking about the general blame on ssri's for suicide.

 

[Mad benzo head]

I'm pretty sure Escitalopram was simply a modification made to Citalopram purely so the drug company could repatent an existing drug after the one for Citalipram expired. Not saying I couldn't be wrong, but that's what i found when i looked into it ages ago.

No it's a much purer form and is double the potency. Very similar with less side effects and more effective for many at certain doses.but at higher dosese can cause much more issues which we are learning more about as the years go on.

again loads of info online about it. Read up on it. (Sorry the poster on 40 mgs of lexepro) if I was you I would ask your doctor about it.. I haven't any idea where you are from but I assume USA as you are using the brand name for it. So the U.S. may have totally different guidelines to the UK. As we all do on many drugs..

I personally never take a med without reading about 2 hours worth on them.

 

[deos68]

researching any ssri etc will always give you reviews of it being the best ssri ever down to it being the shittiest ssri ever
just asking for people exp with it in the end i will make the choice to try it or not or try something else
but sometimes docs give you the rainbow side of ssris so you know they leave out the dark side of things
prozac didnt do anything while on 5 mg and when i consumed 10mg of it after a months worth of 5mg i thought if i had any side effects they shouldve been minimal as i had a steady stream of 5mg but the side effects wasnt worth it
just trying to get over my anxiety/panic disorder, my mild form of depression and if i were to gain weight that would be a plus

 

[Mycophile]

it is in the UK, the reason why others are prescribed ciralopram is that even though they say it's half as effective it's not as dangerous to raise it beyond 40mgs (equivelent of 20 mgs of escitrolopram)

this is is quite a new recommendation from the NHS though. And off course docs in specific cases can go against usual guidelines.

"
3 How to take Escitalopram
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Adults
To treat depression
The recommended dose of Escitalopram is 10 mg taken as one daily dose. The dose can be increased by your doctor to a maximum of 20 mg per day."


https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/28937

thats just one link . There are loads of other sources.

the normal thing for a doc to do these days is to switch the user to citrolopram to go over the 40 mg thresehold(which is 20 for escitrolopram) rather than upping the escitrolopram dosage.

but those guidelines are not neccesarily going to be the same in other countries and even in the UK they started prescribing it in higher dosages before problems were encountered and they changed policy.

personally I have been on both and I prefer 10 mgs of escitrolopram over 20 of citrolopram any day of the week is a newer better drug that seems to be more effective even if many docs say it's exactly the same(function wise) just half as strong.

Well, I don't live in the UK I live in the U.S. and here they could prescribe 60mgs if they want to but according to two psyhchiatrists the highest EFFECTIVE dose is 40mgs and after that side effects are increased.

That's REALLY stupid that they aren't allowed to prescribe over 20mgs in the UK.

So they think just prescribe citalopram because it is safer than going OVER 40mgs of Lexapro when most psychatrists agree that going over 40mgs isn't effective anyway??

Why not just not go above 40mgs of Lexapro??

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the argument that MORE than 40mgs is considered dangerous??

Well 40mgs isn't MORE than, it IS 40 lol.

Or if somehow the argument is that even 40 is "dangerous" well, I'm just not worried at all.

Maybe I should be, but I'm not.

 

[Mad benzo head]

Firstly you seem to have got confused

40 cit = 20 escit
40 escit = 80 cit

those are comparable dosages. Simply put escit (lexepro) is twice as potent per mg than citrolapram.

the UK's advice is that 20 escit is the max daily dose

however it did start out dosing higher than that but had more undesirable effects than from others on let's say 60 cit compared to 30 escit

after noticing the problems with people dosed over 20mgs of escit(lexepro) it stated no one should be prescribed more than 20 escit.

therefore the NHS would rather perscribe the more known drug (as it has been around longer ) at higher equivalent doses instead of lexepro.

i think the highest level of cit is 60mgs a day(equivalent of 30 lexepro)

Now I know for one thing. There is no point saying the UK is stupid for having that recommendation, but on the other hand I am not saying the U.S. Are stupid for having there's.

both products are passed patent and made generically so there is no real cost advantage to pushing either drug especially in the UK when it's all NHS and we use our own generics for everything. If lexepro was still in patent and owned by the U.S. Pharma company that owned it . That may have been different. The nhs's change happened after it was generic...I understand this is obviously a huge debate in your country as you have insurance and they pay for this or that or not this or that...


neither of us are chemists with complex data ..But all I can say is I preferred 10 msg of escitrolpam to 20mgs of citrolapram(which I changed from and then came of escitrolopram after a few months). I am of both now. I would never want to go as high as 40 or 80 anyway but either away I am past the need for ssri's

recommendations on doses and what drugs are treated for are different all over world. One country may have better data on one drug than another.

there is also no reason to make an argument over this. I am just telling you the NHS's recommendations. You are calling them stupid. Maybe because in your case 40mgs of lexepro helps you out. And good on you if thAts the case.

but let's be honest anyone on an Ssri should not be on them for life. They are not diagnosed with major depressive order, bi polar or schizophrenia and should be looking to taper down anyway. They are the very first line in minor depression and have very small effects especially at low doses.. These are not addictive, they are not life threatening, they are relatively Easy to taper of or just come down a notch..and if they don't do the job you may need something stronger.

and lets not start any argument due to our countries different recommendations.

 

[deos68]

guys guys....ohhh f it duke it out lol

 

[Mycophile]

Firstly you seem to have got confused

40 cit = 20 escit
40 escit = 80 cit

those are comparable dosages. Simply put escit (lexepro) is twice as potent per mg than citrolapram.

the UK's advice is that 20 escit is the max daily dose

however it did start out dosing higher than that but had more undesirable effects than from others on let's say 60 cit compared to 30 escit

after noticing the problems with people dosed over 20mgs of escit(lexepro) it stated no one should be prescribed more than 20 escit.

therefore the NHS would rather perscribe the more known drug (as it has been around longer ) at higher equivalent doses instead of lexepro.

i think the highest level of cit is 60mgs a day(equivalent of 30 lexepro)

Now I know for one thing. There is no point saying the UK is stupid for having that recommendation, but on the other hand I am not saying the U.S. Are stupid for having there's.

both products are passed patent and made generically so there is no real cost advantage to pushing either drug especially in the UK when it's all NHS and we use our own generics for everything. If lexepro was still in patent and owned by the U.S. Pharma company that owned it . That may have been different. The nhs's change happened after it was generic...I understand this is obviously a huge debate in your country as you have insurance and they pay for this or that or not this or that...


neither of us are chemists with complex data ..But all I can say is I preferred 10 msg of escitrolpam to 20mgs of citrolapram(which I changed from and then came of escitrolopram after a few months). I am of both now. I would never want to go as high as 40 or 80 anyway but either away I am past the need for ssri's

recommendations on doses and what drugs are treated for are different all over world. One country may have better data on one drug than another.

there is also no reason to make an argument over this. I am just telling you the NHS's recommendations. You are calling them stupid. Maybe because in your case 40mgs of lexepro helps you out. And good on you if thAts the case.

but let's be honest anyone on an Ssri should not be on them for life. They are not diagnosed with major depressive order, bi polar or schizophrenia and should be looking to taper down anyway. They are the very first line in minor depression and have very small effects especially at low doses.. These are not addictive, they are not life threatening, they are relatively Easy to taper of or just come down a notch..and if they don't do the job you may need something stronger.

and lets not start any argument due to our countries different recommendations.

Sorry man I was in no way trying to argue over this at all.

I guess the way I said it was "stupid" was kind of far fetched, in fact I'm not quite sure why I said that in the first place lol.

I think I just misunderstood what you were saying.

Of course, different studies are coming out all the time and this one you mentioned I guess is against prescribing as high a dose as I am on, other studies will be for it, etc.

So far I haven't noticed any negative side effects and it's helping.

The only point i'd even comment on was your bolded comment.

While I wouldnt' say anyone SHOULD be on an SSRI for life I would also not argue that everyone SHOULDN't be on an SSRI for life.

Of course they can have side effects, as can almost any medication, but some people benefit from being on certain medications for life.

I'd argue that IF POSSIBLE I would guess most people would prefer not to be on a medication with possible strong side effects for life, unless of course they just happen to really like what it is doing for them.

SSRIs don't actually have an *acute* effect though like benzos, or even less so than any drug which might produce euphoria or a high though, so I would have a hard time seeing any reason anyone would WANT to stay on an SSRI if they no longer need it.

But I wouldn't necessarily say everyone on an SSRI needs to be constantly trying to taper off either.

I've been on SSRIs for 20 years now, from prozac to Lexapro now, and WISH I didn't need them, but have found that without I get anxiety and sometimes depression that lessens the quality of my life, so unless I TRULY feel I no longer need it, I won't try to get off, even though of course I would prefer not to need it and get off it if possible.


Regardless, good convo, I just happened to like debating about things and typing excessively haha, not arguing.

 

[deos68]

Sorry man I was in no way trying to argue over this at all.

I guess the way I said it was "stupid" was kind of far fetched, in fact I'm not quite sure why I said that in the first place lol.

I think I just misunderstood what you were saying.

Of course, different studies are coming out all the time and this one you mentioned I guess is against prescribing as high a dose as I am on, other studies will be for it, etc.

So far I haven't noticed any negative side effects and it's helping.

The only point i'd even comment on was your bolded comment.

While I wouldnt' say anyone SHOULD be on an SSRI for life I would also not argue that everyone SHOULDN't be on an SSRI for life.

Of course they can have side effects, as can almost any medication, but some people benefit from being on certain medications for life.

I'd argue that IF POSSIBLE I would guess most people would prefer not to be on a medication with possible strong side effects for life, unless of course they just happen to really like what it is doing for them.

SSRIs don't actually have an *acute* effect though like benzos, or even less so than any drug which might produce euphoria or a high though, so I would have a hard time seeing any reason anyone would WANT to stay on an SSRI if they no longer need it.

But I wouldn't necessarily say everyone on an SSRI needs to be constantly trying to taper off either.

I've been on SSRIs for 20 years now, from prozac to Lexapro now, and WISH I didn't need them, but have found that without I get anxiety and sometimes depression that lessens the quality of my life, so unless I TRULY feel I no longer need it, I won't try to get off, even though of course I would prefer not to need it and get off it if possible.


Regardless, good convo, I just happened to like debating about things and typing excessively haha, not arguing.

respect
i know medicine like benzos ssri's snris are just a crutch well in my eyes anyway maybe i wont need them for life maybe i will but yes if i can get back to being semi normal why not?
there was a time where i killed anxiety on my own but this time around it seems to be kicking my ass feels like i need an extra kick in the ass or push i should say

 

[Mad benzo head]

20 years.. That's a long time.. The problem for me was i was on them (cirolopram) after coming of a an atypical anti psycotic. for PTSD(5 years) , and then just didn't need them after a year. I then had 6 good years of work and stuff. Then I started getting depressed and it worked but I brought down the dose and it worked I was fine for another 2 years.. then I got anxiety and I was still getting panic attacks on them after being prescribed them again for the anxiety ..An anti physcotic(strong sedative coild deal with that, but I wouldn't be able to work or earn a living, as you turn into a walking zombie).


So I am at the point of having to try and and take as few a benzos as possible per day and the only that stops a panic attack is a Benzo. I am obviously addicted to the dam things. But I try and keep it to below the equivelent of 20 mgs of Diaz per day. I can go a few days without, but other times if I get stressed I may need to take the equivelent of 50 mgs of V (3 Xanax or something) to calm down before an attack comes on.

I wouldn't mind being on ssri's if they stopped panic attacks but they don't. I am still prescribed escitrolopram and 15 times 5mg of Diaz a month. (They wouldn't give me the Diaz otherwise I doubt) but I don't take the escitrolopram anymore. It effected my sex drive as well as not stopping anxiety. Maybe a higher dose would work but even now I only have sex twice a month and I need to have more not less as my girlfriend (longterm) hates it and we both want a baby.