What This Anxiety Blog Is About

As a side note I want to reinstate what this blog is all about. I want to make clear that this blog is not about any specific medication or even endorsement of any kind of medication therapy whatsoever. After rereading a few of my posts so far it seems like this blog is all about Lexapro which is not correct at all. This blog is about my experiences trying medication to improve my anxiety and stress levels on daily basis hopefully to reach a more normal life experience. This blog is also about my daily struggles with anxiety and stress hopefully to enlighten other people about the subject. It has nothing to do about suggesting to people to go out there and use any type of medication whatsoever.

Like I said before this is merely my experience dealing with my particular anxiety/stress and slight depression mental disorders. It is also about helping other people who are going through this as well, just like me. You can never have enough websites, blogs or general online information available to people who are suffering in order to let them know they’re not alone. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being alone in this world without any help of any kind.

Another goal of mine is hopefully maybe one day somebody will read this blog and then have a parent/uncle or friend and have them read this so they can understand what you were going through. If this blog can help anybody who is going through problems of their own or know someone who is and is help in any shape or manner then this blog has accomplished its main goal. Also keep in mind I’m not a professional writer or anything like that. I do my best to write as eloquently and correctly as I conceivably can and to state the facts as accurately as possible.

Lexapro Signs And Side Effects Update

It’s been about little less than three weeks now I’ve been on the Lexapro and it’s time for an update on the side effects I have been experiencing. Like I said on my first post about side effects things were supposed to get better over time and things seem to be getting better for me. Now just to be clearer when I say things are getting better I mean in terms of the side effects I was feeling from taking Lexapro every day. In terms of any true feelings of less anxiety or stress levels I would have to say nothing major has changed yet for me.

However just like my doctor said and from all the literature I’ve read this is completely normal and everyone’s different with the way they will react to this type of medication. Everyone reacts different to this type of medication and this is a very important statement. That’s why I believe many people just don’t give enough time and quit before the medicine has had its proper time to kick in. To be quite honest the side effects so far been pretty bothersome and I can understand why lots of people just want to quit taking it right away. However at this point I will continue taking the medication, the side effects seem to be slowly lessening in terms of quantity and strength.

The sudden electrical shock type feelings/sensations are happening less often than when I first started taking the medication. Additionally the sensations are also less dramatic or you can say they have less of a sudden impact on you. It’s actually quite hard to explain in the proper words unless you felt them yourself and know what I’m talking about. Basically these weird electrical type sensations are occurring with less potency/strength. Also at this point the uncontrollable twitching I had especially in my feet is considerably less as well. So as a quick summation the Lexapro side effects are definitely less than when I first started taking the medication and definitely seem to be getting better as time goes by. Hopefully in another week or two the positive effects of Lexapro should start kicking in as the side effects start to fade out, at least according to the literature.

Lexapro Side Effects

It’s been about two weeks now since I’ve been on Lexapro and I’ve been taken 7 mg a day to begin with. My doctor suggested I try 7 mg for couple weeks and then take an additional pill and gauge the effects on me. I was warned that before I start feeling any better I probably would feel much worse for a short period of time as my body adjusts to the medication. Well to be quite honest I kind of feel terrible in certain aspects, which I understand, is completely normal at this point. Some of the initial side effects I’ve been feeling so far are weird electrical shock type of sensations.

They are not painful at all however very annoying. It is kind hard to explain but they feel like mild electrical shocks which occur suddenly and at any given moment. Along with those electrical shocks are sudden twitches of different muscle groups in particular my legs and feet. My feet can’t seem to stay still for long periods of time without twitching and moving around on its own. My sleeping has been badly interrupted as well. Between the mild electrical shocks and the sudden muscle contractions which follow makes having a peaceful sleep very difficult to achieve. Consequently I have been feeling a lot more tired through out the days now. In particular the very first few days were very difficult however the side effects seem to begin to be diminishing as the days go by thankfully.

From what I understand at this point many people just stop using the Lexapro or similar medication believing that the medication is not working for them. However from what I read and also was explained by my doctor that these side effects are completely normal and will subside with time. Which afterwards the medication will begin to work and provide relief for my depression and anxiety. In all honesty though besides not being able to sleep well so far the side effects haven’t been that bad at all and I will continue taking the medication for now.

General Practitioner Or Psychiatrist

So like I mentioned in a earlier post, I ended up going to a general practitioner and not a psychiatrist to get my anti-anxiety prescribed medication. So at this point you might be wondering why I went to a family doctor and not a psychiatrist. The reason being is I went to psychiatrist before and it helped as much as it could. However I knew along with my psychiatrist I was going to need more help than just talking about my emotions and thoughts. I was going to need some type of prescription drugs and at the time my shrink was not able to prescribe medications to her clients.

So instead of seeking out a brand-new shrink who was able to prescribe medication I knew what I really just needed was to try medication therapy. After conducting a lot of research I was able to learn that a great deal of family doctors these days are well skilled in treating a variety of mental disorders. Unfortunately since mental disorders and emotional stress is so prevalent these days general practitioners have been literally forced to learn about it in order to better serve their patients.

Obviously I’m not a doctor so I can’t tell you what to do, however in my case I just needed to start the medication and see how it affects me. So just visiting my family Dr. works perfectly fine for me at the moment and if things change down the road I can always book an appointment with a psychiatrist. Like I said I’m not a trained health consultant however if you feel like a psychiatrist is not needed or your health insurance doesn’t cover it just remember your family physician can still help you. I have to be honest here if I had to start all over again I probably would’ve just gone straight to my family doctor for assistance instead of speaking to a mental health expert first.

At least in my case it was more of a chemical imbalance then a mental imbalance which was causing me my problems with high stress and anxiety levels. Just to be clear I’m not trying to change anybody’s mind about going to see a psychiatrist or the importance of seeing a psychiatrist. In the grand scheme of things psychiatrists are a very important part of the treatment matrix for mental disorders. Just in my case because of all the research I had been doing since I was a child I knew I was born with a chemical imbalance and really only medication can truly help that.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Or Not

Just for the record this blog is not about any particular prescription drug or even to suggest using prescribed medication. This is simply my story and to record my progress with medication therapy. I have on my own read a great number of publications and researched on the internet for self-help programs. There is a lot of very good information out there to read and learn from, however these days there are also a great deal of scams. Considering that I knew something wasn’t quite right with me since I was a kid, I have done a great amount of research throughout the years. 

To make a long story short a lot of what I read and implemented did help to a certain extent. As you become more aware of the problem the more you can discover ways to deal with it and modify its effects on you. Nevertheless it was never enough, I still felt very high levels of anxiety and I finally went to a psychiatrist. The shrink did help to a certain degree, and afterwards we concluded that in my case I needed to try prescription medication to further my treatment and progress.  At that point I had to make a decision, go to another shrink who could prescribe medication or just visit my general practitioner.

I ended up going to my family doctor, which I will explain why in fine detail in a later blog post. In short it was just a lot quicker to go with my general practitioner and begin there. In the event that down the road I decide I need to seek the help from a mental health expert once again, I could always do that. The good news is for sufferers like us general practitioners these days are very well versed in treating all sorts of mental disorders. 

Pharmacy Lexapro Pills

Immediately after my doctor’s scheduled appointment I could not wait to get to the local pharmacy, fill my RX and just get to the safety of my home. It was the first time I got a prescription filled for some time, and even though I must waited only 10 mins or so; it felt like I waited 10 years. In all honesty I felt a bit embarrassed and after 5 minutes I just wanted to leave after it seemed like it filled up with people. However after a couple of mins more my prescription was all ready and I could not have been happier at that moment in time. The pharmacist came out with my pills and asked if needed any information about the Lexapro. I said no thank you, my physician had informed me of all the important information I needed to have. I paid for my RX and thanked the pharmacist and left with my little bottle of magic pills. LoL

In all honesty after I left the drugstore I felt very proud of myself, I finally thought about doing something about my panic and anxiety problems and actually went out and achieved it finally! For many people they will not understand, but for men and woman like us it was a big deal without a doubt. Individuals who don’t suffer from anxiety disorders just are not able to understand how some of the most basic things in life can be so stressful for us to do without feeling anxiety.

The point of this post was not to gloat or anything like that.What I would like to convey is that if you been hesitant to go to the doctor for whatever reason please change your state of mind immediately. Force yourself to go in the end it's going to be more than worth it. As you can tell so far, it’s been relatively fast and easy up to now. Quite frankly the toughest part so far was just contacting the medical center out of the blue and deciding to make the appointment.

The Doctor

Well I finally managed to make it to the doctor and it wasn’t that bad. I kept telling myself it was for my well-being and future. In my case, I knew even if I felt slightly better it will help me tremendously in my daily life. Given those facts, I just told myself you going to see a doctor and there is no turning back now. The most difficult part was just getting enough courage to just go and face the doctor. However once I got there I was honest and blunt about signs and symptoms I have been suffering from for many years.

At first my health care provider seemed very reluctant to prescribe me any medication. It turns out that there are many people out there who abuse these types of prescribed drugs. In particular these people abuse recreationally the more stimulating type medications and others such as Valium.  However after talking about a bit of my history and my mom’s emotional problems she could tell I was truly looking for help. In fact she was quite impressed with me due to the fact I knew all my signs and symptoms and did a great deal of research beforehand. She said I was really smart and took a very intelligent approach to my health and wellbeing. Doing some research on the internet and learning as much you can before going to your physician can help very much with things going smoothly between you and your medical professional.

So after our talk she gave me a blood test which is a standard procedure for checking any kind of possible hormonal problems. Do not be concerned the blood test is quick and simple, no need to worry and was over before I knew it.  After the blood collection was done, she asked if I had any medication in mind I wanted to try. I said no and would gladly try any medication she thought I should try out to begin with. I was subsequently given a prescription for Lexapro (generic: escitalopram) to try out.  She explained to me Lexapro was a very good treatment and to start at the lowest dosage and to increase it after two weeks. I was told to come back in three weeks to evaluate how things were going and to discuss any possible unwanted side effects I might have. I proceeded to thank my doctor and went straight to the pharmacy to pick up my Rx!