ive taken lexapro for 2nd day and i experienced panic attack?

Question

at night i woke up and my brain started going crazy it was like their was a roadrunner changing directions almost like a seizure. should i immedietly stop taking this it only has been 2 doses? or should i try to go on it longer

Answer 1

I would check with your doctor - you will probably need a prescription for something that will work immediately to help control panic attacks until your lexapro has a chance to take effect, which can take about a month. If you had had a seizure, you wouldn't remember it, most likely - you'd have missing time. Did you have shortness of breath, chest pain, increased thoughts of suicide, any of the side effects listed as symptoms of an adverse drug reaction in the information provided by your doctor or pharmacist? If you don't know what those are, you can go to www.rxlist.com and search for Lexapro to find out.

Answer 2

This is most likely a stress reaction to the CONCEPT of taking a mood altering drug, which is normal. Until you become well educated on how Lexapro works and what it will do to your brain, you're going to be uncomfortable, which causes a NATURAL STRESS REACTION, which has nothing to do with drugs.

The reason I say this is because, chemically, there is nothing in Lexapro that would cause a stress reaction. There are other types of antidepressants that can produce feelings of restlessness and anxiety; Lexapro just doesn't work that way.

Lexapro works on inhibiting the natural reuptake of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter involved in controlling mood, vomiting, body temperature, sexuality, sleep and apetite. The common side effects in regulating serotonin with Lexapro are diziness, nausea, weight gain and sexual dysfunction.

It will take about a month for any type of antidepressant to reach efficacy, where the common side effects usually go away with in the first two weeks.

Lexapro has done great things for some people. I would suggest sticking with it for at least a month. It's important that you communicate any symptoms with your doctor regularly through the tritation process and you can decide whether or not to continue taking it.

Be careful, as SSRI's build dependancy and can cause bad withdrawal syndrome if stopped abruptly.

Hope things smooth out for you.

Answer 3

Of course you should check with your doctor, and ideally that doctor should be a psychiatrist not a general practitioner.
At any rate, give it a least a month, it will take at least that long to for Lexapro to reach a therapuetic level. If you are having a physiological reaction to it after the second day, it could be that your dose is too high to start with, you are having some kind of allergic reaction, or you always had panic attacks, hence the reason for the Lexapro in the first place, but that now attributing them to taking the Lexapro. I stress again, you should see your doctor.

Answer 4

Hi, I've taken lexapro, paxil, prozac, effexor, you name it so I speak from experience. While lexapro and certain of the others are specifically prescribed for anxiety, for the first few days you definitely can feel even more anxious. Heart racing, waking up in the middle of the night - exactly the type of panic attack you describe. I would probably call the psychiatrist/doctor that prescribed it but I would NOT stop taking it until the doctor tells you to. These SSRIs once you find the right one can definitely be effective against depression/anxiety - for me in the end it was Prozac that was the most effective with the fewest side effects. Good luck.

Answer 5

I would consult your doctor or pharmacist. You know it was a panic attack and have you had them before? No racing thoughts? Tons of energy? Other symptoms?

Your medicine hasn't had time to fully kick in. It should, once it kicks in, help prevent panic attacks. Seizures aren't a common side effect. I would take a deep breath if anxiety is part of what you're treating and wait for the meds to kick in.

If you've NEVER had a panic attack before or if your wake up had other symptoms like seeing/hearing things, urges to have sex or eat a lot, racing thoughts, rage--call doc ASAP.

Answer 6

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 7

i dont mean to scare u but most panic attack happen a few seconds before u spontaneously die for no reason. worriedness, sweaty palms, and a racing heart are the first signs u only have moments to make your peace.