my doctor put me on 20 mg of Lexapro for the first time and I only took it one day and made me so sick I felt like I was dying I had all the side effects..how long before I feel normal..help help
What are Lexapro side effects how long before their gone?
Question posted by mariesr on 21 July 2020
Last updated on 25 July 2020
Answers
WildcatVet
21 July 2020
Hi, Marie!
I'm surprised that you started at 20mgs as the recommended initial and maintenance dose is 10mg/day. Some doctors will even start at 5mg initially so that your metabolism can adjust more smoothly to the medication.
Lexapro has a very long half life so depending on your system it could take a week or more for the last miniscule amounts of the drug to be eliminated, but the small amounts left after a few days shouldn't cause terrible side effects.
You should probably talk to your health care provider and describe to her/him what your side effects were and whether or not you should start over with a smaller dose.
Best regards and I hope you're feeling better quickly!
mariesr
23 July 2020
Thank u its been only 3 days since I stopped it n still have the diarrhea and some nausea... so I have to wait the week to 10 days before I feel normal?
WildcatVet
23 July 2020
Lexapro has a half life of approximately 30 hours meaning that after 30 hours only 50% of your dose will remain in your system, after another 30 hours 25% would remain, after another 30 hours 12.5%, etc. That would be approximately 3-4 days to reach 12.5% and maybe after that the smaller amounts left wouldn't be causing your symptoms anymore.
You could talk to your doctor or pharmacist about remedies... many of which you could buy OTC.
mariesr
25 July 2020
It has been 4 days and I still have nausea. How long before the nausea subsides?
Related topics
lexapro, anxiety, side effect, doctor
Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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