Is it normal that I still have some anxiety when I am on my 6th week of cipralex/lexapro?

I am sure the sleeplessness and feelings are spinning you back to feeling life is out of control. Though it may seem difficult, tomorrow may be an extraordinary day. Preparing yourself for some joy and remembering to celebrate it with a smile or laugh will do a lot for you. You have been there before and will be there again. You have the luxury of choosing which one you want. Mopey. Sad, distressed, or a smile. They say practice a smile every day. Doesn't mean you are happy. But the face remembers and starts producing hormones for joy. See what happens. Don't be shy.

The medication does not cure anxiety. You do that. The medication stabilizes you so you can get back to a better way to be. Then, if you work at it, you may well stay better. It does happen to people who play attention. The hard part is the forgiving the self for the dumb decisions and out of no where events and accepting that there is much to learn whenever something happens. How would you do that?

I do hope the medication kicks in and relieves you of some of the stress. You ought to be in that area now. Remember you know you are doing better when you stop counting the days and hours. Give it a chance to work and continue on finding your answers. Write anytime. There is always support here. Karen

To this day benzo type meds such as xanax and klonopin are the most effective medication currently on the market for anxiety. Yes, once taking them for a while, you can not just stop. However, with a slow taper getting off of benzo type drugs is just as hard / easy (depends on how you look at it) as any ssri type drug. The key to stopping it paying listening to your body very carefully, and not stressing it out. This means that a totally pain free taper is easy if done over a couple months (vs. a few weeks).

Today SSRI type meds are in-trend for doctors. This is largely due to the fact that they are not a scheduled medication and as a result are much easier to prescribe than are the benzos (most benzos are currently a schedule IV type drug meaning that they are regulated by the fda). It is often said that SSRI type meds are utilized over the benzos due to risk of dependency. This however makes no sense at all as SSRI type drugs run the very same risk. Once taking an SSRI for a period of time you can not simply just stop without getting withdrawal symptoms, not unlike the benzos (although cold turkey on a benzo can kill).

Lexapro doe help with anxiety, however, rarely does it help 100%, or for that matter, even 50%. In most cases Lexapro utilized in conjunction with a benzo works best for anxiety. Using just a benzo type drug alone isn't a good solution either as it can dull the senses (it works on the gaba in a very similar way as does alcohol). Although... I guess that that would be the entire point of an anti-anxiety type drug. This dulling of the senses however is a problem while driving or at work.

If you have personal reasons for avoiding these types of drugs, you may want to look into some herbal solutions such as valerian. It is not of course anywhere as powerful as xanax or klonopin, however, it does help take the edge off of the anxiety and is not known to cause dependency issues. It also will help you sleep. Valerian is sold almost anywhere that also sells vitamins. Just make sure that it does not contain saint johns wort, a natural ssri that will interact with the lexapro (you'll find this in certain mixed herbal pills).

Something else to consider for anxiety type conditions would be therapy. Anxiety is a curable condition, and once cured, you're done, no need for medications of any sort. It may take a year or two to crack the problem apart, but once you have it's well worth it. Therapy in most cases also works best in conjunction with medications, and to put it another way, your meds will work better if you go to therapy.

I hope that this is of some help to you, and I sincerely hope that you feel better soon!

Sincerely,

Jeff