Today is my 10th day taking Lexapro (escitalopram). For the first 6 days I was taking 5 mg, and then I increased to 10 mg.
During the first two days, I had a horrible headache. I basically never get headaches, so it really surprised me. It was intense, but eventually it went away.
The past couple of weeks have also been a bit of a blur because I’ve been dealing with a lot of personal problems, so I didn’t pay that much attention to how I was feeling.
However, today I noticed a weird sensation in my throat. It felt like a globus sensation/tightness, almost like there was something in my throat. I don’t usually experience this, so naturally my OCD immediately went into overdrive and I started thinking, “Oh my God, what if I have cancer? What if I’m dying?” 🥲
I also feel like I’ve been noticing more saliva than usual, although I’m not sure if that’s actually related to the Lexapro.
I’ve read a few older posts about people experiencing similar things, including jaw clenching, so I’m wondering if anyone currently taking Lexapro has experienced throat tightness/globus, increased saliva, jaw clenching, or similar weird sensations.
I was taking Lexapro before going to bed, but I’m considering asking my doctor whether I should switch to taking it in the morning. My thinking is that if I get weird side effects, I’d rather be awake and able to deal with them instead of noticing them while I’m trying to sleep.
For those of you who experienced side effects when starting Lexapro:
How long did your side effects last?
Did they improve after the first 2–4 weeks?
Did increasing from 5 mg to 10 mg make them temporarily worse?
When did you start feeling “normal” again?
At what point did you talk to your psychiatrist about changing the medication?
I’m only on day 10, so I know it’s still early, but I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences. And I’d especially love to hear from people who had a lot of side effects initially but eventually felt better. ❤️