![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MuseMemento on March 24, 2014, at 14:16:29
Hi, all. I started a new combination of meds recently and I'm wondering how long to give them.
Previously, I'd been on 300 mg xl and .5 mg lorazepam. 8 weeks ago, 10 mg escitalopram was added. Two weeks ago it was ultimately raised to 20 mg with a week at 15 mg prior to. In addition, 3 weeks ago, aripiprazole was added at 2 mg.
My primary issues are atypical depression (anhedonia, anergia, hypersomnia, severe cognitive impairment and psychomotor retardation, suicidal ideation), OCD (intrusive, obsessive thoughts primarily) and eating disorder (alternating between anorexia and binge eating depending on medication induced appetite changes). I know that OCD symptoms typically take several months to respond to treatment and I think that I've noticed some improvement in that sphere but how long do I allow the combination to run to see if it improves my depression? Pdoc is considering stimulant augmentation. I'm thinking starting over with clomipramine. Thoughts? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Posted by phidippus on March 24, 2014, at 14:54:03
In reply to How long to give Lexapro?, posted by MuseMemento on March 24, 2014, at 14:16:29
>Previously, I'd been on 300 mg xl
300 mg xl what?
It should take 4 to 6 weeks for Lexapro to start making a impression on your depression. Up to 8 weeks for the OCD to be treated. It seems you've already hit the 8 week marker. If you're not seeing significant improvement, you can change to another antidepressant or you can raise the Lexapro as high as 50 mg, but you'll want a clean EKG.
Clomipramine was the first drug to ever make an impact on my OCD. Besides its powerful serotonin reuptake it also antagonizes 5ht2c receptors, which play a role in OCD. If the Lexapro doesn't work out, I say give it a go.
I'm on lexapro and find it to be kind of weak.
Eric
Posted by MuseMemento on March 24, 2014, at 14:56:04
In reply to Re: How long to give Lexapro?, posted by phidippus on March 24, 2014, at 14:54:03
> >Previously, I'd been on 300 mg xl
>
> 300 mg xl what?
>
> It should take 4 to 6 weeks for Lexapro to start making a impression on your depression. Up to 8 weeks for the OCD to be treated. It seems you've already hit the 8 week marker. If you're not seeing significant improvement, you can change to another antidepressant or you can raise the Lexapro as high as 50 mg, but you'll want a clean EKG.
>
> Clomipramine was the first drug to ever make an impact on my OCD. Besides its powerful serotonin reuptake it also antagonizes 5ht2c receptors, which play a role in OCD. If the Lexapro doesn't work out, I say give it a go.
>
> I'm on lexapro and find it to be kind of weak.
>
> Eric
>
>
Oops. Sorry. 300 mg bupropion xl. So I'm on that in addition to the escitalopram 20 mg and aripiprazole 2 mg.
Posted by Phillipa on March 24, 2014, at 15:04:13
In reply to Re: How long to give Lexapro?, posted by MuseMemento on March 24, 2014, at 14:56:04
Luvox for OCD. Phillipa
Posted by MuseMemento on March 26, 2014, at 13:19:08
In reply to Re: How long to give Lexapro?, posted by phidippus on March 24, 2014, at 14:54:03
> >Previously, I'd been on 300 mg xl
>
> 300 mg xl what?
>
> It should take 4 to 6 weeks for Lexapro to start making a impression on your depression. Up to 8 weeks for the OCD to be treated. It seems you've already hit the 8 week marker. If you're not seeing significant improvement, you can change to another antidepressant or you can raise the Lexapro as high as 50 mg, but you'll want a clean EKG.
>
> Clomipramine was the first drug to ever make an impact on my OCD. Besides its powerful serotonin reuptake it also antagonizes 5ht2c receptors, which play a role in OCD. If the Lexapro doesn't work out, I say give it a go.
>
> I'm on lexapro and find it to be kind of weak.
>
> Eric
>
>
phidippus, I read some of your previous posts and it seems you had some beneficial results with vilazodone. Would you recommend that for OCD purposes? Or possibly vortioxetine?
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.