Thanks Lara.

Lexapro is an SSRI and I do not react well to all SSRIs -- Zoloft is fine; Paxil makes me manic. I've taken Celexa before, which is the "unrefined" version of Lexapro, but it was 20 years ago and I react differently to some drugs now.

Celexa gave me nausea. Lexapro is the same drug as Celexa, chemically, minus the the nasty non-therapeutic side-effect causing molecules. Statistically, Lexapro causes nausea in fewer patients than does Celexa, so the hope is that it might be fine.

The usual starting dosage is 10 mg. Therapeutic range is usually between 10 and 20 mg. We agreed on starting low, at 5 mg (below therapeutic range), to be cautious in case of side effects (mania, nausea). Then we found an itneraction with my stomach med and so tweaked it down to 3mg.

I am having intermittent nausea. It was quite bad on the first few days but it could have been food related. I had nausea at times before starting the med, so it is hard to say. It doesn't seem to fall at the peaks after taking the medication, but still hard to say.

I'm leaning on increasing to 5 mg... either the nausea will get worse or stay about the same. Usually one doesn't increase until reaching steady state, which won't be for another 3 days, but I am in a hurry, and it seems reasonable if nothing horrible has happened.

I should not hurry but I'm very interested in the anti-OCD effects besides the anti-depressant ones -- and they take longer to kick in.

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All of my fingertips are raw and nailbeds are starting to get ruined from my biting them. I cannot get it under control. I cannot stop ripping them apart (and they hurt! ). This is a type of hypergrooming behavior and it is a compulsion. I even interrupt typing to bite and pick. Only time I do not is when I cook -- and then it usually hurts like mad, esp when I have to cut lemons, onions, garlic.... but even just wetting them hurts.

waves