Hooray!

I've been taking 20mg of Lexapro now for a few days and I feel so much better. This is despite being more stressed lately due to the anticipation of teaching for the first time (by the way, the first day went great). Hooray! I also got in for free counseling with one of the therapists at school. Things are looking up!

I was worried about the first day of teaching, especially since my mood had not been improving on 15mg of Lexapro so I got an emergency prescription of Ativan. I tested it out a week ago because I tend to have anxiety about taking new medications. I brought it with me to my first day of teaching but didn't take it and I felt fine. I was only nervous a bit before, but once I started teaching, it was pretty natural.

vlog

That cold really lingered for awhile. I was sick for over a week. I think my mood may finally be improving now that I have more things to do and people to do it with. I've been planning my Ling 101 class with the other grad student who is teaching another section of it.

I've also started working in The Agoraphobia Workbook and have started a vlog to document my experiences with that: http://www.youtube.com/user/SpeakOutDontFreakOut

Adjusting

I've been taking 15mg of Lexapro for just over a week now. The past 3-4 days have not been all that great. I think the adjustment to this new dose has contributed to feelings of depression, some anxiety, and sensitivity to light. My dad came in town to see me and we went to go walk around Lake Murray. The whole time I was distracted by how incredibly bright it seemed outside and I found it hard to focus on what he was saying. On top of this I felt rather depressed (for no reason at all of course). By the afternoon, I felt really exhausted. My dad dropped me off at home and he went to his friend's, with whom he stays when he comes in town. The next day, I woke up with a really bad sore throat, which got worse as the day progressed. I now have a full-blown cold. Not sure if I got the heightened anxiety and depression because I was getting sick, or if I got sick because of the increase in feelings of stress. Either way, I am feeling confident that once I stop being sick, my mood will also improve since I must be close to adjusting to what is hopefully my therapeutic dose of Lexapro. I am also considering asking my prescriber for a prescription for Ativan to help me confront my agoraphobia. I think just having them available would help ease my mind. I have also bought a couple books--Dr. Weekes' classic title Simple, Effective Treatment of Agoraphobia and The Agoraphobia Workbook. I need to start getting more serious about this stuff and take my life back.