"i suffer with chronic social anxiety disorder and bouts of severe depression. i&#039;m very sensitive to drugs and after trying many ssri&#039;s i couldn&#039;t tolerate the side effects beyond the first week or two. a doctor recommended escitalopram at 20mg. the drug has been amazing at reducing my anxiety and completely removing depression. side effects in the first few weeks were rather unpleasant. i came up with a way of eliminating them by increasing the dosage gradually 2.5mg every week eventually stopping at 15mg. this gradual approach allows your brain chemistry to adjust more naturally i&#039;d recommend it. before i started my depression was so bad i was suicidal and had no interest in anything. escitalopram gave me my life back almost immediately."