Do not take Balance Blend Rx if you:
- are allergic to escitalopram, or any of the ingredients in Balance Blend Rx
- take any medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), or if you have stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days
- take St John’s Wort or 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
- also take pimozide (Orap) or citalopram (Celexa)
- are drinking alcohol
- are using or abusing recreational drugs or prescription medications
Escitalopram can rarely cause serious side effects. Rarely reported side effects include:
- increased bleeding (gums)
- low sodium blood levels (symptoms may include headache, weakness, and difficulty remembering or concentrating)
- teeth grinding
- seizure
- angle closure glaucoma (symptoms of angle closure glaucoma may include eye pain, changes in vision, swelling, or redness in or around the eye)
- QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia including Torsades de Pointes (changes in the electrical activity of your heart; symptoms may include fast, slow or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, and dizziness or fainting)
- serotonin syndrome (symptoms may include shivering, diarrhea, confusion, severe muscle tightness, fever, seizures, and death)
Escitalopram’s most common side effects are diarrhea, nausea, decreased libido, delayed orgasm, drowsiness, headache, or trouble sleeping. During treatment with this medication, the common side effects of this medication may go away as your body adjusts to the medication.
L-theanine and vitamin B6 are generally considered safe
- Although L-theanine can help with sleep, it does not cause sedation or drowsiness. A slight lowering of blood pressure has been seen with L-theanine, so if you are taking a blood pressure medication and notice dizziness, please notify your provider.
- Vitamin B6 generally has no side effects and is well tolerated, but when taken in excess (>100 mg), side effects may include extreme sensitivity to sunlight, nausea, heartburn, and painful skin patches. Balance Blend Rx only contains 3mg of Vitamin B6.
Before you take Balance Blend Rx, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- have thoughts of suicide or harming yourself
- have a history of psychiatric or medical problems, including bipolar disorder
- have taken any medication in the past for your condition, whether effective or not
- have suffered adverse or side effects from previous medication therapies
- are receiving any non-medication treatment, such as talk therapy
- drink alcohol or use/abuse recreational or prescription drugs
- are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
- Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal supplements, and recreational drugs.
Escitalopram may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect the way Escitalopram works, causing side effects. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take any of the following:
- aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen)
- warfarin, and other anticoagulants
- any other serotonergic medications, migraine medications (triptans), pain medications, antibiotic linezolid, amphetamines
If you miss a dose of Balance Blend Rx, take it as soon as you remember unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Discuss this with your healthcare provider. Do not double your next dose or take more than what is prescribed.
Do not abruptly stop taking Balance Blend Rx even when you feel better. Abruptly stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, irritability, dizziness, headaches, sensation of tingling skin, or nightmares.
Sleep, energy, or appetite may show some improvement within the first 1-2 weeks. Improvement in these physical symptoms can be an important early signal that the medication is working. Depressed mood and lack of interest in activities may need up to 4-8 weeks to fully improve.
Patients, their families, and caregivers should be alert to the emergence of anxiety, restlessness, irritability, aggressiveness and insomnia. If these symptoms emerge, they should be reported to the patient’s prescriber or healthcare professional. All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should watch for and notify their healthcare provider for worsening symptoms, suicidality and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the first few months of treatment.
If you no longer need your medication, the best way to dispose of most types of old, unused, unwanted, or expired medicines (both prescription and over the counter) is to drop off the medicine at a drug take back site, location, or program immediately. You can use the
DEA DIVERSION CONTROL DIVISION LOOKUP to find your nearest drug disposal site.
If no drug disposal sites, locations, or programs are available in your area, and there are no specific disposal instructions (such as flushing) in the medication guide or package insert, you can follow these simple steps to dispose of most medicines in your trash at home:
Mix medicines (liquid or pills; do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unappealing substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds;
Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag;
Throw away the container in your trash at home; and
Delete all personal information on the prescription label of empty medicine bottles or medicine packaging, then trash or recycle the empty bottle or packaging.