Im unable to use the esc key to bring up the menu. I only have 1 macro for my mouse which controls shouts.

I use SKSE 1.6.11 and have only 1 mod which could plausibly cause an issue with like this, SkyUI.

I know SKSE 1.6.11 is outdated as of today, but i was having the same problem last night before the update.

Should i wait for the new version and try again?

Did you try to remap the key?