Depression Blog.com

I began taking 1/2 tablet of 5 mg. Lexaprol 2 days ago for depression. Initially, I slept well and experienced noticable improvement emotionally for the crying jags -- although I felt "flat." The next day, I developed a severe migraine, felt listless, sensitive to noise, irritable, crabby, dry mouth and had to lay around all day. All weekend, I was unable to reach the doctor who prescribed the medication -- who had reassured me Lexapro could not cause weight gain. However, I read that Lexapro can indeed can weight gain as well as all the symptoms I experienced .. and more.

I used Prozac, in the past, with success. Recently, while feeling depressed and anxious, I decided to take it again. I started it 2 weeks ago and feel some benefit, but my Doctor suggested I try Lexapro. I read so many bad things about this drug that I'm afraid to use it. I've taken, just, one pill and I'm concerned about continuing it's use. I, of course, will discontinue the prozac if I continue the Lexapro, but it comes down to sticking with an old, "tried and true" drug, or try a new one. Any advice would be welcomed!

I have been taking Lexapro for 3weeks now. I was prescribed by my family MD. 5 months ago my wife left me after having an affair with another man and has since left took our children and is now living with him. Needless to say I was and still am EXTREMELY derpressed. I have been seeing a therapist which has helped but I felt I needed "more" of something perhaps meds so that I may at least start functioning again and to maybe boost myself up so that I may get on my feet.

OK, for the first 7 days of taking I didnt cry once, not a single tear, which may or may not be good, considering I have cried everyday for close to 20 weeks. That cycle has been broken and now I continue to cry everyday or at least every other day, but its different. Now I go from being "fine" and feeling good to just BAMM crying hysterically. All of which by the way may or may not be a direct result of the drug, I am aware. I have experienced that "flat" feeling that seems common, I wake up feeling very unmotivated and just want to ly around. NO INTEREST in food whatsoever, when I do eat it is maybe a 1/4 of the portion that I may normally eat. Complete loss of physical desire sexually. Almost impossible to orgasm.

Some people close say I seem to look better but that just maybe due to my weight loss.

I think the one thing at this point I can contribute to this drug is the flatness of feeling. I feel like iam in a fog, I have lost the desire to "fight" for my kids, legally it has been a nightmare, once again maybeb I am just tired of it or maybe the drug is causing me to care less.

I also have not worked as much and have found it extremely difficult to leave the house unless it is absolutely necesarry, not common behavior for me previously.

I've been taking 20mg daily of Lexapro for 3 months. No wt. gain, fatigued, but am inspired to exercise. At first the sexual side effects were not acheiving organism, but I have been working on it and with some effort can now. I also have very vivid dreams to where for a split second I wonder if it really happened. I will also have more than 1 dream a night and not sleep the whole night. It has helped me in my mood swings and has improved my motivation. My doc wants to start to ween me off, but with the holidays coming up, I don't want to.

I took Lexapro for 6 days. Took it at night. 1st dose 10 mg, woke up 3 hrs later, had crazy thoughts (this drug should be taken off the market). Day 2 took 5 mg at night. Again woke up 3 hrs later. When waking up you wake up wide awake, and stay wide awake. Day 3, 5 mg again, same story except now I am feeling very exhausted and anxiety. (never had that before, only mild depression). Day 4 same deal. Day 5 same deal. Day 6 same deal, (i upped the dose to 10 mg this time) .. that was enough for me, I stopped taking this junk... It took me 5 days to feel normal again. Now I have slept 2 nights complete. While on this "stuff" I also had serious (crazy thoughts) the 1st night. Night Sweats on other nights. Anxiety 2 mornings. Also felt detached to everything and everyone. Also had sexual side effects, had no feeling during sex and took forever to have an orgasm. Felt like I completely lost 2 weeks of my life. Glad to be off this crap and will never take an anti-depressant again. It's easier to go walking, exercise, and think positive. My opinion is that I am amazed that the FDA approved this drug with all the problems I have encountered and also read about. My advice is to don't go on this crap. God Bless.

I have been taking Lexapro for 2 months and the change has been dramatic. I am back to my old self again. I am really sensitive to medication but I find Lexapro only gives me sexual side effects (however this is very frustrating). Doc wants to change me to Aurorix to improve my libido, I'm hesitant as Lexapro has helped me so much and I react easily to medication. Has anyone been on Aurorix before? If so how did you find it?

Lexapro didn't do much for my depression, all it really did is make me really tired all the time, I found myself taking naps almost every afternoon just to get through the day, good thing I had a job that this worked with. Not having energy to do anything isn't really a way my depression is getting cured

Well I have taken Lexapro twice and I am already feeling negative side effects. The very first night that I took it I already had dry mouth and naseau. That continued the second time that I took it, but on top of that I now feel like I am sedated!!! I am tired all the time and even after 10 hours of sleep last night, I still felt that I needed more sleep. This is not good since I am a single mother and my daughter wanted me to wake up (which I reluctantly did). I still feel tired now, and feel like I need a nap. I got these same results years ago when I was prescribed Paxil---which I immediatly quit since I do not need to sleep all day! So, I will not take another one of these pills and will call my Doctor first thing Monday. I had taken prozac with great success before, but I have anxiety right now so I am not sure how I am going to address this now. We will see what I end up doing, but this drug is only making things worse. Hope this helps.

Ohhhh....I forgot to mention in my above post that I have no appetite!! The last thing I need to do is lose any energy....I have no desire to eat....not even things that I love. Like I said I am a single mother and I need all the energy I can get. This pill is just draining the life out of me....

I'm 4 days in, I've reduced my dosage from 10 to 5 mg, but I am so done with this crap. One minute, I'm euphoric, ready to conquer the world, next minute bugs are in my skin, next minute I'm screaming at anyone in range. I've had sorrow troughs on this stuff that border on suicidal. Lexapro is evil -- I'd be happier naturally sad.

My grandson has just been given Lexapro and I Would like to know the side affects from this drug

Geez.....I've really learned alot reading the comments about lexapro.
I just thought I had gone a little weird! I lost my Mother and one of my brothers within a week of eack other. And trying to get out of a bad relationship. I ended up depressed....crying all the time, tired. I went to the Dr. for a sinus infection while talking with him he decided I was depressed. He gave me the prescription but I didn't have it fill for a week....I just kept thinking I could handle everything once I had the infection under control. Well the sinus infection got better but I didn't! I filled my prescription and after the first week I stopped the majority of my crying....you could ask me about the weather and I no longer started blubbering. I have found that my sleep pattern is totally messed up. I now sleep 4 to 5 hrs a night and then have a hard time being alert until mid morning. I haven't had an orgasm since I started lexapro. Dr. wants me on it for 6 mos. After reading a few of the comments, I'm really hoping I am able to get off the lexapro. I have MS which can cause sexual dysfunction by itself.

well i think lexapro sucks ass...ive been takeing 15 miligrams everynight for like 3 months and dont feel shit...the first day it made me a bit drowsey but other than that one day it sucks....later.

i was on 20 mg. of lexapro for 2 years. yes it did help but for some reason one day i started getting very lathargic,nausea,felt like i was walking on air looking for words memory loss.i tried to wean myself off but i kept getting worse.i finally had to stop it. well i have been suffering for 11 weeks now and i want to know if i am going to get better. i have pain behind my eyes my mind is blinded had migrains for 5 weeks straight. doctor's have no answers and one told me if i don't try another med that she can't help me.if you have any answers please let me know.jandtpolanco@verizon.net

I was prescribed Lexapro in May '05 after going through a very hard seperation. After being on this medication for just a few days, I started having suicidal thoughts and being extreemly paranoid. I also started cutting my arms and legs with razors, knifes, and anything else I could find. After 10 days of being on this medication, I cut myself up so badly, it scarred me, and I went to the emergency room. The ER told me it was an effect of the Lexapro and gave me Neurontin to help relax the effects until I could get used to the medication. The Neurontin intensified the effects and I was unable to sleep. After days of not being able to sleep, and continuing to cut myself, I was prescribed some other medication by a psychiatrist for sleep. I began to sleep and weined off the Neurontin. I continued to take the Lexapro for depression losing libido (I really didn't need it due to the divorce), and pretty much shutting myself off from the world. I lost interest in just about everything except my daughter (who I have almost lost b/c of my episodes.) I recently started a great job, and have gotten back to the world six months later. I decided three days ago that I was not going to take this medication any longer. I want to be myself again. I was not aware there would be any side effects to quitting, being I was advised by my doctor that this medicine was not addictive. I now feel dizzy, and almost like I am next to myself. I don't have any other way to explain this feeling. I also can feel like a heartbeat throughout my entire body. I am feeling a depression again, but I know what it is and am making myself do thing to take my mind off it. I know this is a temporary phase that I am going through, but I am willing to do this to get off this. I have lost alot of friends due to this drug. They all think I am "crazy", and the friends I do still have ask me all the time (I guess not realizing it is hurtful) if I think I am crazy. If you are having a hard time and are thinking about taking Lexapro, I hope you read this and know that there are side effects your doctor will not tell you about. They are not rare.

If you are contemplating taking Lexapro....DON'T!!!!! I can not warn you enough.
The withdrawls are HORRIBLE!!!!!!
If I had been informed of this I NEVER would have sstarted taking this medication.(DRUG) I would have to compare the withdrawls to what i would imagine withdrawls from an illegal substance would feel like. I had been on Prozac for 5 years for anxiety and it worked very well!!!! Except for the major side effect of decreased libido. Poor husband! Ha Ha
My doctor said that Lexapro didn't report to have that side effect as much. So he switched me. The decreased libido did not get anybetter!!!!
But, my anxiety issues continued to be controlled on the Lexapro. However, I noticed if I forgot ONE pil, by the end of the day I had all of the symptoms everyone else has complained of. So after 6 months of this I asked a new PCP that I had swithched to if I could go back to Prozac.
Unfortunately, I suspected I was pregnant. So, I didn't fill the Rx. A day later, I tested positive for pregnancy. So I obviously quit the Lexapro Cold Turkey!!!! It has been 5 Days!!!!
I feel HORRIBLE. If anyone has any info. to offer on how long this will last PLEASE email me directly!!!!!! I want to enjoy being pregnant and I am flying to PA to visit my inlaws for Christmas and I am terrified of flying now because of all these symptoms I am experiencing.
Thank you for any info.

My wife had severe panic attacks back in 2004 and was prescribed Lexapro by her physician. After beginning the drug, she would pass out very early and increasingly over time exhibited extreme anger and rage towards me. We seperated and she moved to Norway. In the Summer of 2005 she came off the medication and began to reconsider our situation. She returned here for several weeks and we quickly rekindled our relationship. She returned to Norway in early October and by November 15th began to get the attacks again. She returned to the medication and began exhibiting the same hostility towards me as previously noted, so much so that she felt we had argued when she had visited, and we had not. If anyone has found the same results in a loved one or in their own personal life, please e-mail me. I want to convince her to switch medicines if possible. We have children and I don't want a drug to destroy our opporunities of a happy life.

I was put on lexapro about a month ago for severe anxiety attacks. I began having delusions and even more frequesnt attacks. I felt very paranoid. Since stopping i cry all the time and feel more depressed than when I began. This stuff is awful!

Lexapro was the last me. I was on lexapro for six months, and my life changed. Of course I didn't know it at the time. But I guess I should have known something was up when I told the my boss to go screw himself and he duly librated me of my job. I went from having a major clinical depression to having mania. But sex was great at first, with the prolonged erection, then it just got annoying. I was massively paranoid. But I guess, now sitting here in the mental institute, I should I have seen it coming. It felt great, I rather be manic that depressive any day, its just that other people rather have me depressed over manic.

I've taken Lexapro at 10 mg for a little over a year and it's done pretty well for my social anxiety.

I no longer stammer or shake around people, and I feel comfortable around crowds and other little things that would really get to me.

Unfortunately, I've had some sexual side effects, like delayed ejaculation (my girlfriend didn't seem to mind, ha ha!) which is annoying as I couldn't really enjoy being with my girlfriend as much as she did. When I first started taking it, I'd also wake up randomly in the middle of the night which was annoying. Really, I'd be fast asleep and then I'd feel awake. Oh, and there was awful stomach aches too the first week or so.

I notice that I feel really different when I'm off it so yeah, withdrawal isn't fun.

I'm not really in a position to recommend it or discourage it over some other drug, as I've only taken it, but I find that it's better than nothing.

I started taking Lexapro about 5 weeks ago (10 mg for 1 week, then up to 20mg) and although my mood is greatly improved, I am so tired through much of the day it feels like I don't get any sleep at all. I wake up several times in the night, and it mostly feels like I am "skimming" sleep... always really close to waking up, if that makes any sense. I took Zoloft years ago, and asked for something else this time because Zoloft made me feel like I was living in a fog, but this really makes me feel like I am half asleep. Does this improve?

My wife and I had a terrific marriage for 11 years. 1 year ago the Dr. prescribed LEXAPRO. Immediately her personality changed and got progressivly worse. She distanced herself from me and our 3 kids. It appeared that she had no inhibitions. She had sudden outbursts and then would act like a 16 year old preoccupied with herself. She began to flirt in front of me then talk about it like I was her best friend. She began to hate me and said she was disgusted in our marriage. She eventully had an affair and felt absolutely no remorse or guilt. She would rub the affair in my face being completly insensitive. Shortly, she began acting violent and samshed the windows out of my truck while I was at work (police officer). She then beat me and tried to steal the police car. There were numerous threats of suicide and attempts (knifes/gun) in front of our children. My wife NEVER behaved this way until the Lexapro. I know there is responsibility for what she did but at the time, I just assumed she cracked and lost her mind. I did not know my wife anymore from the time she began Lexapro. I left our home and filed for divorce. After 2 months, she quit Lexapro after trying to overdose. In afew weeks, she began to go back to herself completely.She told me that she does not remember being mean to me or acting that way I described to her. She cannot believe she would commit the affair. She said that she knew what she was doing but felt no guilt whatsoever. She said the time on Leapro made her feel nothing. She knew right from wrong but didn't care or even think about the consequences. She felt she did not love me anymore because she could not feel an emotion for me. She remembers the act and tells me it felt like she was raped. She consented but there was no emotion. It felt like she was watching herself from the ouside. This drug made my wife into a monster. I have only stated minimal incidents. It stems far greater. EVERYTHING my wife did was way out of character. We are Christians and were always very active in our church. She was a Sunday school teacher for years. I know things happen in life, but the immediate drastic changes in her personality was bewildering. Now that she is off Lexapro, I have my wife back (mentally and emotionally) and are working it out. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG!!!

hello- I have been taking lexapro for around 3 months for anxiety. I have imrpoved greatly since I started taking the medication. Before I was taking it I would constanly dream about being rich and famouse, now I am actualy focused on what I am going to do with my career (I am in college). I also would get scared while driving and in certian social situations. Neither are a problem in my life anymore. Some strange side effects that I have noticed are I have vivid, almost nighmare like, dreams. My doctor told me thia could be because my brain is letting out my anxiety while I sleep. I also get really drunk. I use to know my limits before I started taking lexapro... I def don't anymore. there have been many times where I usually would not even be tipy and I was completley bombed. Overall I think the postivies out way the negatives. The only issue that I heard could arise is weight gain. When will this start happening, if it does?

I was given Lexapro while taking care of my very ill 91-year-old Mom and having a tough time - though I'm normally not depressed. I've never been one to "take anything" - or even "need anything" - and tried to refuse. I was reassured by my physician that It would just "take the edge off" and I could go off of it, with ease, anytime I wanted. My experience has been one of having a "numbness" toward life. Usually highly motivated - I just don't give a "C*ap." I go through the motions and get things done but I use to have this GREAT zest for life that has dissapeared. I also have TERRIBLE alcohol cravings. I am ashamed of what I've done and how I've behaved over these past several months - but it is the only thing that seems to make me feel "normal" again. This is my very first time to have this problem. I am drowsy all day long - don't want to get out of bed in the morning because I am so tired. I have developed terrible tremors and twitching - plus Myclonic Jerks (startling when you go to fall asleep) that lift my whole body off of the bed. I tried a VERY slow withdrawal but had every symptom known to the phenomenon of "SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome-" (Google that to see). The worst was insomnia SO bad that I'd get two to three hours of sleep (even though taking Lunesta). I am a professor and mother of four. I could not WAIT for the side-effects to stop - so I've gone back on 5 MG. I am back to drinking again but trying to be more sane about it. Am stuck between a rock and hard place with no where to go. PLEASE don't start taking Lexapro if it's been suggested to you!!! Finally, I am resentful that both the available literature and professionals' knowledge of this drug are SO inept. I researched the drug beforehand and would not have taken it by ANY means had I known the outcome. Will continue to try to resolve this dilemma!

i just started taking lexapro about a month ago. I was also on it several years ago, but stopped as I was numb to the world. This time around, the same thing. Things that use to make me laugh do not anymore. I dread the thought of getting up and going to work, let alone just getting up. I feel more depressed now that I am on this medicine. I eat constantly. Although I am not hungry. I do not cry at normal sad things. I do not laugh at jokes. And i have no interest in having sex. And when the interest does happen, I cannot even orgasm. This sucks!

I tried Cipralex for three days. This drug is almost an encouragement of suicide. I could not sleep for three days and I just wanted to jump out the window or slash my wrists!
This drug and others like it are just made to poison people by greedy pharmaceutical companies! If you have anxiety or depression, you need social contact, friends and a psychologist.

hello,i feel for everone of you out there on meds, i have been lex for about a yr which i been on and off meds for about 6-7 yrs i had a patial hyst and was put on them.horrible side eff and then i went to the lord and church that help me get offof the meds terrible expecailly effernox!!! i felt i was out of my body when i was in the car driving to the dr and pull off the road i was scared went back home and then tried other meds dont even want to leave the house. so that when i went off and the god really help me thru this. then about 2 yrs ago my son went in the hospital for his bipolar and autisic he try to kill his self, so i was back and forth to the hospital and it was drainning me have 3 other kids i have 10,14,21 and my niece 14 so my husband no help blame me for his hospital i am the bread winner at this time, so the dr decided to put me on celax didnt feel anthing so try zolofox and i didnt feel much either so she try me on lexapro and stay on that went small dose to i belive 100 mgs and i still dont feel releve so i got sick her new yrs with upper respitory and threw up couldnt keep nothing down so i stop taking the lex cold turkey!! and now i having horrible side ad!!! big time, i feel hot cold in hands and feet dr dont know, i irritable big time headahes, nausea,dizziness and cant sleep and i feel like all i want to do is wish i had a new body or god take me life, i dont recommend any meds to take all mind alt drugs .when i was in the bible and going to church i felt healed and i been away from church now about2 yr since my pastor moved to a diff state, i dont feel comfortable at the church this time, but i know the kids think i mean mom my one son he comes and conforts me the one bipolar. i just want to get off the side effect i been cold turkey sincejan 4-5, 2006 since my nausea and vomit and i still have nausea too i cant seem to eat much and i love to eat when i was on it i ate like a pig. i scared i glad i found this site.i cant seem to get to work i off sick this stres seems like it going to get to me but i feellike the devil want me back on the meds and i not giving up i back in the bible and help some but durning the day progress it get worst so any comment or help apprecaite it i should of not try it again after what i went thru yrs ago but the dr talk me inot it say new med so on. yes no sex drive i dont care about at all it been 3 yrs but alot of stress too with my son in hospital and my husb not being or doing his duties as finding a job. thanks for listening i will keep praying for you all b/c i know it a struggle.i even thought of herbal but i heard they can be dangeous too so who knows take care and god be with you all lots of love, huggs and kisses we need someone to care ofr us at here b/c people are not always understanding!!! takecare angie

I posted above. I feel better on 5 MG's. Most side - effects gone. Most of my "drive" for life is back. You have to have a good pill-splitter to do this but it is worth trying. I'll stay on this for a while and then reasearch MUCHLY on how to wean myself without the terrible dizziness and insomnia - What a nightmare! Wish me luck - I'll keep posting!

Lexapro has taken away the severe depression, but it also makes me very hostile and aggressive. All of the SSRI's have this effect on me, even though this particular side effect is mostly seen in adolescents (which I am not!). I sleep great, no weight gain, but the hostility is making me rethink this med for me.

Thought I would post a good link to SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome - so you might know what you face if you go Cold Turkey...though I faced most of them with a gradual withdrawal. Note that many are the same problems we've all had taking it! It just gets markedly worse!!!

www.psycom.net/depression.central.withdrawal.html

I am a newcomer to Lexapro, two weeks on. I was prescribed 10mg daily to stave off winter depression. I am bipolar and am taking it in addition to the mood stabilizer Depakote.

I can see why the anxiety disorder crowd likes it. It calms me right down. Although together with the Depakote it can make me wooly-headed, I can still be productive without being manic.

It has been a much less harsh medication than Paxil or Effexor. The main side effect is sleepiness. I haven't got much of a marriage to speak of so the mild libido dampening is a good thing--less frustration.

I took lex for a day. I took serzone for a year. serzone worked but made me see wierd in the am, sex didn't work right. I lost my pilot's lic over these drugs. Ihave really nothing left to live for. lex gave me the worst nausea and I quit. Honestly, suicide looks like a good alternative either it's over, or I go to hell or something, but at least something changes. I've fought this damn problem for 25 years now and I must say that it is not really feeling like it is something I can beat. I have everything I need and want nothing, even to suck more air.

jack

My daughter has been seeing someone at Vanderbilt. It took trying almost 20 different things before something finally worked. Please don't give up!

Lexapro - my whole family is on it.
We got express scripts now.
The medicine is on our list of ones we can have.
But they won't do me because they say I am s
step one....
For two months they haven't given me the med.
i made a special trip to the drs to tell him the
story.
he gave me another slip.
They sent it back.

the dr gave me samples. i started taking them.
my head felt better but the pain in my legs
started all over agin.
instead of the tightness in my head the tightness
moved to my legs.
the first night it was my right leg
the seoncd night it was my left leg
the third night it was both legs.
i still don't have my med because i'm a step one.

such as life...
has anyone experienced leg pain at night while
on lexapro???
has any one had the privelege of being a step one

Has anyone experienced side effect after just one dose. I am not liking this stuff at all- very dizzy, and just sorta feeling out of it. I've never taken anything like this before, and I'm starting to think my doc gave this to me way too soon...

Also wondering if I will still feel this bad if I stop taking it - I've only taken one dose.

Kelley,

The "out of it" is what most of us experience. I would call it a FOG, most appropriately.

The dizziness I experienced is not like normal Vertigo - but this sort of wierd thing in your head where your eyes go one way and your brain another. Only lasts a second but can be very disorienting - and those "seconds" can start happening several times a minute.

I'm definitely not a Doc - but you sound super-sensitive to it - is that true of any other medications you take?

Definietly, you can go off of it now without the bad withdrawal syndrome (my DH just quit after three weeks - they put him on it for BP - without any of the bad withdrawal). OR - you could reduce your dosage. I'm still doing pretty good on 5 MG (heck splitting the 20 MG pill - but worth it!).

Let us know what's up!

Jean

I am on lexapro 30 mg and have been for a few months. I also see a psychiatrist once a week. There are many things that I am depressed about and I know it is a combination of situational and chemical. I know that lexapro is very similar to celexa but just acts quicker. I don't think that there is any one answer for helping a depressed person and for me I struggle each day. I am not sure what the next day will hold and wake up each morning and wonder how I will feel. I think that I have to try and do even a little bit of positive stuff for my self each day instead of giving up and it is hard to do. Taking antidepressants is only part of the solution.

Hey there everyone! This is my first time on this site, and just been reading all of your comments. I became extremely depressed from 2003 after wandering blindly into a relationship with a monster. To cut the morbid story short, I had never suffered depression in my life, and was a strong, bubbly, outgoing person, and turned my life upside down, with a snowball effect! I have tried and failed with a few medications due to the side effects also. Eventually, I was put on lexapro just over a year now. Ok, first of all, the idea of any prescription drug, is to achieve the desired effect with minimal side effects. All of them do have some side effects, however, this is usually only for a while and they settle down. Its important to stay in contact with your doctor for this reason, ie. if the side effects go on to long etc. It may not agree with you or you may need to adjust the dose. I think that psychotherapy is also very important, but I would'nt be advising people not to take medication if they need it. The other thing is, Anti depres. meds, are like taking antibiotics, you have a course of them, and that usually needs at least 3 months min. to allow it to kick in. Honestly though, I read alot about the side effects, and unless they are impacting on your life more than depression, I think you have to deal with it or, don't get to the point where you stop without supervision, go see the Doctor! Have it with food, take it in the morning so you can sleep at night. Give it time, and if problems persist, you may just need to have dose reduced. Yes your sex life will come back! But hey, think about when your really depressed, what would you rather have at that point? pulled out of the black hole, or a bit longer to orgasm!?! I truely believe that a good portion of the battle is reprogramming your way of thinking! You can get in such a rut, and lose basic life skills. If the meds take the edge off and keep you functional and or alive, take them! Sorry but screw the sweaty palms problems etc! and be thankful that at least options exist. Pay attention to your label in the box too, helps. I still have my moments, but better than 6 months ago, and can now say, "hey, the rest is up to you girl!" Good luck everybody!!!!

I've been on Lexapro for over a year now and I've found it to be, in general, very helpful. I started at 10 mg/once a day but soon found that I got more consistent results if I broke it into 5 mg/twice a day. Now, I have upped my dosage to 5 mg/three times a day totaling 15 mg/day. I started taking Lex for anxiety and mild depression, but mostly for anxiety. It has helped for a period of time but now I've been having more reaccuring bouts of general anxiety. But I also feel that it has gone hand in hand with my pursuit of a career. Thus, more stress in career, more stress and anxiety arrising. So there is a corolation for it.

I never expected for any medication to wisk my pain away. What I hoped for, and what has happened is that I have been more able to COPE with my anxiety and be able to form more clear thoughts on how to deal with it. This has happened and I have spent many hours with thearapists and myself learning how to rethink and release that ball of energy. For me, that's what it is. A pent up ball of energy that, for some reason, has lodged itself in my gut and wants to tear me appart. If I can dispears that with better mental tools, then that is the goal of my journey. I do hope that I will not be on this medication for ever, and I'm sure I won't, but if I can continue to remember that it is a TOOL, and not a CURE, then I will end up the better.
Keep strong...

I have been taking Lexapro for months and also feel very irritable and got curious, so I looked it up, and was surprised to see I'm not the only one who has experienced this.

I've been on Lexapro for about 2.5 months. It has helped with anxiety, but I didn't have much of a problem with anxiety -- mostly depression. It does make me VERY sleepy (but not at first) so I take it around dinner-time. Very vivid and strange dreams. Nausea and dizziness went away after the first week. Libido is okay. No weird thoughts, but I do find that I'm incredibly lethargic. I was before the medication, so I don't think it is really helping with the depression. I saw another posting regarding taking half of the 10mg pill twice a day -- that's a good idea and I may try that.

Overall, I don't feel gloomy and my emotions have "leveled" out. I don't have such extreme reactions to things, but I do think I'm still somewhat depressed. However, I'm in therapy, too, and we're just starting to get to the "meat" of things, so I suspect the depression will decrease. I plan to stick with the Lexapro for at least another three months.

Best of luck to everyone.

I took the medication once for anxiety and had horrible side effects. My doctor said it wasn't known to cause side effects like I had, but as I read this blog, I now know differently. About an hour after I took it I had a hard time completing sentences because my memory became slower and also my speech became slurred. My walking even slowed down. Later that evening I became really emotional and depressed. I would cry about it and then for a while I felt absolutely nothing, nothing in the world mattered anymore. Later, I had a hard time falling asleep and my thoughts became really intrusive and disturbing. I had thoughts of suicide &/or hurting my family members and dog. I forced myself to lay in my bed so I wouldn't hurt anyone. I slept for a few hours and woke up suddenly about 2 hrs too early. I had thoughts while laying in my bed that I was going crazy and my thoughts were racing. Later that day as the drug began to wear off I still felt like I was in a haze and my thoughts felt uncontrollable. About 6 o'clock that night I felt really euphoric. I slept the drug off and that was the last I've had of it.

I'm 21 and had two panic attacks in a row and was put on Lexapro, I experienced extereme fatigue, flat afect, sexual dysfunction, but I thought it was the panic symptoms, and my doctor kept increasing my dose because I hadn't hyperventillated since I was put on Lexapro. My grades fell, I became anti-social, and I finally got off and now have to deal with even more crippling withdrawl symptoms, but at least I feel like myself again.

I am taking Lexapro for anxiety and depression and it works great for me. The main side effect I had was insomnia, but I was able to combat that by taking 3mg of melatonin at night. It works like a charm and I don't wake up feeling groggy or drugged the next day. According to my Dr. and my pharmacist there are no interaction precautions, but as always, check with your own Dr. first and make sure he/she says it is ok before taking anything new.

I was battling alcoholism and my doctor put me on 10mg Lexapro, (not a good idea to drink excessive alcohol with Lexapro, I blacked out nightly). I ended up in a detox and treatment center for the booze and they increased my Lex to 20mg daily. For the first time in over 30 years I am now living life drug and alcohol free (+ 15 months)It has balanced out my highs and lows and I think the decision to trade the effects of Lexapro for the hopeless situation I was in before is a no brainer. It's an indiviual choice for anyone but please take in account all the circumstances before making a decision. For me, it was the deadly spiral of alcoholism vs the negative side affects of lexapro. TODAY I am happy, joyous and free with the help of a proven recovery program of which I have incorporated Lexapro.

I am currently weaning off Lexapro. I started Lexapro about 1 year ago on a very small 5mg dose for 4 weeks and then increased to 10mg and have been on 10mg since. When I first started Lexapro, the side effects were horrible as far as not being able to sleep for 2 weeks, literally!! I thought I was just going to collapse one day from exhaustion! However, the side effects were not so unbearable that I stopped, or as bad as Paxil was 5 years ago! I stayed on Lexapro as directed and my doctor gave me sleep aids (of which did not help my insomnia). I am very sensitive to the meds and try not to use them too long. I can't stand the weight gain!! Also, I never realized Lexapro could affect your sex drive until now. I thought it was just me being too tired or in a bad mood; and I just got married in November!!!

For the most part, Lexapro has helped my panic disorder/attacks tremendously although I do feel less motivated than I did before starting the med. I just attributed that to being lazy now since learning how to de-stress myself & relax from my anxiety!!!

I am weaning off Lexapro; I cut down to 5mg daily for 3-4 weeks and now have cut back to 5mg every other day for about 3-4 weeks until my supply is gone, per MD order. I have noticed light headedness, dizziness at times, mood changes,; I get angry easier and cry more often.
I know there are always w/drawal symptoms from any med but if you do it properly, you'll be ok. Side effects will subside. I have what the doctor told me was the worst & most unusual case of anxiety she has ever seen. Anyway, I followed her direction (mainly because I was terrified of everything!) and have always ended up ok. When I went off Paxil 5 years ago, I was off all meds until last year when I had many life changes going on @ one time. Now I am tapering off Lexapro AND stopped birth control after 15 years to start family planning!! Now, you know my hormones are racing and out of whack! I looked up this blog to find out if anyone else was experiencing similar side effects from tapering. After reading, I realize I am not going crazy! All these things I have been feeling are very quite normal!!!

SSRIs have worked wonders for me but everyone is different in how they react & respond to meds. My advice though, because I work in healthcare, don't ever just quit any anti depressant or SSRI cold turkey!!! To me, you are just asking for weird side effects!!Follow your doctor's order and remember that there is no "wonder cure" for anxiety and it may be a long road but you can & will overcome it! And also remember, you know your body & reactions better than any doctor could ever know you!!!!

I am currently weaning off Lexapro. I started Lexapro about 1 year ago on a very small 5mg dose for 4 weeks and then increased to 10mg and have been on 10mg since. When I first started Lexapro, the side effects were horrible as far as not being able to sleep for 2 weeks, literally!! I thought I was just going to collapse one day from exhaustion! However, the side effects were not so unbearable that I stopped, or as bad as Paxil was 5 years ago! I stayed on Lexapro as directed and my doctor gave me sleep aids (of which did not help my insomnia). I am very sensitive to the meds and try not to use them too long. I can't stand the weight gain!! Also, I never realized Lexapro could affect your sex drive until now. I thought it was just me being too tired or in a bad mood; and I just got married in November!!!

For the most part, Lexapro has helped my panic disorder/attacks tremendously although I do feel less motivated than I did before starting the med. I just attributed that to being lazy now since learning how to de-stress myself & relax from my anxiety!!!

I am weaning off Lexapro; I cut down to 5mg daily for 3-4 weeks and now have cut back to 5mg every other day for about 3-4 weeks until my supply is gone, per MD order. I have noticed light headedness, dizziness at times, mood changes,; I get angry easier and cry more often.
I know there are always w/drawal symptoms from any med but if you do it properly, you'll be ok. Side effects will subside. I have what the doctor told me was the worst & most unusual case of anxiety she has ever seen. Anyway, I followed her direction (mainly because I was terrified of everything!) and have always ended up ok. When I went off Paxil 5 years ago, I was off all meds until last year when I had many life changes going on @ one time. Now I am tapering off Lexapro AND stopped birth control after 15 years to start family planning!! Now, you know my hormones are racing and out of whack! I looked up this blog to find out if anyone else was experiencing similar side effects from tapering. After reading, I realize I am not going crazy! All these things I have been feeling are very quite normal!!!

SSRIs have worked wonders for me but everyone is different in how they react & respond to meds. My advice though, because I work in healthcare, don't ever just quit any anti depressant or SSRI cold turkey!!! To me, you are just asking for weird side effects!!Follow your doctor's order and remember that there is no "wonder cure" for anxiety and it may be a long road but you can & will overcome it! And also remember, you know your body & reactions better than any doctor could ever know you!!!!

I think that Lexapro and other SSRI's seem to react differently in some people than others. I have read that it worked great and also that there were severe side effects. What I have witnessed in a friend taking Lexapro:

Extreme anger, Violence, Suicide attempts, Loss of Inhibitions, Emotional "Numbness", Severe Depression, Mania, She could not feel love for her husband, Sexual Promiscuity, No emotions, No Remorse for actions, Inability to cry over serious life issues, Attempted to jump out of a moving car (several times) Obsessive behavior, Doubled her dose, Lost everything.
I have known her my entire life. This did not happen before the medication. When she quit and after some time, She seemd back to herself. A very loving friend and compassionate person.
Be careful before you take medication and do research!

Hi....wondering if anyone can help me.....I have recently met an otherwise wonderful guy...except, he is on a course of Lexapro.....he has had some fairly recent personal trauma....and is on the maximum dose ( I think it is 15mg - two diferent boxes, 1 of each)
I have read so many similar symptoms, and situations in all your stories....and I think maybe this Lexapro will have a worse effect on this nice guy, in the long term!!
I am having a real hard time adjusting to the almost non-existance of sexual contact....
This guy has regular(everyday)bouts of sleppiness....locking himself away in his room....not wanting to do anything....having to over concentrate in completing the most average tasks.....not seeming to care about me, or anything else....though he says it's not "me"...the frustration and anger at the doctor & othe specialists because they can't, or won't tell him "what's wrong with him"....the same frustration & anger, because he wants to get things done, but finds he just can't muster any motivation...
I am soooo sad for him...there is NOTHING(according to him), that I can do to help him....but there must be something....this man is sooooo worth any time it takes me to find him a cure for this......

Can ANYONE help me pleeeeease...I am finding this soooo very hard to deal with....but I will stay by his side as long as it takes, or I can handle it!!!

Any info or reassurance or help will be appreciated more than you can imagine....

P.S....
I am torn between the feeling that, I "should" stop seeing him...to relieve the pressure of him having to deal with, & worry about having me in his life...& what it's doing to me& him(which he does ..alot).................&...............if I DO stop seeing him...that once again, someone has "left" him...and, let him down...which has happened in other times & situations, most of which apparently, have been "female" persons...is this a clue???

I like him a hell of a lot...& don't want to give up on him...he really is a great guy, normally....when he is having a "good" spell...he is awesome...or at least I think so....lol

I forgot to say thanks to you all for your stories...they have helped alot....& thanks in advance for any help or advice..... :))

I have been taking Lexapro just under a year. I slowly increased the dose and I now take 20mg. I've always been an anxious & sort of nervous person and now with getting older I was starting to get bad bouts of pre-menapause. Lexapro has been a wonder drug for me. I got through the initial side affects - no problem!! Life finally seemed awesome... However, the one only down fall - the dreaded weight gain. I've gained about 20 pounds... I'm completely torn and do not know what to do. I don't want to be anxious but I don't want an ugly stomach gut either.. This is a cruel & unusual punishment!!
I wish I knew what to do...

Signed,
Confused & bloated !!

Stacey.....

If this "drug" is working for your phsyc & emotional problems...and I mean really work.....then you need to start focusing on ways to get your wieght down.....ahhhh....like.......EXERCISE......GOOD EATING HABITS.....STAYING POSITIVE.....what else can I say :))

Gettign down on yourself because you now have a weight gain problem, will only cause you the same grief as you were suffering BEFORE you started taking the very drug that has "helped" you.... Do you get it???

Not to mentioned added weight gain from stressing over it......

Don't stress & worry over it......DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

You go girl!!!!

Thoughts & Hugs..............................SHAZZA

After a couple of very stressful events, a breakup of a long term relationship and then an unexpected layoff in my job of 9 years, I had the most incapacitating depression and anxiety I have ever had. I am usually a person with a very strong zest for life, and I started having strong suicidal thoughts for the first time in my life. Never being more than a social drinker, I then started drinking heavily in an effort to cope. Needless to say, I was pretty alarmed by these changes and decided after talking to my doctor to give Lexapro a try.

Years ago, I had tried Paxil and Zoloft, during some brief periods of acute stress, but stopped taking them after a few days because of nausea and other side effects. As my life situation improved, the depression gradually lifted. I never knew that the emotional disinterest ("numbness") and almost nonexistant libido were side effects of all SSRI's. My doctor told me that Lexapro was more tolerable for some people than other SSRI's. He was right, the nausea, dry mouth, etc, were much more less bothersome. I took 10 mg a day for about 2 months. The emotional blunting probably put a brake on the dangerous aspects of the depression, but ended up leaving me a total zombie, and my libido and ability to orgasm almost disappeared completely. My appetite also decreased, and I had to remind myself to eat sometimes. I also had insomnia, especially early on, and would go days sometimes without being able to sleep at all.

I went off cold turkey and didn't have too bad a time, probably because I was taking a relatively low dose, for a short time period. The worst effects were some very spacey feelings that would last a few seconds (probably a milder version of the electric "zaps" others have described), and some hot flashes, which did cause a panic attack once. Also, my supressed emotions started to come back, and I was quite emotional for a few days, but was glad to actually feel something genuine for a change. By the end of the week, I felt like my old self again, pretty much. My sexual and food appetites returned. I was so relieved!

My life can be stressful at times (whose isn't, right?) and I can feel myself slipping into mild to moderate depression sometimes. There was no way I wanted to go back to antidepressants again, so I started looking for a more holistic, alternative approach. For me, a combination of 200 mg of SAM-e daily, which lifts my mood and gives me energy (without any side effects so far), and a somewhat rigorous program of exercise has helped a lot. I had to start slow, and it took a while, but exercise has worked as good as any medication I've taken. There's nothing like a good endorphin rush!

Granted, some meds work wonders for some people, (it helped to stop the worst of the depression, I'll concede) but I think they are way to overprescribed. This isn't just related to depression, notice how many television commercials there are now for almost every ailment under the sun. Almost anything in life can be solved by taking some pill, if you believe the advertising.

If your depression is mild to moderate, I would try looking into alternatives before considering SSRI's. Of course, it's a very individual process and takes some trial and error.

I always had panic issues, but after I quit smoking my panic attacks got to be overwhelming. I had to take a month off of work FMLA time because I was terrified to leave my house. My doctor first prescribed Prozac for me - it made my anxiety SO much worse. Then I got Remeron - which I now call the hell-drug because of the awful weekend it gave me. I had alot of trouble with psycho-tropic side effects. My doctor finally prescribed me Lexapro, and I was able to deal with the side effects.

I'm on 10mg a day now, and it has given me my life back. I haven't seen any weight gain, haven't had any brain fogginess to speak of, no aggression, I'm perfectly awake during the day - and I can face the day. This drug helped me stop taking Ativan three times a day.

I can't say enough good about Lexapro. The positives FAR outweigh the negatives for me. Strictly speaking, being able to function as normal without worrying about panic attacks is worth the two weeks or so of light side effects I had to go through, and the side effects of this drug have not been nearly as bad as with others.

I imagine when I wean myself off of it, it will be hard - but that's true of any drug.

Anti-depressents are strange - they affect everyone differently. I just hope that everyone gives this one a chance - it does help some people. It gave me hope back where I thought there was none.

Well, I finally had to admit that I needed help and seek professional help for my anxiety/depression. Let me be up front and say that I do not like having to go to the doctor and even less taking pills. Since this is an informational blog, I thought that I should start at the beginning of my Lexapro experience.

First the background...
I have always been described as a very happy, positive, and upbeat person. My wife said that one of the reasons that she married me was my joy and wonder for the small details of life.

To be honest, I never really appreciated my 'disposition' until the last 4 months. My father has had a 'heart condition' for the last 20 years, but 10-11 months ago his condition was reclassified as 'congestive heart failure'. His (and correspondingly, my mother's) persistent reduction in quality of life and increase in depression is proving difficult to handle. We were also hit by the hurricanes of 2004 and have yet to be able to get the contractors and insurance company to 'fix' our house and property. In addition, my wife and I are the sole providers for my parents and her mother, and I found out last Thanksgiving that there is a good chance that I will lose my job before the end of 2006. My wife worries enough about our ability to care for our parents as it so; therefore, I have not told her about possibly losing my job.

My 'symptoms' have started to intensify and multiply. I have been having a severe problem in sleeping (getting to sleep, quaility of sleep, waking up early). I am very anxious throughout the day for no immediate reason. My wife and others have started mentioning that I have 'nervous' shaking of my feet, legs, and/or hands at various times. I have experienced several episodes of sheer panic and desire for 'flight' lately. Increasingly I feel that I have no control over the events or direction of my life. I've been having bad headaches lately. I've had times when I was eating where I could not physically swallow my food due to what felt like spasms in my throat and/or esophagus. I have not had suicidal thoughts, but I have been increasingly thinking that it would be better to be dead. I don't want to get up in the morning. I feel sad and weepy most of the time. I used to enjoy going out to dinner, watching movies, and listening to / playing music, and working on my computer; but now, I could care less. Nothing seems to please or satisfy me. Plus, the worst part of all is the fact that the true joy of my life, my marriage, is totally falling apart due to my 'funk' as my wife calls it. We increasingly argue and fight. We used to argue about my wife's lack of sexual desire, but now, she's the one complaining about our lack of intimate activity.

Now the treatment...
I just got back from my latest appointment with my doctor where she prescribed Lexapro (10 mg per day at night) and Sonata (10 mg before bedtime as needed). After reading the blogs and webpostings, I am very concerned about the effects of the drug, but I am getting desperate for something to help. I hope for the best and will post of my progress.

I was told to take 10 m of lexaprp amd quit it make me feel terrible. I take only 5 m now and skip weekends. It is a holiday from the stuff I am feeling better now.

I have been on lexapro for the last 6 months with fantastic results at only 5mg a day. However the sexual side effects were really bothering me so my doc suggested that I switch to Aurorix 150mg. I have been on it for 2 wks and yes my libido returned to normal but I have got insomnia, occasional dizzyness and I have been teary and anxious. I am starting back on lexapro tomorrow. I have tried many other antidepressants and so far lexapro has by far been the best for me.

I have been taking LEXAPRO for 8 months now. It has allowed me to react differently to issues that might arise in my life. In other words I don't feel it is impossible to solve any issue in my life. Before, I would feel like too much was going on at once but didn't seem to be able to figure out how to normally go about it.
My experience has been good. I am curious to see if my new learned behavior will remain after I stop taking Lexapro.

I started taking Lexapro almost a year ago. Can't live without! I have been on Wellbutrin and another depression type medication(don't remember but not Prozac or Zoloft) Anyway, thus far,it has been the best medication treatment yet in controlling my depression and my anger. For many years, I have experienced problems with extreme moods, anger, aggressive behavior, and erratic reactions to extreme life events that cause me to over-react to situations that I later find embarrassing and sometimes self injury (Ei...if I was having a very bad day and something happen that was out of my control and turned out negative, I would beat my fist against stearing wheels of cars, doors, throw things which will hurt my hands are cause destruction)I have been diagnosis with Attention Deficit Disorder (and my diagnosis is real!) but since I have been taking Lexapro, I am able to control those impulses. I can now calmly think through situations rationally. I can now exist with a controlling anal retentive husband. Okay, so nobody is perfect. I wish there was a magic medication for that!? Just kidding.
However, I recently have discovered after being on Lexapro for several months, that my sexual libido is almost non-existant. I know that I am now in my 40's but I was wondering if other individuals who are also taking Lexapro have been experiencing the same side-effects and does anyone have any suggestions to remedy this problem?

Reading these comments has scared me to death. I thought I was having problems and see that others have far worse problems than me. I just have started taking Lexapro and only after reading the comments do I feel uneasy. I dont know if I should continue taking the durg or not. I have seen far more negative comments than positive ones. This could be that only the people who have side effects or negative comments come to these sites and the others like myself that would like to have some useful information posted leave positive comments. I'll keep you informed after a few weeks of the drug. If my ejaculation is prolonged and that is the only side effect I have then I may be misarble, but my wife will be happy. She would like for sex to last longer than 30 seconds anyway.

Three years ago, I was prescribed Effexor XR for depression and anxiety at age 43. The effexor worked great for about a year and a half, at which time I noticed its efficacy decreased. I weaned myself off of the effexor, which was a mistake as well as a major feat because the withdrawl symptoms include severe dizziness with head turning. The psychiatrist then prescribed Lexapro. She was very enthusiastic about it, stating that she had seen excellent results with patients she had prescribed it for thus far. Ten mg, twenty mg , thirty mg--she kept bumping it up because I felt no improvement with depression and anxiety. At forty mg, a realitvely high dose, I felt postive and motivated with little anxiety. I noticed frequent and uncomfortable periods of heavy sweating, which first I attributed to premenopausal symptoms. I gained 35 pounds for the first time in my life, with little change in diet--also, I believed at the time, to be the hormonal swings of premenopause. I felt that after six to eight months Lexapro began to weaken in its effective for my anxiety--or the feelings of dread I experienced with returning phone calls, emails, going to work etc. This last month , as with the last several months ---the
" bad" week of "PMS" symptoms I routinely experienced now left me depressed to the point of sleeping in bed for a week.The remaining weeks of the month I was functional but feeling no better than if I had not been taking Lexapro at all. I also experienced headaches and increased blood pressure--probably the headaches the warning sign of the high blood pressure. Previously, my blood pressure was always low. Ironically, I am a psychiatric nurse and ER nurse of twenty years, and I notice the trend appears to be that the doctors will heavily prescribe the "newest" pharmacudical discovery in the hopes that it is an advance over the available current medications. This was the case with Prozac, which , by the way, I never see prescribed now at the facility where I work. Lexapro, according to most of the patients with chronic depression that I counsel, appears to do little if anything to alleviate their sypmtoms. For the mildly depressed or newly depressed, the Lexapro appears to be more successful, and has less sexual side effects. This is only what my patients have told me and what I have experienced, so take it for what its worth. . I revisted my doctor and requested to be placed back on the effexor. My advice to any one who does well on a medication for at least a year and then , despite doseage changes, notices a return of symptoms---talk to your doctor. Often , one may grow to tolerate a certain medication and need a respite for a period of time from it. If it worked well for you in the past , you may be able to return to it after your body loses its tolerance. If you experience continued depression or anxiety despite medication, don't hesitate to call your psychiatrist and tell him/ her. Your subjective feedback is the most important in factor in how they treat you. They are not annoyed by this. In fact, they determine how mentally healthy a person is by their willingness to participate in their own treatment and their incitefullness at being able to report symptoms. Don't wean yourself off any medication without the doctors assistance--although I did it once I know it was very foolish and will not try it again. Some medications, if stopped too abruptly can cause more problems than you will be prepared to deal with. Do not regulate your own medications--do not assume if you are having a bad day that an extra pill will provide extra relief. Also, enough cannot be said about proper diet and excercise. Avoid excessive refined sugars, processed foods with chemicals, alchohol, caffiene --and take a multi vit stress tab does really help. Simply excercise such as walking will increase all the feel good hormones --although when severely depressed even walking for excercise can appear to be overwhelming. Finally, if your family doctor feels that you are depressed, please request or seek a referal to a psychiatrist. (not psychologist, not family doctor.) Even though there are some excellent family practioners , their experience in psych is limited to the rotation that they did as residents. I cannot tell you how many family doctors I have seen make misdiagnosis and/ or poor choices in prescribing psychiatric medication. The family doctor can and should rule out any physcical cause of depression by a thorough exam and blood work. Low thyroid levels are an example of what can be amiss, causing depression like symptoms. The psychiatrist is the specialist and it is your brain, so make sure you get an expert--that is why he is there in the first place. God Bless us all, and thanks to God for the doctors and medications so that we do have hope

I started taking Lexapro about 1 week ago, I decided to begin medication because of GAD (social anxiety, negative dwelling and anger) and mild OCD (obsessive compulsive "eye blinking", muscle tensing and other socially awkward "ticks"). I had been considering taking antidepressants for about 1 year, but I have held off because of my faith in therapy and my mistrust of prescription medication. Although therapy has been very helpful, my issues continue to paralyze me and hold me back in life. So with the approval of my therapist, I started the medicine.
My first experience was very negative, my doctor prescribed me 20mg, which was way to high to start with and I got very sick. I called him the next day to tell him about the intense side effects and he said that he made a mistake and that I should start out with just half a pill (10mg). I have been taking it ever since and the physical side effects are minimal. At first I had a few nights of restless sleep which passed after 3 or 4 days. Other side effects included, sexual (common, but very mild), daziness and most concerning for me is the feeling of being numb and emotionless.
I assume that most of the side effects will go away with time and even if they don't, they are mild and manageable, except the emotionless feeling, which I am very concerned about. I have struggled with having a hard time connecting with my emotions for a long time (well before the medication) and the lexapro seems to be intensifying that struggle. I feel numb all the time now and although I haven't obsessively dwelled on negativity, felt anxious, guilt or shame since the medication started affecting me, I also haven't been able to feel happy, excited, sad or anything, just bland and empty. Perhaps, this is another side effect that will pass with time, however, based on a few testimonials of those who have taken the drug, I fear that the effects may last. I'd be interested in hearing other's experiences about this, especially from those who have struggled with an emotional disconnect before taking the drug and how they overcame it while on the drug.
I would also be interested in hearing about the experiences of those who have taken lexapro for OCD because so far it has only slightly alleviated my OCD, I still have many of the same addictive urges that I had before but, again I have only taken the medication for 1 week now and am still on 10mg.

Any feedback would be appreciated!
Thanks!

My wife take this drug - Lexapro since mid -2005 , she seems managable -stable , I would say almost as normal [heathy ]. as a husband , I need not worry much. I leave her alone to manage my small family since she had post natal-depressions in 2003 August.
Thanks GOD

Links between alcohol and the drug Lexapro usage: I've experienced blackouts while taking Lexapro and drinking alcohol. This is not medical advice, just my recent experience. Check with your physician for all the answers pertaining to your medical case. FDA approved labeling states that Lexapro may impair your judgment, thinking, or motor skills; frequent side effects include amnesia and confusion, as well as otherside effects.

Prozac seems longer lasting to me but dangerous; Lexapro a little less so it seems; alcohol and both drugs will compete in your bodies metabolism within the liver. It is known that use of more than one drug, for example, alcohol and a benzodiazepine, or other inhibitor-type drugs, can result in the alcohol metabolism being delayed, with the result that more alcohol is circulating in the body for a longer period of time than would be the case if alcohol alone were in the system.

So, logically, combining alcohol with drugs like the newer Lexapro or Prozac may worsen the effects listed in the first sentence above. There is reported information that combining alcohol and these drugs, perhaps in higher amounts than prescribed, may cause blackouts and other problems, such as impairing decision making functions to. However, most of the information I have seen and read suggests that for most people (remember people can have markedly different sensitivities to drug effects), drinking while on these depression drugs has and can pose many health problems.  

Be very careful in taking this drug and drinking any type of alchohol. It can be very dangerous. In my case, the drug has caused me to be more irritated easier, and to say and do things that I am sure are not within my nature. Including alienating and saying harsh things to my direct family during a period recently that I blacked out during and have no recollection of ever happening. It also appears that hard, sharp and loud sounds cause many problems as well since I've been on this drug for three weeks now. Also, a prickling sensation appears to happen at different points on my body at any given time throughout the day without reason. Short-term memory seems to be less effective, as well as period of diorientation due to momentary amnesia.

after taking lexapro for three years i felt worse than ever i gained 30 pounds in three years. depression is worse.i am constantly hot.i was on 20mg.for these three years when my m.d.told me to increse dose to 30mg. than up to 40mg.6lbs. in 2 weeks.this is with hardly any appetite.i was hostile and unable to sleep.my m. d.told me to go off of lexapro 40mg.to 30mg.20mg. then10mg. needless to say i felt horrible dizzy,nauseated,i lost my car one day .i started seeing things that weren't there.so after telling my pharmacist he told me everyone is different and to wean off slower.my husband who isn't an m.d. set up a schedule off the medication so i will wean offat a slower pace taking two weeks.its been almost a month now and i still feel fuzzy and dizzy.the weight gain is slow to come off.i will never take another anti depressant again.victoria

after taking lexapro for three years i felt worse than ever i gained 30 pounds in three years. depression is worse.i am constantly hot.i was on 20mg.for these three years when my m.d.told me to increse dose to 30mg. than up to 40mg.6lbs. in 2 weeks.this is with hardly any appetite.i was hostile and unable to sleep.my m. d.told me to go off of lexapro 40mg.to 30mg.20mg. then10mg. needless to say i felt horrible dizzy,nauseated,i lost my car one day .i started seeing things that weren't there.so after telling my pharmacist he told me everyone is different and to wean off slower.my husband who isn't an m.d. set up a schedule off the medication so i will wean offat a slower pace taking two weeks.its been almost a month now and i still feel fuzzy and dizzy.the weight gain is slow to come off.i will never take another anti depressant again.victoria

I am a female who has been on Lexapro for more than 2 years now. I combined it with Wellbutrin. I have been taking 30mg of Lexapro and 150 mg of Wellbutrin.

Psychologically, it helped me a great deal! I no longer had suicidal thoughts, could focus better and felt overall more stable with my moods.
The down side is that over time, I gained 30 pounds! I did not even consider that it may be the medication because I turned 40 last year. I figured my metabolism had solely changed due to getting older. I did not consider that it could be the medications until I deliberatley treid to get back into shape. After consciously eating well and working out again, I could not drop the weight! I bike 30 -35 minutes per session,train with weights and walk lot. I found that after relaly tryinbg to get back into shape, I am still the same pant size a year ago (2 sizes up from my usual size 6).
I decided to go off the two meds, take natural herbs and have acupuncture.
I am down to 20 mg of lex a day with one tablet of wellbutrin (150mg).The have had headaches and have felt easily aggitated. I feel wired, have more energy and do not desire sleep as much. (I was leeping way to much!)
I have already seen a change in my metabolism! I feel thinner already!
Even if it was water weight, I feel lighter and more confident that I will find my size 6 body again.
No matter what the pharmaceutical companies tell you, you can definently gain weight with Lexipro and Wellbutrin!

I am a female who has been on Lexapro for more than 2 years now. I combined it with Wellbutrin. I ook 30mg of Lexapro and 150 mg of Wellbutrin.

Psychologically, it helped me a great deal! I no longer had suicidal thoughts, could focus better and felt overall more mentally stable.
The down side is that over time, I gained 30 pounds! I did not even consider that it might be the medications because I turned 40 last year. I figured my metabolism had simply changed due to getting older. I did not consider that it could be the medications until I deliberatley tried to get back into shape through diet and exercise. After consciously eating well and working out again, I could not drop the weight! I bike 30 -35 minutes per session,train with weights and walk lot. I found that after really tryinbg to get back into shape, I am still the same pant size I was a year ago (2 sizes up from my usual size 6).

I decided to go off the two meds, take natural herbs and have acupuncture.
I am down to 20 mg of lex a day with one tablet of wellbutrin (150mg).This past week, I have had headaches and have felt easily aggitated. I feel wired, have more ,and do not desire sleep as much. (I was sleeping way too much anyway!)

I have already seen a change in my metabolism! I feel thinner already! My stomach is flatter and the extra flab on my hips has gone down. (I had gained fat on the meds where I had never had it before!)
Now I feel lighter and more confident that I will find my size 6 body again.
No matter what the greedy pharmaceutical companies tell you, you can definently gain weight with Lexipro and Wellbutrin!

I just went to the doctor today. It was the hardest thing for me to do. No one ever wants to admit to their self or anyone else that they are no longer in control of their thoughts, feelings, reactions, moods or. I have been putting it off for at least 2 years. I am glad I finally got up the courage to go. I was prescribed Lexapro. After reading more horible comments Vs. good about this drug on this website, I am now having second thoughts. I am going to sleep on this. Should I atleast give it a try? Is it worth it? My doctor seemed to think this drug would work the best for me. Any Thoughts??

I have been on Lexapro for about 2 weeks. My family doctor prescribed it to me and reffered me to a psychiatrist. He decided since I was already on it I should try it for a few more weeks before we tried something else. I suffer from anxiety and get many panic attacks. I have found that the lexapro is working. It's like I have been calmed down. The only things I have noticed so far were dry mouth, trouble staying asleep and leg twitching. I find if I take a xanax the twitching stops and it helps me get a good nights sleep. The twitching just started a week ago. I was thinking maybe it's just my body getting used to the medication. I was also wondering if anyone else has had any twitching in their legs and if so when it subsided if at all.

Well, its my second day on 10mg of Lexapro. After reading the comments below I am scared to continue as I have had near fatal reactions due to these types of medications in the past. (anaphylaxsis, extrapirmidal)

It wasn't an easy choice to start with Lexapro. I am stubborn and didn't want to take medication.

I have been extremely depressed and suffer severe anxiety and panice attacks on a regular basis. I just am at the point where I can't get anything accomplished and think about driving off bridges all day. SO, I decided to take the Lexapro.

Side effects so far- yesterday was the first dose- had nervous spasms and tics that were short-lived but frightening. Also, felt out of it all day. On a positive note, my anxiety seemed to be a lot better.

My depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are causing a great degree of stress on our relationship. I am at the point where I would do anything not to feel this way anymore. I just want to get better.

Now I'm worried that some of these side effects might be on the horizon.

I think that medication work for some people, but I may stop talking this. I have only taken two doses- one 10mg yesterday and one 10mg this morning (before reading this.) Will I have side effects after only two days?

Maybe I should talk with my doctor and start a regular exercise program. All I have to do is stop worrying about leaving the house and everything else that is racing through my mind on a daily basis.

I've been taking Lexapro 10mg daily for about 9 months now and it has been a life saver. (My doctor prescribed it for anxiety relief) My moods are much more even and I haven't had a single panic attack since starting it.

However, the first few days of Lexapro made me dizzy and nauseous to the verge of puking (though I never did). My sex drive disappeared, though later returned, and it now takes me a long time to finish...some might find that a positive...

Also, thanks to a mixup at the pharmacy and an out of town business trip, I got to experience the withdrawl symptoms. My temper became hairtrigger, I felt dizzy, and had difficulty concentrating.

I love what Lexapro has done for me, but I'm very weary of the withdrawl effects now.

This is a great drug!! Started at 20mg and it was WAY TOO MUCH. Dropped my dosage down to 5mg and it has worked wonders for my anxiety and depression. On 20mg I felt drunk all day, my house could be on fire and I would not have cared. Lower dosage allowed me to experience "normal" levels of anxiety while allowing me to brush off trivial things like traffic congestion & rude people. I hate the fact that I do need to take meds but after 7 weeks on this drug I realize that I have seriously been missing out on life. Overall positive experience.

I've been using Lexapro (10mg) to treat postpartum depression and it has done wonders for me. I had a few minor of side effects: nausea on the first day, it's been making me a bit sleepy during the day and it seems to have impacted my short term memory. Fortunately it was a small price to pay considering that before taking it I was in tears a few times per day, had frequent suicidal thoughts, etc. It's now been a year since I started taking it. I am in the process of cutting back on it very gradually. I got really scared of coming off it after reading some negative feedback on the net, so I've been decreasing the dosage by 2.5mg every forthnight. I am on 2.5mg at the moment. I still feel great psychologically, which is fantastic! I had a few days when I wasn't feeling like myself and a bit of a headache, but that was all.
Hope this helps...
Good luck everyone!

Hi, I'm a 31-year old male, and took Lexapro for 7 days, prescribed for intense anxiety issues. I'm now in day 3 of not taking the drug, it made me feel unreal, tired, numb, confused, very edgy with twitching and altered perception and eye movements, and I couldn't ejaculate by day 2. I still feel out of it, but I'm not certain how long it takes the drug to leave the body. Do not take Lexapro with alcohol, I think it really made my side-effects worse by leaps and bounds. I'm not going to retake it regardless, I'd rather find other ways to deal with my anxiety.

I picked up my prescription yesterday of Lexapro (10mg). I've been doing my research and I'm willing to give it a try to see what happens. What I'm afraid of are the possible irreversible effects of the drug. I had a friend who was institutionalized and eventually committed suicide so I'm weary of anything that changes your brain chemistry. I called my doctor's office and they gave me text book answers and didn't sound very familiar with the side effects at all. I'm so glad I found this forum. I'll keep you all updated on my progress. Good luck to all of you.

I've been reading the pros&cons of this drug with much interest.Even the positive feedback is rather tepid and faint in praise, so I must conclude this is a drug to be approached carefully. I have been taking CIPRALEX 10mg(the European variant of this drug)since Sept 05, it takes the edge off depression,makes you go to work which is what it's suposed to do...but it does generate a strange kind of apathy in that you don't care much one way or another.The side effects I encountered preety much follow the general pattern: some weight gain 3kgs,vivid dreams but I began to have a persistent headache-twice a migraine,something I have not had before. Libido was not reduced but orgasm is certainly difficult. I decided to go off the drug suddenly and the reaction was sinister:horrifying nightmares, extreme tiredness, de-personalisation and a zomboid state. I went back on the stuff again as it was really awful.But in the meantime, I think I may have come across a very dangerous side-effect: I was having a routine health check with the occupational nurse and she discovered my blood pressure had rocketed.I have always had excellent blood pressure and nothing else in my life-style has changed since September except taking cipralex.This might explain the migraines tiredness and vastly elevated blood pressure.The doctor says no it can't be, but then he probably gets sme rake-off for prescribing it! I am reducing the dose over a fortnight or so and will have the blood pressure monitored, I am not overweight nor am I yet 50 so I am highly suspicious of this drug as I believe it is creating hypertension. I would be interested if others have similar expweiences, after all, you Americans are litigation enthusiasts we can't do that in Europe, so perhaps there could be grounds for action? In the meantime, I strongly advise getting off these types of drug as they could be brain poison disguised as 'medication' We need more feedback.

I have been taking lexapro for approxiametly 2 weeks. Started having nausea, headaches, and fatigue from the get go. This did resolve in a few days. I started feeling better around one week after starting treatment. Then I went nuts about a week and a half into the treatment. I called my doctor and she said That I was manic-depressive and I was experiecing a manic episode. She said that I had to be put on a mood stabalizer . I am now taking Lexapro along with Depekote ER . I am very fatigued today with some nauseas. I sure hope I start feeling better soon. I am devasted that I have manic depression .

After a couple weeks of stomachaches, the only effect the drug had and continues to have on me is tiredness. I think.

I've just started taking Lexapro for Anxiety (1 week) and I'm feeling more anxious than ever. I also have irrational fears that are getting worse. I don't even want to leave my house now. Will these symptoms get better or do I need to get off of this medication?

I read some very disturbing articles about Lexapro, and was very hesitant to take the medication. So I just want to share my positive story with Lexapro.
A couple of years ago I had a major shift in my life which lead to extreme depression and anxiety. It was one of those things that just would not go away. I woke up in a sweat, my mind churning over all the possibilities of how things could have been different if I’d done this, or that. The anxiety stayed with me every day like a dark cloud, telling me all the bad things that could happen to me in every situation. Feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness lingered constantly. By the end of the day I was just exhausted and panic stricken. I recognized the feeling of depression/anxiety but never to this extent. Finally thoughts of suicide came into my head “it would be so easy just to jump off here, end it”. It was then that I realized I needed help. I told my doctor I think I’m depressed and need something to help me get through the day, he gave me samples of Lexapro. When I got home I sat at my computer and found out as much as I could about antidepressants and Lexapro. I was disturbed to read all the serious problems and side effects from people who had taken these medications. Needless to say my Lexapro sat deep in my desk drawer, I left it for a while and pondered my decision. Basically I was terrified of something even worse happening to me mentally. A few weeks later I’d had enough of the mental torment and suicidal thoughts, “What could be worse than this!” I said to myself. I tore open the Lexapro pack and started taking 10mg nightly.
This is the part I had not read in any Lexapro letters on the internet. After the second day the medication made me tired, lethargic and overall dopey. I slept 12 hours straight every night and woke in a daze. I drifted through my day. I felt very relaxed an strangely at ease with the world. I felt NO feeling of depression of suicide, and my dark thoughts just disappeared? All gone? My mind would not allow me to go there, the Lexapro took over and eased me into everything at a pace I could process, which was actually much more accurate and efficient than ever before. Yes, my sex drive had depleted somewhat but I was more focused on other things. I felt my mind and body become stronger, more focused, more capable and ready to deal with big issues that I’d avoided in the past. Six months later Lexapro became part of me everyday life, I even thought about not EVER coming off the medication. If you’re taking Lexapro I strongly suggest you go to a therapist during your term, and don’t leave anything out in your sessions. This medication can lead you to places where you really don’t care about things as much as you did in the past, or at least it seems to everyone else? It is so important to know who you really are to know how to fix yourself, so divulge all your discoveries to your therapist. A year later I thought I could fly on my own, my therapist said you can always go back on the medication. I thought I’ll give it a shot. I tapered off over a period of 4 weeks, cutting up my pills in half first, then quarters. Finally I was “me”!!!!
I told my partner 3 months later and she said ‘You mean this is really you!” and much to surprise she embraced me tight and kissed me over and over again and welcomed me home.
Lexapro saved my life, I wish we’d had this medication when I was a child. Whatever it is they’re selling, it worked for me.

I just started taking this 3 days ago, 10 mg. Feel lethargic and want to sleep all day. Feel unmotivated and this is very concerning because I have to work everyday. I am thinking that I will stop this now after reading all of the comments here.

I have been taking lexapro for about 6 weeks along with Depekote for manic depression. At first I wasn't able to reach orgasm, but now the orgasms are better than ever. So just hang in there. You will be able to have orgasms soon. Good luck.

Some common side effects that I experieced taking 15 mg of lexapro were naseau, headache, and dry mouth. This went away in about one week. The sexual side effect ( unable to climax ) took about one month. I have rapid cycling manic depression and take this med with depekote. I would recommend it because it doesn't have anticholinergic side effects.

I took Lexapro in 2003. I was dealing with post partum after having twins. I could tell a difference and I liked it, but my clothes were getting tighter and tighter until only two things fit, my two pairs of overalls! At only 2 months on Lexapro, I had gained 20 pounds!! I called the doctor and they did not believe me. So, I went in, was weighed and sure enough, 20 pounds. Since then, I have continued to gain some more weight. I put it on on my belly. It is so ugly.
I had a lot of gas and I know that is from my metabolism slowing down. I learned about that during pregnancy.

Please be aware that weight gain is VERY SERIOUS and VERY LIKElY on Lexapro. If you take it and see a few pounds come on, tell your doc you want to stop. They may dismiss it, but you will be the one stuck with the weight. I think it has had a permenant affect on my metabolism. I am struggeling so hard to lose weight. This has gone on for 3 years. It is terrible and I really hate LEXAPRO and I think that they know the drug causes serious weight gain, but they don't care. They should have a campaign slogan to be "FAT & HAPPY!".

Laxapro and OCD

I started Lexapro about 6 months ago and the gradual change in my doom-and-gloom outlook was noticeably better. My wife say that dealing with me, has become a much more pleasant experience, and I am far less grouchy. Grouchy is my middle name, but now I’m more like Mr. Happy Go Lucky. The truth is that I frown less and say more positive things while on Lexapro. Not that I was a miserable pile before that.

I am aware that some people can get worse on Lexapro. That may be the result of their particular brain chemistry plus their ego and inner-self coming out, but for the most part the drug will certainly shift your composure one way or another. Up or Down, or even a simple “tilt” for some, while for others a complete “upside-down” effect.

For example, who you are when you get drunk is the real you coming out, weather good or bad. Some people start to sing, while others want to fight for no logical reason. The same goes for Lexapro. Someone who becomes an uninhibited degenerate, from a previous church-going Sunday school teacher, may seen shocking, but that’s more likely who they really were under the surface. The old hidden self, come out. It’s great having a chemical to blame when your real ego comes out to play, or, God forbid, if a killer inside is let loose. The Lexapro might shift you up, or down, or free you up to not feel responsible for what your ego always looks forwards to carry out.

For me, Lexapro has helped my fastidious OCD become less important. In fact I was shocked to see that I had spent about a week without attacking the little bottle of rubbing alcohol that I had obsessively carried, to use on my hands and face when I go out in public. (You should try it some time, the germ free clean feeling is great!!) I was also surprised to see that a nicer me seemed to come out, although I was already considered a generally grouchy but ethical guy to begin with, the Lexapro just made me less, how shall I say, “Watch out for that hazardous tiny thing that can utterly destroy your life! Mr. Safety”, kind of guy.

(No, I really mean Mr. Ultra safety. I would see potential hazards in any relaxing day at the beach, envisioning Tsunami’s long before the Indonesia quake. That event only solidified my quest for obsessive safety. I was, in fact, for a long while, obsessed with scientific Chaos Theory. Everywhere I looked, any small thing had the potential to wreak havoc if left unchecked. Lexapro changed that. )

The trick is to find out which direction you go, up or down, tilt or upside-down. For example, when my first bottle of Lexapro ran out, the Pharmacist gave me Prozac, saying it worked the same. Wrong! The effects of Prozac were the opposite. It was a big UPSIDE-DOWN effect. Irrational ticks made worse by itching and more frowning, followed by, you guessed it, thoughts of “That looks dangerous. I better get the hell out of here!”

Once back on Lexapro (sure sex was a little affected) the results were a better outlook from my typical over-analytical OCD self.

I am so horny I can't stand it. All I can think about is sex, sex, sex, all day and night. I have been taking lexapro for 2months along with depekote for manic depression. I am not for sure what is going on. I have turned into a sex addict. Is anybody else experiecing increased libido????

I have had some disturbing character side effects from talking Lexapro. Can anyone give me sites and information on similar side effects?

I have been on lexipro about a month and a half. I have a headache most of the time. Recently my face swelled up and my entire body is one big itch!! Any one itchy out there?

I have been prescribed 10mg/day cipralex (lexipro) for anxiety, but have not taken it yet, despite getting the Rx filled. I have never taken an SSRI before. For the last 10 weeks I have been going through an extremely difficult and emotional time with my boyfriend. Basically he left our home (a total shock to me) and is staying with his parents while we attend couples counseling and work on some issues. I have been hanging on for 10 weeks, but the anxiety over the uncertain outcome of the relationship is really interfering with my ability to function at times. I have two children (not his) who need me to be a constant in this diffcult time. I have read so much over the last 24 hrs about lexapro, about 50/50 good and bad. The problem is the bad things people have reported are pretty darn bad. Scary bad. Now I'm wondering if I should try St. John's Wort to start with instead??

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

MY DAUGHTER HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ON LEXAPRO.
SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR PI TODAY AT WORK. SHE HASN'T BEEN DRINKING. THE PD SAID "SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR HER BEHAVING AS IF SHE HAD BEEN. CAN LEXAPRO CAUSE THIS TYPE OF REACTION.

I have been sitting here reading about all of you. I wish I had a list of all the drugs I have tryed over the last four years. And still we are going to try a new one on my next visit. I am on cymbalta and Depakote. Cymbalta makes me very ugly. However right now I'm taking it every other day and seems to do the trick. The Depakote that I take for anxiety well that just leaves a bad salty taste in my mouth. Its can just consume me some days. I try not to think of it but when you go to get a drink of water and it taste like salt thats when I call it quits. I do think we all need to take care of ourselves and keep a blog on how your doing. I do have a list of all the drugs I have been on but that would be too time consumming to write. However I sympathize with all of you. None of us want this and sometimes it feels like nothing is going to help that we'r just lost causes. I hate nothing more than to keep trying this and that. I have tremors from abilify (involuntary movements) they are in my mouth and it looks like I am chewing gum all the time and lip smacking. I had this for a year. Their are law suits against this and I do have a lawyer who will take my case. But ya know what I don't think I have the energy or give a shit about going through all that crap. I do well to function everyday. I have lost all friends. People just don't understand how much you really need them and what do they do just drop you off their list.
I really pray and hope we can all find our way. And be whole and well again.

Too the lady that had a problem with her daughter at school. I'm not sure if lexapro can make a person at that way or not. But for sure it can effect everyone differently. I would check with her doctor. And are you sure shes taking it every day and not skipping doses. I took lexapro for a short time I believe it made me irritable. Didn't take it for long. I am not one to put up with side effects. I am probably my phyciatrist worst night mare. From what I can remember without looking, I'v been on paxil, prozac (forget that one), celexa which I loved but didn't seem to last with me. I'v tryed effexor. I do take xanax which helps me alot. I'v tryed neurontin, Lithium, wellbutrin, topamax,zyprexa,Abilify,carbamazepine, Trileptel,citalopram,paroxetine,amantadine.benztropine,I have been on so many phycotic meds and atidepressents. I couldn't tell you what is good and what isn't. alot of them are weight gainers especially the zyprexa that one is a killer for that. I resently sent my doctor a letter and asked him if he would kindly go over my file before our next visit to see if we can really come up with a solution. I don't want any mouth taste show up , or weight gainer, or tremors. So what that leaves I have no idea. i did tell him I realize I'm not his only patient but I am really concerned about all these drugs out there. yada yada yada. I was nice about it. But sometimes you have to watch out for yourself. these doctors see so many people each day. Its almost like when you walk out of his office he doesn't think of you again till you walk back in.
So take care and I hope your daughter is fine.

I am on day 3 of taking lexapro at 10mg. My doctor told me to take it in the morning, so I don't have any problems sleeping. Usually I wake up happy and energetic and never ever want to take a nap, but ever since my husband has been deployed (Iraq) I seem to only want to sleep. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and I was feeling that she was suffering from my laziness. It was all I could do not to take a nap everytime she did. I would sleep for 10 hours and still feel like I didn't sleep. Already after 3 days I feel A LOT BETTER. It was this morning that I felt nearly normal when I woke up at 6am, before I had been sleeping until 8:30am. I do kind of have dry mouth, other than that I feel great. I don't know about sexual side effects yet, I guess it don't really care since my husband is gone.
I was really scared to go on anything, I am usually quite agains it, but it seems to be helping.

I am on my second day with Lexapro and believe I will not take it in the morning. I think this drug is too strong (10 mg) for the issues I was having. My stomach is aching, all sound seems magnified, and my eyes are perpetually dilated. I am tense, jaw clenching, and nervous.
The last thing I want to do is gain weight, reading that here was the clincher. Talk about courting a depression - nothing like 10 pounds to put you in a fresh rut. My guess is that the doctors are not as educated about this as we trust them to be.

I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE HARM OF THESE MIND ALTERING DRUGS. FORTUNATELY I DON'T TAKE THEM. MY WIFE WHOM I WAS WITH FOR THIRTY ONE YEARS TOOK THEM AND DIED AS A RESULT. THEY TRIED TO GET ME TO TAKE THEM (LEXAPRO)BUT I DEALT WITH THE UPS AND DOWNS AND I'M OK NOW. I KNOW THE FEELING OF DEPRESSION; ITS TERRIBLE; IT LASTED FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS. I CONDITIONED MYSELF IN MY MIND AND CHAMGED MY THOUGHTS; IT WORKED. I LOST A SON 8 YEARS AGO; HE WAS 11 YEARS OLD. THAT WAS WHEN MY WIFE BECAME DEPRESSED. 18 MONTHS AGO THAY PUT HER ON LEXAPRO AND SHE KILLED HERSELF. I WATCHED THE SIDE EFFECTS SLOWLY CHANGE HER PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. I CALLED HER DOCTORS AT SEACOAST MENTAL HEALTH IN EXETER NH; ONLY TO BE RIDICULED AND SCORNED BY HER SO CALLED THERAPIST. SHE WOULD NOT RETURN PHONE CALLS AND WHEN SHE FINALLY DID IT WAS ONLY TO TELL ME THAT SHE HAD TO GET MY WIFE'S PERMISSION TO TALK TO ME. MY HANDS WERE TIED I COULDN'T HELP HER. SHE WAS UNDER THE CARE OF SO-CALLED PROFESSIONALS AND LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED. THE FDA ALONG WITH THE DRUG MANUFACTURERS AND ULTIMATELY THE DOCTORS WHO USE PEOPLE LIKE GINUEA PIGS ARE ALL TO FAULT. SO TO SUM IT ALL UP: THE POWERFUL DRUG COMPANIES ARE NOT GOING TO HELP YOU; THE FDA BEING FUELED BY THE DRUG COMPANIES ARE NOT GOING TO HELP YOU; AND THOSE DOCTORS WHO ARE PRESCRIBING DRUGS OF WHICH THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ARE CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO HELP YOU. SO THAT LEAVES ONE PERSON; YOURSELF! DON'T BE FOOLED ANY LONGER SPEAK UP AND BE HEARD. IF THERE IS ANYBODY OR ANY GROUP OUT THERE READY TO TAKE ON THESE "QUACKS" LET ME KNOW. YOU OTHERS WHO ARE JUST STARTING ON THESE PILLS; FLUSH THEM DOWN THE TOILET BEFORE THEY RUIN YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF ALL THE LOVED ONES SURROUNDING YOU! MY WIFE HAS BECOME A STATISTIC AND NOW I WANT SOMEONE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THEY JUST AS SOON FORGET AND GO ON TO THEIR NEXT PATIENT (VICTIM). I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS: KEN KNIGHT OF SEABROOK NH

I have been on Lexapro 10 milligrams for the the last year. I was not sexually active during that time but am now and find I am unable to have an orgasm, which has never been a problem for me. I am trying to wean myself off of this drug. CAn anybody tell me (female) who has had this problem, how long it will take after I am off this drug before my ability to orgasm will return??? Am down to 5 milligrams every 3rd night now. Thank you for any help.

Does anyone know if Lexapro can make acne worse if you already have acne to begin with? Or does it give you acne if you don't have acne?

Ken, we are sorry your wife ended her life. How can any of us be prepared for something like this? What can anybody really say to comfort you? We can only hope you have some degree of comfort.

I take Lexapro, and my wife says I am less grouchy when I take it. Prozac, made me feel worse. Your wife may never have felt better on these drugs, which happens a lot.

They say, when someone looses a child, it is far better to loose your limbs, and so only someone who experienced that can really understand and perhaps help, not just a drug. You could have done far more that anyone could ever do. For many of us getting through a difficult time sometimes means only doing what is bearable.

I can only hope that as a culture we learn to only give these chemicals to the people who can actually get better. We share your pain, and hope you know she and your son cannot be forgotten, and that you aren’t along.

i been suffering from postpartum depression since two years.i am taking lexapro since that time now i am doing 90% okay but sometimes iwill feel anxiety and depressed before my periods if continue taking lexapro somemore time can i come out off this situation? please reply me

I have been on 10 miligrams of Lexapro for 4 days and I feel like I have the flu! Lethargic, headache, nausea, dizziness and cloudy head are all my main symptoms. All I want to do is sleep!

There's obviously a possibility that I am simply sick and the pill hasn't actually caused these symptoms but I am going to stop taking this pill until I feel TOTALLY physically healthy and then see if I can try again.

I've been on Lexapro for exactly two weeks and two days. I also take Mogodon (sleeping tablets) at night to sleep.

Two months ago my wife cheated on me and after four weeks of trying to save the marriage it fell apart. The depression I felt was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I'm usually a positive guy but after ten years with my partner I just did not see it coming and the effects were enormous. I lost 8 kilos in four weeks was sleeping 2-4 hours a night and generally lost my will to take care of myself.

I went to one session with a pscych and he put me on Lexapro. Immediately I felt side affects of fatigue, a general drugged detatched feel, a bit of nausea and general twitchy nervousness/irritability. Of course I could not tell if these were from my emotional state or from the drugs.

After 16 days on the drug I know it is the drug. Every morning I wake up feeling fine (relatively speaking of course) and then I take the 10mg Lexapro tablet and within half an hour I start feeling all those side affects again, except it seems to be slowly getting worse.

So I googled it and came across this page. Now I'm furious to have been put on it and told that there were no side affects and it was easy to come off it. I have decided to go cold turkey as of tomorrow and if I feel any extreme emotions I'll just drop the dosage to 5mg every other day or something like that and wean myself of it.

My situation is different from some of you of course because I don't have a history of depression, it was a reaction to a major crisis in my life, but still I am seeing a therapist (not a psychiatrist) and she has been wondeful with helping me to understand my wife's state of mind (as she works a lot with women) and also in helping me to start the self healing process.

My heart goes out to all of you who are experiencing depression. It's a tough and lonely road to walk and I hope you find relief from your pain and the long lasting happiness that's your birthright.

For those of you who just began taking Lexapro and are noticing some side effects like nausea, headaches, or problems sleeping, this is typical. Though if you experience anything extreme, you need to contact your doctor right away. What is happening is that the drug is changing your brain chemistry, so for most people the first 2 weeks can be bad. But don't stop taking it. Talk to your doctor if you're concerned. It can take time for it to kick in. I am currently taking Lexapro, but I took zoloft a few years back for about a year and a half, and same deal. First week and a half I had a hard time sleeping, some nausea, dizziness, etc, but I waited it out and after that first period of time, the intial side effects disappeared.

Just realize that obviously when drug is introduced to your body and is changing your brain chemistry, the first little bit will obviously be a little weird. The worst thing you can do is take yourself off of it without consulting your physician, people have as a result of taking themselves off of drugs committed suicide or had very bad withdrawals.

I have been taking Lexapro as a treatment for anxiety and panic attacks. I have had terrible episodes in the past. Feeling like I was going to faint or be sick.Getting lightheaded and tingly all over,feeling very agitated and afraid usually when I left the house or when someone came over.This led to agoraphobia( fear of leaving the house) and I would avoid situations that I normally enjoyed and I felt so hopeless.I have been taking Lexapro for app. 3 mos and I cant say enough about it. I still have small episodes of anxiety but I am able to handle and deal with it.I feel like a new person. I actually feel like my old self. Side effects for me are minimal.I love and recommend trying this drug if you are experiencing the same symptoms

I have been taking Celexa for 3 years and Lorazapam for 15. The Celexa is a nasty drug. I took it due to PTSD's which led to depression. I have no faith in my GP - she's only good if you're pregnant, and I am not.
Today and for some time I feel tired, numbed out, not interested in anything, stopped all social contact, can't sleep at night, but can thru the day. I have no interest in eating.
Recently I was in a Hypnosis Show. I know quite a lot about Hypnosis and thought it would be interesting to experience it as a volunteer in a show. I did go under, but I didn't feel any of the "suggestions" - no burning ember, no smells, no changes in temperature. I've lost my ability to love. I can't feel anymore. My brain's intellectual capacity is still in-tact, but I am completely emotionless -- flat lined - dead inside. And of course no sex drive, or interest in sex or going out, or being with people. I stay home nearly all the time and I'm bored and tired all the time
I'm going to wean off these "emotion killers" a very little bit at a time. These are extremely dangerous unless you want to become a Zombie.
Comments, anyone??? Thanks.

I find this site very informative,and would like to share how Lexapro has affected my life on a positive note!. I truly believe every one does indeed have a different reaction,but for me Lexapro was a real life saver! I had been diagnosed with major depression/also anxiety disorders,over 15 years ago..I am now 45 yrs old. I have tried so many different antidepressants,including Pamelor,Welbutrin and stayed on Prozac over 10 years... that seemed to work okay,but in the last few years the side effects were awful & I seemed to be experiencing more anxiety attacks, more frequently. So,back to my doctor I went & she prescribed Lexapro,it took about 3-4 weeks before I felt the full effects,but I must say, that I finally do feel more like my old self, my moods seem much more leveled out. I used to be quite high strung & would get upset over anything,quite easily,but now I find I am a better listner,I am more productive,my anxiety level is much better,I do not mind attending social gatherings as much.I could go one & on , on,but it seems to be working,better than I hoped for,even my boss at work noticed I am much more focused & can do my job more efficiently.That was the best thing anyone could ever have said to me on a work review. I really do not want to let depression take a hold of me! I can honestly say the side effects are very minimal,compared to other drugs I have been prescribed. Lexapro doesnt interrupt my sleep,I do not experience the severe dry mouth like I did on Prozac,and it certainly doesnt bother my stomach as much.I dont mind answering any questions,if anyone wants to ask.! I have been on Lexapro about 2 years now...and darn glad I went back to the doctor ! I certainly am not going to that dark place ,anymore if I can help it

it depends on what you're willing to give up. i was a size 3 when i went on it, and am now a size 9. i want my tiny body back, but lexapro has helped me... with depression, but the weight gain made me depressed anyway....

My partner recently started taking Lexapro for migraine prophylaxis and has had a sinusitis and a upper respiratory problem since starting the medication Lexparo. Is there an correlation here?

Lexapro has ruined my life. it made me leave reality and do manic spending. I lost my business and have to sell my house. I have a long road of recovery ahead of me.

I just started lexpro a couple of days ago, and I'm decreasing my paxil at the same time. I haven't seen any positive comments about lexapro, but I know that Paxil isn't great either. I took Paxil for 2 years, and the first 3 months were horrible. I felt like a zombie. I've gotten used to the dry mouth, so I'm not worried about that. I feel fine with the Lexapro so far, although I've been hysterical for the past month anyway. I'm sort of wondering if maybe the med just isn;t good for those with mild depression. I have severe depression and anxiety issues, and my doctors have never suggested I take anything on a temporary basis...they've moreso told me I have to take them forever in order to function somewhat normally. Is anyone else in this same boat? And do you find that most of the negative feedback comes from those who can eventually function w/out meds?

I was prescribed Lexapro (10mg) 1 month ago for anxiety and have absolutely no negative issues at all. I have suffered no drowsiness, no nausea, suicidal thoughts or lack of sex drive. For me it has worked perfectly and has eliminated my anxiety attacks. I feel well rested in the morning and don't suffer any sort of daytime "fog". Good luck, everyone.

I'm taking Lexapro (30 mg per day). I've been on this prescription for six weeks. In the last three days, I have had two hullucinations. In the first one, my husband is receiving physical therapy for a compound fracture to his ankle. This part is actually true. But in my hullucination we are in a different therapy room and he says some innocent thing to me that hurts me to the very core of my being. I was extremely upset. I felt extreme emotional pain and I knew my blood pressure was sky high. When we leave the therapist's office I told him about my experience. He told me that during the therapy session, he thought the therapist had offended me in some way and he was upset with her. I told him she had not. The next event occurred today. My daughter, 3-year old grandson and I went shopping at Old Navy ( clothing store). He needed to go to the bathroom and I took him to the one in the store. In the bright florescent light I could see black lightning strikes going on around my eyes. I not going to take anymore of the Lexapro and I going to call the doctor that prescribed it for me in the morning.

I just started taking Levapro and need to know how long before I get results. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but, I am always going to sleep after work and can't seem to complete housework, I'll start but I never have the motivation to finish anything I start, I even want to take a couple of classes and I don't ahve the motivation. I'm really looking forward to a change.

comming off Lexapro is horrid. Did anyone have sweaty hands and feet and get real cold and hot? I also feel confused and have had muscle aches and pains and am so anxious.when I speak I find it difficult to find the words like I'm tounge tied or something. I titrated off slowly. This stuff is terrible.

Hi all...This site has been very helpful...
I am a 50 year old male and have not felt well for a number of years...I have always thought that I suffered from a mild to moderate depression but go day after day trying to ignor it. (also runs in the family)Finally talked to my doctor about it and he recommended Lexapro. After reading these blogs I'm very apprehensive to start taking them..It seems that all I've read are the bad things about the drug...
Does anyone have anything good to say about it?
Has it helped anyone with mild to moderate depression? Is it worth the try concidering the withdrawal symtoms I have read about?
Would really like some input before/if I I try it...Thank You...And I promise to add my opinion to this blog if infact I do give it a try...Joe

I've been taking 20 mg of Lexapro for a little over a year, and it has helped with my anxiety greatly.Sex is not even on my mind though.That's the worst part I have encountered with lexapro.My wife and I have had sex twice within a year,where as I used to have a sex drive from hell.

I've just spent the last hour reading all of the posts on this site and I'm left feeling very anxious about my use of Lexapro. I've taken this drug (10 mg) for almost 2 years for depression caused by situational events at work, home, etc. that all piled up at once. I've had few side effects during that whole time - until now. In the past two - three months, I can't sleep, feel tired all the time, and realize I have gained weight despite efforts to exercise and eat better. I've been given Ambian to help with sleep but even after 10-12 hours I could easily sleep more. I did assume that many of these symptoms were due to menopause but think now that the medication has played a bigger role.

Have others found a sudden worsening (or the first appearance) of side effects after a long period of use? I want to stop taking Lexapro but am fearful after reading through the experiences of others. Many people evidently have reduced the dosage on their own gradually with some success. How long did that take? After taking something like Lexapro, and stopping, does it seem like your brain 'needs' some sort of medication from that time forward? I don't want to take anything ... and feel that I'm better able to handle life now. Unfortunately, I don't know if that's ME or the DRUG talking.

I'm a 40 year old male and have been on Lexapro for 11 days. My doctor told me Lex did not work overnight, that it would take 2 weeks. Wrong! It started to work almost from day one. It has helped to level out my mood swings. I now don't really seem to care as much about some things as I did before. The small minor things that irritated me before now seem less important. The negative effects have been loss of sex drive and longer time to reach orgasm, although my wife would argue this is actually a benefit.

I also wake up at night very very hot, but not sweating. The thing I notice is how hot my pillow seems to be. It's as if it just came out of the dryer on high heat. I found this to be very weird.

After reading other posts here, I'm concerned about coming off the Rx. I'll give it 1 month and see how things progress.

Last night was my second night on this med 10mg. This is the first time I've taken anything like this. On the first night I had the worst stomach ache. I thought I was dying. It hurt worse than anything including having my kids. I also couldn't sleep (partially because of my stomach). I fell asleep around 4am then had to be at work at 5am. So I tried the pill last night, hoping that because I was so tired from only getting an hour sleep the night before that I would get a great nights sleep. Not the case though. I had a stomach ache again and today I feel like I am in a fog. I don't feel much of anything. I am a little worried about weight gain. I'm very happy with my size, don't won't to gain more. I also don't want to be in a fog forever. This does go away eventually, right?

lexapro seems to be working well for me,it took the caged animal feeling away and emotionally I have improved to an even keel. Sexual side affects have been noticable

My 35 year old son was prescribed lexapro for depression.He has had suicidal thoughts before but never acted on them until now.He has tried two times now to end his life with sleeping pills and alcohol combinations and still his doctor won't take him off of it.What on God's earth am I to do to stop him from doing this again?He told me tonight that he could only promise me that for tonight he will be o.k. Dear God I am going out of my mind with worry!!!

My 35 year old son was prescribed lexapro for depression.He has had suicidal thoughts before but never acted on them until now.He has tried two times now to end his life with sleeping pills and alcohol combinations and still his doctor won't take him off of it.What on God's earth am I to do to stop him from doing this again?He told me tonight that he could only promise me that for tonight he will be o.k. Dear God I am going out of my mind with worry!!!

DEAR GOD I'M 6 DAYS IN ON LEX AND I FEEL SUICIDAIL THIS IS AWFUL...............I WAS ON PROZAC AND TRAZADONE 15 YRS AGO BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS.............DAMN WHAT EVER U DO DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG

DEAR JIM I FEEL FOR UR SON .I AM 39 YRS OLD AND THIS IS MY 1ST GO AROUND W/ LEX .......YES I AM SUICIDAIL I HAVE HOT FLASHES AND IM A GUY..............PLEASE WHAT EVER U DO GET UR SON OFF THIS ...............TIM PS THIS IS AN ADDY TO ABOVE IM ON 10 M PER D

I have been on Lexapro for about 5 months now. I still get twitches in my legs from time to time and have gained some weight. I just started taking Wellbutrin XL today. I am sure it will take a few weeks to kick in. I haven't really expierenced suicidal thoughts but if anyone does I recommend going to another doctor if the one your going to won't help you. Plus make sure the dr you go to weens you off of this and any medication. Do not quit cold turkey.

Jim,
It is not recommended that you just pull your son of of these anti-deppressants- that could make the situation much worse. What I do recommend Sir, is that you contact a local hospital and let them know that your son is suicidal. Threats of suicide are very serious, and if he as already attempted, he is in desperate need of help, hospitalization is recommended. In the hospital they should be able to adjust and or take your son of of this medication that is making him feel so depressed. I wish you and your son the best, My prayers are with you.

P.S.
For all those on this site that complain of symptoms such as feeling detached, and or next to yourself, heartbeat throught body, prickly sensations..etc -those are symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks, peculiar they are indeed- I have had my own problems with them and I always felt at loss as how to describe them.

I had a complete hysterectomy last Nov. at age 48. I am on hormones and lexapro and still get depressed, severely! What can I do? I won't complain to my doctor because I feel like a whimp.

I have been on Lexapro since March 2006 and while it worked wonders for my depression, I have had significant weight gain. At first I lost a few pounds, but then very rapidly my weight increased over 20 pounds. I feel terrible with this extra weight and have lost alot of self confidence. I have always exercised and eat very health due to high cholesterol levels. The weight is also extremely hard to get back off!! I am very frusrated!!

P.S. I forgot..while on the lexapro i also would feel very sleepy while driving..I never thought the lexapro was causing this until i stopped it. I have a 40 minute drive to work and every day about 15 minutes into the drive I would starting feeling soooo sleepy, hard to keep my eyes open and about 2 weeks ago crossed the center line while driving home. Since I have stopped lexapro this problem has gone away...i did not realize it was causing this problem...I don't think I'l ever go on an anti-depressant again...it caused more problems than i had to begin with.

how do I get off this medication? lexapro

I am now on my 3rd week of 10mg of Lexapro a day. I feel so much better, and have adjusted to the side affects almost completly. I have great energy during the day, my headaches have completly dissapeared, and I am sleeping well at night. I no longer require 15 hours of sleep at night. I was prescribed it for depression and or anxiety and I no longer worry around the clock about things that are out of my control. So far no weight gain, but I am being very careful to not change my eating habits. I do not eat every time I feel hungry. The only thing frustrating is I am clenching my jaw, all the time. My jaw actually hurts and even when I tell myself to relax my jaw, I can't. It feels like this is lessening by the day however, and I have confidence that it will go away completely in a few more weeks. For all of you just starting out, give it a month or so because it has helped me in so many ways. I have had constant headaches for about 10 years and was using about 16 advil a day. Finally I went to a new doctor (a pcp) and he said he thought it sounded more like depression than a physical illness and prescribed me the Lexapro. I have not used any Advil in two weeks and have had no headaches. My life has vastly improved and as long as I don't put on too much weight, I will never go off this medicine. If I gain too much weight I will quit. I have two children and have worked too hard to get to my idea of a perfect weight. I will not do that again. Good luck everybody!

Ive been taking cipralex/lexapro for 3 weeks now and feel much calmer and less agressive. to be honest im quite shocked at all the bad side effects people have been having and yes i suppose it will make you feel a little detached but thats the thing with antidepressants. as for the sexual side , it does take a little longer but that can have a positive effect . i will keep you all posted dont do anything daft!

I would like to know if anyone has information regarding lexapro increasing the desire for alcohol. Does anyone know if any studies have been done on SSRI's increasing the urge for alcohol?

I've been taking Lexapro for a year now. Initially, the side effects were mild-medium, I would feel tired, or yawn a lot, and my perception of time had changes... i could stare at a wall for 5 min or 5seconds... it felt the same. The side effects were annoying, but subsided as I got adjusted to the dosage that fit me best. I also noticed my dreams became much more lucid, I would sleep for 6 hours(which is my body's optimal sleeptime) and then maybe wakeup, then fall back to sleep for another 2-3 hours and those 2-3 hours were full of amazingly real and life like dreams... they maintained the continuity that most dreams dont. I believe Lexapro helped me to control my depression, and spaced my panic attacks further apart, I don't get depressed for weeks like I used to, if I do now its more like a day or two. I also take as needed medication for anxiety: Lorazepam, which basically makes me feel calm, sometimes sleepy, when I'm in a anxious state. I didn't gain any weight using this medication, in fact, I probably lost weight because I had more days when I felt "alive" and eager to be healthy and take care of myself,rather than try and see how long it takes the couch to swallow my body. I am female, so the results will be different for males, but I did not experience any sexual side effects.

Does anyone have experience, post-Lexapro, with losing the weight? I was on for a little over 2 yrs, gained about 20 lbs, and am into my first week without it, after weaning for a while. I want to know how long it'll take for me to lose the weight, assuming i watch my diet and exercise (as I have been!). Thanks!

I have just been prescribed this drug this morning by my doctor for social anxiety. 20mg dosage.
took my first tablet around 3 hours ago and have been suffering from a bad head ache and nausea
for the past 2 hours, feel like crap, then I came on here and read all the other feedback about it. I think Im gonna give this drug a miss.

Wow people !!!! well here it is... Im a 33yr old healthy woman had some problems with stress and the doc puts me on this stuff (lexapro) OMG forget the stress I now want to kill myself where in the world did that come from????? I am scared as hell to die but on the lexapro I was not strange stuff! if you love your friend or family thats on this stuff GET THEM OFF IT NOW!!!!! It's not worth it.My one question is why did the doctors just give this to me like it was candy free samples and a script for more woo hoo boy was I in for a treat..NOT. Why are we killing ourself with this stuff? and think about this what did they do back in the day's when there was no meds like this ? Help yourself get off it.Jen P.S Hope you all get better!

I am currently on 10mg of Lexapro for panic disorder/Anxiety. I feel it is making me feel nausaus and lightheaded. Can being on Lexapro make you feel this way? I already had a colinoscopy to rule out any stomach problems. I was told Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Well yea - I can believe this - when you are nausaus all the time and you feel like you have just come off a ride at playland. thanks JMG

This drug should be taken OFF THE MARKET!!!! It is HORRIBLE!!!! I was told that there were NO SIDE EFFECTS with this drug, which I KNEW was BULL!!! ALL drugs have the potential for side effects!!! DUH!!! Anyway, I was put on Lexapro for depression/panic attacks. After the first dose of just 5 mg, I felt WEIRD!! I could NOT fall asleep!! I would wake up in the middle of the night from HORRIBLE nightmares that I had NEVER EVER had before!! I took it the next day. 5 mg again. STILL felt 'out of it.' My arm and leg started jerking ALL on their own!!! I started feeling a WEIRD 'zapping' sensation thru my body!!! I called the Drs. office and told them to FORGET IT!!! I was STOPPING the meds COMPLETELY before things could get any worse!! THANKFULLY, my Dr. gave me samples, so I did NOT have to waste my HARD-EARNED money on this JUNK!!!! My BEST ADVICE to anyone who has NOT started Lexapro---DO NOT TAKE IT!!!! IT IS HORRID!!!!!

i was forced to a pychiatric unit where I now have proof I was tortured emotionally and physically and raped is harder to prove however I keep having urges to strip for my father and run away to do prostitution on the streets and dance at the topless nightclubs I am currently taking Topomax for the alcohol craving and it has led to me running to strip clubs to turn tricks and solicit pimps online from Chapala who do who knows what in private with ladies of the night or regular girls like me who have been wrongly taken from their homes forced into a strange remote area with no sexual relief........so I found TABLEDANCE and hope they hire me I look young with a nice body this is hopefully a temporary side effect that will wear off am trying not to take it one year and 2 months. have to stop flaunting my body 5'2" 108 lbs 34B i need help to get out of this situation with my father at home (abusive and put his tongue in my ear) please help

I put off taking this medicine for over a year because I kept reading about the horrible side effects people have experienced. I finally got to a really low point where I had to do something to help myself. I have a fear of medication, so I actually would cut in 10mg pill into 10 tiny pieces and started taking that dosage. Once I figured out that I wasn't allergic to it (don't ask), I started upping the dose every few days. I stayed on 5mg for a couple weeks and then went to 7 and finally to 10mg. The only side effect I had was being sleepy the first week, which was okay because I hadn't been sleeping before medication anyway. I do get a little more anxious and depressed during my period, but it only lasts a few days. I have had no sexual side effects, no nausea, or any of the other effects that I read about on the internet that kept me away from this medication for over a year. I am actually getting out of the house without worry for the first time in years! The only regret I have is that I wish I had taken it sooner.

I am only on day 1 with Lexapro (10mg); already experiencing side effects: huge gulping yawns, some dizziness.

Reading the above posts has got me scared; but I'm going to hang in for a few weeks.

Am concerned: I do not want to gain weight, or lose my sex drive. THOSE things would make me more depressed!

But my doctor (who I like, and trust), felt I could try this, see if it helps.

Sad that so many people are depressed, anxious.

My son was on lexapro for almost a year. Instead of the side-effects getting better they continued to get worse. Heart palpiations, nausea, couldn't sleep, felt paranoid, headaches, the doctor said it had nothing to do with the drug but he and I thought differently. He weaned himself off and all the symptons went away. He had been diagnosed aprox. 4 years ago with anxiety/deppression - possible bi-polar. He currently sees an internest(MD) who is also a naturapthic doctor. Since his appointment in May of 06, my son has NEVER felt better. The doctor performed simple tests that pinpointed the actual problems such has very low B-6 and B-12, no vitamin C registering in his body, low neurotransmitters, low cortosol, low anti-oxidants, elevated levels of lead and mercury, to name a few. By targeting these defficiences the doctor issued a supplement plan, yes vitamins, which for the most part you can obtain at place like GNC - NO and let me repeat this NO SIDE EFFECTS. His depression and anxiety are gone, his panic attacks, irritability, etc.
The point I am trying to make is don't get caught up in the thinking there is only one alternative to healing. Getting off these mind altering drugs was the best thing that could have happened not only for my son but for the rest of the family.

New to Lexapro. Hello all. I am 39 and have had depression and anxiety all my life but have only recently treated it -- in last few years.

I had been of effexor for a year and it had many pluses but made me irritable and angry-- yes it gave me energy but sometimes too much--also caused horrible sweating that I had to take cool showers and stop drinking all hot liquids.

So far on 2 weeks 10 mg a day of lexapro, plus some fish oil and swimming. I feel good. Lexapro has a very calming effect that I need.

I appreciate learning about other's side effects. We were going to switch to Cymbalta or Lexapro and decided Lexapro was best.

Took 10 mg at night. The next day my symptoms (depression/anxiety) were worse and there were several side-effects. I was lethargic but could not sleep soundly. I felt tense, had little appetite, had little emotional interest in activities.
I did not take another pill that night. The following day (today) the side-effects lessened, but still depressed and lacking interest. I was better without the drug.

I recently went to see my M.D. about some concerns I was having about anxiety. I am in between jobs, moving away from home, and I get anxious and nervous sometimes, at most once or twice a week. My doctor put me on Lexapro, rather than Zanax or Valium, because he doesn't want me to become dependent on those drugs, even if I only take them every once in a while. So why put me on this drug that I must take every single day? I am scared of the horrifying side effects, and I don't feel like I need to take it everyday. Should I go ahead and try it? At this point, I am afraid it will do more harm than good.

I started Lexapro about a week ago after a very bad anxiety episode. I was previously on 12.5mg of Paxil but wanted to go off of it because after a while my sex drive was non existant. I was off Paxil for about two months when I started getting my old symptoms back. The doctor said I *might* have sexual side effects with the Lexapro but they mostly affect men. The only things I've experienced so far are the drowsyness (but that's not unusual for me and easily resolved with a cup of coffee) and lack of appetite which isn't that bad because I'm overweight. I haven't had interest in sex much lately due to the anxiety so I don't know if I have a lack of sex drive. Other than that, its been a week and I am much calmer now and I feel like I don't get aggrivated as easily. Maybe its just good for some people and bad for others. Everyone's body reacts differently.

Lexapro started out okay and then all "hell" broke loose...couldn't even drive and the fatique was awful....finally went back on Zoloft which seemed to have pooped out. Never though of taking it at night, but decided to try it...working thus far...went back on it slowly and until I see my doctor....anxiety is still a BIG ISSUE.

I suffer Depression and Anxiety. My Dr. prescribe Lexapro 3 months ago 10mg. The depression has subsided somewhat, it seems one week I'm feeling good and then I crash with uncontroble crying. My Dr. increase the dose to 15mg a week ago. Over the past 4weeks even prior to the increased dose, I started to notice an increase with muscle twitching during the day, especially prior to sleep. Twitching occurs in the legs, torso, arms and jaw. I've taken Lexapro before but never had the amount of twitching that I now have. I have also noticed hive attacks, unsure if anxiety related or Lexpro related. Prior to a hive attack I've noticed my soles of my feet and palms of my hands become sensitive and itchy. I've also noticed that at night sometimes when I wake up I feel like my heart is racing, once again unsure if it is Lexapro or anxiety related. My Depression has subsided somewhat unsure if I'll continue with Lexapro. I have not gained weight, but have had symptoms of nausea in the beginning but continue with headaches top front and back of cranium, and sinus congestion. Anyone else out there experience muscle twitching?

What a bunch of cry babies! I've never read so much whining.

I've been on lexapro for a year. It has helped majorly with my fatigue, musule pain, and feelings of dread and doom. At first I had a few days of either crazy dreams, sweats, mania, or not giving a damn but after 2 weeks they ended. No long term side effects except the sexual thing - less of an interest in sex but when things get going my wife loves that it takes longer to get finished.

My family has noticed a positive change in my generally very critical nature. I would recommend it others.

I began taking Lexapro for depression in Aug 2006. After 3 days my face begin to break out after being clear for an entire year. The Lexapro also made me very tired and kind of unemotional; not happy or sad. Because of the break-outs I stopped taking Lexapro after 2 weeks. It is now the end of Oct 2006 and my face keeps getting worse. There has been no change to my diet or lifestyle. I'm no longer depressed thanks to therapy but the acne remains. It's so frustrating because not only did the Lexapro not help my depression but it brought back my acne that had been gone for a year. I will never take another anti-depressant due to this experience.

im sooooooo happy now, thanks lexapro. my life really sukd but now any time shit happens i just drop a couple of lexapro and everything is a beautiful dream...thanks lexapro

im sooooooo happy now, thanks lexapro. my life really sukd but now any time shit happens i just drop a couple of lexapro and everything is a beautiful dream...thanks lexapro

im sooooooo happy now, thanks lexapro. my life really sukd but now any time shit happens i just drop a couple of lexapro and everything is a beautiful dream...thanks lexapro

I have been taking Lexapro for eighteen months - a huge dose - 50 mg a day - and I couldn't live without it. I have suffered from severe depression and anxiety all my life. I was on Prozac for eight years but hated the "fog effect". I find Lexapro to be a wonderful anti-depressant but, like everything, it needs to be taken properly.

Yes- there are side effects. I get the "electric shock" sensation when my dose wears off and it is close to my next dose, and I have also had a lot of weight gain (not good for someone who was overweight to begin with) but these must be considered against the advantages.

Lexapro has calmed me and stabilised my depression, without making my head foggy. Without Lexapro I know I would have committed suicide by now.

Just remember that meds work differently for different people. Some may get horrendous side effects, others just annoying side effects; others may not get any side effects at all. Don't ever judge something just on other people's opinions.

I've been on Lexapro for about 5 weeks and honestly I have not noticed a difference. I was prescribed it for anxiety. Although it generally calms myself, I still get situational anxiety, which I guess was somewhat predictable.

In the begining I felt the hot flushes, I was tired but couldn't sleep, and had some strange dreams. But all those have subsided. Initially, the first day I took Lexapro, it felt like I got punched in the stomach or sides. I told myself to just continue taking it and the pain never returned. I think my body was just trying to cope with a new substance it's never had in it and the pain was a result of that.

I've never read anyone else with the side pains when taking lexapro initially, but I won't comment further as it only lasted one or two days.

Beyond that, I could see how Lexapro could affect people positively and complete change their dead end lives, but it hasn't given me an amazing turn around from anxiety. Maybe Lexapro isn't the med that will help me, but I know it can help a lot of other people.

I have been on Lexapro for 3 mths. I was on 10mg and then bumped up to 20mg. It did keep me awake and at first I lost weight. I have gained maybe 5 pounds. I know that a lot of the weight is from lack of exercise. It makes me tired sure, but what do I expect. It is an anti-anxiety drug. I have had a lot of gas from this drug and at first a little nausea or should I say alot, but that went away. I have also had quite a bit of diarrhea and that is bothersome.
I do feel some better mentally, but still have some anxiety. I don't expect a drug just to take it away, just to help me so that I can cope better. Overall, I guess it does what it's supposed to do. I haven't tried to go off of it but I was on Elavil once and heard about all the horror stories of coming off of it, but didn't experience them.
Anyway, other than being gassy often It's not too bad, but I would rather do without it...

i just recently started taking Lexapro for anxiety. Itdoes seem to mildly sedate me- which is really a good thing for my type A personality. Felt the nausea for the first couple of days, but that went away- I just got bumped up to 15 mg so we'll see how that works out. Less appetite- which is always a good thing. It seems to be a pretty mild drug so it concerns me to see what a lot of people have wrote! Maybe I just haven't taken it long enough or everyone's body chemistry reacts differently?? Good luck to everyone! Does anyone have an anxiety med that they really liked??

i've been on lexapro for over 2 full years, it doesn't work and makes me feel like crap. if you havent already started then dont. if you have then i advise you to get off, but slowly and safetly..

i've been on lexapro for over 2 full years, it doesn't work and makes me feel like crap. if you havent already started then dont. if you have then i advise you to get off, but slowly and safetly..

i've been on lexapro for over 2 full years, it doesn't work and makes me feel like crap. if you havent already started then dont. if you have then i advise you to get off, but slowly and safetly..

i don't know about lexapro. i have been taking zoloft on and off for nine years. seems like lately i need more. going thr menopause

i dont like medication at all. i have this phobia of meds thats just one but i need something for this i feel like im losing my mind i dont get good sleep and im always confused. if anyone has a sugestion lay it on me thanks!

My dr prescribed 10mg of Lexapro/day for me about 6 mos ago when I went in to discuss horrible mood swings that I thought were brought on by hormones (I'm a 28 year old woman). Instead, she thought my symptoms were brought on by anxiety and depression issues. Since these things run in my family (especially in the women), I guess I should not have been surprised at her diagnosis. My first week on Lexapro, I was very nauseous and sleepy, which my Dr had prepared me for. After about a week, the nausea subsided and the fatigue did for the most part. I then had a great 2 months on Lexapro - I was feeling more level-headed, social, not crying every other day. I even told my Dr I'd do a commercial for Lexapro if they asked me - I liked it that much. But it's been about 6 mos now and my reaction has changed. I feel depressed again, the fatigue is constant, my libido and ability to orgasm is nonexistant, and, worst of all, I feel like I'm experiencing life through a foggy screen - as if I'm only feeling a fraction of the emotions that would normally be associated with certain situations. Sure, I'm not crying as much, but I'm not laughing as much either. It's not worth it. And now, with the new FDA warnings extending the chance of suicide in people on certain anti-depressants to 25, it makes you wonder how much they've really tested these things before putting them on the market. I think I'm going to take the natural route: find a therapist, improve my diet and exercise regularly. I hope my story was helpful to someone, and good luck to you all in your personal journeys with depression.

I've been taking lexapro for 2 years, but this is the first time i've been to this site..most everything said here has been or still is true for me also..one thing, for sure, is that other meds are needed in conjunction with Lex to mitigate its side effects i.e. aggitation, anger, inability to sleep..my doc (such as he is) initially precribed clonazepam (1mg which i took bites out of 2-3 times a day). Then i switched to xanax which worked pretty good at first but is hella addictive, and easy to take too much in one day because it is so short acting. I am currently seriously thinking about bothering my med man to switch back to clonazepam despite its drawbacks.
One thing is for sure..serious lack of libido which i solve by using cialis (the best for me) or other ed drugs like viagra.
Perhaps the most discouraging side effect to Lexapro, or other anti depressants is the " I dont give a shit about anything" moods which effect my quality of life, especially the spitiuality side and feeling love for another. Understand, I know intellectually that my spiritual life is with me and working all the time, but I miss the ectasy of divine moments..and where love and loving someone is concerned, I dont get too hard on myself or, even more importantly, dont take these feelings as proof that I cant or dont love someone, but rather this coldness or seperation that I may feel as a side effect doesnt last..I try instead to take that person into my arms and hold them, almost feeling that I am holding myself the way I would want to be held when I feel cold and alone from the Lexapro side shit..I would like to hear from others, especially about alternatives.

I've been on Lexapro for about 10 months. First time I've ever been on this type of med, a result of a spouse who staged his disapearance while on an International business trip while I was home with a 10 year old and an 11 month old. Dr, started me out on 10 mg, quickly up'ed me to 20 mg then again to 30 mg. I have been gaining quite a bit of weight, about 40 pounds. My life has been so busy I keep wondering if there is some connection to the drug. Today was the first time I've really began to research this drug and quickly found a substantial link to weight gain. I do feel tired all the time but have attributed this to being a single mom (dad not in picture), working full time and going to school. I am now concerned about weaning off but am determined due to the weight gain. Up until this point I have been mostly happy with the drugs performance. I wasn't able to function and was able to clear my mind and calm down enough to think through life solutions while on Lexapro. I believe I still have a lot of emotion but my physical reactions are no longer a major obstical to my thought process. I will actually miss feeling so calm. As far as sexual side effects, well my drive is sporadic and I have had great difficulty reaching orgasim.
My New Year's Resolution, get off Lexapro! I found a web site off of Web MD called theroadback.org, has anyone heard of this organization in the past? Has anyone tried the weening off process?

I started taking Lexapro after the loss of my father, my marriage, my mother's death and having to move to another state and start all over. It was a lot to handle in a short period of time. I never had any negative side effects at all. The effect it had on me was great. I have been able to function better than I have in years. I researched and asked a lot of questions and realized that your brain can get depleted in serotonin when you are under a lot of stress and then you become depressed. SSI's keep this from happening. When I do come off of them I will do so gradually and under a doctor's supervision. If I have any depression after that I will go back on St.John's Wort which I had used earlier.

i just started taking lexapro and i dont know what to wxpect,can you help by telling me whats going to happen

thanks

just been given 10mg and its making me feel sick.

Just picked up my first prescription of Lexapro 30 minutes ago. 10mg. I'll begin taking it tonight. Reading through this thread, I'll probably ween myself on, 5mg for the first few days.

I enjoy going out once in a while and having a few drinks is this okay if I'm taking 20mg of Cipralex? Does this medication cause weight and decrease my libido, I don't seem to have a sex drive anymore and I have gained a lot of weight. Help

I've been on 20mg of lexapro for two monthes. Overall I feel OK and I feel OK pretty much everyday now. My feelings are always the same. Its harder for me to cry. I haven't notice any sexual side effects, as I have the same appetite and have the same amount of orgasms as before. I'm not feeling as easily overwhelmed and I feel like I can procede throughout my day with some awareness and control.

about a year ago I was perscribed Lexapro by my psychologist. i was not warned that there may need to be an adjustment period. i took the first dose the very next morning and went to work. 2 1/2 hours later i was sent home because my face had gone ashen my eyes were dialated ALL the way open, nauseous, complete loss of appetite, i felt like i had been hit by a Mac Truck. Looking back now i should have gone straight to the hospital. i ended up taking the second dose the next day, and took the day off of work. I decided to stay the course for the 2 weeks. i didn't have much of an appetite, all i wanted to do was sleep. after the 2 weeks were over i stopped the medication. the side effects for any medication should not be that scary.

i was given lexapro 10 mg for fibromyalgia and anxiety attacks...have been on it for 2 days and ended up in the emergency room...felt like my whole body was on fire...head to toes...lasted for about 10-15 minutes and now is coming on in waves....getting better but still there...also have a regular headache too...has anyone else had this problem...dr. at er seemed stumped although he said lexapro could effect people in different ways...

I am 48 (male). Tried 10 mg for anxiety (my wife says she no longer loves me and wants to leave) for about 4 days and woke up with intense panic attacks in the middle of the night. I quit taking it. A few days later my doctor told me to take 5mg in the morning instead of 10mg at night. This helped. I am feeling somewhat better. I have a reduced sex drive which is not bad since my wife is not sleeping with me. For everybody that reads this, good luck in life.

Today I started taking Lexapro for depression. I donot know if I should stop taking the melatonin I was taking to help me sleep - ideas ??? thanx

I have been battling what I think is axiety for a few years now, many people in my family suffer from it. 3 of my siblings are taking zoloft and they seem to like it, I don't know about any of their side effects from it. I put off trying any medication for anxiety and depression because I wanted to just try to control it on my own (it just doesn't seem good to have pills messing with your BRAIN chemicals) but after getting to the point of suicidal thoughts I decided to give it a try(for my kids). I scare myself with the thoughts. I don't want to leave my children without a mother. Anyways I finally worked up the courage to ask my doctor for some medication for anxiety and depression and she suggested Lexapro because of its low side effects. I reluctantly tried it for 2 weeks. It seems like it took almost a week before I noticed anything maybe a little calmer not so irritable but I still was easily thrown into a panic attack. It didn't seem to be doing a whole lot for me so I stopped taking it and oh my gosh the headache!!! for days my head just ached! after reading all of the blogs here and doing research on meds for anxiety I am truly scared to try anything different if anyone knows of a treatment or anything that doesn't include pills it would be great.

so today I was prescribed lexapro by my family physician after discussing with her some of my feelings, thoughts, etc. etc. and I was expecting her to prescribe me something because by no means are thoughts of inadquecy normal on the levels that I have them. I mean those of us who are depressed know it. I think maybe the difference between my depression and that of most the people I know to be on antidepressants is that they have become suddenly depressed due to recent experiences (i.e. death in the family, a break up) while my symptoms have existed for what seems like millinia, aren't caused by anything in particular, and have only worsened as I've gotten older(i don't mean to suggest one form of depression any greater than the other; just to diffine by comparison. that is, while their depression is just every bit as real and tramatic as mine, their's is a natural reaction to unfortunate situations that with time, hopefully, eventually decline, while the prolonged depression I experience(going on seven years now I think) is due to brain chemistry. i'm a whole other brand of crazy shortly put.) anyways back to lexapro: i'm anxious to try it(no pun intended). i'm interested in seeing what its like to not hate myself. i'm interested in change, however risky making that change may be, because the alternative to change is living like I live now, and that's not living at all. i'm interested despite the side effects. I don't think anything can be much worse than what my brain puts me through on a daily basis. i'm 21 and I should be enjoying myself, not deciding which form of suicide is less painful. i'm just hoping lexapro will help. now i've never been on any type of meds before(mental or otherwise), mainly because in my youthful pride i considered them to be a cop out, so the step to take lexapro is in fact a leap. and tomarrow I start taking 10 mg. of lexapro a day for a week and then up it to and keep it at 20 mg. everyday after until I don't know when really(i mean if antidepressants are suppose to help make you happy at what point do you decide you can go it alone.) wish me luck is all. I hope its every as bit as helpful as I hope it to be(its amazing that i'm even using the word hope(its just so unlike me,) but maybe that's where drugs really get their strength, in our belief that they will help us(i mean if anyone knows how powerful thoughts are alone its us depressives right?). okay i'd write more but i'm sure very little of what I have even written now will be read. anyways, good luck trying to be happy all..

I was prescribed 5mg of Lex in early Jan to help with what the Doctor described as Moderate Depression. I felt the effects within one dose, felt good, sleep improved, focus improved and was then put up to 10mg.Things seemed good,sex drive decreased big time,was ok with that however after 3 months on 10mg,I noticed I was getting more and more tired, thoughts were never that intense before lexapro but increased big time.
I feel a total numbness to things, people and college.
At the moment,things are bad,I missed important exams as I don't care about them, before I started lexapro, I hated studying but got it done...now, just don't care....I'm starting a very important job now and hope my behaviour doesn't effect my performance.
I can see why people feel so numb when using the drug, but to the extent when I'm emotionless and uncaring about important stuff is a high price to pay!!

To finish my comment, I just have to look forward to repeating my exams for my honours degree in guess what.....Biopharmacueticals........irony!!!

My gynecologist told me I was depressed last year. He shoved lexapro packets at me and said, "Here, this will make you feel better." (As if being a woman isn't difficult enough.) The funny thing is, I know I suffer from depression. I was diagnosed at 16 (then, known as the cutter), took elavil until I was a zombie and figured out that drugs, overall, make you worse off.

Anyway, I ended up taking 70 mg of lexapro last week because that gyno had to give them to me. Yes, I slapped myself and made myself vomit after I realized I was making no valid point. I just wish the world would stop shoving pills down our throats. It's as if we were cancerous and we may spread to others. Personally, I would rather have a terminal illness, but that's after living with depression for eight years (however long or short).

I think we, the terminally depressed, bring something great to society just as we are. We seem to be the ones without the "wool pulled over our eyes." I say we all get together and embrace who we are by celebrating one another and the battles we have fought. We have a special form of happiness somewhere inside us. It just takes some time to explore the unknown bliss and feel safe for a long period of time.

All my love,

C

I've been on 10mg of Lexapro for a couple weeks now, and I think my overall level of well being has actually declined. I combine it with Xanax when I feel anxious, and I'm still inclined to use it with alcohol when I go out if I really want to feel good. I feel duller, and it's probably destroying my life.

A year ago I was put on Lexapro 10mg for anxiety. My father passed away at the age of 55 I had chest pains, eye flashes just all kinds of strange symptom, I always felt like I was in a hurry an really getting no where. Lexapro has been GREAT for me. The only side effect I had in the beginning was a strange headache, but went away after a week or so. I can't imagine not being on this. I'm patient, I don't feel like I have to hurry all the time, my chest pain an all the strange symptoms I had are gone. Once in a while I can tell I have anxiety, but nothing like I had had. It never made me feel funny like I was on some kind of drug. Nothing like that. Things just gradually got better. I can't even explain the difference how I feel. I had put taking anything off for a few years when My doctor told me I should go on it. I finally did and wished I would have along time ago.

Give it about 2-4 weeks to really notice a difference. I don't want to be on this forever, but now it's a good thing.

reading all of this negativity makes me really mad. seriously, i know people are trying to help and stuff but you're just scaring the shit out of people (ME!) everyone reacts to things differently. i've taken two 10mg does so far and aside from slightly annoying headaches, i haven't experienced any of the crazy side effects mentioned in this blog. granted, i'm sure all of you who wrote the scary testimonials all had good intentions, or at least needed to vent, but thats what a shrink is for...please stop scaring the rest of us. this is my first SSRI and i am trying to go into it with optimism. i was prescribed this drug for generalized anxiety accompanied w mild depression and social phobia, i already have enough anxiety, as i'm sure lots of you do too---can we do us all a favor and not promote our already existing anxiety??? thanks

I took Lexapro for a little while. I started at 10 milligrams and went up to 20. Then I stopped taking it for stupid reasons. My doctor didn't know about it. I was off of it for 3 months and recently started to take it again at 20 milligrams. It has made me terribly sick and I've thrown up. I guess that's what I get for being so stupid. Anyway, I hope to contact my doctor tomorrow and get back on 10 milligrams to work this out.

If you want to discuss or comment, please e-mail me... agorzals@purdue.edu

Took Lexapro for about 2.5 months for GAD. Weaned myself off slowly from 10mg to 5 to 2.5 over a three week period. Completely off now for one week. Side effects from withdrawal include muscle twitches in arms/legs, flu-like symptoms of achy neck and shoulders and the dizzy / zappy feelings in my head. The twitches are annoying and the dizziness is hopefully approaching an end. Speaking only for myself, it's uncomfortable, by not intolerable. Haven't tried any other remedies for relief - not a fan of medication. Exercise, eat healthy and focus on enjoying life helps me a bunch. Not sure I would ever go back on any SSRI med. The side effects from starting and withdrawing are more a pain that the GAD I was hoping to treat. I do believe they have a place in some peoples lives and can help. I wish all those dealing with SSRI's the best whatever you decide.

I have only just turned 18. I feel sick ALL the time! I am dizzy, my whole body feels tense, my throate is always dry and i feel like im not getting enough air. I have been diognosed with depression, severe anxiety and panic attacks. I have been flipped about between phsycologists, doctors and mental health clinics, no one will help me! The answer from every medical person i have seen is DRUGS! i dont want to take drugs to feel normal. I decided to give it a shot, and i was perscribed LEXAPRO. I have not been on this for long but i feel like i have no control over my body or my mind. i am so close to giving up, i have been trying so hard so no one can tell me to 'help myself' because i have run out of options and my patience is wearing thin! i dont know why i am writting this. but if anyone thinks they can help please contact me at vanillacoconut@hotmail.com. I would even appreciate to hear from people suffering from the same things, the only comfort i have is that i am not the only one going through this!

My 84 year old mother, who was suffering anxiety and some depression was prescribed 20 mg of this drug by her psychiatrist. She could not tolerate the 20 mg. I mad her sleep all day after taking it at night. She was told to cut back to 15 mg., which she took about 6-8 weeks. Her conditioned worsened and she became more depressed and withdrawn. The result - She tried to commit suicide on Monday. The warnings about suicidality should be taken very seriously and not only for teenagers as they would have you think. If I'd have read through this blog before the incident I would never have allowed her to continue taking this drug.

I've been taking Lexapro for a few days. One of the most disabling symptoms of my depression is that I'm unable to concentrate - and therefore function properly - at work.
But now I wonder if the lexapro is not exacerbating the problem, because I've been feeling really sleepy lately and today find myself even less able to concentrate than before.
Has anyone else experienced this? And, if so, do these side effects (if that's what they are) go away after a while?

works for me, I am calm with much less tension. Some diminished sexual response, but my wife sees that as a positive.

Been on Lexapro since Sept 2006. Have experienced depression for as long as I can remember, even childhood. Family heritage, as well as trauma. Never wanted to take drugs, or be labled, so fought it myself. Made heaps of progress with some emotional release therapy, and thought I had it licked. But started to return after 18 months. But this time it felt different, could not hang it on any environmental factors. So decided to try medication. Doc put me on Lexapro, with careful instructions on starting the medication. 10mg scrip, taking 1/4 tab for first 4 days, 1/2 tab for 4 days, then onto the 10mg. This I take in morning, with a good breakfast. I had no noticable side affects. I was already suffering lack of sleep, memory loss, and constant suicide ideation due to depression. Was told should see improvement in 4 weeks. Was good for a while, had my daughters wedding and other exciting things to raise the mood as well, but after the wedding, fell a bit flat again. Had to take 2 weeks off work in January 2007. But, before I was on meds, every day I woke up just wanting to die, now only thought that about once a week! Still improvement! Went back to see doc when scripts were finished, and after discussion about relapses, she increased my dose to 20mg. Improvement came within 2 weeks. Now I am feeling happy and content, no suicide ideation, resiliance to work stress is 100% improved, enjoying my life again. I have no 'fog' and never really did. Only thing I have notices since the increase dose is a bit of bowel upset. Can live with that. I had been experiencing drowsiness. I work 3 days a week, and tended to sleep most of the other 2 days. Weekends were ok, as had hubby home to do things with.

Sleep - I had probs sleeping before taking med, it may have become a bit worse initially, not noticably. My hubby snores, so over the period I moved into another bed, and got reasonable sleep with only a few breaks through the night. Practiced breath medication, and usually had no problems getting back to sleep. Now, I am sleeping right through the night, unless I am with hubby, and his snoring wakes me, but now I can get back to sleep with him, whereas before I could not. Libido was non existent until now, and since increasing my dose, I am gradually getting it back. On reflection, I did experience some increased aggression, but I really felt it was a result of my depression, and lack of resilience to other peoples crap. Dominant father for one thing! But in its own way, that helped with my healing as well, as that was an issue I needed to work though as well. All in all, Lexapro has been great for me. Without it I don't know where I would be. Not working that is for sure. I changed my work hours to start later in the day, get up in the morning and do at least 1/2 hour exercise, and am feeling great. It is all working well.

My 21 year old daughter has also used Lexapro without any side affects, and good results. No emotional fogs etc. She stopped cold, and had no withdrawal symptons either, much to the surprise of her doctor. She is again considering going back on them due to study and relationship stress.

Lexapro has been great for me. I guess I was lucky to get it right the first time. I know that sometimes people have to go through a number of different meds to find the right one. If I had read this page before starting lexapro, I would have not taken it, and then would not be feeling as good as I am now. lol, after reading the comments, I even had a nightmare last night about turning into a devil woman!

I think starting them gradually may have been the answer to my lack of side affects, my daughter started them the same way. Well, just thought I would put up my positive experience. Good luck, depression is not a way to live life. Keep searching for an answer. Life really can be worth living.

as late as 2006, doctors such as DR Phillip E Romero of nyc are still saying that "Lexapro is just the same as a sugar pill" NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took lexapro for about 8 months and have been off of it for about a month and feel very good. I have begun to exercise regularly which I did not do before. I really think that exercise and good eating are the key to anyone's success. I must however warn people (and this is no surprise) that you will gain weight on lexapro it is really inevitable and I dont care what the doctors tell you. If you take it for a significant period of time you need to be prepared for a weight gain whether it is slight or signifcant is really up to you. I gained about 8 pounds in the 8 months I was on it and am now working to get it off.

Lexapro Pros and Cons:

Cons:
-zoning out
-memory loss
-apathetic(things that stressed me out before I'm shrugging my shoulders at now)
-yawning
-lethargy
-temporary lack of focus
-absent mindness
-insensitive to people's feelings
-no social radar
-lack of appetitie(go whole day without eating)
-no libido

pros
-not stressed out
-can feel calm, cool and collected
-no more delusions of grandiuer...more grounded
-no restlesness
-no libido(I was a little bit of a horn dog before)
-more rationale
-not yelling at the kids
-a little more light hearted...laughing a little more

life's a compromise...I'm going to be taking night classes here soon and it's going to be interesteing how my focus, and ability to retain information is going to be effected.

Hello all, my name is Robert and I am 14 years old with a lot of anxiety, depression, and anger problems. I have been prescribed with Lexapro and I don't know if I should take it, especially after seeing all of the comments on this page. I don't really trust doctors all that much considering I recently had an anaphylactic reaction to a contrast after being told that it had very little risk. I don't want to take something that is going to screw up my life and body even more. And I certainly don't want to be forced to behave in a way that can be harmful for my girlfriend. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I can be contacted at xtap@comcast.net

I have only been taking lexapro for about a month and a half yet since being on it I have felt pretty good. I was expecting alot of horrible side affects but I didnt get to many.. all I had was a little difficulty sleeping but I'm not sure if that was in relation to the medication. I did quickly find out though after going on lexapro is that for myself it is absolutally impossible to have an orgasm which was frustrating..but anyway soon I'm going to try weaning myself off of it...

I would like to know how many miligrams of lexapro can one person take. I take 30 miligrams every night. I really am concerned. But would like an answer to this. Thank you for your help. Debbie

I have been taking 10 mg. of lexapro for over a month. I was experiencing a lot of nerve pain, etc. and became depressed/anxious due to pain. The dosage has worked wonders. I have had NO negative side effects. Can't say much about the libido level since I am menopausal. Hasn't made much difference. I definitely have much more laughter, desire to do things and exercise. I have not gained weight, in fact have more desire to exercise on a daily basis. Lexapro has worked well for me.

I would think long and hard before you take Lexapro! I started taking it at age 18 for depression and wish that I had found some alternative like talk therapy instead. Don't get me wrong-it worked for the most part, but getting off of it has been just as hard as dealing with my actual issues of depression. I'm starting to feel anger at the people that make and encourage people to go on these drugs in the first place, because I don't think it is fully understood what is really being done/happening to the brain. All I know, is that while you may feel better at some point and for some time (depending on the problem and person) it is all short lived. Lexapro is not a solution for your problem, but rather a "drug" as bad for you as any other "drug" legal or not that simply masks your real issue. Deal with that first, and save yourself the pain and misery of having to deal with the after effects of what this man made chemical does to your brain.

I have been on Lexapro for only 4 days.Will it be okay if i quit now as i do not want to continue with it.Will i have any side effects

my 20 year old daughter had a stomach virus and 3 days later had dizzy spells(vertigo,she has had before in high school) She went to the doctor without me and the doctor told her she had an anxiety attack because of the dizziness. They put her on Lexapro 10mg a day. Within 4 days she had stomach flu like symptoms, vomiting and had to miss work. So far she had missed 4 days work since taking this, she is so sick at her stomach she can't eat. She has lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks and on her tiny 5 foot frame this is not good. The doctor told her on her fifth day to not take the medicine for a couple of days to see if it was what was making her sick, she stopped for a couple and decided since her symptoms persisted it was not the medicine. ( It takes the medicine at least 48 hours to leave you body) She resumed it and is now sick sick. She has always been so energetic, she will probably loose her job. I called the doctor and guess what! She said she told my daughter to stop taking it for 2 weeks to see a change. She said my daughter misunderstood her. My daughter said she did not tell her that. The doctor is trying to cover her ass. The doctor told my daughter she needed a CT scan on her stomach and a colonoscopy. It is this med. my daughter has never been this sick before. I don't believe my daughter ever had an anxiety attack in the first place, i think she was dehydrated from the stomach virus she had. I have a problem with depression and sometimes nerves, have had for years, my solution is to get plenty of sunshine and go buy a horse. Doctors are notorious for giving patients pills after all the pharmaceutical companies give them bonuses for doing so, i know, my friends sister is a doctor.

hi there. i have been taking lexapro for about 2 or 3 years now. and guess what? i dont feel so bad! i feel great! before i started taking it i was and the edge of crazy. i ran away from everything i hated myself and attempted suicide many times. i beleive this medication saved my life! maybe it's not for everyone but it gets taken off theh market because a couple people weren't ment to use it... well i think they will havew to acount for a few suicides

About a month ago I was laid off. I was just hanging around the house searching job websites, and calling around looking for work. Over a two month period I began to become depressed and anxious. I started not sleeping. I went to the Dr. and he quickly decided I needed to begin taking Lexapro and Xanax. I trusted him and began the medication. I have been more miserable since. I suffer daily from insomnia, fatigue and very painful nasia. I followed up with the Dr. and he just upped the dosage on the Xanax. I've decided to take myself off the meds. I'm way worse now that before. After reading all the horror stories of the withdrawls that I'll be soon experiencing, I would strongly recommend looking into non-medication alternatives for depression before resorting to Lexapro.

This stuff is complete bullcrap. I took this in good faith, hoping it would help. ONE 10mg dose and I woke up in the middle of the night with the weirdest thoughts ever! I had the strong urge to kill my cat and myself. Althouh i've had thoughts of suicide before, i've NEVER had thoughts of killing an animal. i also had nausea and leg/muscle weakness. This crap worked for my sister, but I will not go through another night of vivid strange dreamlike thoughts while wide awake again. I'm so mad right now but i dont know who to be angry at.

Finding management for your depression will take time. Each person has a certain reaction to the drug. Keep in mind that you have to be "ON" this stuff for at leat 2-3 weeks to get the theraputic effect. I have been on 10mg Lex for years. It works. I had daily suicidal thoughts before I "went on". Lately, I've been great. I'm a little spacey at work, sometimes, but it's manageable. The uplifted mood and general good spirit helps me to connect with coworkers and they appreciate the connection and are happy to have someone to work with them and solve problems.

The libido dropoff is somewhat of an issue. Actually, it's a nice break from always being on the hunt. But given the opportunity, I can deliver.

I've recently read that taking melatonin concurrently can help the sleep disorder. I haven't tried it, as I sleep well.

just started lexapro...and i feel wiry and nautious...is this typical?

My doctor asked me if I would like to try Lexapro.
I've taken other medications in the past for my depression and none have worked. Does anyone have anything possitive to say about Lexapro?

When I first started taking Lexapro, I read everyone's comments and I was so nervous about continuing to take the drug My side effects were horrible for the first two weeks, panic attacks, night sweats (which I still get if I drink too much), extreme tiredness, dry mouth and a tight jaw. All that passed and now I just get some of these side effects very mildly. Lexapro is great. It is not everything I need to fix my depression but I am now able to get up in the morning and concentrate on enjoying life rather than taking up all my energy just trying to feel happy. My suggestion in regard to writing blogs on this site is to wait until the side effects pass before you pass judgement on Lexapro because it misrepresents this drug. It is never going to be easy taking a drug of any sort. While people's negative reactions are important it is also important not to put people off a perfectly good antidepressant.

I was just given Lexapro for anixety and depression by my doctor. The first night I took the crap I could not sleep at all. The second night I took this crap I slept 3 hrs. Now the 3rd day I said screw it, I'm done with this drug. I haven't done anything all day except sleep and try to get rid of my headache!

DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!

I have been given a prescription for Lexapro 10mg. Can I split the pill and take twice a day?

Ive been on lexapro for about 4 years now. I love it. 90% of people who complain and tell you not to take the drug are people who never gave it a chance and got freaked out after the first "N" days. This shit is changing the way your brain functions! of course its going to mess you up for the first month. I took it for anxiety. The first week sucked! sweats, shaking, feeling wierd, paranoia, yo name it, i felt it. After a week, 95% of the side effects were gone. Within a month, they were all gone. Within months, i was a new person. No more anxiety. Thank you!

can i split a 10mg lexapro pill?

DO NOT TAKE LEXAPRO IT IS A DANGEROUS DRUG .My Mother has been prescibed lexapro by her doctor ,she takes hrt and an weekly injection for artitis and Psoriasis and i feel the combination of the three have left her a walking skelton.she recently had an affair and is now splitting up wth my dad.This is extremly out of characthe for her and i feel the lexapro has numbed her of the emotional pain.she is acting happy and normal even thought me my dad and my sisters are devastated and still shocked she has only cried once.I HATE LEXAPRO i feel i have lost the emotional reaction i need from my mam to help me deal ith this and to accept what she has done but untill i see she is upset also about her decision i dont feel i can move on.LEXAPRO SHOULD NOT JUST BE PRESCIBED WILLY NILLY TO ANYONE WHITOUT A FULL EXAMIATION TO SEE IF IT IS NECCESARRY.

I take 5mg of lexapro a day for what my neuro says is anxiety (dont see it but whatever) and now i am getting flushing feelings daily. I am also taking fish, co q 10,and 100mg of adrenals as well as Copaxone daily for my MS. Do you think that the flushing is do the lexapro?

I have been taking Lexapro at night and it makes me very sleepy and unmotivated.

today im starting lexapro the dr and my sister fill i am depressed do to i was in a reck hit by a drunk driver witch messed up my back also i have two tumors found in 1997 and told now their is a chance they have or will turn to cancer ,i cant work do to the pain and every day migrains and muscles spasms and looseing most of my ability to use my (r)leg do to the bone disease that sat in and i filled for disability and i cant get no help for medical i fill like im traped in my home do to my health so wish me luck

I've just started my 4th week on Lexapro and only beginning to see that it's doing me good. Initially, I would feel dazed in the afternoons, unmotivated and exhausted. I also had trouble sleeping and felt sick to my stomach, and has some moments of absent mindedness which worried me. All of that has passed. I've begun week 4 and suddenly I'm energetic all day, I don't feel so achey, I wake up in the morning and feel happy, I don't take life so seriously nor feel hurt by thoughtless comments.

For the first time in years, actually, I realized I was running around the house playing with my dog! Acting silly and laughing. I had to stop and think, when was the last time I felt this good! My concentration is good and I haven't fallen into a mood or felt negative or hopeless in weeks. I don't feel anxious and I don't worry obsessively over things.

Initially, the first couple weeks, there were some weird things, like some fear thoughts, I felt depressed a few times, and just before falling asleep at night I'd have clear thoughts that seemed to bubble up from deep in my subconscious... just weird, disconnected thoughts that seemed to come from no where. But that has all passed and I'm feeling as good as I've ever felt in my life.

6 months ago, I would never recommend nor consider taking a perscription depression med. But I realized I'd been down to long and couldn't fix it myself. This has given me hope and given me back myself. Granted, it's only week 4, but now I would tell anyone, yes, try it. Being depressed for too long can't be healthy for your body.

I hope this helps someone, somewhere!

does lexapro cause acne??

I took lexapro for almost a year and it has good and bad side effects. It made me have no sad feelings, but it also made me lose my job because I didnt care about anything or consequences of any wrong doing. My heart continues to race with anxiety and worry, but I dont take it anymore and I feel like myself again. Although I now have no job and my car seized up. Yippee!!!!

This stuff is awesome. The only side effects I have had is a little cotton mouth, and when I first started taking it I couldn't stop laughing sometimes. But I feel WAY better after years of depression and anxiety, and I haven't had any of the negative experiences listed above.

wow, after reading this blog I am too scared to take the Lexapro the doctor gave me today. I thought it would help me smile again, now I have lost hope.

Lexapro, I think this is the same medication as escitalopram. If it is , I've just started taking 10mg just over one and half weeks ago and started to get weird sensations inside at the top of my head, which feels like crawling sensations under my scalp and also feels like cold water trickling inside my head these two things I've just described seem to be more prominent when I'm laying down and also experiencing a dull ache at the top of my head, this is like across between a headache but more like pressure that feels as if someone is sqeezing my brain and also feels like a stinging sensation. I would say this is not getting any better the more I'm taking this medication. I already suffer from tightness at the back of my head, which also feels like, what I call as a drunken feeling 24/7,and also suffer from poor concentration, unreal feeling which the doctors have put down to depression, hence the reason for going on this medication and now have all this going on at the top part of my head.
Is it just a case of my head adjusting to this medication or do you think that it sounds as though it may be too strong for me, do you think it might be worth trying to reduce the medication to 5mg to see if this helps as can't go on like this, feels like I've got a permanent clamp going from the top of my head now aswell as the back of my head and because of this I find it very difficult to do everyday things.
I thought that medication is there to help make you feel better not to bring on more symptoms.
Your advice and feedback would be much appreciated.

I started taking Lexapro 3 months ago. I became very depressed after my wife caught me having having carnal knowledge with the family dog. Our family doctor prescribed 15 mgs of this wonderful pill. The only problem is the incredible bouts of rage I experience on a daily basis. Once my youngest boy Tom spilt my morning coffee on my favorite tie, well the next thing I remember is my wife screaming at me and my hands were covered in blood. Anywho, on the plus side my sex drive is through the roof (much to the dismay of the missus and Mr. Boots.). Also I am beginning to believe that I can fly, I'm sure I levitated a full foot off of the ground the other night. Thanks for everything Lexapro!

i was on lexapro for 3 or 4 months, and at first it was fantastic. i had been on wellbutrin which was ok, it made my mood lovely which my family commented on. but i needed something stronger. i told my doctor i wanted to try lexapro because i felt it would be good for me and so he let me try it.
a few weeks in i noticed my much better mood. i hadn't cut or shown any of the usual destructive behanvior in months after i started taking it. i was doing great, focusing better in school, much less anxiety.... but than i flatlined. i began to feel nothing at all ever. it was always a happy medium, no real happieness or sadness just nothing. and that made me feel alone and fake. i began all my usual bad habits like cutting, bingeing, blah blah but it was all worse because i didn't seem to feel anything at all.
this is a good medication, i think it could and has worked for a lot of people. but for me, it was a short lived one.

I am 32 years old. I have 2 kids. My elder daughter is 7 years old. And the other is 4 years old.Two deliveries were operation. One general anasthesia, other spinal anasthesia. After my second delivery I have a pain in my right side of my stomach.Along with the second operation we decided to take necessary step to avoid any more children. That also did at that time to me. I dont know the exact medical term for that that is why I wrote it like this.

I have often a bad headache. Then my neck, eyes and back of my head are aching. I cannot even lie down beacause of pain. Some times at night when I woke up suddenly my head aches severely. Some times only a part aches. left/right.

My another problem is chest pain, left side. First I feel so much tired and my breathrate increases and I feel that I have to vomit.I feel some sort of dryness at my mouth and I cant speak. Then I sweat a lot and I became unconscious. It is only for 10/15 minutes. Then I will became alright.At that time I feel severe pain at my left hand also.
My height is 158cm and my weight is 65kg. what can I do? Will you please help me?

I have suffered with anxiety since I was 14. My doctor prescribed paxil at first, but I had side effects such as weight gain, and I felt flat. I had no emotion toward anything. I then went on buspar and that made me more nervous. Prozac was the next on my list and that helped my depression, but made me more nervous as well.Effexor made me throw up all over my sisters car. Zoloft worked great for awhile, but I would keep starting and stopping it because I rely on my doctor giving me samples. I get very dizzy when it is starting to get out of my system and my eyes have a stop-start movement rather than a fluid pan around the room.
Other than that, I have been on Lexapro for about 3 years and it seems to be the best I have been on. The side effects I have experienced are having no sexual drive, and I can't cry.Oh, and I have these really awesome dreams where everything feels completely real. When it starts to run out of my system, I suffer from that same stop-start motion, but I have fewer panic attacks and they don't last as long. I take Klonopin prn for my attacks.
If you have to try something, I do recommend Lexapro.

My doctor has suggested that I take lexapro for my depression. To be honest Im quite conserned I the feed back I read is negative. I dont want to be numb to life and not care about anything and I definately have to keep a clear head for my career. Some people say Cymbalta is better. If anyone can help me out please give your input

OMG----what a depressing group of people. Your comments actually made me suicidal for a few minutes.
OMG---way too depressing to read the depressing comments. Yes, too depressing. Didn't help my headache.

Please I had met a person in whom like many aren't taking the medicine for which all was good in helping them But because of costs they are not taking the one or etc, that can give a stable to at least more balance in this world. We should never turn down when under the care n watchful eye of a proffetional doctor who is also in agreement that such medication is a great help to a person as this is carefully taking into care n monthly visit check in with doctor if it works to change even one person life for the better why are we condemming this with if you cant pay then you dont feel balance. All because its ewxspensive to make Shit its more exspensive for all the world to grow further from grace. May we save one at a time this world can make changes. T%his is written by a person who suffers with extreme Bi-polar. Let me know what you think and I am also thinking of starting a meeting for the mentally ill of all stages would be needed to help one an another!!!

worried about children with there mother who is on lexapro and xanax combonation and has taken them and stopped and start again, what is the percentage rate of them hurting themseleves or the children? she has already has had suicidal thoughts,mood swings,forgetfulness and anger problems.

im a nurse. i work with psych meds a lot and i myself have been on many different types of antidepressants. a lot of the side effects that people write about are NOT from the drug but from the depression itself. you have to have a positive outlook when taking these drugs or they will not help. you have to want the help. over eating isnt from the drug...its becu your depressed and lazy...sorry but true.i have patients on every single antidepressant there is(not all in one patient) and some are doing wonderful, others it takes a combination and others still nothing. the ones it works the best in are the ones that want to make a change, that have a TRUE chemical problem and not psych problem. these meds cant FIX you, they alter you chemically..if thats not your problem in the first place,,,they arent going to help. get off your butt, go and try new things, get outside. SUNSHINE-vit D from the sunshine will help you fel better than any artificial drug ever could. make the statement to yourself...today is a new day, i will do ......something positive. i will meet a new friend online, go for a bike ride,etc...dont let meds control you.they arent the cure all. and regaurless of what manufactures tell you...EVERYTHING has a side effect and EVERYTHING has withdrawl . Anything you put in your body, alters your body, your body will miss when not there..... these meds can help you...but you must want the help.

Lexapro worked wonders for me in the past for PP depression. I had postpartum depression BAD after my first child was born. After 2 month on Lexapro I felt GREAT. This was 5 almost 6 years ago. I discontinued the Lexapro as soon as I felt well (about 2.5 months on it total)

I have experienced a lack of motivation to do anything lately and leaving the house is just not something I ever want to do anymore. Not typical for me. I also gained about 35 pounds in 4 months. I started having crying fits etc. This is not something I could let go on because I have two young childeren 5 and 2 years old. They don't understand why mom isn't taking them places anymore and why Mommy is sad - I don't blame them I don't understand either. I went to my MD and he prescribed the lowest dose of Lexapro. With in a week of taking this stuff I became psychotic. I'm not kidding. I couldn't get out of bed 0 sex drive for weeks(very unusual for me) NO interest in food in fact I lost 13 pounds in one month. I felt INSANE the last week I took it. My husband had to take several days off WORK because he was afraid to leave me alone with our kids. (not that I would hurt them but I was just an emotional wreck) Not even in the deepest depths of my Pp Depression had I experienced anything close to this emotional breakdown caused by Lexapro. I don't know if they changed the drug or what but honestly after my last experience I will NEVER EVER take this stuff again! After 3 days of being off it I was back to my normal "just depressed" self and I can tell you I 100% prefer it.

HOW CAN HELP MY DAUGHTER WILL SHE'S TAKING THI MEDICATION?AND BE OF SOMR HELP.

I was on Lexapro for about a year, coinsideing with HCV treatment. Lexapro kept me from super highs and super low the treatments caused. I felt that life was surreal when on it. Functions were effort. Living was pure hell. Been off 2.5 yrs, and the hcv is back, and higher in count, and my mind feels "lose" at times, like it did on Lexapro. I won't take it again. I've had better trips on bad LSD.
Thanks

I seem to retreat back to my past a lot to teenage years especially at night time before i go to sleep. i have dreams related to my teenage years and family life then. I would want to sleep a lot especially on cold morns struggle to get out of bed. Utterly EXHAUSTED.

My child is seeing a psychiatrist who would like to put him on 5mg of Lexapro. I know it is not approved for the use in children under the age of 12. Is it safe enough to prescribe for my son? Anyone have any input as to what to expect?

I have taken Lexapro for some years now for anxiety and OCD. Works good. Has sexual side effects and harder to achieve orgasm which may be a plus for your mate. Does what it is supposed to. No complaints.

Thanks

My son is 8 years old. I took him to a psychiatrist today to be tested for A.D.D. But instead was told he has an anxiety disorder. The psychiatrist is going to put him on Lexapro (not sure what millagram) starting June 10th. I am not sure what to do! Does anyone know what the effects are to young children who take this perscription? I don't want to make my son worse! Please help me! Any suggestions are appreciated.

Gosh, were do I start. I went into the doctor one afternoon to discuss some mild depression with her. She then told me that I should take citalopram, 25mgs once a day, that should help my mood etc. I got home from work and took the citalopram as she directed. I ended up in the ER room in with a huge panic/anxiety attack from taking this. I have never in my life felt so helpless. They gave me Ativan to take to help with the symptoms. I then went back into to see my Doc the next day. She then told me to try Zoloft, 25mgs aday. Boy was that to a mistake. I have never been so sick in my life with side affects. I lost 10 pounds in 7 days. Of course, they then tell you that you should take Ativan with the Zoloft... just what I want, more drugs in my body. I am really at at lose as what to do. I walk around in a daze and just not feeling good. My Physcologist wants me to try a very low dose of Lexapro 5mgs a day, with the Ativan. Last night was the first try with the Lexapro. I woke up through out the night with the shakes and just not being able to sleep. I have not a clue as to what is going on with my head and my body. Half the time I seem to be ok, but then the other half I feel so crappy. Does anything really work?

I started taking Lexapro, 20mg a day after months of having severe anxiety, and panic attacks. It truly has helped me. I am 100% more calm, I dont care soo much about what pple think about me. I feel fatigued but its not a problem because I always had issues with sleeping my whole life and now I aleep great at night. I have been on this medication for a few months and I actually have more of a libido!!! no wieght gain either, besides feeling a lil tired, I feel great and myself again!

I was diagnosed 3 years ago with depression. I was put on Lexapro at 10mg per day. My depression subsided after CBT and Lexapro, but just as that happened my temprement started to get out of hand. By the time the 3 years was up, I was on 40mg per day and goping off my brain with violent outbursts, chrnoic anxiety and manic behaviour. Eventually my partner of 5 years could take no more and walked out on me. A month later my GP and phsychiatrist tell me that the Lexapro is what's been causing me the problems and I actually have probably had no mental illness at all for the last 2.5 years.

Here is a thought out of the box, for everyone. I am 26 and I have had depression for as long as i can remember. I lost my mom in 7th grade and my father 2 weeks into my college career. which I ended. Life has been a constant emotional roller coaster. IM sure anyone on this page in one way or another can agree.
Now to the point< i suffer from severe depression and I used to have severe anxiety. How did i lose the anxiety? I stopped drinking, which was a daily routine (to the point of blackout) for years. ANXIETY GONE. do you see where im going? i am by no means knocking drugs because i know everyone is different. But every blog on this board has something to do with a negative effect from a drug they are taking to prevent depression. It seems to me that we are trading one evil for the lesser evil (weight gain, crazy dreams, weird buzzed feeling? etc.)
All i am saying is I have a theory that if we can try to cope with and or fix what is the root issue/issues of our sickness, we dont necessarily need these drugs that tend to do us harm on a smaller level. Again everyone is different, but its worth a shot. It has worked for me so far. FIND THE DEEPEST DARKEST PROBLEMS AND LET THEM OUT AND DEAL WITH THEM. either way, if that fixes it or not, that is our goal anyway isnt it?

I have been on 10mg of Lexapro for 35 days now. I suddenly had a huge anxiety attack in October and they put me on clonazepam with Lorazepam. I was on it for 14 days and had severe side effects including feeling like my brain was burning on the inside and like my skin was on fire, with hellacious drenching sweats etc. I was miserable and felt better being anxious. It took me 30 days to wean off the Clonazepam with horrendous side effects including heart pain and palpitations, sweats, shakes, nausea, etc. I was clearly allergic to it.
I went off everything for 4 weeks and was feeling great then all of a sudden another panic attack. I am 48 and my doc says because I have been in menopause for a long time already that my serotonin is low - the same thing happened to my mother.

It hasn't been peachy keen on the Lexapro but I can say it is much better than the alternative. I am also in counseling to deal with the fears I have had all my life that I just lived with and thought were a normal part of life. Between the two and my deepening relationship with God I am feeling like myself and very excited to be on the upswing of life.
My mom was on Lexapro for 9 years and just recently went off. She weaned off with her doctors care and followed every direction carefully and was off it in 6 months with minimal side effects.
If you are allergic to Lexapro or your body doesn't tolerate it you will have bad effects, this is the same with any of these types of drugs, just like I had a bad experience with Clonazepam while others do fine. One of the things I do is check with my husband every week to see if he is noticing anything wierd about my behavior - so far he thinks I am doing much better and he keeps a close eye on me so I know I am safe.
If you have a loved one on any drug and you notice wierd behavior write it down and get them into their doctor right away.
Blessings to all of you and I wish all of you peace and comfort.
J

omg i don't know where to start but i will do my best, my wife has been taking lexapro for a while yrs but all of a sudden out of nowhere 3 to 4 weeks ago started treating me bad with her words downing me for everything and nothing i do is good enough, i didn't know what i did wrong but of course she kept coming up with things! this happened one before and i said "u must have started or stop a med she got very mad but about a day or 2 later she was back to herself, but this time its very bad and i couldn't but notice that her refill is due but the fill date was 1/7/2011 and it is now 3/7/2011 and its only 45 in a bottle and she take 1 1/2 daily so it doesn't add up, i think she has been starting and stopping it on her own. im scared she shows no emotion very irritable acts like i am her worst enemy im hurting inside very badly and think i may be having panic attacks 7 yrs together 5 yrs married thanks all for listing.

I'm sorry so many of you have had bad experiences with Lexapro. You should take it in the morning, never at night. I have bipolar disorder, repaired (late in life) heart defects, and at times abnormal heart rhythm. So I take a lot of meds. I have tried other anti depressants and Lexapro is the best. I am chubby anyway, but Lexapro didn't make me gain more weight. I am divorced, not dating right now, 63 year old female, but I can have orgasms, takes awhile but they happen. I've had excellent results with lexapro combined with my mood stabilizer and anti-anxiety medication. I've had total insomnia for years, was caused by life changes, menopause, Zoloft (which I stopped taking), divorce, financial problems. So I have been on ambien for years and luckily, it works for me. I get 6 to 7 hours of sleep every single night, sometimes I nap. I highly recommend Lexapro, but maybe I'm just very fortunate it works for me. Yes I still get anxiety and depression and also feel "flat" and lethargic at times, but it's better than being suicidal. Good luck to all.

is it okay for my mental/emotional & physical health to take lexapro on an "as needed" basis instead of everyday??

Ineed lexapro

This drug has, I believe, decreased my anxiety related to OCD, though has not solved all problems. 30 mg. Started on 5 mg and titrated up. To people complaining of significant side-effects from trying a dose of 5 mg: 5 mg is not a therapeutic dose, shouldn't do much if anything at all, probably different for kids, though I don't think it's used in kids.

Taking Lexapro 10mg. Is there a holistic medicatin that i can take.

Thank you

For five years, I experienced the debilitating symptoms of fear, anxiety, and depression. Often these symptoms are diagnosed by physicians as panic attack disorder or anxiety disorder. In a constant state of anxiety and panic, I searched desperately for a way out of my forest of despair. Following what seemed to be an almost insurmountable degree of frustration and disappointment, I found the way to permanent recovery from my severe anxiety symptoms. Please check out my latest blog @ http://frompanictopeace.blogspot.com/ for more help with fear, whether real or imagined. Share with your friends and all of those you love and care about. Visit our website http://frompanictopeace.com/ for more on finding permanent relief from anxiety and panic.

I took Lexapro for the first time in 2004 right after my mom died. I couldn't deal, and needed something to get through the immediate period after. At the time, I didn't have insurance (was in my mid-twenties, not making great money), but a friend of mine who was a nurse managed to get me some samples (don't remember to dosage). It really helped me out, and the side effects were only the yawns, a weird empty feeling in my stomach a lot of the time (even when I'd eaten), and when I'd yawn, my right hand would tremor. Nothing I couldn't handle.

Flash forward to 2012, (possibly "mis") diagnosed as Bipolar II, I saw a new psych who interviewed me and changed my diagnosis to Major Depressive Disorder and prescribed me Lexapro (after I mentioned I'd taken it previously). I'm only 6 days in, at 10mg per day for the first week, then up to 20mg/day. So far, wow, I can't even describe how much better I feel. I react pretty easily to medication, and could tell almost immediately some differences.

I have had a little bit of trouble staying asleep through the night, but then, I've always had some waking insomnia. Even still, I don't find myself overly tired the next day. Nothing coffee at the office won't cure. I feel like I have more energy and more desire to do things I used to do, like take pictures, paint, get out of the house and go do things, etc. I find enjoyment in music, feel like laughing again, etc.

The only side effects I've had so far:

Day 1 - slight stomach discomfort/extra trips to the restroom, but nothing major. I've had far worse from a standard 24 hour bug.

Sometimes waking up at night and have a difficult time going back to sleep (again, however, my mind flips on like a light switch when I wake up, so I think that's mostly my problem going back to sleep, and isn't dependant on Lexapro), drug could possibly be impacting this.

Yawn more often, even when not really tired. No tremor so far this time though! Waiting to see if that changes when I move to 20mg.

Decreased interest in food/appetite. Actually, I usually am not very hungry most of the day, but get a bit hungrier at night (which is also when I take the drug). I've read that some people gain weight on Lexapro, some people lose weight. I've also read that the drug's success at evening out depression, etc. may have something to do with people losing weight, especially if they were depression/stress eaters.

Best of luck to anyone who takes it! If you experience side effects/exacerbated symptoms you can't take, definitely talk to your doctor - there are tons of meds, and another one may work wonders for you.

i cry all the time on lexapro i think it is ruining my marriage my husband says it has changed me is this what the medication does if so i want off asap

Does anyone know how hard it is to be able blog about thier death without the hasle of logging in. anyway, I will be committing suicide in the morning. I am depressed to the point of my death. See the problem is if your suicidal and you tell someone then you get locked up somewhere and labled. so things are just as bad or worse. And the cycle starts all over again. all of you that are on these drugs are in the system and labled. so anyone can get this info and your screwed for getting a job, finding a relationship, or anything else. once your down your down for good. happy Lexapro!!!!!

I am going to share my Dads story with you all. After researching this drug I feel so compelled to tell you about my Dad.
My Dad developed tinnitus on September 5th 2013. He believed he developed it from ear drops he was prescribed for an ear drum problem. It bothered him greatly to have developed this condition, but he was trying to come to terms it may last forever but he was trying to come to terms with it as best he could.
On October 10th he returned to his doctor about the tinnitus. I am assuming this doctor saw my dad was pretty stressed out about it. He prescribed my dad Cipralex 10mg. A drug with a known side effect of causing tinnitus or making a pre existing condition worse. My mom says on the 3rd day of taking this medication, my dad changed. He said the ringing went from 10-100. My mom said he just seemed different. He stopped taking it and He went back to his doctor because he KNEW he didnt feel right. His doctor put his hand on his shoulder and told him "Randy just hang in there. Keep taking them....it will get better."
On Tuesday October 22 2013th my dad shot himself in the head with a shot gun in his van in a park by my parents house. He was 62 years old. He had been married for 36 years. He had the whole world in his hands. My dad was the most incredible person. He had everything to live for. He had no mental health history, no depression history, no financial problem, no other health problems.
I could not rationalize my fathers suicide until I found out he was on Cipralex and began researching this drug. I AM CONVINCED this drug killed my father. He never ever in a million years would have done this ever. His brain was stolen by this drug.
I am not telling anyone to stop their medication but I can not bear the thought of this happening to another family. I know this drug has worked for some people, but I just want people to know the possibilities. If this could happen to my dad it could absolutely happen to ANYONE.
I watched my father be buried only yesterday. This is how strongly I feel about this. I WILL SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT MY DADS STORY. I never want this to happen to anyone. I welcome anyones questions or comments.

My husband has been on Lexapro 20mg since June 2009. I want to let anyone and everyone know what horrible effects this drug has had on him in hopes to save someone else. A year after taking Lexapro, a friend of ours who happens to be the nurse of my husband's urologist, suggested he have his testosterone level checked. She made this suggestion after a conversation we err all having about how he has gone from having so much energy and constantly working like he was on crack to literally not having the energy to get out of bed. He is currently 43 yrs old. She explained that stress can cause testosterone levels in men to drop very low. He has had a very stressful life from age 9. He is the youngest of 5 siblings and as of May 2009, he is the last living child. He lost his oldest sibling to a tragic accident at 9 and the other 3 have died in separate tragic events each up to May 2009. Our friend said this would defiantly be a contributing factor to low testosterone and causing him to feel so bad. He went in and had the levels checked and found his T level was that of an 80 year old man. He immediately started testosterone therapy injections and is still currently taking them every week. At first, his energy level went way up. Not back to what he was used to but he felt good enough to get up and do multiple tasks every day. Fast forward to late 2012. His energy level is zero, panic attacks hitting him out of nowhere even while laying in bed watching tv for hours, daily headaches some days debilitating, and anger episodes to the extent of us getting into a fight and him saying the most awful, hurting, disgusting things to me to not even remembering what he said 2 hours later. Once the anger started, I got more vigorous with my internet searches to see what was causing all of this change in him. I know him well and know that one if not both the Lexapro and T therapy had to be the root of the problem. After MANY days and hours of researching, I have FINALLY found that they BOTH are causing his problems. Lexapro causes testosterone to drop in men along with headaches, fatigue, anger and panic attacks! The testosterone is also aiding the anger issue due to his urologist not checking his estrogen levels when he has his required blood work. I have made all of this discovery in the last couple of weeks and have found a dr that will help him step down off the Lexapro and help get his Testosterone and estrogen levels regulated. I will post his progressive after he sees the dr and finds out how long she thinks it will take before he sees any change. I hope our experience will help keep anyone from having to go through the pain and hurt we have over the past several years. It's heart wrenching when you know your significant other to the point of finishing their sentence and not being able to help/fix the pain and agony they are going through. Just knowing and reading the side effects of these 2 are the root his problem, has already made him feel better. Knowing that once we can get his body free of the Lexapro and possibly stopping the T therapy down the road and get his life back, is the most comforting thing. Good luck to anyone out there going through what we have and if you are taking Lexapro....see a dr to get off of it ASAP!!! This drug is the devil!

I've been on Lexapro 20mg since November of 2013. I don't notice any massive side effects. I guess it just affects every person differently. For instance, my mom has been taking Lexapro 20mg for about two years now, and she does wonderfully on it. Lexapro has helped me as well. Just wanted to give a little light to this well-known drug.

Went to the Psychiatrist and told him I had some anxiety issues. My job is frustrating with a jerk boss, but I've been here for 16 yrs and that's too long to just quit. And I'm a parent of daughter who drives me batty some times. And that's it. Other than because of my job schedule (2 shifts) I have a hard time sleeping sometimes. So he prescribed lexapro and gabapentin. So I got them filled and started thinking what the heck the gabapentin was, as he in all his professionalism, never explained either to me. When I read it I couldn't figure out why someone with some anxiety would be given a drug for bi-polar disorder and seizures! So I didn't take that and just took one 25 mg lexapro pill the next a.m. I'm here to tell everybody rdg that it will be my last as well. I couldn't sleep very well at all. I had a raging headache and blurry vision and felt like I was going to have a stroke. My chest hurt etc...I have taken Xanax before bed before and had absolutely NO negative side effects like this crap. And only needed it really when I worked nights to help wind down in the a.m from work and all my daily events running through my head. I'm site there will be those who immediately say " you didn't give it long enough" well I agree with those who say " I'd rather have a little anxiety and not as much sleep as if like than ever take this crap again. All it is is dr's going through their checklist of drugs to show justifying giving you something like Xanax in the end. Only at the patients health and expense!!!

Can everyone share this as far and wide as possible.
To ANYONE ON ANTIDEPS, READ PLEASE, I beg you whoever you are & spread to everyone I can't emphasis enough.
First pic, me 4yrs ago Before my old gp I trusted with my life up'd my dose of antideps. An extra 10mg
Second pic, 3yrs later, literally dying, my kids, mum, All my hospital prof's, surgeons n nurse's can not understand how I'm dying so quickly so suddenly and my kidneys failing to now, No return of repair as is same with my liver.
I can never have a transplant now, we know why!!! But, atleast now there is hope for peripheral dialysis down the road to recovery.
Hopefully now I've taken myself off my meds, 2weeks and 3days been, ive come out of Wot is like a four year Coma n feel like I'm 30yrs old again & Alive.
In this 4 years, I've tried & wanted to commit suicide, put my beloved children thru verbal abuse, hurt sad n anger I CAN NEVER TAKE BACK OR BE FORGIVEN for but I'm lucky & know I've bought my 2 HERO'S up to be the best and loving caring people I could Ever have in my life.
The point to this, my life and being Awake, I never ever have wanted to be gone, commit suicide and thankgod for self diagnosing myself & Not getting my script refilled.
Please see another specialist and make sure you or anyone you know are getting the right dose before its too late, just like it nearly was for me and my children.
P.s if anyone is or knows a great legal medical lawyer, I'd like to hear from you.

I have suffered from depression and addiction (alcohol) for a few years due to life long issues.
I am now in a 12 step program and was recently prescribed LEXAPRO for deep depression and OCD.
Although I feel somewhat better I am still feeling very restless and fidgety much of the time! I have a hard time concentrating. or staying focused and mind fog. I am also very forgetful, leaving the house only to have to come back a time or two to retrieve forgotten items. Also experiencing a great deal of irritability, especially with coworkers!! I have also had some weight gain and trouble sleeping. Anyone have any suggestions for something better to treat my condition?