Hi, Merely Me.  Funny you should ask about Lexapro because I just started taking it 5 days ago, along with the Wellbutrin I already take.

1. What is/was your experience like taking Lexapro?

I noticed a difference right away in terms of losing a sense of agitation and irritability I'd been feeling.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you?

Don't know what it will feel like in a few weeks...yet to be seen.

3. What improvements did you notice?

I'm sleeping better and feel calmer.  Not besieged by critical voices like I was.

4. What were the side effects if any?

Tiredness, kind of a lethargy.  I hope that's all there is.

Merely Me

1/12/10 9:19pm

Hey Judy!

 

Thanks so much for this...would you mind answering again in a few weeks?  pretty please?  We have gone through eight meds so far and Lexapro is ninth on the list!  If anyone has any suggestions for next week's med...let me know.

Judy

1/12/10 9:25pm

Sure, I'll report again in a couple of weeks.  So far, so good!

Rose

1/13/10 9:06am

Hi Merely Me,  I titrated from Efexor XL after nearly 7years of constant use at a high dose and then titrating down slowly with  my Psyciatrist. After 3 failed attempts -  This is the only way to come of Efexor XL. I was put on a low dose of Lexapro and slowly titrated up to 10. I was still significantly depressed and agitated. 10mg I know works for alot of people but it was coming up to Xmas [my bad time of year ] and also i had just gone thru Hell with withdrawals from Efexor. My Psychiatrist put me up to 20mgs twice daily.     I noticed an almost immediate reduction in my agitation,worry, panic and anxiety levels and was alot calmer.At 10mg I was calmer but still depressed.

It took about 4 weeks to notice any difference from the 20mg but I did find a lift.

My sleeping initially got worse but has now settled down.  I dont feel agitated, annoyed,irritable, afraid.  I feel just OK. Im still abit Depressed.

Side effects would be solmonence and headaches at first with nausea which wasnt going away. I asked my pharmacist for 2 doses of 10mg daily and the nausea and headaches have gone. I do sometimes feel alittle sleepy after the 2nd dose at Lunch time. I  havent put up weight with Lexapro and my BP is normal, cholestro is ok but am on Meds for those as they all went up with Efexor.  Sorry the answers arent in sequence. All in all, I think  this is a good drug. I find I am able to cry and feel emotion which I wasnt able to do with Paxil [Seroxat] and Efexor XL. I can still feel and some of my creativity is coming back.

Rose

1/13/10 9:12am

Apologies Merely Me, I sent off that without reading it ! Its complicated. i meant to say my max Dose is 20mg. This made me sick, nausea and headache, after a couple of weeks this hadnt gone away, so i changed from a 20mg tablet in the morning, to 10mg tabs twice daily and the headache and nausea have gone.

I want to say I think its hard to judge the first weeks of being on Lexapro as my system was all over the place having come off the Efexor, so the Lexapro had a hard job ! Weve had incessant flooding here, snow, chaos worst in living memory and it has been v depressing so this could be another factor that Im not saying 'Yea its a great drug' I Do find being able to cry a great Bonus !  if that makes sense.

jjbgeneva

1/19/10 10:08am

Has the group discussed Depakote? 

elza

5/18/10 4:04pm

The lexapro was great, it relieved my anxiety and my family noticed my manner was much more relaxed.  It took almost three weeks to work, which was very difficult waiting while grieving for my daughter.

preyno

10/29/11 7:07pm

I have been taking lexapro for 7 weeks, started at 5mg, then 10mg for 5 weeks, now am back down to 5mg. I am having trouble with side effects, really bad dry eyes and very tired. I am taking it for mild anxiety. I am not sure how long I should give it before thinking about a different medicine.

 

Judy

10/30/11 12:33am

Hi, there.  How fast a drug works for somebody varies so much, depending on the person, that I think you should talk to your doctor about how long you should give it to see if it works.  For me, it worked fairly quickly but it left me numb so I didn't stay on it that long.   I was also taking Wellbutrin, which I am trying to get off of slowly.  Good luck with this.

If I remember correctly, I took Lexapro for several months in conjunction with one of the antipsychotics.  It worked for a short period of time, then stopped.  I had super-strength depression and it fought off all comers.

Donna

I have been on lexapro after the sudden death of my daughter. I have had no side affects other than weight gain of ten pounds.  My physician switched me to pristiq two days ago so I am taking 50 mg. in addition to decreasing my 10 mgs of lexapro to 1/2 dose for a week and then every other day for a week, by then i would expect the pristiq to kick in.   I don't think any drug can take away the pain and depression caused by losing a loved one but hopefully it will help me to want to "live" again.

Ivory

7/ 6/10 3:30pm

I've loss son so I understand the pain and grief you are in. I'm 7 years into it, so it does get better, but the heartache is softened somewhat with time. I miss my son just as much today as I did the day he died. But I can be productive again, although not in all the areas I use to be. My heart and love go out to you.

Ivory

I have been on lexapro for several years and really like it.  I changed doctors for a short time and the new doctor put me on Amitriptyline-which made me gain almost 25 pounds in a few months and all I could think about was suicide.  When I went back to him he told me I needed to practice "portion control" and ignored all my other complaints so I went back to Lexapro and my original doctor.  I still get occasional panic attacks and use Clonzapan for that, but over all not feeling depressed.  The insurance company hassles me for taking Lexapro for some reason.

happytobeme

12/ 2/10 8:39am

Experienced chronic depression treated with L-tryptophan and xanax many years ago.  When I lost my Mother 9 years ago I had anxiety that was affecting every part of my life.  When my doc prescribed Lexapro I asked him how long I would have to take it and he very sympathetically remarked 'all your life'.  (He knows my family).  It wasn't long, maybe a year, that I went from 10mg to 20mg and I feel great.  I have energy, I am creative, I am alert, I have friends now that actually like to spend time with me.  The only draw back I have experienced is a very low sex drive. My husband thinks I am addicted and wants me to get off Lexapro, but when I go off for a few days I feel agitated and feel a need to do something destructive.   WOW!  Is that addicted?  Don't think so.

Hello,

I was wrongly diagnosed with ADHD approx 3mo. ago.  I had been taking 20mg of Vyvanse, twice a day.  I was feeling terrible!!! I finally chose to get a 2nd opinion with a different doctor who diagnosed me with PMDD (very accurate and was the reason I went to the Dr. 3mo. ago).  He put me on Lexapro 10mg and I could feel a difference the very first day.  It has been 6 days so far and each day I feel even better and better.  I have not felt this good in....well, I can't even remember! :-) I am not nervous about silly things.  I'm not mad at the world anymore.  I see my husband with a whole new set of eyes :-) It has not cut-off my emotions, I am just more open-minded about things and much less negative.  I have not noticed any alarming side-effects of this medicine.  The first couple of days, things were a bit foggy, yet I felt a cloud being lifted.  I have had trouble going to sleep at night however, that was a preexisting problem.  I have had loose stools since starting the med but prior to taking it, I was constipated frequently.  I feel so much better already.  I keep reading that the full benefits do not show for a few weeks. Things are already soooooo much better!!!

I have taken antidepressants since 1991 and have taken several different ones as their effectiveness decreased. I have taken Lexapro for the past 4 years. It took about two weeks for the full effect but could be longer for someone who had not been on similar meds before. It does help to reduce anxiety and helps me to maintain a more stable mood overall. It also does not have side effect I had on Prozac of not really feeling happy or sad, just in the middle and not really caring, and it really decreased the sex drive. Lexapro has not had this side effect. I work as a rehabilitation counselor and I have recommended others to talk with their doctor about Lexapro when they were having problems. As with any meds, a person should consult the correct professionals.

I took Lexapro for about 6 months. It worked right away, getting rid of anxiety and the "static" of critical thoughts in my mind. However, I did gain about 15 pounds over those months and eventually quit taking it because although I liked what it did to my mood, it made me so tired. I was sleeping 12 hours a day by the end of it. I switched to amino acid therapy, which won't make you "happy" like pharma drugs, but it will stop you feeling crazy and sad. I recommend looking into amino acid therapy instead, its so much safer and if you quit, you won't have dangerous withdrawal symptoms.