Lexapro And What You Can Expect From It

Hi People, I see that there is a lot of confusion and anxiety out there about Lexapro (and SSRI's in general). So many questions. So many hopes and fears. I decided to share my experience so that maybe I can help someone searching for answers.

Firstly, Lexapro effects will generally depend on why you are taking them. For me, I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder back in my early 20's. I'm 43 now. So I have lived with this for a looooong time. I never took an antidepressant for more than a month until I hit age 35. This is because I was an alcoholic in denial. A binge drinker. And you really can't mix antidepressants and booze. If you have a drinking problem then you need to address that before you can ever battle anxiety properly. I know how difficult it is to quit drinking on a personal level, and to be perfectly honest I only quit by accident when I injured my back, resulting in chronic pain, for which I was prescribed painkillers. Can't mix booze with those either, and they have a pleasant feeling so in the end, I just dropped booze without even intending to. I had a replacement. At this point I noticed some changes in my life. Whereas I was using alcohol before to cope with the anxiety (never going to concerts or bars or anywhere social without being buzzed), I now was sober. I did not have the crutch of alcohol to fall back on anymore, and I noticed the difference. Anyone who suffers panic attacks knows how awful they are and how you will do anything to avoid them. I decided it might be time to try an antidepressant. I got Lexapro prescribed. 5mg to start and 10mg after 2 weeks. I can tell you that they certainly DO help. It doesn't happen right away. You may go through a few days of feeling weird, but stick to it. After 1, 2, and 3 weeks I began to feel like me again. The real me. Before Lexapro, I avoided going places a lot. Planes were almost impossible, subways and streetcars, even driving sometimes anywhere far from home could induce an attack. But amazingly, in my third month on Lexapro, I decided I finally felt strong enough to do something big. I took a month off work and planned a motorcycle trip across the United States. I thought to myself, it's now or never. Either do this or give in. Be a man or sell myself short to a mental affliction. I prepared for the worst. I thought to myself, it doesn't matter anymore because I can't keep living in a bubble. Either face it head on or die trying. I did the trip. It was the best experience of my life. There was basically NO anxiety. Any anxiety I felt took the shape of stomach pain weeks before leaving. I was nervous, but not panicky. After my first night far from home here in Toronto, alone in a hotel in Ohio----I felt like I could actually do this. Next morning I hit Tennessee. Then North Carolina. I spent a month travellng. And I had NO anxiety. Lexapro really did work for me. And I highly recommend it for anyone who has anxiety. The side effects were very mild. I was concerned about some mild weight gain (10 pounds in 6 months) but I do believe this was due to being happier in general and going to Dairy Queen more often than I should. Weight is controllable with diet and exercise anyway. There is a slight fatigue that comes with Lexapro, a kind of foggy niceness that makes you want to be a little lazy but if you fight that and actually do something, it goes away. I never slept well until I took Lexapro. Now I sleep great. My dreams are epic, like movies. I actually look forward to sleeping because I wonder what incredible dream I will have next. Even the bad ones are just too amazing to complain about. But most are good. Getting out of bed in the morning is a little difficult because it's so easy to just lie there and stare at the ceiling, or fall back asleep, but once you get up----it's all good. In general, if you suffer from panic attacks or anxiety and you feel it has robbed you of your life in any way, this medicine WILL help. But you need to give it the chance it requires, which is at least 1 month to work for you. Good luck and I will reply to any questions.

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Hi Paul,

Thanks for your message, it was extremely helpful. I am on my 2nd day of Lexapro. I just weaned myself off of Celexa, I was on that for about 4 months, before that was Prozac, (made me feel agitated all the time), and before that was Zoloft. Zoloft I was on for a few years..50mg. Then my mom passed (Breast cancer) away and I was okay surprisingly, but almost a year to her death and I was in a car accident (11/6/2012) and all hell broke loose, my precious Zoloft was no longer working even after going way up to 200mg. I have had panic attacks since I was 25. Came out of no where as I was just bathing my then 11 month old daughter. I've had some big disappointments and tragedies in my life and it was just building I guess. So here I am 42 years old and I am complete panic mode. Shaking, nauseous, headaches!! choking feeling, heart flipping...huh. I don't know if I should stick it out with the lexapro? I wondering if the side effects will go away? since I've been on so many meds in the past two years I don't know how to feel. I think the lexapro has made me feel worse then just the anxiety but not sure. Before I went from one med right to the next. This time I was weaned off with a fresh slate so this time the side effects are worse...I'm also working which is extremely stressful because it is a demanding job ad I can't take off...how do I function and panic at the same time...Its awful...

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I have been on a generic version of Lexapro for 9 months. I started at the recommendation of my doctor, who I hadn't known for very long, but he made a strong positive impression on me and he came recommended by someone I trust. He asked if I was depressed - basically meaning unhappy and lacking energy. I said yes, according to that definition I was depressed.

He said "well, there are three things we know that help with depression: counseling, regular exercise, and anti-depressant medication" I had been going to counseling for a few months with some success, and I decided to make exercise a higher priority, but I was very hesitant to try any sort of brain-chemical drug. Eventually, I decided to give it a trial... that was 9 months ago.

I believe that my depression has mostly to do with choices I have made - not treating my family or friends very well, being selfish and prideful, and things like that.

I want to get off of Lexapro because I think I can handle reality without it and I think life is better that way. But I am very concerned about going off medications then back on them again, so I am trying to be smart about this whole process.

Paul, I appreciate your post because I think you evaluate the drug fairly. Have you talked with people who have successfully gone off of medications and stayed off?

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Hi Graceto, Yes I believe the side effects will go away. It takes about a week. Cipralex is just the newest form of your previous meds and it has better efficacy with less side effects in the long run. Let's call it the 'new and improved' SSRI. If you're having panic attacks then I would certainly recommend you stick with the Lexapro (it DOES help after a few weeks) and I would talk to your doc about getting a bezo like Xanax (Alprazolam) to subdue the panic attacks immediately. They work fast. I could never have gotten on a plane without the Xanax unless I was wasted in alcohol (that was before I was on Lexapro). Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), alcohol is the worst possible thing for panic attacks and depression. Whatever calming effects you feel while drinking are made far, far worse the next day and it just becomes a vicious cycle. So stick with the meds that are designed for your disorder and they will help. Aside from that, just remember that no matter how bad an attack can fee, you WILL get through it. Even with NO meds. You're not gonna die. You're not gonna faint. It's just scary as hell. The meds work to prevent them.

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Hi Carl, well I can speak from experience on your question. I was on it and then I went off it. I was on it for a year (10 mg daily) and then went off. I went off cold turkey and felt really bad side effects to the point where I went back up to 10mg a day for a week or two, then cut to 5mg for 2 weeks, then 2.5mg for 2 weeks and then just a tiny part of the pill for a week. That worked,. Unfortunately after 6 months off it I realized that I was doing better on it. So I went back on and am still at 10mg a day for the last year or so. I think the problem is that it makes you feel better to the point where you think you're ready to be off them. I would evaluate everything in your life and what you want it to be like without them. Why you went on them in the first place. Because if things haven't changed enough (anxiety and depression can be somewhat genetic) then you may experience the problem all over again. Just use your own judgement and taper off slowly when you decide to go off them. You'll be fine with very few side effects if you taper.

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