Lexapro Causing Extreme Acne

Hey guys.

I have had health anxiety since I was about 13. Around Christmas time last year I was extremely worried about having ALS. I was so worried that I pretty much lived inside and lived In fear everyday. I have started to do school from home (which is a pain, considering I'm attempting to get into undergraduate medicine). So I went to my GP and prescribed me 5mg of lexapro then 10 after a week. I have an extreme tolerance to any tablets, panadene forte, Valium and medicines like that are barely noticeable to me. So it wasn't a surprise when the lexapro did absolutely nothing so I went back to my GP and she said because I am adult athletic size (6 ft, 70kg) that I can go straight to 20mg. After taking 20mg for a few weeks I noticed a small difference but nothing worth even swallowing the tablet. The tablet had also caused pimples all over my face (will get back to that In a second). I then decided Togo straight off the tablet. Which I thought would have no effect because I have had no side effects from pills in my life. A few days came after not taking it and I was having twitching numb feet, headaches, dizziness , blurry vision, burning ears, cramps and so on. So I immediately took a Lexapro and it went away. But this isn't the main problem.

The lexapro has caused the worst acne I have had in my life. I have never had more than one pimple on my face at a time. My skin has been compared to a girl's skin. People even think I have make up on at times. And no, I'm not a late bloomer, just don't get acne. Now that I have taken the lexapro my chin nose lips and temples have massive red blind pimples all over them. It looks horrible and is extremely painful. Lexapro is one of the worst decisions I have made. I know the pimples will scar they're already scabbing and people comment on it.

I have started to go off the lexapro slowly (15 mg for a week 10 for a week 5 for a week) but its just getting worse and worse :(

Has anyone had any experience with lexapro causing acne? Will it stop?

People on the Internet say they kept getting acne for years and it is scaring me :(

REPLY

REPORT

I am very sorry that you're having such a severe problem.

However, at your age, it's really difficult to say whether or not the acne is from the medication, or from hormones, bacteria or etc.

What you should really do is consult your doctor to find out.

Just because you had great skin prior to this, doesn't mean that such a thing can't change, there are many people that can attest to that.

What have you tried to help with the acne?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been taking Lexipro for 2 weeks and I suppose it's done what I wanted it to do - which was to stop crying at every stupid commercial I saw on tv. But I, too, have come down with bad acne! I am 34, so this is not a teenage thing. I use Proactive, which has always kept my skin clear, but this is different. I have blemishes everywhere! I think I'll put up with the crying and seeming overly sentimental if this is what Lexipro does. I am going off of it today; hope I don't have any of the withdrawel symptoms you mentioned!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

i am 42 and just got put on lexapro in april (10 mg) and than they put me on 20mg in may! i started getting pimples BAD like if i was a teenager! i also gained a HUGE lump in my stomach and so i decided to wean off of it....I still have the acne but not as much and the lump is still there but its only been one month of weaning and literally a couple days of not having to take it at all!!! its a long and slow process!!! now im waiting for this alien thing to come out of my stomach!but i have seen less acne for sure!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I'm a 34 year old male. YES, YES AND YES. I have been taking SSRI's for the last 10 years and since day one I started breaking out on any of them; as dosages increased acne, cysts and oil increased. For the last 4 years I have been taking Lexapro but I decided to wean myself off to see if I can live without it. NOT RECOMMENDED. I did it. I was off of it for only 2-3 months and my face was beautiful, then bang my anxiety was back and I am back on it again. I read that hormones are all messed up and that's why all the acne, cysts and oil persists. So I am about to do some blood works now to see. The main ones I found are: Estrogen/Tetosterone Ratio, High Stress Hormone (Cortisol) & High Levels of Prolactin. So there you have it. Good luck.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Hi. Yes, I currently started taking 20mg Lexapro March 2023. 2 months later, I am in a living hell with my confidence cause of pimples forming that I’ve never had before. I know 20mg Lexapro is causing it. Excessive sweating like a freaking dripping sponge. But... Recap back to when I first started Lexapro in 2020, I was started of with 5mg, 2021 10mg, 2022 15 mg. No pimples throughout, I felt Lexapro was working for me but that soon ended really cause of inconsistency of remembering to take my meds. Then I became more off balanced and depressed. So came 2023 I felt like ok I’m going to ask to up my Lexapro dosage to 20mg. Just f***ing great. I feel like everything is balanced in my life mentally but physically not my face, pimples on my cheeks above my lips, like I said above excessive sweating. So I’m going to talk to my psychiatrist to lower my Lexapro to 10mg now that I have a steady life routine and am now very aware that I need to take my meds. Being all that said, 20mg of Lexapro messes up your face with pimples. Now I will definitely not miss my lower dose of 10mg if that’s what it takes to get these pimple to calm down.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Ok I have searched this topic for months now and no one else seems to have a solution for my problem. I am currently tak...

8 REPLIES

I have had M.E. for the past 17 years. Although only 52 years old, the price of being bedridden (or the disease or meds)...

1 REPLY

I figured I'd come here hoping anyone can figure out this weird thing happening with my dad, we cannot figure out. E...

2 REPLIES

I have been taking Lexapro 10mg once a day for about a year. I have had many unwanted side effects which according to my...

274 REPLIES

I have taken 30mg of Lexapro for past 4 years. After the deaths of my son and his wife in a plane crash the depression a...

178 REPLIES

I'm a 51 yr. old female who woke up on April 7, 2011, with an extremely salty taste in my mouth. When I tried to dri...

130 REPLIES

I was having extreme fatigue, joint pain, muscle weakness after starting Eliquis and started to having black stool with ...

109 REPLIES

Hello, Hope someone can help. I've been hitting a wall of fatigue everyday about 1pm to the point where I need to ta...

64 REPLIES

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully help me out! I know this is long but it said to be detai...

39 REPLIES

I have severe joint pain throughout my body. It has been extremely severe these past few months. Unable to drive on bad ...

37 REPLIES