Hi guys. I have recently found out that my fiance' was diagnosed with depression and his doctor put him on Lexapro. I've heard good things about it and even my mom is on it and she does very well with it. I do have a question. In time and once you've been on it for a while, is Lexapro a medicine made to permenantly cure depression? I know it helps balance out the chemicals in your brain but does it help cure depression for good? Please help...
2006-12-06 15:16:50 · 5 answers · asked by laura_lsu18 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
You're likely afraid that his Depression will come back to the point it did before he got help & rightly so. I can only tell you educate yourself very well about his illness & be supportive of him, Depression is more common than many folks realize.
There is no cure for Depression, but absolutely no reason why he can't lead a normal life with therapy & medication. He may be well enough to come off his medication at some point or he may need to take it everyday for the rest of his life, it's different for everyone.
I have suffered from Depression from the age of 19 & have been medication free for a few of those years (I'm 45 now) & have been told I'll likely have to take an antidepressant for life...given the alternative I'm happy to take a pill.
Good Luck to you both & remember there are also a lot of support groups out there for family & friends of those who have any form of mental illness.
You should also realize it may take several attempts at medication to find the right one for his body chemistry, I had to try several different ones over the years & now take Celexa (I find it has fewer side effects).
2006-12-06 16:14:29 · answer #1 · answered by Ivyvine 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is no CURE for depression. Lexapro is a GREAT drug..with no known side effects. IT can start to work in 5-7 days where most drugs take 4-6 weeks. I have taken it for 2 years with no problem
2006-12-06 23:31:36 · answer #2 · answered by chilover 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It's a way to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder but it's not a cure. A recent study found that Lexapro significantly reduces the risk for recurrent depression, basically a "relapse".
2006-12-06 23:28:44 · answer #3 · answered by Pico 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing actually cures depression, only manages it. This does not mean that he will be on medications his whole life, though. At some point, he may feel comfortable going off the medications, but there is always a chance that depression will re-occur.
Good luck!
2006-12-06 23:55:26 · answer #4 · answered by iloveeeyore 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really don't think that there's a cure for depression. Sorry, I would know this because I was diagnosed with depression.
2006-12-06 23:27:51 · answer #5 · answered by Sally C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋