Need opinions about Lexapro, please.?

Question

My GP recently prescribed 10 mg. Lexapro for chronic anxiety/panic disorder. I decided to surf the net for feedback (not a good idea for someone with an anxiety disorder) for "Lex," and found lots of negative information.

Anyone out there in cyberspace, willing to share your personal experiences with "Lex?" I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks in advance.

I should add that I'm a LPN; and I'm well aware that we all react differently to meds.

But, despite being familiar with the listed side effects per manufacter; I'm interested in opinions from those who have had personal experiences with this drug.

Thanks to those of you who've taken the time to answer my question.

Answer 1

Well, Obviously everyone reacts to meds differently. I'm on 20mg of Lexapro currently. I've been on it for... I guess 3-4 months now. Taking it for generalized anxiety disorder and chronic depression. During the first 3 weeks I had some side effects: Fatigue, Dizzyness, Nausea, Decreased Sex drive, and inability to umm.. finish the task, in sex, lol.
After the first few weeks those side effects went away and the mental effects were phenomenal. I feel a lot better now, saner, no more thoughts of suicide every day.
Lexapro has changed my life, but that's just how my body reacted to it. :)

Answer 2

I ended up taking lexapro during a weight loss incident I had under a doctor's prescrition - instead of fentamine in the phen - fen combination (now an illegal combination) the alternative is phen - "pro" or lexapro.

At the time, I did suffer from manic depression, but I was not going through an episode of it. After three weeks of the phen-pro combination, I ended up having a manic episode which ended up causing hospitalization (third visit in lifetime).

The question is if the phentermine (speed) or lexapro induced the episode. Frankly, I'm not sure if I really want to know the answer of that pharmacological question.

At least, I know I cannot use lexapro or prozac for this reason.

In terms of side effects, I found no issues of lexapro in terms of major issues - obviously the "ignoring food thing" was intended. I had no issues with GI or urinary regions, no problems with hallucinations or other issues with sleeping (ironically with the speed). I had no issues with water (dry mouth or overly thirsty); I've had some other types do that on me.

After this event, I found out from psychiatrist that lexapro has properties similar to prozac in its effectiveness without alot of the side effects of prozac. Theoretically, it is supposed not to cause manic events like prozac would, but I might be an exception.

Last two cents, perhaps I would cut out the caffiene from the diet from my example.

Sorry it wasn't the best advice - but it's the experience I faced.

Only because it is available in generic, was prozac ever considered as a possible option? (due to similarities).

Answer 3

I've been on it for 6 months, the last couple of months it's been 30mg/day. I'm fine. No nasty side effects for me other than nausea and fatigue the first day or two and each time my dose was raised. I have lost 10 lbs since starting on the meds but I've been more active and also on a benzodiazepine the entire time (first Ativan, then Klonopin). The benzodiazepines are because the Lexapro alone was not enough to take care of my EXTREME anxiety and panic attacks. The Lexapro also wasn't quite enough to remove my somewhat 'psychotic' thinking and mood swings so I'm on Abilify now as well, 10mg. Lexapro did wonders for my severe clinical depression though. I was suicidal for years before this.

I tried Zoloft a few years back and got up to 200mg. It did nothing for me.

Answer 4

When I first was Prescribed Lexapro, I went on the computer looked it up and found 1000's of horror stories. So I stoped It after 3 days. Then I read some good stories so I started it again. THEN of coarse I started watching this video about how SSRI's can cause people to do this and that, bla bla bla so I STOPPED AGAIN!!! 2 months Later I convinced myself, how much worse can I feel? I have my heart pounding out of my skin and cant breath because of my anxiety WITHOUT the medication, so why not really try this time. WHATS THE WORST that can happen? I have been on Lexapro for 7 months now, and have NOT had one panic attack. Before Lexapro I would be anxious just driving to work, NOW I am anxiety free and MUCH MORE happy. The 1st week was HELL when starting, pupils dilated, felt kind of zoned out, and was really tired. 2nd week everything went away because my body finally got used to it. When you start don't read on the internet about all the bad side-effects, because then your mind will be tricked into feeling every WORST side effect on the list. Its A GREAT MEDICATION. I tried zoloft and others before and felt "High" and crazy.

Lexapro gave me my life back, im just so mad it took me so long to acually give it time to WORK. Just Remember you will feel worse before you feel better, 1st week is always HELL, 2nd week you will be shocked on how your anxiety quickly disappears. It can take up to 4 weeks to work, but with me after the 11th day my panic attacks were GONE. Stick with it, its one of the best SSRI's out there. Thats why so many doctors start with Lexapro because the side-effects are not as bad (If any) than all other SSRI's.

I rate this drug A 10!!!! IT SAVED MY LIFE!!!

Answer 5

I was also recently prescribed Lexapro for anxiety/depression. I've been taking for about 3 weeks (though my Doc said it won't take it's full effect until 4-6 weeks). So far, I'm only noticing that on some days, I feel tired, or I zone out alot. Other days, I'm happy to the point of being giddy. I lost a majority of my appetite for the first week, but it soon came back. I wish I had more to tell you, but overall, I would say the prospective benefits of no longer being a basketcase outweigh any of the slightly negative side effects.

Answer 6

Lexapro is a good drug. Try it and see if it helps. If not, you can be switched to another SSRI. Make sure you have good insurance coverage, as Lexapro is rather expensive. On the other hand, generic Prozac is $4/month.

Answer 7

I've reacted badly to every SSRI I've tried, and Lexapro was the worst. It made me so anxious I couldn't stop shaking when I was in public and I could barely leave my dorm room. The only reason I did was because it was midterm week and I had to tell my TA that I couldn't take it. I only took it for nine days. For all I know the side effects would have worn off, but it's unlikely given how I've reacted to other SSRIs.

Answer 8

I heard helps a lot of people.. I was on it for a short time.. I think. not sure.. but for me I really didn't see a difference.. but I don't know if was the medication.. or what.. but Lexapro was my first med I tried.. and I had to adjust doses.. and next day I tried to kill myself.. like all medicines some work and help some don't.. you have to try until you find the right one good luck

Answer 9

I took lexapro and I went around looking like a zombie. My husband quickly told me to stop taking those pills.

Answer 10

My dr. put me on lexapro a while back and it made me sooo sick. I thought the feeling of me throwing up would never go away. I took it for about a week then decided not to take it anymore because it was making me feel bad. I didnt even give it time to start working because the whole "suicidal thoughts" freaked me out but i hope it works for you!