Lexapro? Pros and cons, please.

@bamabelle
If I even HAD some side-effects, I’d know it was doing SOMETHING. 💊

Everyone is different, and many people love it, but I think it drained me of who I was. I feel like a completely different person. I can't laugh, smile, cry, yell. Everything is fake. I unfortunately wasn't given a choice and was forced on the pill by the eating disorder rehab I was at and I will forever blame them for forcing me on this. This is my third attempt at getting off this medication and the withdrawals are insane. Makes you really question the horrible effects it has on you if getting off is a whole process. Definitely don't reccomend SSRIs

I agree SSRIs are really awful to get off of. I don’t have an answer to another med except the dopamine receptor meds like Wellbutrin and they may not give you what you need for anxiety symptoms. I just know that once I am off Effexor I am done with SSRI medication. The withdrawal is terrible.
Anyone on these meds should be in direct contact with a doctor and be super careful. Depression is really hard too so stay the course you and your doctor work out.

@dwheels8

Didn’t think it came in that high a dose. Congratulations!! 🏆

Also, have noticed it tends to promote ‘brisk indifference’. But don’t care.

I've had depression off and on during my adult life. I took Prozac off and on and it worked.
I had a gene study done and Lexapro was recommended so I took it and at the time while I was recovering from long Covid.
Lexapro is poison to my system I didn't realize how debilitating it made me and certainly did not help with the depression but made me so tired and dull. I thought this was due to the long Covid. I stopped taking the Lexapro and day by day I felt better and better. After a few weeks I really felt like myself I would never recommend Lexapro to anyone who has a slow metabolism because it just brings you down.
Everyone is different but this was my experience.

@doane this is not rare at all. The doctors do not admit that it’s dangerous I have had a horrific experience and tapered off after 8 years of that poison

@azientarsky
After seven years, the onsets I am sure that began with taking Lexapro are still periodically descending: throbbing skull, numb oval area of my face from the forehead down beneath my lower lip, often tingling of the lips, squinty eyes because awareness of what is around me dulls as I drag myself through usual activities, at the same time with depression and always tinged with thoughts of "What's the use."

I recently started having anxiety attacks in the middle of the night that are very strong, I have been taking Ativan for over twenty years and also 20 mg. of Amitriptyline, an older antidepressants often used for pain. My anxiety is at its worst around 4 am. but lately the anxiety has gotten worse. I didn’t want to increase the Ativan so I started taking Lexapro, I’ve been on it for 4 days now. I feel so bad now with more anxiety, headaches and cramps in my legs and arms, I take 5 mg. but reduced it to 2.5 mg. I read that this drug can cause anxiety in the beginning and should go away after 1-2 weeks, I also had to increase the Ativan to help me cope with the anxiety from the Lexapro. I am not a good candidate for antidepressants and always avoided them but I’m trying to find another option instead of increasing the Ativan, I already feel defeated because I had to increase them anyway due to the Lexapro. I’m not sure what to do, I know it’s still early being 4 days but I’m fearful of increasing the Ativan. I would like to know if anyone else has taken Lexapro and how it affected you, should I persevere a while longer or look for another option, thank you.

@frouke
Can I asked? Are all these taking more, and different medications done with concurrence of your doctors? Do they know you are taking so many different medications. Different ones at different times. Taking some to alter the affects of others?

If not you really need to coordinate with them.

There are new test now to see gentically what medication will work in your body and those that you body will fight or not accept. Also to determine if one medication affects another.

Please if all this medication changing, different levels, and taking one to counter another is not with coordination with another please talk to your doctors and at the least your pharmacist.

It sounds like you have sleep problems which can drastically affect your mental health, how you feel, anxiety, stress and other issues. There are some great medications out there for sleep not anxiety or stress and you are using anxiety/stress medication to help with sleep when a sleep medication may be all you need and or better for you.