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experiences on Lexapro?

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Posted 4/9/2009 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
hi everyone, im new to the board. My doctor put me on Lexapro for anxiety, panic and depression. I have been on it for about 9 days now and i dont feel any different yet. I guess i am just looking for people who have had sucess with this. If you are one who has had good feedback from the drug how long did it take to start feeling better. Also how do you know if its working. I am on 10 mg once a day. I am trying to stay possitive and patient so any success stories would really help. I havent had any bad side effects so im happy about that. This is the first time in my life that i have taken an SSRI and i just need some comfort that this gave people their lives back because thats exactly what i want.
Posted 4/9/2009 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Slraney,

It can take a good four to six weeks to notice the full effects of an ssri. So be patient, but in the meantime, I am sure that you will be noticing some improvement.

Welcome to HealingWell, we have a wonderful group of members. And hopefully somebody will come along who has had experience with this medication.

Best wishes for a wonderful day.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 4/9/2009 3:58 PM (GMT 0)

slraney,

Hello and welcome to HW.  I have not used Lexapro but many of our members have so I am sure you will be hearing from them.  I am glad you found us and hope you find what your looking for here with us.  :)

Kitt

Posted 4/9/2009 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the encouragment. Everyone on here seems amazing and im so happy i found the board. Thanks for the welcoming!
Posted 4/9/2009 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
hello slraney,

It is true, it can take weeks for it to kick in. It is a big adjustment for your body/brain. I have used lexapro and it worked. All the SSRIs are slightly different, I have found, and getting the right dose and med can be sort of trial and error.

I switched to a generic SSRI from the Lexapro because it was so darned cheap. The generic works also. I see a psychiatrist every 3 months or so to make sure i have the right dose and med. Personally I prefer a psych. over a family doc. My family doc seems more interested in pushing new drugs... whereas the psych is fine with generics. He sees the heavy-duty people and is pleased when somebody only needs to spend $4 on their meds. Some of his patients end up spending hundreds of dollars a month for their meds. I guess I am fortunate that I can control my symptoms with cheap drugs.

--MK
Posted 4/11/2009 10:36 AM (GMT 0)
hey bud
lexapro helped me out alot it took about 2 weeks for me to feel better with my self. i was on lex for 6-8months during that time i saw a shrink to talk about what lead me to that point. it feels good talking to a person who has no pre judgement on u. over the time of taking lex i started at 10mg then went to 20mg and i stopped at 30mg is when i felt the full efect. after numberous sessions with the shrink i realizied what was bothering me i nolonger cared about it the same way as b4. i slowly lowered the dosage over weeks till i wasnt takening it anymore and i felt like it was a brand new start for me clear mind. ive beenoff lex for 8-10 months now. i learned how to deal with minor issues by having the help of good friends
scotty too hottie
ps good luck and b paitant
Posted 4/20/2009 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hi - I am about a month into Lexapro. Previously I was on Zoloft for around 3 months. I have noticed some differences and similarities - here are a few notes so far:

Alcohol - With me on Lexapro I have found that alcohol will really knock me out. Two or more drinks in the evening and I am out like a light, to the extent that people have tried to ring me and I just haven't heard the phone. This is obviously dangerous, so I am drinking much less. Also - alcohol seems to affect my mood very powerfully. My new partner pointed out to me that I switched very quickly from being melancholy and distant to being affectionate and amorous after one glass of wine. This bothers me (bothers her as well), so I am trying to keep aware of alcohol and its effects. I didn't find Zoloft to have such a strong interaction with alcohol.

Deja Vu - I have had strong sensations of deja vu - almost like hallucinations. These were set off by the way the light has changed recently (we have just come off daylight saving here in southern Australia) - the light reminded me strongly of last winter and various momentous things that happened to me at that time. This may sound weird to people who haven't experienced this - but it felt real. Not unpleasant, in fact strangely pleasurable - but definitely real. I would like to know if anyone else has had this.

Sex - not sure what the rules are on this forum, so I apologise if I am offending anyone by talking about sex here - I have found that Lexapro affects my libido strongly, more than Zoloft did. No problem with erections, but a lack of sensation plus great difficulty in reaching orgasm - although I have to say that when it happens (once a week at this stage) it is huge.

JohnM
Posted 4/20/2009 5:01 AM (GMT 0)

Me again - I forgot to mention that as regards the anxiety Lexapro has been pretty good. I feel that it is still there, there are emotions that are being masked, but it is much easier to get on with my life, only after a month and probably before it has had its full effect.

I have also found that some persistent, unwelcome thoughts (I think I was a bit OCD) are much easier to control. I was obsessing about difficult things to do with jealousy, sex and relationships - they were starting to intrude into my life, especially at work or when I was trying to sleep, and this is much better now. The thoughts are still there but don't come as often, I can push them down more easily, and the issues themselves don't seem as important.

JohnM

Posted 4/20/2009 9:29 AM (GMT 0)
hi ya slraney. just wanted to say hi and welcome. lexapro wasn't 4 me, too many brain zaps!! wish u well. look forward to your posts. jamie scool scool  
Posted 4/20/2009 11:05 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor told me that it would take about two to four weeks for Lexapro to start working. However, I noticed the effects after the first five days.

Lexapro has been my savior. I have social anxieties, and I used to have these awful physical reactions when meeting people or talking to people I didn't know very well. It was so horrible that I couldn't even talk on the phone.

I've been on Lexapro for about a year and a half. I no longer have those physical reactions. I now talk too much.

I can't imagine going back to life without Lexapro. I tried tapering off the medicine once. The depression and social anxieties returned.

In regards to alcohol, drinking has always affected me greatly. So I don't drink unless I'm with people I can trust to watch out for me.

As for sex, I don't need sex as much. I used to have a strong libido. My libido is now about the same as my boyfriend's. I guess that's a good thing.
Posted 4/20/2009 12:04 PM (GMT 0)
JohnM,

I think that your culprit here could be the alcohol. It sounds like the medication increases it's effects. And we know what alcohol does to men with sex. Especially if they have too much. It does dull the senses. So I would try not drinkng for a while and see what happens. It is not safe to mix alcohol and meds anyway.

As far as the dejavu. I always find that in autumn, I have that a lot. And it is pleasant memories too. I think that is natural. It is like we are getting back some vivid memories. I like the feeling of it.

Keep posting, as we are here for you.

Subdued, I am happy that the medication is working for you. Keep up the good work. Keep posting too.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 4/21/2009 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
im currently on month 3-4 of lexapro and so far so good. im only on 5 mg, but it does help a lot with the depression and the anxiety (i take klonopin for anxiety too, so the two meds tagteam for that). however, the cost is what bugs me right now i have no insurance and there is no generic for lexapro. i have tried lexapro's older sister, celexa, and it didn't work as well. im thinking of asking the doc if i can take prozac instead, as it comes in generic form.

Posted 4/21/2009 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Eli,

It is nice to see you post. I am just checking in tonight, am very tired, so I don't have a lot to say. I hope that you are doing well and am glad to see you posting.

I know when it is hard to afford our meds, often if you call the company, they can help you out some, they will send you coupons. I hope that you can get the medications that you need with no problem. Check the companies out on the internet. You would be surprised how they can help.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 4/21/2009 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Karen. I will definitely try drinking less, in fact I will try not to drink at all most days. Not that I am a big drinker - on the contrary -, but it does seem to have a significant interaction with Lexapro, with me anyway. I am also smoking and drinking coffee a lot, neither of which I did before, so it's probably worthwhile cutting back on them as well, not to mention getting more exercise... I am also wondering if some psychotherapy may help, especially with sex, as well as the anxiety, unwelcome thoughts and everything else - we all know how important the brain is as a sexual organ.

I am also getting tremors, btw, although I had them on Zoloft as well and they're not too bad.

This is a great forum - thanks so much.

JM
Posted 4/21/2009 8:15 AM (GMT 0)
I take lexapro and it has worked very well for me.I did have to up the dose after about 6 months.Both of my sisters also take lexapro and they say it works very well for them also.So give it at lest 6 weeks to see if it is going to work for you and remember if it doesn't work for you to talk to your DR> there are a lot of medications out there and if you work with your DR. you will find the right one for you.Good luck.
Posted 4/21/2009 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
I took Lexapro for a bout a year. It was SO GOOD. It completely worked for me. I take Citalopram now, which is a generic version of Celexa, Lexapro's predecessor. I liked Lexapro better, but I have no health insurance and it doesn't have a generic yet. I felt wonderful on Lexapro and it worked within about 3 days. I could feel the effects wear off if I stopped taking it for only a day. I've read that they usually take longer to work though.
Posted 4/21/2009 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Noiseinthegrass,

Welcome to HealingWell. I seem to be like you, antidepressants start working quickly for me too. But I use to wonder if it was in my head due to wanting to feel better so bad.

Keep posting, you will find that there is a wonderful group of members here. I hope that you continue to feel good.

Hugs Karen
Posted 4/24/2009 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
For anxiety, I felt relief in the first week or so. It is my understanding that SSRIs take longer on depression.

Your doctor will probably up your dose to 20mg on the next visit if you haven't noticed any changes. In the mean time, I would suggest keeping a journal or taking notes as the days go by so you can judge how the medicine is affecting you over a period of time. For me, when the doctor upped my dose to 20mg, my anxiety was far less. But from a cost/benefit standpoint, the side effects tipped the scale. So I am now back down to 10mg and the side effects are manegable.

good luck
Posted 4/27/2009 7:47 PM (GMT 0)

Hi

How have you been doing on Lexapro?  I just started taking it on Friday.  I know a few people who have had good results with this drug.  I usually try to avoid drugs but I ran out of choices.

JC

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