Posted 10/25/2017 12:46 PM (GMT 0)
Lexapro has pretty much saved my life. BUT there are many precautions to take with this medication & you may experience different side effects.
I'm a 27-year-old male who has dealt with anxiety and depression my entire life. I never took medication for it until a few years ago. I went through a really bad breakup which triggered a bout of depression that I was having a really hard time getting out of. I decided to see a psychiatrist and he ended up prescribing me 10mg of Lexapro. I was instructed to break the pills in half for the 1st two weeks (5mg) and then increase to the full 10mg after the 2nd week.
I'm not going to sugarcoat this . . the 1st few weeks getting on Lexapro are a NIGHTMARE. You can experience heightened anxiety & depression, insomnia, and jumbled thoughts. Keep in mind, everyone is different though and everyone will react differently to medication. Personally for me, when I 1st started it actually made my depression worse for the 1st couple of weeks. I highly suggest keeping yourself around a good group of people who understand your situation. Luckily, I had the support of my mother who has dealt with the same issues all her life and is also on Lexapro. She told me these side effects do not last and you just have to STICK IT OUT! Well . . mom is never wrong! After a few weeks, I remember waking up one day literally feeling like a new person. It was as if nothing bothered me anymore and I was able to get up out of bed and be normal again. I rarely ever was sad or angry. Lexapro does not MASK your emotions; you still feel them, just not as extreme.
For me, Lexapro has some serious sexual side effects though. & by that I mean I had NO sexual desire whatsoever. Never even thought about sex. Even if I tried, getting and keeping an erection was nearly impossible. Being that I was single at this point, I decided to get off of the medication. WARNING: getting off of it is just as bad, if not worse, than getting on it. YOU HAVE TO WEEN OFF. Do not just go cold turkey with Lexapro if ever you decide to get off of it. Again I experienced heightened anxiety for about a week and once I was completely off of it, I was okay. Sure enough, my sex drive came right back.
Fast forward to present day . . I have been having health issues with my stomach so my anxiety has spiked again. I decided to get back on Lexapro, which I just started 4 days ago. I know I will experience the sexual incompetency again but honestly, you have to weigh out what matters more to you sometimes. Currently, I am only taking the 5mg at night & I have not slept for days! The insomnia is sooo horrible. You can be so exhausted and your body just will not let you go to sleep. My doctor suggested that I start taking it in the morning which should help, so I'm going to try that starting tomorrow. The only reason I hate taking it in the morning is it does make me nauseous so all morning at work I feel like I'm going to throw up. (I suggest taking it with some food if you're taking it in the morning).
I'm looking forward to the 1st couple of weeks being over so I can feel like a normal human being again.
My main message here: STICK IT OUT! I promise you Lexapro will help increase your quality of life if you just get through those 1st few weeks. I'm going through it with you right now so I know exactly what you're feeling, but just know that it gets better!