Drug Ratings for LEXAPROAverage Rating: 3.3 (1728 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added from most recent to oldest Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LEXAPRO | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 4 | Depression | naseua, lower sex drive, extreme fatigue | After taking Wellbutrin for 6 months, it started to wear off. Within a week of taking this, I noticed a huge difference in my mood. I feel like myself and don't get upset or angry as easily. I can handle the side effects because I've felt so good over the past month. | F | 24 | 1 months | 2/12/2009 | 5 | GAD | In the beginning I felt a little bit tired but that went away. I took Lexapro at night so not a problem. Although now I don't think it effects me either way. | I love Lexapro. I've never been on an anti depressant in my life. I lost my mother to breast cancer very suddenly and after about 6 months I developed anxiety problems - post traumatic stress. I was prescribed Xanax, which helped, but the GAD continued. My doctor recommended Lexapro because it has the least amount of side effects. Well doctor was right. Please do not hesitate trying this medicine. I am not one to like to take any prescription but this one really did help so well with my anxiety. I feel like myself again. I have had not ONE side effect. It's a great drug and has given me back my quality of life without fear of having a panic attack or anxiety. Plus it's fast acting. I've only been on it 3 weeks. I would say it worked in less than 2 weeks. Stick with it, even if you get minor side effects, they go away. | F | 49 | 3 weeks | 2/11/2009 | 5 | Sweaty palms, slightly more fatigued that usual | I'm a law student, so my life is quite stressful. I was having a lot of trouble keeping my anxiety in check, resulting in lots of crying spells, and I was generally feeling completely overwhelmed. But this drug really turned my life around and got me back to feeling like a normal person. It has been totally worth the minor side effects. I am on 10 mg/day. | F | 25 | 4 months | 2/11/2009 | 2 | Depression | Headache, zombie-like state, decreased mental capacity, dry mouth, over-tiredness, inability to sleep at night, intense nausea | I've only been on Lexapro for 2 days at 10mg. I have friends that swear by it. But I have been such a space cadette that I fear I may have to stop just so I can function. I just wonder if these side effects will go away. Also, I'm not looking forward to the withdrawls side effects when I do go off | F | 34 | 2 days | 2/11/2009 | 1 | Depression | Tired all the time, dizziness, and nausea that never went away. | This drug did help me for about 6 months, but stopped taking it because of the side effects. The withdrawal effects were horrendous, dizziness to the point of vomiting. | F | 50 | 1 years | 2/10/2009 | 3 | | 2/8/2009 | 2 | OCD, GAD | dizziness, increased anxiety/panic, obsessive thoughts | Made me feel sick. Did not taper enough when going off 30mg, extreme withdrawal symptoms that I didn't have previously including: depression, lethargy, hallucinations, paranoia, crying fits, more panic attacks, dizziness to the point of fainting | F | 15 | 4 months | 2/7/2009 | 2 | Insomnia, and alternative to Ambien | Anxiety, racing heart and a few hours to feel sleepy after I take it. Once I do fall asleep I am jerking and shaking all night. My boyfriend said it's terrible trying to sleep with me, I'm near screaming, eratic breathing and waking about every hour due to very vivid dreams. I feel like hell the next day, all day. | What's up with those dreams?? That's a crazy state of mind! | F | 38 | 3 days | 2/6/2009 | 4 | OCD/Panid and Depression | Sometimes my libido increases. I have never had problems getting an erection, but my interest is less intense at times, particularly during winter. I do feel a little queasy in my stomach sometimes and I'm not sure if my recent teeth grinding is caused by that. Over all, I would say it's helped me along with my own behavioral discipline and willingness to get better. I've shed 400 lbs. through exercise so I suppose it hasn't affected my weight. I've been on it for about a year. | M | 29 | 1 years | 2/5/2009 | 2 | I've been taking Lexapro for 4 weeks now for anxiety. Abour 12hours after the 1st dose I passed out (could have been an axiety attack). After a few more days I was extremely aggitated and couldn't sit still. My Pdoc prescribed Klonopin at night 5to help me sleep. It knocked me out until about 4am them woke up in severe panic, racing heart, tremors etc. I keep trying to take it hoping the side effects will go away, but it seems like it's getting worse. How long do you think I should take to taper off 10mg for 4 weeks use? | F | 45 | 4 weeks | 2/5/2009 | 3 | Depression/Anxiety | Night Sweats, decreased sex drive, headaches, weight gain, fatigue, jaw clenching | I was on 20 mg a day for almost 2 years. The first year was great, other than a decreased sex drive. The 2nd year is when all the other symptoms started. I am waking up every night absolutely soaked in sweat (I can wring out my t-shirt and have drops of sweat coming out). I haven't had a good night's sleep in a year because of the night sweats. | F | 25 | 2 years | 2/3/2009 | 4 | Depression, anxiety | Jaw clenching, increased thirst | I felt immediately relaxed with 10 mg. My moods evened out after one week. I'm almost at three weeks and love it except for the jaw clenching. I read somewhere that that may be cause the dosage is too high for me though. I actually have lost weight on it! | F | 38 | 17 days | 2/2/2009 | 5 | Depression | Nothing intense, but I have noticed that I'm always hungry. However, I am on Klonopin & Buspar in addition to this, so I don't know which med it's actually a side-effect of, if any. If I miss a dose, I get really emotional, take things personally, and tend to feel like bursting into tears at the drop of a hat. | Personally, I love Lexapro. It was the first medicine I was prescribed when I was diagnosed with depression, and even though I've had my dose upped 3 times (the initial trial, which was 5, 10, & then 20), it still works really well for me. Of course as I mentioned if I miss a dose I get really depressed, but after I take it there's an immediate boost in my mood and how I feel about myself. | F | 20 | 2 years | 1/31/2009 | 4 | anxiety disorder | sleeplessness | Took 10 mg for about a month. Seemed to help. I wasn't as anxious as I normally am and really started to feel normal again. My doctor then upped the dosage to 20 mg. The sleeplessness got worse, I felt fatigued throughout the day, had an "out of it" kind of feeling and was having a delayed reaction to things. I hit a sign in a parking lot one day. I saw the sign, I saw how close I was to it, but didn't react until AFTER I hit it. A couple nights later I had a major panic attack. The next day I cut back to 10 mg dose. I haven't had any problems since. I took Zoloft for a month and had pretty bad side effects from that. So far I like the Lexapro. Fortunately the only side effect I have experienced with the 10 mg dose is sleeplessess, but I already suffer from insomnia so I'm used to it. My doctor says I will probably need to be on anti-depressants for my anxiety long term so I've got my fingers crossed that this will continue to work for me. | F | 44 | 2 months | 1/29/2009 | 4 | Depression | Worked Very Well. No more crying spells. A happy feeling prevailed. | F | 45 | 10 years | 1/28/2009 | 2 | anxiety, mild depression | weight gain, for about 3 weeks sexual disfunction, | I hate this drug! I have been trying to wean myself off of it for the last 3 weeks by decreasing the dosage. I am so miserable. My doctor NEVER told me that I would experience these side effects; brain zaps, extreme fatique, feelings of wanting to hurt myself physically. My thoughts were, that physical pain would relieve the mental anguish! my Doctor is NO LONGER prescribing this drug nor will they refill a prescription...Gee does this raise a red flag???? as the day goes on I become exhausted, the brain zaps are even more frequent they happen everytime I turn my head. I feel off balance and slightly sick to my stomach. If I had known this is what was going to happen I NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN THIS DRUG. I feel crazy, tired, and loopy. I do not know how else to describe this. It worries me that there is such side effects when trying to rid your body of such a drug---JUST EXACTLY WHAT DID IT DO TO ME while I was taking it and I don't even realize it! anyway, my suggestion would | F | 58 | 20 months | 1/28/2009 | 3 | anxiety and depression | muscles twitching, nausea, tired, | i have way less anxiety its only been three days but i am just wondering if the muscle twitching will go away.....i hope so its driving me crazy....anyone that has had the muscle twitching problem contact me at kacieconine@gmail.com please.....i wana no what to do about it. | F | 22 | 3 days | 1/27/2009 | 3 | Anxiety | Severe headaches | I think Jim Carey summed it up best, when your on anti depressants everything is OK, but there are no up or downs. I need my up and downs, I can't stand SSRIs. | M | 40 | 5 years | 1/27/2009 | 2 | GAD, OCD features, mild depression | sleep disturbances | Significant sleep disturbances (waking 1-2 times overnight) which made very tired and sleepy during the next day and were not relieved even from ambien and diazepam prevented me from tolerating this drug for longer than 2 months. | M | 29 | 2 months | 1/27/2009 | 1 | anxiety and depression | Irritability, nervousness, increased anxiety. | Lexapro did help me through a rough patch. But the feelings of wanting to kill myself became too much and I decided to quit. I was only taking 2.5 mg a day. The withdrawal lasted 3 weeks with a pressure headache and brain zaps. I didn't know it was from the drug and became concerned for my health. | F | 59 | 14 days | 1/27/2009 | 4 | anxiety | jaw clenching, reduced libido, delayed ejaculation | Ive been on lex for about a month 20mg. It has done wonders for my sex life. I can last a long time and please my wife like never before. No erection problems yet. Im also more patient with my kids, and deal with stressed situations more calmly. Happy with it. | M | 33 | 1 months | 1/23/2009 | 2 | Depression / Anxiety | Loss of sensation in genitalia Weight Gain Insomnia Muscle Clenching (at first) | Lexapro was simply not good for me. I never really experienced any anti-depressant effects, I just couldn't think about suicide. Which is weird, but that's how I've felt on Effexor and Zoloft as well. I was taking 20mg for a while, but I got tired of not being able to sleep, drink alcohol,and the sexual side effects sucked. I had to take a sedative to sleep at night, and I had the worst dreams. Taking this drug was pointless. | M | 19 | 3 months | 1/23/2009 | 3 | GAD/Depression | Nausea in the mornings. | I started Lex 1/10/2009. I must say I was scared to. I was on Celexa briefly and Paxil in 2000. But stopped due to sexual side effects. I then went to a doctor in 2008 for anxiety and they put me on Prozac. That was the worst experience of my life. The dreams were horrible, it made my heart race, now I'm no doctor, but if someone has anxiety issues, the last thing that person wants is a rapid heart rate. So I stopped after a month on that. I revisited the whole depression/anxiety issue in late 2008. I had a sleep study to see if APNEA could be causing anxiety and depression, the test came back negative for APNEA. So I told my counselor that maybe I needed something for depression. It's hard to self diagnose if you have anxiety because of depression or vice versa. She prescribed Lexapro as she says she sees great results with it. I of course searched the internet and read the horror stories as well as the success stories. The horror stories actually kept me from taking it for a few days | M | 39 | 9 days | 1/20/2009 | 2 | anxiety | Dialated pupils, restless legs, nausia, headaches, extreme fatigue. | I took this medicine for over 3 months. It took about 2 weeks to kick in and I felt wonderful once it did. I felt like this was a miracle drug. After 2 months I noticed that the medicine might have started to not work as much - my doctor suggested I increase my doseage. ONLY PROBLEM. After 3 months on this drug I gained 18 pounds !! I started to become depressed about that. I am not one to gain weight like this. DO NOT LISTEN TO DR OR NURSE ABOUT THIS MEDICINE NOT MAKING YOU GAIN WEIGHT. IT DOES.If your not worried about weight, then the medicine was great. I need to have control of my body, so I stopped and now started taking Wellbutrin 100mg 3x day. I cross my fingers on this one | F | 32 | 4 months | 1/20/2009 | 5 | PMDD & GAD | Just the first 2 weeks, hot flashes, diarrhea, decreased eating. Only lasting effects have been a low sex drive, but I had this before too, but no problems with orgasm once into it. | This medicine is the first AD I have tried. I take 10mg. Totally had gotten rid of my GAD & PMDD. Sexual side effects arent horrible enough for me to stop, overall a great med for me. | F | 33 | 9 months | 1/19/2009 | 3 | GAD, social anxiety, other anxiety | Weight gain and bruxism (teeth clenching) | Would be a wonder drug if it weren't for the weight gain. Went on it for several months when my GAD became tough to manage using less involved alternatives (exercise, chamomile tea, occasional Clonazepam or Ambien). It was great for anxiety and also helped me get past social anxiety so dating, going to parties, socializing became easier. BUT - I'm super-weight conscious and I gained maybe 10 to 15 lbs. My psychdoc was cagey about weight gain when I asked about it before going on it; my primary doc was more up-front and confirmed it's a weight gainer and probably changes your metabolism. After several months I went off it and the weight came off pretty steadily in about 8 weeks, but I had to exert major effort - bike to work every day, 1 hour cardio classes at the gym, swimming, etc. (By the way, my primary doc does extensive lab work on me every year and he figures the Lexapro is responsible not only for the weight gain but elevated liver numbers and some other not-so-great things | M | 39 | 7 months | 1/19/2009 | 3 | depression/anxiety | fuzzy "high" feeling, sleepy, can't stop yawning | It's six days now and the obsessive endless thoughts about a bad event in my life are already subsiding. I noticed that almost from day one. I feel calmer. That's all good. On the down side, I feel as if I'm in a fog. I can still do my work, but I want to SLEEP and I wake up groggy. Kind of reminds me of the few times when I've been sick and taken sudafed, except there's more sleepiness. It's not exactly a pleasant feeling and I hope that it'll pass, as I am not interested in remaining a semi-zombie--there are lots of things I want and need to do in my life. I am taking 5 mg. Can orgasm easily so far (I've been checking). If anything, my appetite's diminished. But it's only been 6 days, and I expect things will change. | F | 49 | 6 days | 1/19/2009 | 4 | Anxiety disorder | Sexual Side Effects- primarily decreased libido and sexual sensation. Some weight gain and fuzziness | this has been a good medicine for me in helping my anxiety and compulsive thoughts. There is definitely a tradeoff due to sexual side effects, but it has greatly reduced my anxiety | M | 43 | 4 years | 1/17/2009 | 2 | Dysthymia | Wellbutrin stopped working for me after 6 years. Lexapro was the fourth med my doc had me try, after Celexa, Cymbalta and Pristiq either failed to work or had intolerable side effects. 10 mg Lexapro caused mild nausea which went away after a few days. It also caused mild mouth dryness which did not resolve. Lexapro made my fatigue much worse and helped none of my depressive symptoms. In fact, there were a few days in the first two weeks when I felt much more hopeless and depressed than usual. After 2 weeks, my doc increased my dose to 20 mg. My nausea returned and I noticed a slight elevation in mood for a day or two, then I "returned to baseline" (except for my fatigue, which worsened on the higher dose). I had mild restless leg syndrome on Lexapro, which became worse when I went up from 10 to 20 mg. I had to take 0.5 mg Klonopin every night to keep the RLS at bay. It was really, really hard to wake up in the morning on Lexapro. There was one workday I thought I was g | No real positives or benefits to mention. Lexapro did not help my mood, attitude, motivation, IBS, body aches or tendency to overeat. The nicest things I can say about Lexapro is that it didn’t cause sexual side effects, headaches or alcohol intolerance. Lexapro works for a lot of people, but it did nothing for me. | F | 46 | 4 weeks | 1/17/2009 | 3 | GAD & PPD | After 4 days: Extreme fatigue, dizziness, foggy head, jaw clenching. | I feel better after 3 days (may be a placebo affect). Although I am not completely "out of the dark", but I don't have a racing heart. I actually laughed tonight for the first time in a long time! I am taking it for GAD and Post Part. Depression. My Dr. informed me I would be on 10mg for 2 weeks and then increase because the response is better for 20mg. | F | 34 | 4 days | 1/16/2009 | 1 | Depression; OCD; anxiety | extreme lethargy; hungry more than usual; weight gain; zero motivation; memory issues (short term memory negatively affected); hopeless; social anxiety magnified. | I took 10 mg for one month and mainly noticed the fatigue as the biggest side effect, once I was upped to 20 mg though all of the other side effects seemed to take hold of my life. Not a good experience at all for me. | F | 31 | 65 days | 1/15/2009 | 1 | Depression, Anxiety | Nausea, Jaw Clenching, Severely affected my ability to ejaculate, Tiredness, night sweats, upset my reflux, dramatically changed me when drinking | My doctor did not warn me of the side effects. The pack came with no warninigs. I would not recommend this drug to anyone unless you have very severe problems. In the 1st week I thought I might have noticed I was feeling better - It was probably a placebo effect. Do not drink alcohol while on this stuff - It changed me completely, I got drunk fast, did not know when to stop drinking, lost all control and accused my wife of an affair. As for the loss of sex function - how can you overcome depression if your sex suffers??. The nausea was so bad in the mornings I could hardly eat. I'm 3 days off them and feel better. I'm back to St Johns Wort. I'll never touch an anti depressant again! These things are dangerous | M | 2 weeks | 1/14/2009 | 3 | anxiety and depression | The worst being jaw clenching. Really bad in the beginning. It took about 4 weeks and it had gotten better. I still clench but not as bad. Now it's my blood pressure. Seems like lexapro is giving me high blood pressure. Now doctor wants to put me on something for that. I take this drug for anxiety and get another problem. How good is that? If anyone else has blood pressure issues from this please email me. | F | 43 | 5 weeks | 1/11/2009 | 3 | irratibility | killed my libido | I rated this a 3 because of sexual side effects, otherwise this is an amazing drug. Lexapro took about three weeks at 10mg/day to fully kick in, and once it did... my overall level of irritibility dropped 90%. I eventually went off because of the sex thing, and even months later this hasn't fully come back. I wish I could stay on Lex but the tradeoff just isn't worth it. | M | 33 | 3 months | 1/8/2009 | 5 | Depression, anxiety | First 2 weeks, nausea, sleeplessness, feeling "spaced out", night sweats. After getting used to lexapro some mild weight gain and occassionally lose interest in sex. Less anxiety, more confidence and less mood swings. | I wish I would have started taking Lexapro sooner, it has changed my life! I've been unhappy and worried my entire life until I started Lex.. Now I am able to handle everyday life without falling apart. I've also become more motivated to take on new challenges in my life. I take 2.5 mg daily, must be taken daily or withdrawals are horrible. | F | 27 | 1 years | 1/5/2009 | 1 | Mild depression | I initially took Lexapro because I had been feeling "lost" and down longer than I thought was normal. No major depression. In 20/20 hindsight, I should have sought talk therapy and dramatically changed my lifestyle instead of going on a drug. Too bad it took me almost 11 months to come to this conclusion. | I got ALL the classic Lexapro symptoms and then some. The worst was sleepiness/EXTREME FATIGUE and like others observed, I wanted to sleep all the time. There was NEVER enough sleep to be had! I gained 15 pounds which stressed me out and can't get enough to eat. Sound familiar? I guess that's not a problem if you don't care how you look. I yawned all the time, sweated profusely and snapped at people at home and at work. Sleeping sucked (woke up each night at 4 a.m. and remained awake) and dreams were weird. At one point, I was just about ready to see the doc for a chronic gagging/coughing problem -- especially in the morning -- but found out via other comments that it's a side effect of Lexapro. Ugh! I had chest pains (not frequent), muscle twitches (at night when I laid down) and shortness of breath. Being tired all the time made it impossible to run almost every day (which I used to do) and that exacerbated my weight gain and lethargy. So, I've tapered off this drug but a | M | 53 | 11 months | 1/4/2009 | 2 | depression | sleep and eat that is all I wanted to do | F | 32 | 6 months | 1/3/2009 | 5 | OCD and Depression | Basically none. However, when it's bedtime, it's definitely bedtime. I sleep very well. | I've been taking it with very satisfactory benefits. It's the best antidepressant I've ever taken. I've tried Luvox, Prozac and Celexa. Celexa and Lexapro are similar; Lexapro has many less side effects though. I have recommended it to others who have had success; some have not had success with it. That's why it is a good thing that there are many medication options. The Bible tells us that one day there will be no more sickness: Isaiah 33:24 and Rev 21:3,4. That's my ultimate hope-the benefits of the Kingdom by Christ Jesus. For now I have an ideal bandage. :-) Behavior therapy (exposure and response prevention) has helped with the OCD. If you have OCD, behavior therapy is a tremendous help. | F | 54 | 4 years | 1/2/2009 | 5 | Depression & GAD | No side effects, possible weight gain, but am unsure if this medication is causing it | GAD is generalized anxiety disorder and depression, is well, depression. I am sleeping better than ever before, no pounding heart. My follow through is great, where as I used to be flaky and couldn't be counted on, Lexapro has changed all that - now I'm dependable | F | 45 | 2 months | 1/2/2009 | 3 | GAD, Mild Depression | Sleepiness, nausea, slight dry mouth started on 4th day. | I don't feel as worried as before, I also have gained control over my emotions, or so it seems. Before I was very quick to get upset over any little thing, while driving, in a conversation, etc. Now I feel I'm slowly gaining the ability to process my responses before I react. I've had problems with achieving orgasm before taking lexapro, so I'll just have to wait and see what happens with that. So far so good. The sleepiness is almost soothing, so it's not really a bad point, and the nausea might help me lose weight, so that doesn't bother me either. | F | 25 | 4 days | 1/1/2009 | 4 | depression | jaw clenching during first few weeks, night sweats (think waking up soaked every night), NO sex drive at all, apathy | Coming off is terrible...the brain freezes, the spaciness. I feared to drive because I felt unable to react or to take in my world and process it. I also get incredibly angry when I forget to take it for a couple days; I am ready to bite anyones head off just because they exist. Anger was not a characteristic of mine before lexapro. | F | 26 | 1.5 years | 12/31/2008 | 3 | Anxiety | Severe insomnia that didn't go away, yawning for the first two weeks, slight nausea for the first 6 weeks (resulting in a 6 lb. weight loss) - that did go away and gained the weight back + a couple. Decreased sex drive but no problems with orgasaming. | This medication did help with the anxiety. I still have problems with it, but not nearly as bad as it was. Currently weaning off of it and trying something new, because I can't handle the insomnia. I have to take Ambien with it or I don't sleep at all. | F | 39 | 4 months | 12/31/2008 | 1 | Depression and Anxiety | Dramatic increase in anxiety, extreme fatigue and flu like symptoms, feeling as though I was completely loosing it, unable to carry on conversations. Lack of desire to do anything. Extreme nausea - in 5 days I lost 5 pounds and at 5'8 I only weighed 120 to begin with. Dry mouth as well. | I have never taken a drug like Lexapro before. I have been taking Alprazolam/Xanax for a couple years (very low dosage - .25 to .50 mg) only to help me sleep at night. I'm an educated, healthy professional... and, although I had recently been experiencing more depression lately due to loss of job, etc., I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TAKING THIS DRUG. Within 1 hour of taking just 5mg. I had an overwhelming increase in anxiety with a racing heart and had to lay down in the middle of the day - I NEVER DO THIS. I was seriously scared. Over the course of the next few days I became unable to think or carry on appropriate conversations. I felt disconnected. I lost complete desire for everything in my life. I had no energy. Yet prior I was very active - swimming a mile 4 to 5 times a week, surfing regularly and running. The second day I could not even walk my dog down the beach. I felt like I was completely loosing it - like I was "going crazy". I am so glad I found this website | F | 38 | 5 days | 12/30/2008 | 4 | anxiety and mild depression | increased appetite, extreme drowziness, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, relaxed and feeling good | I can honestly say this drug does work, but in a way that you feel so relaxed, sort of like an ah-h-h. I felt great, anxiety was non existent, I was also open to try things I had never done before, but I was just so sleepy and tired while I was on the medication. It was very hard to get up in the mornings and I would also feel myself being spaced out, tired and sleepy, staring at my computer screen at work. I also had a big appetite and would just eat and eat. I decided the side effects were not quite worth the pleasure so I decided to go off this med. | F | 28 | 2 months | 12/29/2008 | 3 | anxiety, depression | I had NO sex drive. I couldn't have cared less if I ever had sex again when I was on this medication. Thank God, I have a very understanding husband. | However, I had no anxiety and no depression, which is a good thing. It works well for the GAD and depression, but after almost two years of taking it, I could not continue to jeopardize my marriage, and did not want to gain any more weight. I didn't necessarily gain any additional weight, but could not lose weight while on this. I have now switched to Wellbutrin XL and am waiting to see the outcome. I have been on WXL for only 13 days. However, I noticed after a week of no lexapro, I have begun to notice men again. While on Lexapro, the most gorgeous man in the world could have come up to me and offered himself and I would have been turned off by the thought of it. Bottom line, Lexapro has its good points and its bad points. You have to decide for yourself what is more important to you. You can be a happy, fat, sexless person, or you can try another medication. | F | 38 | 2 years | 12/29/2008 | 5 | Depression / Minor anxiety | Jaw clenching, insomnia, reduced sex drive | Almost like this drug was made for me. I feel like my old self again. If it doesn't work for you, try other antidepressants. As far as what everyone is saying about coming off of lexapro, yes it sucks, but it sucks for all antidepressants. I've only been on it a few days but I already feel better. I am fortunate enough to not have a lot of side effects. I couldn't sleep the first night but since then I've been fine. Dr. prescribed klonopin for the first 30 days to relax the jaw and help the anxiety until the lexapro kicks in. Reduced sex drive is fine since mine is naturally high. | F | 20 | 3 days | 12/28/2008 | 1 | Depression, OCD | Sweating, severe apathy. | This medication almost killed me, and especially my wife. I'm not the type of person that blames everything but myself, but this was truly a horrid interaction with this medication. It basically caused me to snap, to literally become a demon from things that normally would never even bother me. I would snap so much to the point of almost being arrested for trespassing (my neighbors kid came and rang our doorbell and ran away, I suddenly found myself running to that house, cussing, etc. this is something I WOULD NOT do even on no medication at all. I did some absolutely horrid things to my wife physically, of which I am still unable to forgive myself even though I seriously had no control until I got off the medication. I have never hit a woman in my entire life before this, and my wife said something once and my body headbutted her in the forehead, like a reflex, I had zero control over myself. After getting off lexapro I was completely back to normal and you couldn't do anything to ge | M | 30 | 1 years | 12/27/2008 | 1 | severe depression | nausea | i have been on lexapro for about 4 years and in those 4 years i attempted suicide at least 4 times and continued to be depressed. when missing more then 2 days of the shit i would get extremely "carsick" when i was not even in a car. now i am trying to get off lexapro and i dont even know what to do my body was so addicted the withdrawls are insane and im just trying to find SOMETHING to help me. i do not beleive lexapro was worth years long attempt to clear depression nor give it a chance, especially now that it wont let me get off it feeling anywhere close to normal. | F | 19 | 4 years | 12/27/2008 | 5 | gad | nausia | F | 21 | 90 days | 12/25/2008 | 1 | anxiety/depression | cognitive problems-speaking,problem solving, etc etc. tardive dyskinesia/bruxism- incessant movement of tongue, biting inside of cheeks, jaw clenching, teeth grinding insomnia/waking up in the middle of the night with rapid heartbeat/shortness of breath rage/emotional rollercoaster/feeling crazy and suicidal and out of touch with normal reality | I took lexapro prescribed by a psychiatrist for anxiety/depression for 1.5 months at "small doses"...It has been 2 months since I've stopped and I STILL experience cognitive/speaking problems(think of people who stutter, slur,and can't speak clearly/eloquently who you think are brain damaged) , incessant grinding/clenching of the teeth and biting of the lips/cheeks( again think of brain damage causing involuntary movements that make you look retarded) , and horrible insomnia/waking up with rapid/short breathing....This continues to persist after 2 months of stopping..Lexapro will STAY in your body long after you stop your last dose..you can FEEL it continuing to stay in your brain and body...I'm speaking from personal experience...I believe lexapro causes subtle/overt brain damage and its beyond belief that its allowed to be given to the public.....if you'd like to experience the side effects mentioned on the left without knowing if it will ever eventually stop, two months af | M | 33 | 1.5 months | 12/24/2008 | 4 | Anxiety, Depression | Headache initially, followed by 5 pound weight gain in one month. | I feel much better on Lexapro than I have on any other medication. I am not tired during the day and feel more focused than on my previous medications. | F | 34 | 6 weeks | 12/23/2008 | 4 | depression | I felt a bit lightheaded at first but otherwise it worked very well on the depression. I did start feeling kind of detached though. I'd a lot of anxiety before and after taking it a few months I started getting kind of careless as though 'everything will work out', even when I should've been more careful about things. A major side effect for me personally was that I started drinking like I never have before. Almost every day! I would blackout regularily... but I was always happy! I'm down to 5mg daily and will quit in the next week. Started taking Wellbutrin, we'll see how that goes. | Even though it's not supposed to have any counter-indication with alcohol... it sure turned on my latent alcoholism! I'd still recommend it to others though. | F | 33 | 1 years | 12/22/2008 | 4 | GAD Depression | My worries and thoughts of being sad have gone away in a 2 week period. Have noticed I'm able to relax and have a life again. I can talk with my wife again without being worried about myself. Delay in ejaculation, which is great for my me and my wife, other than that that's the only side effect. | M | 30 | 2 weeks | 12/22/2008 | 5 | major depressive disorder, gad | Really, I have no clue. I always have dry mouth-but that could be from my hypothyroid. I have weight changes, but I have an eating disorder too. For me the benefits of Lexapro outweigh any side effects. | I am very glad I am on Lexapro. I tried Welbruitrin (sp) and did not have a good experience with it. I no longer live in a constant state of anxiety. I have soo much motivation back. I can now participate in my daily living and enjoy activities again. | F | 20 | 8 months | 12/21/2008 | 4 | Depression-Anxiety | Weight gain, bloating, and hypogycelmic. Would gain weight even when trying to eat healthy and diet. | Lexapro did do wonders for helping me out of a really bad spell, when I was depressed. Within 2 weeks of being prescribed this medication, I was feeling much better after some very traumatic life events. However, after 2 months, the weight gain became terrible and my blood sugar was becoming pre-diabetic range. 125ml fasting. I gained nearly 35 lbs in 3 months and felt extremely sluggish. My doctor was concerned enough to wean me off it to another medication. | F | 44 | 4 months | 12/20/2008 | 5 | Anxiety | Initially increased anxiety for 3 weeks before the medication took effect. Insomnia which is treated with a small dose (1/4 of 15mg tablet) of mirtazapine. | M | 29 | 3 years | 12/19/2008 | 4 | anxiety | Initial few weeks: nausea, random end of day vomiting Now: some jaw clenching and "toe-tapping" | This has worked well at reducing my stress levels and ability to cope. I take 10mg every night before bed because it actually has helped as a sleep aid. | M | 38 | 4 months | 12/19/2008 | 4 | Depression and Anxiety | weight gain, decreased sex drive, weakness and loss of energy, inability to focus. | Lexapro did help me with sadness and worry that was part of my depression, however it has not helped with my GAD, I have to take xanax along with it to get releif. | F | 38 | 2 years | 12/16/2008 | 3 | Panic Attacks, Depression | Increased sweating,ess sexual desire, weight gain. Major withdrawal symptoms if off drug for more than 3 days. | The worst side effect fromlexapro for me was increased sweating. I would prespire in the winter, outside even. Horrible and difficul to hide. I also gained 20 lbs, it happened over the course of time, but without increasing my food inake I ended up with a 20lb weight gain, I can't seem to get rid of. I am trying everything to get rid of the weeight. The positive effects are lessening of depression BIG TIME. I have handled situations such as financial insecurity, loss of job, relationship problems and many other things that would have had a horrible effect on my life if I wasn't on this drug. | F | 45 | 800 days | 12/16/2008 | 3 | depression | Jaw clenching, dry mouth, yawning frequently (especially at night) where I felt like I couldn't get a full breath in, restlessness when I'm sitting doing work, some mental fogginess, complete lack of a sex drive and not able to orgasm | I switched to Lexapro from Zoloft because it was supposed to have fewer sexual side effects. At least I was able to enjoy sex on Zoloft. I also have bizarre and vivid dreams to the point that I can remember most of them. | F | 28 | 3 months | 12/15/2008 |