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 | | | | |||
| 5 | depression, anxiety, compuls. eatin | sleepy right after taking the pill, heartburn if i don't take it with water | works like a dream. i tried effexor but it was not as effective. i love this stuff soo much. it helps me sleep, makes me only eat when i'mhungry, relaxes me, helps me concentrate... everything! great for combatting depressionas a side effect of another drug. lost 15 pounds. | F | 17 | 2 years | 8/10/2006 | 2 | Chronic depression, anxiety, stress | DON'T HEED COMMENT. Almost instant transition to excessive euphoria,lack of realism, inappropriate behaviour, impulsiveness & inability to still the mind, such as never experienced earlier | Surprised that nobody here has experienced this 'side-effect'. Having suffered from major chronic depression since 1993, I've tried a wide range of drugs. Lexapro was prescribed after Prozac finally became ineffective. For the first time, I partially experienced what it is to feel manic. Impulses impossible to control, overtalking, oversocializing, to the extent that a new dr diagnosed bipolar disorder, which had NEVER been the case. I was going to rate it 1, till I saw that nobody else has had such an experience. All I can say is that for me, individually, it didn't work. Had to discontinue immediately and there's been no mania since then. SORRY - I'VE MADE A BIG MISTAKE. I MEANT TO WRITE ABOUT CELEXA. | F | 41 | 4 months | 8/8/2006 | 5 | depression, anxiety | First few weeks: fatigue, dry mouth, jaw clenching, night sweats, always feeling too warm, vivid dreams. What's still with me today?: extreme fatigue, night sweats, always too warm, slight jaw clenching, vivid dreams. Weight loss of about 10 lbs. and I'm not complaining about that. | I can deal with all these side effects, but would love to get rid of the fatigue. Even if I get 10 hours sleep, I always seem to want more. Sometimes I think the vivid dreaming keeps you from getting quality sleep. However, this medicine has been great--I had anxiety from divorce, new home, new job and dealing with a severely depressed ex-spouse (who is now on Effexor). The Lexapro has helped me to keep from dwelling on things I can't change. By the way, my counselor says that anxiety can be an inherited trait (my grandmother is on Paxil and my mom NEEDS to be on something). | F | 42 | 10 weeks | 8/7/2006 | 5 | Anxiety (MD diagnosed depression) | No side effects, except slight drowsiness in the evening. Changed from taking in the morning to taking in the evening, and that helped. | I did not realize how sad, and upset I felt. Now I feel good. Just changed to 5 mg a day instead of 10 mg to see how I feel, and if 5 mg would work as well as 10 mg a day. | F | 38 | 10 months | 8/6/2006 | 4 | depression/anxiety | loss of sexual drive, sleeping problems, some weight gain | Seemed to work fine for five months, now seems to have fizzled out.... | F | 33 | 5 months | 8/5/2006 | 5 | Anxiety/ Depression | Weight Gain | Amazing product. I did not realize how terrible my anxiety was until I started taking Lexapro. It took about 1 week to really kick in. No side affects for me except increased appetite and I am usually very sensitive to any medications. I feel like myself again, in control over my emotions, feelings, reactions. I am able to sleep at night and handle stressful situations objectivly and calmly. I do feel that it put sort of a low ceiling on being very excited but very worth it. No one should have to suffer from anxiety and depression needlessly if they tried alternative ways to manage their health (excercise, yoga, nutrition, healthy lifestyle, etc...). Don;t plan on taking it for much longer nor is it meant to be taken for a prologned time. | F | 23 | 2 months | 8/3/2006 | 5 | anxiety & depression/ OCD | All side effects went away within 3 weeks. I started seroquel abilify and xanax at the same time so I'm not sure what side effects were just from the lexapro | It really helped my OCD. Without it I would still be counting every single footstep and rechecking EVERYTHING in my apartment. Really I only wash my hands like 100x a day now. It's great! | M | 24 | 6 months | 8/2/2006 | 4 | Anxiety, depression | Cotton mouth, dizziness,sleepiness and weight gain | M | 26 | 2 years | 8/2/2006 | 3 | for depression | yes, I have been experiencing palpitations. | F | 25 | 4 months | 8/1/2006 | 5 | gad and depression | bad night sweats and horrific nightmares, only happens a few nights a week but it is so bad that my dog gets upset and wakes me up. during the day everything is like it was, like I dont have a problem in the world. | I can live with the night sweats because of how good I feel during the day...where was this medicine when I was 18 | F | 40 | 2 days | 7/24/2006 | 4 | depression | vivid dreams, no sex drive, dry mouth, i get sick when i drink alcohol. | I'm bipolar and was experiencing major depression despite my antibipolar meds (which luckily stopped the manic episodes). lexapro has caused NO mania and has really helped the depression--i no longer want to kill myself everyday. I kind of like having dreams--i never used to have them/remember them. | F | 20 | 5 months | 7/23/2006 | 4 | dep ression and anxiety | For me side effects were a little hyper, but has helped with depression and anxiety; no sexual side effects, in fact makes my sexual appetite greater. Was on Zoloft which took my sexual desire completely away. Also helps me with my weight; have actually lost 50 lbs on Lexapro | I was going throug a terrible dark period from a very painful breakup; but has helped me feel positive again and want to get back into life. Has positve effect on my desire to take care of myself and be happy again...from the first 10 mg. dosage. I have no effect of lethargy. I want to exercise and eat well and have lots of energy. In fact I think it makes me much more sexual. So not going to try anything else. Also, when on Zoloft I gained weight and it interferred with my thyroid medication. It also has helped with my IBS. I need to be on it for a while until I feel I have better control of my emotions. | M | 3 days | 7/22/2006 | 4 | Depression, Anxiety, OCD | Loss of appetite, Weight loss(20 pounds). | Began taking Paxil 5 years ago, switched to Lexapro due to weight gain. Lexapro has been great! I lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks! | F | 23 | 10 weeks | 7/22/2006 | 1 | Depression, Anxiety | Disturbed sleep, exhaustion, nausea, dizzyness, jaw-clenching and increased anxiety. | I took 5mg for three days and when my Dr. heard what it was doing to me she said to stop it immediately. It's been four days since I discontinued, and I'm still wiped out and dizzy with flu-like symptoms. She had suggested I add Lexapro to my Remeron to boost the serotonin effects. I'll just stick with the Remeron - so much gentler on my system. Everyone is different, but for me Lexapro was like some kind of torture device. Can't wait for it to leave my system. | F | 44 | 3 days | 7/20/2006 | 1 | Depression | Insomnia, tension, somnolence, loss of memory, jaw movements | Today is my first day of from the medication after my doctor took it away, I feel human again!!!! | 29 | 12 days | 7/18/2006 | 4 | depression, anxiety, panic attacks | Severe insomnia first week, almost constant nausea, migraines, intense panic first couple nights...all subsided within a week. | Lexapro has helped me immensely. I'm no longer worrying about the next time I'm going to get depressed or have a panic attack. I feel like I finally know what it's like to be normal, and I'm so happy. I really feel like I've taken control of my life again. I resisted taking this medicine at first, but decided it was for the best when my depression and anxiety started getting in the way of my functioning normally. I still don't like being on medicine, but I can't deny how much it has helped me. | F | 19 | 31 days | 7/17/2006 | 5 | postpartum depression | weight gain,forgetfulness | really helped with the depression | F | 39 | 2 years | 7/16/2006 | 1 | Depression | Increased depression, extreme & debilitating fatigue, indigestion, weight gain, acne & scarring, lack of motivation, muscle weakness & joint pain, restlessness, bruxism, mental fogginess, neuropathic pain, blurry vision, prostatitis | I've gained about 25 pounds since taking Lexapro and feel bloated much of the time. I've also become so debilitatingly fatigued that I literally (and unprecedentedly) fall asleep at the dinner table and am so tired in the evening that I wind up going to bed with all of my clothes on. (Perhaps 90% of the time.) At times I am so tired that I am afraid to get behind the wheel. I am very sensitive to medications and have been on (and off) of antidepressants for the last 20 years. Though I told the psychiatrist that Lexapro didn't sound like a good fit, he pushed it anyway. Curiously, he had a load of samples the first day I met him. (What a coincidence!) When I describe to him the intolerable side effects, he tells me to tolerate them, because they usually go away. (I've *never* had a side effect go away.) I've asked him to add a more activating medication such as Provigil, but he seems not the least bit interested. I suppose he wants to see this experiment to its illogical end. In the mea | M | 42 | 4 months | 7/10/2006 | 2 | anxiety | Severe diarreah and nasuea. No appetite what-so-ever. Headache. Jitters and hot flashes for the first few hours after taking. | So far have tried Lexapro and Zoloft and hate them both equally. I know you are supposed to wait a week or two for the side effects to wear off but if the side-effects are so severe that you can't function, what is the point? If you are already low weight (like me) I really wouldn't recommend taking this drug as it will totally shred your appetite. I'm off to try some more natural remedies. No more of this SSRI crap! | F | 26 | 1 days | 7/8/2006 | 4 | Anxiety, PTSD | night sweats, nightmares, sleepy | This medication helped me get my anxiety and such under control, but I had persistent site effects that ended up contributing to my decision to switch to something else. I would sweat through shirts every night no matter if it was cold or hot (I don't normally sweat much), and I had very vivid dreams, often nightmares which were made worse by how vivid they were. Going onto the medication was not easy, and taking it in the evening kept me up very long, so it is important to take it earlier in the day. Having said that, it did help me quite a bit. | F | 23 | 7 months | 7/7/2006 | 5 | Depression/Anxiety | Delayed ejaculation, weight gain, warm (not hot) all the time | This is the Cadillac of SSRIs as far as I'm concerned. The delayed ejaculation went away, though the interest in sex isn't quite what it used to be. Then again, I am 43, and so is the wife! I think I needed it all my life. I no longer have uncontrolled anger and I am calm, even when life gets tough or the days aren't so great. I can always find optimism, something I never was able to do my entire life. It's an A-1 Godsend. I'm on 20mg a day, taken before bed. I sleep like a baby and awake ready for the day. I do worry at times about the ability to ever come off this drug. Doc cut my dosage in half for a month and I started getting a little edgy. But at 20 mg, I'm great. | M | 43 | 2 years | 7/6/2006 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | Delayed ejaculation, weight gain, warm (not hot) all the time | This is the Cadillac of SSRIs as far as I'm concerned. The delayed ejaculation went away, though the interest in sex isn't quite what it used to be. Then again, I am 43, and so is the wife! I think I needed it all my life. I no longer have uncontrolled anger and I am calm, even when life gets tough or the days aren't so great. I can always find optimism, something I never was able to do my entire life. It's an A-1 Godsend. I'm on 20mg a day, taken before bed. I sleep like a baby and awake ready for the day. I do worry at times about the ability to ever come off this drug. Doc cut my dosage in half for a month and I started getting a little edgy. But at 20 mg, I'm great. | M | 43 | 2 years | 7/6/2006 | 4 | Anxiety | Decreased sex drive, fatigue, runny nose, sleepiness, sweating, abnormal dreaming, lack of concentration, lack of energy & heavier than usual menstrual cramping | I finally had the guts to go to the doctor to explain my anxiety problems. I gradually built a wall around myself and avoided all contact with anyone, but family. I could not carry on a conversation with acquaintances or coworkers w/o grasping for words and literally blushing. I became introverted, extremely self-conscious and constantly experienced waves of nervousness. My anxiety was irrational, but uncontrollable. I had never heard of Lexapro before it was prescribed for me. I've been taking 10mg a day for a little over 2 months and had not noticed any positive changes in my moods or behavior until very recently. For about 6 weeks I did not experience any positive symptoms, only the many side effects that I have described. It was frustrating, but I knew that I had to be patient. Gradually, I have felt more calm and satisfied, but not numb. My husband says my moods have stabilized and I seem more relaxed. It also seems as though I don't analyze every detail of every instance like | F | 32 | 2 months | 7/6/2006 | 5 | Anxiety | Dizzy when I miss a couple of doses | I have taken Lexapro for almost 2yrs and it solved my issues. | M | 32 | 2 years | 7/5/2006 | 4 | Anxiety | First 2 weeks were rough, had a lot of fatique. Had extremely difficult time reaching orgasm. These side effects have reduced substantially (90% or more) over several months. | This drug is one of the best on the market (and safest). It has really helped my anxiety greatly. I am very pleased. | M | 35 | 4 months | 7/1/2006 | 3 | mild depression and Panic attacks | I have only been on it for a week but I have had mild headaches and a burning sensation in my stomach with severe yawning and mild nausa but I am going to give it a month to see how I do | F | 24 | | 6/29/2006 | 5 | PTSD | none | I'm taking 10mg once a day and I have seen an improvement in many areas. I take Xanax as another medication. With Lexapro, I have been able to decrease how many times a day I take my Xanax. I have tried the 20mg, and I could tell that I was too medicated. There have many other medications on the market, and they don't add up to Lexapro. I have had many side effects with all the others. Good Luck! | F | 27 | 3 months | 6/27/2006 | 1 | depression | severe nausea, extreme fatigue, dissoriented feeling, muscle pain and tightness, felt light I was being poisoned and probably should have gone to the emergency room. | After taking only one 5 mg pill, I had the most horrific symptoms. I really felt like I was going to die. After 4 days of being off of it, I still have residual symptoms. Muscle pain, nausea, flu symptoms. I have never felt so bad in my life. I can't believe the effect it has had on me. I am still trying to recover. | F | 29 | 1 days | 6/14/2006 | 1 | Anxiety | Disorientation, dilated pupils, tightness in throat, extreme muscle pains throughout neck and shoulders, heart palpitations, hot facial flushes, itchiness. | I took my first and last dose of Lexapro after lunch at my office and ended up in the Emergency Room a few hours later. Thought I was poisoned. I'm amazed that doctors just hand you these kind of powerful meds without supervision. NEVER AGAIN. | M | 49 | 1 days | 6/13/2006 | 2 | Anxiety, Depression | Possible loss of libido. | This medication has done absolutely NOTHING for me. I am so glad to be off of it. I started at 5 mg, went up to 10 mg, 15, 20, 30, and even to 40 mg! At that dosage I was so tired and irritable. I do not see the point of taking Lexapro-type SSRI's for anxiety, which was my primary issue for taking it. I do not think Lexapro gave me any seriously adverse side effects...it just didn't help with the anxious and depressive symptoms...it may as well have been a sugar pill. | M | 23 | 2 years | 6/12/2006 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | Weight gain, hard to lose weight, significant loss of interest in sex, headaches, increase in appetite, restless sleep, tried once to quit cold turkey DO NOT DO THIS. I felt like I was dying for 7 days. | I've been on Lexapro now for almost 2 years. Once I tried to quit thinking I didn't need it. Big mistake. I'll never try that again. I had the worst migraine headache ever that didn't stop or let up for a week; cold sweats; shocks, etc. I do feel that it has significantly helped with depression and anxiety. I feel "level" I don't go low but I never reach a high either. I miss the highs but I am less argumentative, emotional, etc. Overall it's 50/50 for me. Biggest complaint is the weight gain. | F | 31 | 2 years | 6/11/2006 | 1 | anxiety | nauseau, exhaustion, complete loss of sex drive, loss of motivation, some problems with memory recall | intense withdrawl | F | 28 | 2 days | 6/7/2006 | 3 | Cataplexy associated w/ narcolepsy | 20 lbs of weight gain. | Controls the cataplexy, but so does any other SSRI. | M | 26 | 1 years | 6/4/2006 | 1 | Postpartum/prepartum depression | 60 lbs of weight gained. | Helped depression, but caused weight gain, which caused more depression... a vicious cycle. | F | 28 | 1 years | 6/4/2006 | 2 | depression/anxiety | felt a tiny bit better, lessened my depression but did not lessen my anxiety at all, more frequent urination, vivid dreams, the worst part for me was my constant low energy, every day after work I just wanted to come home and crawl into bed, I had no energy to exercise and do things I need to do for myself, also gained weight, probably because I wasn't exercising and I do eat more when I have that sleepy/tired feeling | not right for me, but we are all different - I think it's important to give a medication a fair chance, but then once you've tried it for several weeks, whatever the Dr. recommends, if it isn't working pull yourself together and make a change! | F | 39 | 11 weeks | 6/3/2006 | 2 | depression | loss of appetite, nausea, stomach cramps, sweating, sexual difficulty | Right away I felt more clear headed. I stopped trying to eat everything in the refrigerator in one sitting and was happy at the thought that I'd be able to lose weight now. But then I began to feel nausea along with the loss of appetite and became afraid to eat in fear that the stomach cramps would come back and I might vomit. Also, the lack of a full physical sexual response, despite mental arousal, made me worried and depressed so I gave up on trying to orgasm. I've been switched to Zoloft. | F | 26 | 5 days | 5/31/2006 | 5 | depression/anxiety | some dizziness, nausea, tiredness | Lexapro has been a great drug for me. I was on Paxil CR b4 and wanted to kill myself and everything in my path. Lexapro has steadied my emotions greatly. I don't cry about every little thing anymore. I don't have the night sweats or fits of rage anymore. It is a wonderful drug... although, i don't want to be on antidepressants the rest of my life...but this is the one i choose since i have to. | F | 26 | 2 years | 5/30/2006 | 3 | mild depression | weight gain, loss of interest in sex, calm and less easily angered | F | 28 | 8 months | 5/30/2006 | 3 | Anxiety / Depression | neck/back pain, fatigue, slower sex drive | After trying Paxil which didnt work urgently enough, my physician prescribed Lexapro in conjunction with Klonopin. While most days I feel faily stable on 20mg (10 stopped working after a few months), its hard to tell if/when/how the Lexapro is working. I dont feel like I can go off of the Klonopin (addiction?), and its hard to tell which drug is doing the 'work'. I see a therapist weekly (not a psychiatrist), and am trying meditation for relaxation, however I dont feel like my old self--and am not sure how much I should rely on the Lexapro. Is there anything out there that works better for anxiety? (Nutrition, supplements, spirituality, meds without weight gain, etc...?) | F | 34 | 8 months | 5/30/2006 | 2 | depression | sleeping patterns changed from 4 hours a day to 18-21 hours a day. anxiety increased, depression came back after 3 weeks. then subsided then came back worse. *now im on the 20 mg a day ..not helping at all* | because of this i dont go out anywhere anymore, ive lost contact with everyone. i once was able to go to college full time and hold down a 50 hour a week job and still pass school. now i cnat stay awake long enough to watch a tv show much less attend class.. this drug has taken my life away from me and given me an unlimited amount of sleep to catch up on for some reason. | M | 21 | 2 years | 5/28/2006 | 2 | Anxiety, depression, acid reflux | Extreme fatigue, difficulty waking up, emotional numbness/detachment, inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, lack of interest in ANYTHING except sleep, inability to reach orgasm with a partner, weakness, excessive urination, dizziness. | It certainly erased the anxiety, but I hardly feel human anymore. Nothing moves or excites me. I'm now in the last stage of withdrawal, and I'm still experiencing the fatigue and dizziness and sexual apathy. I'll take depression any day over this. | F | 25 | 3 months | 5/26/2006 | 1 | Anxiety and Depression | Hot and cold flashes, flushing in face, agitation, panic attacks (never had before), depression worsened, anxiety heightened. | This was the worst med EVER. It made me 100 times worse. I was so disapointed. | F | 33 | 8 weeks | 5/26/2006 | 5 | mild depression | no side effects at all | very good. i've tried others for depression w/no success. this is a great product! | M | 47 | 6 months | 5/24/2006 | 2 | DEPRESSION | dry mouth, lethargy, Headaches | started on 10mg. in the beginning, it did lift some of the fog, but then it disappeared on me around 7 months taking it. Doc insisted that I took 20 mg. Horrible, devastating. Lots of dry mouth, TERRIBLE headaches, no energy to do anything. In fact at 20 mgs I got even more depressed than I EVER WAS, even before taking the med. No more of this for me. | M | 25 | 1 years | 5/24/2006 | 5 | Depression | Complete loss of sex drive, difficulty staying asleep. I took sleeping pills to stay asleep and tried the various version sof viagra for the sex drive. The scary thing is the willingness to accept it all - this drug seemed to take away the caring about those things. It managed the depression very well: the ultimate happy pill. You could total my car, burn my books and I'd probably just say 'oh well'. Choose your nightmare carefully - I'm starting to think depression isn't too bad and I'm trying to get off it. | M | 51 | 18 months | 5/21/2006 | 3 | Depression | Initially; jaw clenching, anxiety attacks, muscle tightness, heart fluttering. Now, after six months I have put on six kilos and seem to be ravenous all the time. | It has helped my depression but the side effects are hard to deal with, particularly the weight gain. The first two weeks going on Lexapro were absolute hell, I just wanted to kill myself! But hold in there, it does subside. | F | 22 | 6 months | 5/21/2006 | 1 | mild anxiety/social anxiety | nasal congestion; dramatically increased sweating (from mild activity and while sleeping); general fatigue; dry mouth/thirst; bizarre, vivid dreams; hot flashes (my husband used to be the one constantly turning down the thermostat--now it's me!); dramatically increased appetite; resulting weight gain of over ten pounds within two months (and I have been fighting it, trying to watch what I eat and exercise more); occasional light-headedness; increase in severity of menstrual cramps; occasional rapid heartbeat; itching all over my body; jaw clenching, with resulting head and neck pain | It has helped with my anxiety, but I am going to ask to be weaned off. The side effects are just too much. My shrink acted like I was nuts when I told her I was ravenous all the time and gaining weight, but now I see that's really pretty common. It kind of scares me that she isn't aware of these things. I also don't think she should have started me on this in the first place . . . I had some anxiety when I went to see her, especially in social situations, but I think it's therapy I need, not drugs. Anyway, thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences. Good to know I'm not out of my mind! You have all helped me make up my mind to look into weaning myself off this drug so I can try to deal with my problems in a more natural way. | F | 23 | 2 months | 5/17/2006 | 4 | depression | I have been on Lexapro for over 3 years, I try to get off and have unusual side effects, does any one wish to comment about this? | Withdrawal symptoms: dizzyness, cry a lot, loss of self worth, feeling of desperation. | F | 42 | 3 years | 5/16/2006 | 2 | depression | weight gain | F | 27 | 4 months | 5/16/2006 | 5 | Depression/Anxiety | Vivid, very realistic dreams. Weight loss. Can eat anything I like and don't gain a pound. Lethargic | Took months for me to feel anything (10mg). Eventually began to help with depression. Stopped taking for five months and began again 2 months ago (20mg). Felt within days. Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. | F | 20 | 3 years | 5/15/2006 | 1 | depression | suicidal thoughts, mood swings, difficulty to concentrate | I advice people go to this webcite http://www.neurorelief.com/newsletterarchive.php?issue=408 and see what TAAT can do. | F | 29 | 2 weeks | 5/13/2006 | 4 | Depression | Total loss of sex drive, weight gain. | Lexapro is honestly the BEST SSRI I have ever taken the only problem is, After a year of taking Lexapro I have noticed that I have no sex drive and I am gaining a lot of weight. | F | 21 | 1 years | 5/12/2006 | 2 | Depression Anxiety | SEVERE Headaches | I tried to gradually taper up to 10 mg however I could not tolerate more than 5 mg. Even at 6 mg I couldn't tolerate the headaches. I used some heavy duty painkillers, (ie Fiorinal C 1/2) but they didn't help. The medication would have been effective at 10 mg but I couldn't get that far. | M | 52 | 3 weeks | 5/11/2006 | 1 | depression, panic attacks | mood swongs, feeling like taking cocaine, feeling suicidal, no sex drive, weight gain, people told i have changed It messed up my brains I wasn't depressed but I was acting like real mental Feeling like they put some machine inside of my brain which thinks for me. It is really scary | I tried a lot of antidepressants but they never solved the problem. That is what helped me: neuroscience test (go to neuroscienceinc.com and get information about their test and products), book "Feeling Good" by David Burns (until you find all your silent assumptions (when you read this book, you will understand what I am talking about) which cause you depression you will never get out from it, this book will help to do this. Targeted Ammino Acid Therapy (TAAT), cranial electrotherapy stimulation, deep breathing exercise – 3 times a day (do it when you are anxious and have panic attacks, also while doing it, imagine yourself as you wish you wanted to be), special diet for depression (really helps for mood swings), day light lamp, hot and cold shower, daily exercise, meditation, keeping schedule, acupuncture St. John’s Wort - 9 pills a day, Red clover - 6 pills a day, Omega 3, Calcium, B-complex. | F | 36 | 2 weeks | 5/10/2006 | 1 | Depression / Anxiety | Sexual Side Effects. WEIGHT gain. 40-50lbs! Constant increase in dosage every six months. Hard to get to sleep at first..had to switch to morning. Mood swings. Crying fits. Withdraw from this drug was one of the worst experiences of my life! I was so sick. Scared out of my mind (paranoid..always felt like someone was behind me or watching me). Delusional. I had shocks in my brain if I moved from side to side. Shaking, sweating, extreme fatigue. And I was led to believe it 'was just me'. | Lexapro worked great for my anxiety. Still does. But, I cannot say the same for my depression. I have had to increase my dosage every six months and would have to again if I weren't going to try wellbutrin. When lex looses it's punch, let me tell you...it LOOSES it's punch. And the worst part is...you don't even realize it's the meds until you are in the thick of it a month in! It was a new drug and I was pushed to use it and I am not happy about it. I did everything normally. Ate the same, exercised normally and after 6 months BLEW up. Day after day I was gaining weight. Here I am now, 60 lbs heavier and they STILL tell me that it wasn't lexapro. There was no other reason for the increase. I'm not an idiot, I know my body..thanks. Now that I am having to increase dosage for the 3rd time...im done. Wellbutrin or bust. No side effects apparently..we'll see. But I am tired of drugs just 'wearing' off. I also had major mood swings...angered pretty easily. Now lost the love of my life beca | F | 27 | 2 years | 5/9/2006 | 1 | Depression/Anxiety | Nightmares/night-sweats, Insomnia, constant agitated feeling... | This drug did absolutely nothing positive for me. Along with the side effects already mentioned, the lexapro made me "emotionless" and even more suicidal. I discontinued after about 2 and a half months. Ive tried several of the SSRIs and cannot stand the way they make me feel... | M | 20 | 3 months | 5/8/2006 | 1 | Depression , Anxiety | I gained about 5 pounds. | Lexipro did nothing for me. My doctor raised me to the 20 mg. dose to see if that would help., and I got worse with the crying spells. I'm now trying WellbutrinXL | F | 10 weeks | 5/7/2006 | 5 | anxiety/depression | At the begining of treatment, I was foggy brained, vivid dreams, delayed orgasm. However, within several months these drifted away. I will say that on a higher dose, I have an hard time loosing weight even when on a strict diet and excersise plan. | This drug has been wonderful for me. I took Wellbutrin, which made me too jittery, Zoloft which made me extremely depressed and prozac which helpped but seemed to be *too* stimulating. Lexapro has been there for me again and again. As cheesy as it sounds I feel like *myself* again. I can enjoy life rid myself of sadness,anxiety and cynisim which comes with depression/anxiety. If only I could figure out the weight thing, this would be a miricale. | F | 26 | 1.5 years | 5/6/2006 | 5 | Anxiety--GAD/SAD | ZERO NOTICABLE SIDE EFFECTS AFTER 3 MONTHS Had horrible experiences w/ fluoxetine and zoloft prior to this drug. | Switched to Lexapro after a run on Zoloft. For me, there is no comparison! Lexapro is a far superior product. My biggest problem w/ zoloft was lethargy/extreme tiredness---I had no where near normal energy levels. Lexapro is fantastic, I have at least as much energy as normal and all the positive effects of a SSRI. | M | 31 | 3 months | 5/3/2006 | 4 | Depression, anxiety, panic attacks | Began sinking deeper into depression with major depressive disorder symptoms including vague hallucinations, insomnia (woke up EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for the first 5 weeks at 3:30am exactly). Dr said in some people things can get worse before they get better and body adjusts to medicine. Also a lot of sweating for no reason, I just sweat all the time. Lost a lot of weight during adjustment period - about 20 pounds. Lack of saliva and lack of appetite. Feelings of detachment, as if I was watching myself go through routine motions. Intense paranoia. No interest in sex at all. | Having gone through this before with Zoloft, I was hoping to avoid it with Lexapro. unfortunately this was not the case. I can not say with 100% certainty that some of these symptoms were not depression induced rather than side effects of the medication. I can say that after about 6 weeks, everything corrected and I feel great now. The only persistent side effect is lack of sex drive, but compared to the mental side effects I can deal with it. I must say that I wonder if seratonin imbalance was truly the problem as my symptoms (side effects) kind of resembled hyper-seratonin. Perhaps my problem was a dopamine issue and not seratonin? Either way, I feel much better now. | M | 33 | 8 months | 5/2/2006 |