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 | | | | |||
| 2 | depression and anxiety | sleepiness | This drug helped a lot with my anxiety, but after a while it seemed to worsen my depression. I felt vague and weepy and had no motivation. The withdrawal was not that bad, though. | F | 44 | 5 weeks 20mg 1X D | 6/11/2010 | 5 | Major Depression | Weight gain, vivid dreams/nightmares going on or off but otherwise normal. Worst side effect is complete sexual dysfunction - inability to orgasm, hating being touched, feeling as though any sexual contact is as annoying as rubbing an eyeball. | Close to a miracle drug for me - vastly improved social confidence, feelings of "happiness" as opposed to the wretchedness and despair of deep depression. Much improved anxiety control. Much better sleep. If it were not for the sexual side effects, which end up with me not even wanting to be hugged or kissed either, I would stay on this drug FOREVER. However, I'm trying out Pristiq to see if I can achieve something with OK effects without total sexual dysfunction. Have tried tons of others with disastrous consequences. If Pristiq doesn't work well, I will head straight back to lexapro and my husband and I will just keep on working on ways to have a relationship that don't revolve around me being responsive. It's SO hard being forced to choose between dealing with my problems and creating a huge marriage problem. (Don't get me wrong, we have a very long and loving marriage, but it's sure hard being like this!) Otherwise I love, love, love how Lexapro makes me feel. | F | 50 | 180 days 15mg 1X D | 6/9/2010 | 1 | Severe Depression, PTSD | I gained a LOT of weight, I felt a bit ill at first, but it went away after 10 days of taking the medication. The weight gain occurred even though I was formally working out two hours a day plus other physical activity. Loss of sexual desire, difficult to obtain orgasm and a general lack of feeling "real." | I don't understand how the FDA and drug companies rate the side effects of these drugs? Almost everybody I know on Lexapro and other SSRI's gain weight (including those who review the medications here). I think gaining 10, 15, 20 pounds + doesn't do much for your overall self-concept, not to mention the physical consequences of being overweight. When you read the reported side-effects, they say maybe five percent of the people gain weight. With all due respect, I wonder if the drug makers have the same relationship with the FDA as BP did with the Department of Interior. | M | 54 | 6 months 20 MG 1X D | 6/8/2010 | 4 | racing thoughts/OCD | still some OCD.. racing thoughts on occassion.. however, the big down side is it takes me forever to orgasim (like 20 minutes) | M | 48 | 1X D | 6/3/2010 | 3 | PMS symptoms | increased sweating, decreased interest in sex | F | 48 | 5 years 5 mg 1X D | 6/3/2010 | 5 | Severe Anxiety/GAD/Depression | There are undoubtable sexual side effects with this drug for men, but nothing major! It's a little bit harder to achieve an orgasim, but that's all. No other side effects to speak of. | This drug is as close as it gets to a miracle drug, it has definitely changed my life for the better. No more worrying about certain social situations, concerts, planes, movie theaters, long drives, trips, etc. My work and gym routines are back to normal thanks to Lexapro. If you want to take back your life from the grips of anxiety and depression try Lexapro, it works! | M | 28 | 6 months 10 MG 1X D | 6/2/2010 | 2 | Anxiety | Took it for anxiety, but became very apathetic. Extemely hard time getting up in the morning. Didn't want to do anything Usually could not sleep with the indigestion it caused. No sex drive either even when taking Ginko. Tried the rest of these SSRIs and none worked. Wellbutrin was the best, but the anxiety was awful | F | 40 | 3 months 5mg 1X D | 5/31/2010 | 4 | depression | A little nausea, dry mouth, clenched jaw, drowsiness-during the day whilst trying to work - but at night could not sleep. On the sixth day however, woke up after an ok nights sleep bright and alert-ready to take on the day and havent looked back yet. | Still experiencing some very slight side effects-stress very slight-the turn around that i experienced on the sixth day was incredible.Now on my eleventh day and feeling much like the old self...much more energy,am able to deal with work-the litle things arent stressing and freaking me out-think i might actually be smiling....which could be hurting my face more than the jaw clenching since it is so out of practise doing it.Have decided to not get sucked into reading toooo many negative reports and issues in getting off - am happy to stay on, keep smiling and invite people back into my life! | F | 35 | 10 days 10 mg 1X D | 5/29/2010 | 5 | severe social anxieties | Good mood, talkative, social, loss of libido, need extra sleep | I have been taking Lexapro for more than two years. I used to have very severe social anxieties in which I'd go into freeze, flight, fight mode over every little tiny social situation. My anxiety level has fallen to that of other people's. The benefits from Lexapro are definitely outweighting the negatives of loss of libido and needing extra sleep. I recommend trying Lexapro if you have severe social anxieties. However, Lexapro should not be prescribed lightly. It is a difficult drug to taper off of. As for needing extra sleep, I find that skipping a dose every once in awhile helps. | M | 48 | 2 years 10 mg 1X D | 5/28/2010 | 1 | anxiety | In my opinion this medication made me feel more anxious and nervous. | 36 | 10 mg 1X D | 5/27/2010 | 4 | Extreme anxiety and depression | 20 lbs unexplained weight gain; extreme fatigue; worse GERD; dry mouth. | After my son was in a horrible accident with multiple broken bones and legal charges I was ready to call it quits. Lexapro has helped me avoid the extreme emotions and fears. I probably wouldn't have taken it if this weren't such an extreme situation. I'm hoping that as things settle down and life returns to normal I can soon be off the medication. I'm afraid for withdrawal effects. | F | 57 | 1 years 10 mg 1X D | 5/26/2010 | 3 | Anxiety/Depression | Extreme and quick weight gain of approximately 5lbs per month until I gained 60 lbs plus I had vivid dreams and nightmares. After about 3 years, it effected my knees, made me anxious, caused heart problems culminating in a silent heart attack. I went off of Lexapro, lost about 25 lbs, knees got back in shape. However, I became very depressed and had obsessive thoughts of suicide (but did not want to kill myself). After being off for a year, I decided to go back on. The depression and suicidal thoughts went away. However, I quickly starting gaining weight again, my knees hurt, and I feel like I'm having some heart problems. | I wish the drug company would figure out how to reduce the side effects. | F | 51 | 6 years 10 1X D | 5/25/2010 | 1 | to "treat" adverse rxn to accutane | severe anxiety, depressive spells, head pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, tremors, internal vibrations, feelings of burning under skin, exercise intolerance, orgasm intolerance, vision disturbances, agitation, akathisia, rage... LOL, I am not kidding, I could go on for a while. | Absolute worse decision that was ever made for me. I had a bad rxn to an acne medicine that caused me panic attacks, and was put on 10mg of lexapro. Have suffered worsening side effects as time went on. I'd be off of it in a heartbeat if it weren't for the fact that the withdrawal is simply unbearable. I'm now trying to stabilize on 10mg again after a failed taper and get my life back for at least a while. This drug has stolen the last/best two years of my life away, and I'd hate for this to happen to anyone else. Seek therapy, ditch the poison. It'll be the best decision you ever made. | M | 22 | 2.5 years 10MG 1X D | 5/15/2010 | 1 | insomnia | Long-term severe discontinuation syndrome: internal shaking, muscle spasms, vision problems, throat problems, breathing problems, electrical brain zaps, mental fog, too many others to name. | F | 52 | 2 weeks 10 mg 1X D | 5/13/2010 | 2 | Anxiety & OCD | My opinon is that I first experienced a burning/cold feeling in my nose and eyes, headache, and stomach ache. That went away after a few weeks. Now I am having very dry, itchy skin and a bloody nose. | I keep hoping it will start helping me a little more. | 36 | 4 months 10 mg 1X D | 5/12/2010 | 5 | GAD | At first I had trouble sleeping but this past after couple of weeks. Still have proble with sexual side effect (cumming)even after prolonged sex. But I'm not complaining about this, I can always manage to shoot a load if I resort to hand work. | This has to be the best drug i have found in the lst 15 years and I have tried many of them. Finally able to feel myself and not drive my family to the edge. Took about three weeks for full effect to kick in, but began to feel better after first few days. Problem with shooting seems to be getting better, but I'm not so worried about that, since I now feel up to having sex 3-4 time per week rather than 3 -4 times per month. Getting hard on is no problem since depression is better, have quit using viagra. | M | 52 | 6 months 20 mg 1X D | 5/7/2010 | 4 | Depression | My main complaint is weight gain. 1kg each month I've been taking it. I had to go on a diet and crazy exercise just to slow the weight gain and haven't been able to get any weight off. I had occasional head spins when I started initially. These went within a week and don't come back if I miss a dose. | I feel like a new person - I can relate to people without it feeling like a huge effort now. My sex drive is down but not gone and I can still orgasm with effort and it seems to be as good if not slightly better than before. It's resolved some social phobia that I wasn't even aware of until I started taking Lexapro and it went away - I've "come out of my shell" and am having much more fun. However after 10 mths I'm now getting sick of exercising 6 days a week and dieting, just to keep on top of the weight gain and barely managing to do so. I'm regretfully going to my GP next week to discuss other alternatives. | F | 34 | 10 months 10mg 1X D | 5/6/2010 | 5 | ANXIETY | M | 31 | 2 years 10MG 1X D | 5/5/2010 | 3 | Anxiety | Neausea, reflux, headache, jittery, twitching body, sore neck | Was on 10mg for 4 yrs then decided to come off was off 4 mths then had to go back on for extreme anxiety started on 10mg for a month no major side effects now on 20mg for last week noticing extremely sore neck and headache that wont go away, extremely jittery might go back to 10mg. Side effects when weaning off was brain zaps that lastes for a few weeks. | F | 32 | 5 weeks 20mg 1X D | 5/4/2010 | 5 | Anxiety/Panic Disorder | Started slowly on 5mg for 2 days and then 7.5 for 2 days then went to 10mg. First few days very spacey after a few hours of taking it. Some mild headaches which seem to be getting better. Lack of sexual desire and it is hard to reach orgasum but not impossible. | I wasnt able to leave my house without having dizziness and disorentation. After about a week I felt myself just going out without having these symptoms. Little things seem not to bother me and my mood has increased. My obessive thoughs of my Heart Disease are becoming less and less. With Zoloft it took about 4 weeks to kick in and I had much worse side effects. So far I am happy with Lexapro. Just keep in mind, just because one SSRI dosent 100% agree with you, another can work much better. Also dont let the first few days scare you. | M | 39 | 3 weeks 10 MG 1X D | 5/1/2010 | 1 | Major Depression | This is the last SSRI I will try. I cannot tolerate them. Lexapro gave me quivers in my hands and also twitching. It put a wall in my mind that I couldn't think through. I felt controlled and blunted. Now I am trying to wean myself off of it, very slowly, and still I have awful, terrible, withdrawal side effects. I believe although, my case is an exception. No SSRIs help me. | I don't know if this is relevant but when I had to wean off Lexapro and also with Zoloft, I acquired very bad urinary tract infection symptoms. I mean horrible. Weaning Lexapro out of my system has made me dizzy, nauseated, weak, chills, night sweats. Being hot and cold at the same time. muscle fatigue, sleeping constantly, and also a very elusive feeling that I am sick and something is wrong but I cannot put my finger on it. | F | 47 | 4 months 10 1X D | 5/1/2010 | 5 | relieve chest pain due to anxiety | wasn't sure if weight gain was lexapro or menopause (I've always been skinny/petite, now i'm just average) | Used to take Zoloft for same chest tightness. Got better, stopped. Recurrance-Zoloft would not solve. Prescribed Lexapro and haven't looked back--sexual desire diminished but I can overcome that. Otherwise it is PERFECT. | F | 54 | 7 years 15 mg 1X D | 4/28/2010 | 5 | GAD | The first week I took Lexapro I experienced headaches which is rare for me. But after one week the disappeared with no other side effects. A little spaciness for the first 2 months but nothing to bad. | I am not a drug person and have been trying to cope and try to defeat GAD on my own. However all my efforts failed and I finally gave in to what my doctor had suggested for over two years. I'm finally myself again!! Daring, fun, and love life. I was really scared at first taking anything but I'm so glad I did, it has changed my life and everyone around me is glad that I'm back. | F | 40 | 4 months 10 1X D | 4/25/2010 | 4 | Anxiety | Very dazed for 3 days, and excessive yawning. Some insomnia off and on. Nausea first day, made better by taking pill with food one hour before bed. | This absolutely helped reduce the amount of anxiety/worry. I only had one panic attack while taking this. Have changed to Celexa due to insurance not covering Lexapro. | M | 32 | 3 weeks 10mg 1X D | 4/24/2010 | 3 | Anxiety | EXTREME Weight Gain, Fatigue, General Loss of Emotion, Disconnected | Lexapro works great for relieving my anxiety symptoms, but I am slowly working my way off of it due to the drastic weight gain. I have tried to diet and increase my exercise, but with no results. I have 2 close friends who are also on this drug and they have had the same drastic weight gain. | F | 28 | 6 months 10 1X D | 4/21/2010 | 2 | GAD | I have been taking Lexapro for a full year now, and abruptly stopped taking it 10 days ago. I couldn't continue with the drug. It helped me with the general level of anxiety that I fear. I avoid conflicts because they stress me out, and with Lexapro, I would never feel stressed and stopped over thinking things and processing them in my head. This initially seemed like a good effect, as I feel completely "sheltered" from the world behind s Lexapro. However, I couldn't feel anything. I stopped caring about just about everything, felt bored and uninterested most of the time and didn't have any interest in my life of myseld. I also felt so scatter brained that I couldn't get anything done. I finally decided that enough was enough. | F | 40 | 1 years 10mg 1X D | 4/21/2010 | 2 | Adjustment disorder | Twitching, rashes, breathlessness, waking up at night, heart pains, headaches, giddiness, weakening of body, urine retention | Uncontrollable twitching was terrible. Lasted for 3 days when I took the 10mg everyday.. hoping it would go away by itself but it didn't. Luckily my doctor stopped my medication. Now I am taking Hydroxyzine, which at least only causes me headache so far. | F | 24 | 3 weeks 10mg 1X D | 4/21/2010 | 5 | Anxiety and depression | fatigue, loss of weight, apathy== first apx. 2 months I have some hair loss but do not know if it is related to the drug. | No longer have anxiety or panic attacks or even irrational fears. | F | 72 | 4 years 5mg 1X D | 4/19/2010 | 5 | depression | Initially, loss of appetite, fatigue. All went away in first month of therapy. | Didn't get full results until going to 20mg from 10mg, after 6 weeks of treatment. Love it, cahnged my life! | F | 40 | 6 months 20 mg 1X D | 4/18/2010 | 3 | mild anxiety | no desire desire for sex, extreme weight gain, constant yawning and lethargic, not much feeling of any type of emotion, seemed to be gradually getting worse the longer I stayed on it | I was suffering a few bouts of anxiety with some family probs and not sleeping too well when i was prescribed Lexapro, and initially I thought it was a miracle cure BUT after taking it over 12 months, my personality had changed from bubbly and fun loving on the whole to dull and disinterested, gradually losing all desire for going out or socialising, I gained 40 pounds and had little emotional range or any sexual desire. I couldnt concentrate on any task around the home or work long enough to get any one thing done and always felt scattered. I spoke to my doctor and reduced my dosage to 5mg daily then 5mg second daily over a month. I have not taken lexapro for 4 days now... but i now have horrid flu like symptoms inside my body. my head feels heavy, i feel vague, cant sleep at night, lethargic and very weepy and tired during the day. I so look forward to being finally rid of all these symptoms especially the flu feeling- its horrid. I'm sure its fantastic for some but in hindsight I probably should have been given a sleeping pill 12 months ago instead. It seems to be a nasty drug to muck around with. | F | 44 | 12 months 10mg 1X D | 4/18/2010 | 4 | Anxiety | The first day I took Lexapro, I experienced a day long headache and spaciness. Now that I've been on the medicine for a few months, the side effects are more minor: fatigue throughout the day, slightly more hair loss than normal, and a lower sex drive. | Throughout my life, I've been a perfectionist with a severe fear of failure. I constantly believed ppl were judging me and would over-analyze most situations. This anxiety started hindering my daily life, so I mustered up the courage to speak to a doctor. After being on Lexapro, I'm back to confident, social self. I still experience anxiety in certain social situations, but I'm now more self conscious about a red, blotchy rash I get on my neck and chest than how people are judging me. Lexapro has given my the courage to 'make fun' of this weird rash I get and charge through these situations that make me anxious and want to hide from the situation. I feel more at ease and comfortable with myself. However, I wish I could figure something to combat this rash! Medicine works differently for everyone, so I hope your doctor can find something that works for you. | F | 27 | 3 months 10 mg 1X D | 4/16/2010 | 1 | Depression and anxiety | Everyone describes it perfectly. It helped me in the beginning and I didn't feel bad anymore. However I also didn't feel any other emotions either. It killed my personality, made me dizzy, killed my sex drive, and put weight on me. I used to be an artist and I haven't done anything in 4 years. I don't find joy in anything. It's like I'm sitting back and watching everyone else have fun, but I can't seem to comprehend it or find joy in anything. For patients with Dystonia beware because it changes your brain functions and it made my symptoms worse to the effect of more muscle spasms and muscle knots that never go away. Once the condition worsens, it almost never gets better. BEWARE these pharmaceutical companies and the FDA which allowed this life altering drug on the market. Do your research and be aware of your body before you put anything in it. | M | 27 | 5 years 20 1X D | 4/16/2010 | 5 | Depression | Vivid dreams, yawning | I've been taking it for a year and a half, and it really works for me! It's lifted my depression and makes me feel normal. When you first start taking Lexapro, it can have more side effects, but just continue to take it, and they will all get better. Lexapro is a "long-term" drug and it's effects are best seen after taking it for some time. | F | 28 | 1.5 years 20mg 1X D | 4/15/2010 | 5 | Anxiety | No major side effects. I have not gained weight but having more trouble, it seems, being able to lose weight. | This drug pulled me out of my post-partem anxiety problems and made a huge difference in my life. My anxiety persists but is controlled by Lexapro. I think this is a wonder drug. | F | 40 | 2 years 5 1X D | 4/14/2010 | 3 | Primary: Anxiety/Panic Attacks | 10 mg for 8 - 9 months: Initial agitation, increased anxiety, nausea, etc. Went away with time. My 2nd day on 12.5 mg (increasing dose due to grey feelings and anxiety increasing from not enough medication). Feeling headaches, nausea, foggy, weird feelings, etc. Hopefully will go away. | I was diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorder at a young age from a difficult childhood (physical and mental abuse from alcoholic father). Started taking Zoloft in high school which helped tremendously. I was teetering between 50 mg - 100 mg in high school and initially went up to 200 mg because the anxiety was worse. Basically I was suppressing my emotions and past to get through high school and college which I excelled at. I graduated from college in 2005 and about a year later (150 mg Zoloft) I started to get my anxiety and restlessness back. Akathisia kicked in about two years ago and I finally decided after 8 - 9 years on Zoloft that it was time to give something else a try. I still had panic attacks on Zoloft and the inner restlessness was getting terrible. I did the whole weaning off process which was terrible. Took me about 2 months to wean off and start up Lexapro. Most of my anxiety is health anxiety so taking any kind of medication sends me into a fit. So I started Lexapro at 5 mg and moved to 10 mg once the side effects started to give. Here I am about 8 months on 10 mg of Lexapro and about a week ago I started to feel 'grey' again. So I decided to up my dosage. I'm moving slowly to 12.5 mg and hopefully to 15 mg and to 20 mg if needed. I am very sensitive to antidepressant meds so I have to go really slow in order to get past the side effects. Right now I am on my 2nd day of 12.5 mg and I have headaches, a little nausea, a little worry (due to heal | M | 28 | 9 months 12.5 mg 1X D | 4/14/2010 | 2 | Anxiety and Depression | The only side effect I experienced was delayed ejaculation. Effexor caused impotence too, so Lexapro was not as bad in this regard. | I took 10mg of Lexapro for two weeks and have been on 20mg for the past three weeks. I've noticed no benefit whatsoever. Lexapro is my eighth antidepressant. Effexor has been the only one that has ever worked for me, but it continually loses its effectiveness after months of use. It's hard to believe there's only one out there that works for me. I'm trying Prozac next and I hope to have more luck with it. | M | 33 | 5 weeks 20mg 1X D | 4/13/2010 | 5 | anxiety | None....other than probable increased teeth cleanching at night (which I already wear a night guard for). | Has totally helped the tightness in my chest. Very happy with this dosage. | F | 49 | 11 months 5 mg 1X D | 4/12/2010 | 4 | Depression | headaches, low libido, emotional numbness | I took lexapro for 2 weeks, the first SSRI (or any treatment for depression) i've ever taken, so I went into it not really expecting anything in particular. The first few days I had minor but noticeable headaches that would last for a few minutes each. Within 3 HOURS of taking the drug i lost the ability to have an orgasm, and for the next two weeks found it impossible. My sex drive was completely gone as well and I found this disturbing as I've always been highly sexual. This was ultimately the reason I went off lexapro and switched to Wellbutrin (the generic). The first day off lexapro my sexual functioning was back to normal. Another thing about lexapro is that I never felt depressed like I used to, even if I tested myself by thinking negatively, my mind kind of wouldn't "take the bait" and run with it which was awesome. HOWEVER, some exciting things are going on for me right now (new relationship, new friends) and I didn't feel particularly good about that either. Wellbutrin seems to be working better, though I've only been on it 3 days. | F | 22 | 14 days 10 MG 1X D | 4/11/2010 | 3 | GD | Only been one day, woke up 4 times last night. Woke up today with a headache that has been on and off all day. Diarrhea all day. Small hand tremor. | Its only been one day. Going to give it a week at least, if it keeps up I'll make a sooner appt with my doctor to get me off of it. Take with 100mg of Welbutrin, no noticeable complications psychologically. | M | 21 | 1 days 10mg 1X D | 4/9/2010 | 2 | Depression | jaw clenching at night, teeth grinding, nausea, constipation, food cravings, weight gain, total loss of sex drive, inability to O, insomnia, loss of taste | I will be asking my doctor to try something else on my next appointment. My DH says he can tell my moods are better, but I am making an extreme effort to be more pleasant around my family (I didn't realize how horrible I was before). I do not feel any better, I still have anxiety, severe foul moods, complete negative outlook on life. I can not see that this drug has helped much and I am not willing to continue given the side effects I am experiencing. I've always had somewhat of a sweet tooth, but now I crave peanut butter cups with a vengance- it is the only thing that still tastes good to me. But, I am also eating like crazy. If I let myself get hungry, then I get nauseated. I have gained 10 lbs in 1 month, and am terrified it will continue. | F | 36 | 4 weeks 10 1X D | 4/8/2010 | 5 | GAD | at first I had low libido and lack of big O, that has gone away now, insomnia at first week or so, gone now, hair loss at first but this could have been something else or stress, night sweats occasionally | I would rather suffer a few insignificant side effects from this med than suffer from the anxiety that was crippling my life. I think some of the side effects the first time I took it were part of my GAD, I only took it one day the first time and thought I was going to go crazy. Point is give it a try for a few weeks and see if you start to feel like yourself again. The sexual part took a few months to go away. | F | 39 | 20 months 10mg 1X D | 4/7/2010 | 2 | anxiety | Abnormal alcohol craving and weight gain | Plz be careful with this drug..loved it when I first starting taking it. After 2 years and 50 lbs later i hated it. Made me crave alcohol. Almost costed me a 14 yr marriage. Makes you not care about anything, and made my liver ache!! | F | 34 | 2 years 20 1X D | 4/5/2010 | 3 | depression/OCD | Tummy hurt when I tried to increase to 20 mg, so I'm back down on 10 mgs, now, and taking doxepin to help my GERD, which feels MUCH better after getting back down to 10 mg and also improving my diet (more fruit and veg) | F | 42 | 2.5 years 10 mg 1X D | 4/3/2010 | 1 | Depression | Horrible fatigue. I was too stupid to realize it was the drug, until I went off it. On Lexapro, I was sleeping 12 hours a day and finding it difficult to stay awake all day at work. I'd have to go to the break room to nap almost every day. Once I stopped the drug, my fatigue went away instantly! My doctors thought the fatigue was depression, and they kept upping my dose. They were as stupid as I was. I came close to losing my job because of this drug. I simply could not stay awake to do what I was supposed to do. As it is, I have made a mess of my career and I might never recover completely. | BEWARE the fatigue and apathy. | F | 32 | 3 years 10 mg 1X D | 4/1/2010 | 1 | Depression, Anxiety | Yawning, extreme somnolence, loss of all emotions, depersonalization, derealization, loss of libido, panic attacks, increased suicidality, weight gain, anhedonia, anorgasmia. | Lexapro and other SSRI's have been overprescribed since their inception, and I highly recommend considering the side effects before embarking on an SSRI treatment plan. I have tried all of the major SSRI's (I am only 24, but have been prescribed Zoloft, Prozac, Pristiq, Cymbalta, Lexapro, Clonazepam (benzodiazepine, not SSRI, and lorazepam (also a benzodiazepine). Wellbutrin worked for me, but my doctor changed my prescription after my father died, and I've been in an annoying trial & error session for the past year. Lexapro caused severe side effects in me, leading me to question my own existence (a very disturbing feeling where everything in the world including the self, other people, and things appear fake, surreal, detached, unreal). I felt that all of my emotions had disappeared, and I became afraid for a few days that I had lost my personality. These are scary and potentially suicide-inducing symptoms that must be reported to your doctor. The only way I survived this encounter with near disintegration was through my training in psychology, neuroscience, and psychoanalysis. Caution: EVEN IF YOU "KNOW" SYMPTOMS FROM READING ABOUT THEM, IT IS VERY HARD TO CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT THE SYMPTOMS ARE NOT PERMANENT OR SCARY. You can memorize every factoid about SSRI withdrawal and never come close to feeling it. And likewise, if you do feel it, your knowledge of neuroscience is often obscurred by the intense fear and surreal quality of such states. | F | 24 | 1 months 10 MG 1X D | 3/25/2010 | 3 | GAD | bad nausea first night and weird tingling in crotch and legs. Slept ok. Next day still felt nauseous and a little out of it. So far I feel like I have a foggy head and just feel blah. Also have metallic taste in mouth | M | 34 | 2 days 10 1X D | 3/23/2010 | 4 | major depression | Loss of sex drive | I got on lexapro after being diagnosed with depression. It was an answered prayer. I always thought it was normal to have that black cloud over my head all the time. I felt an immediate difference by the second day. My husband could too. I love lexapro | F | 26 | 6 weeks 10mg 1X D | 3/19/2010 | 3 | anxiety, insomnia | loss of emotions, inability to orgasm, tremendous weight gain, intense fatigue (like being on a sleeping pill) | It was great at first - like I was a really tightly wound spring unwinding. I felt so relieved. But I got so tired of the lack of emotion, the need to sleep all the time. I scaled back the drug very slowly and went through intense anxiety everytime I scaled back but it would pass. Had brain zaps on withdrawal. AWFUL. They should really really warn you before you take it that there are severe side effects when you stop. | F | 48 | 3 years 20 mg 1X D | 3/12/2010 | 3 | Depression | Severe cotton mouth, mood was exceptionally elevated (too elevated) until it tapered off. Disturbing, lucid dream for about 6 weeks. Felt normal for about 8 months, and then I felt nothing. I wasn't depressed, or sad, or happy, or angry. I just was. | After taking lexapro for a little over a year I decided to stop taking it as it was no longer working. I did this without doctor supervision - a horrible mistake as I had a feeling of euphoria for about 3 months. I did things I normally wouldn't do, bought expensive things I couldn't afford. Four years later and I'm still paying for it - in more ways than one! This was my first antidepressant and it worked great for a while. Changed my life. The withdrawal was awful. I couldn't sleep at night but all I wanted to do during the day was sleep, I had no appetite. After another year of no antidepressants I was prescribed Celexa, which works much better for me. | F | 28 | 1 years 10mg 1X D | 3/11/2010 | 5 | depression | 5 lb weight gain initially | This has saved my life, literally. I had been through several antidepressants trying to get something to work. Finally came across Lexapro. It worked at 10mg, but only relieved about 50% of a very severe depression. Increased to 20mg 3 months ago and it fully resolved my depression. I feel with feelings (not "numbed"), can cry, laugh and enjoy life. I am much more enjoyable to be around and work well at my job now. | F | 34 | 6 months 20 mg 1X D | 3/9/2010 | 5 | Depression and anxiety | First week: Nausea, upset stomach, constipation, sleeplessness, generally out of it. Those have all subsided. I don't like the sexual side effects, but the improved mood is a pro that far outweighs that con (even for my husband). My appetite has increased, but that's been good for me as I've struggled with anorexia in the past. | After about a week and a half, the side effects diminished and I felt like someone had lifted a ton of weights from my shoulders. I feel "like me" again. I give more information about my experience at my blog: http://www.adventuresinwanting.com/2010/03/one-month-on-lexapro-and-some-movie-fun.html | F | 30 | 1 months 10 mg 1X D | 3/9/2010 | 1 | depression/anxiety | Depression was horrible before I took Lexapro. I experienced many suicidal thoughts and this prompted me to go to a psychiatrist. But the first night I took Lexapro, I ended up in the ER twice. My heart was racing horribly and I felt like I would stop breathing. I went to the ER and they told me I had heart palpitations but I felt like I suffered a minor heart attack. I also felt really good in the beginning but then plummetted down to a deep depression. Had I been left alone, I might have attempted suicide. Though my original depression might have been what caused the racing heart rate and heavy breathing I do believe the medicine had something to do with it because I had an auditory hallucination and felt really good in the beginning. | This medication didn't work for me. For some people it did and still does but I now take Wellbutrin 200mg a day and this has helped my depression much much more. | F | 22 | 1 days 10mg 1X D | 3/7/2010 | 5 | Anxiety | if taken in the morning, sleep. other than that, it's perfect. | Me and my mom were going to counceling for the fights that were worthless and stressful. it turned out that i had an anxiety problem that i've had my whole life. when i started taking lexipro, the 5mg didnt do much. then i went to 10mg and it was great. i was taking it in the morning however and it made me so sleepy that i could fall asleep anytime, anywhere. so i started to take it at night and now, i'm just moderately sleepy in the day, (no more than going to bed at midnight can do to you) and i get sleepy immediately after i take it before bed. it made the world so much nicer and now i feel like a normal person. i dont want to crawl out of my own skin anymore. Lexapro is an amazing 'majic pill' for me . | F | 15 | 10 mg 1X D | 3/6/2010 | 3 | Severe Depression/Severe Anxiety | vivid, lucid dreams. | I've been taking Celexa for about 5 years and my doctor switched me over to Lexapro after I complained that the celexa was no longer working for me, I suppose the Lexapro would work very well if I haven't already grew a tolerance to SSRI's, which is a shame because they used to work quite nicely and now I'm a mess once again! | F | 25 | 6 months 20MG 1X D | 3/5/2010 | 1 | depression | Became arguementitive, would not listen to anyone, unable to sleep, personality change, thought everyone hated me, thought I had no friends, stayed at home, lost my temper easily, had problems eating, wanted to quit school, I was extremly unhappy | This drug is a young adult killer. Forest pharmaciticals nos and so does the FDA but they approved it anyway. Be careful my grandson committed suicide on this drug in only 8 days. Do not take any antidepressents without getting evaluated first. Our school thinks it was the drug and so do certain doctors I have spoken with. I don't no how to get the word out. They killed my grandson and their getting away with it | M | 15 | 8 days 10 mg 1X D | 3/5/2010 | 4 | GAD/panic attacks | body shakes & muscle twitches, night sweats, vivid dreams,zero libido | started on 10 lexapro with xanax. pdoc upped me to 20mg, took me off xanax and put me on 20 buspar. the 20 lexapro made me want to sleep all day and night and I had extreme body shakes at night. Lowered down to 10 lexapro, but had obsessive thoughts again. Finally, up to 15 lexapro and 10 buspar 2x day. The buspar has no side effects and I can function like a human on 15 lexapro, but have no libido and slight muscle twitches in my hands and legs. | F | 44 | 4 months 15mg 1X D | 3/4/2010 | 1 | Depression, Anxiety | Heavy sedation, Jaw Clenching, Inability to organism | Tired it four months. Very bad side effects. Did not have a good experience. Would not take again. | M | 30 | 4 months 20mg 1X D | 3/2/2010 | 3 | Grief/Anxiety/Depression | I'll be seeing my cardiologist in the near future. Spent several day in ER for Lone atrial fibrillation. | I'm not sure but I think that by inapportiately taking lexapro (skipping days) this medication may have cause my heart condition. Please notify your doctor if you feel you no longer need this med. I was seeking therapy and was feeling better therefore I started skipping days.I did not tell my doctor or therapist that I was not taking the meds as prescribed. I'm hoping my heart condition will correct itself, but won't know until my next cardiologist visit outside the ER room. I will let you know if this played a part with my diagnosis of Lone Atrial Febrillation (Irregular/rapid heart beats.) Unfortunitely, I'm now on heart meds. Please notify your doctor if you feel better and want to stop -- don't stop on your own. | F | 51 | 5 months 10 mg 1X D | 2/26/2010 | 3 | Depression/ Anexiety | WEIGHT Gain, complete loss of libido | I was so excited to start it as I was on Effexor for years but it had negative effects on my BP. And I gained 24 pounds, have no sexual desire and still have moody days. Just switched to Pristiq and hope to get rid of weight and regain sexual desire. | F | 32 | 3 years 10 mg 1X D | 2/23/2010 | 4 | Anxiety | Heavy tooth grinding (10 broken crowns in 7 years, even with a night guard), night sweats, low sex drive. I am off this med now for 2 weeks after a gradual taper. Withdrawal symptoms include brain zaps, dizzyness, minor panic attack, and unexplained episodes of anger. These side effects are lessening and will likely be gone in another week or two. | Relieved my anxiety and panic attacks almost immediatly. I felt great except for the night problems. | F | 39 | 7 years 5-10 1X D | 2/16/2010 |