LEXAPRO Reviews (ESCITALOPRAM OXALATE)Average Rating: 3.2 (2093 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LEXAPRO with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Satisfaction lowest to highest. 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 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 |
More on LEXAPRO: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LEXAPRO | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | generalized anxiety disorder | dull stomach cramps, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, staring into space, sleeping 9-12 hours a day, loss of motivation and sex drive | I have IBS so I believe that increasing my dose from 10 mg to 20 mg really irritated my digestive system. I was on the 10 mg for about 9 months and was having mini panic attacks, meaning walking in an open hallway and I would have to grab my head because I thought I would fall. Weird. Stairs do the same thing to me. At 10mg I had barely any side effects other than the mini panic attacks but the 20 mg....I don't like how I feel. I think I will reduce down to 15mg but I am worried about withdrawal symptoms. | F | 31 | 11 months | 11/23/2007 | 3 | Depression / Anxiety after Katrina | Lightheadness, nausea, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, weight loss/gain, severe decrease in sex drive, unusual panic attacks | In the beginning I was glad to be on Lexapro because it helped me deal with day to day life (losing everything, living in an area where a working streetlight would've been a "luxury", etc..) but I started to notice effects wearing off so my doctor upped my dosage from 5 mg to 10 mg. I've noticed increased sweating, a "spacey" feeling where I can just zone out when someone's talking to me, it makes me irritable and angry at times, and within the past year I've had unusual "panic attacks". When these episodes happen I get lightheaded, sweat, ringing in my ears, and blurred vision, my heart will pound then slow down quickly. It's very strange and doctor's don't seem to know what is causing it (They've run numerous tests). My sex drive has literally become non-existant and I have only been able to have one orgasm in 2 years since I started taking this medication in September of 2005. I'm seriously considering getting off of the medication altogether, but I'm w | F | 25 | 2 years | 11/15/2007 | 3 | Anxiety | Sleepiness | It made me not care about things that I SHOULD care about. Perhaps it is not the right medication for me. I was also sleepy ALL THE TIME and lost my desire to work out which was my favorite activity at the time. | F | 38 | 120 days | 11/12/2007 | 3 | Yes | Anorgasima for the first few weeks, it went away after that | I started on 10 mg went up to 20 mg, it helped a lot at the start but the effece stared wearing off after 6 months have added Wellbutrin XL now.. | M | 37 | 180 days | 11/2/2007 | 3 | Depression/PPD | Lethargy, Extreme Fatigue, Memory loss, Emotional Numbness | I started taking Lexapro about a month ago and the first 3 weeks seemed great, I was more calm, my anger issues seemed to disappear. A little tired and weary but nothing major. After about the 4th week I became physically exhausted, and emotionally numb, I don't care about things. My sexual drive is zero and orgasming on this is very very difficult. I'm starting to forget things alot and the last few days I've had moments of complete memory loss. I've contacted my doctor to change to something else, I don't want to up my dosage and have the same issue happen again. Not satisfied. | F | 28 | 1.5 months | 11/1/2007 | 3 | depression/anxiety/panic | nervousness/shakiness, occasional "electrical zaps" that so many people report with SSRI's, diahrrea and constipation, the urge to drink more alcohol. | Lexapro has helped with my depression, but not so much the anxiety. started at 5mg and am now at 15mg after about a month. doctor wants me to go up to 20mg, but i'm not sure about that. I've taken many ssri's (paxil cr, zoloft, prozac) and this one isn't much different. I've been noticing that the times i was on an ssri, i drank a lot more alcohol than when not on one. Paxil was especially bad in this case. However, lexapro has had no effect on my libido. In fact, it may have increased it. ssri's are notorious for killing one's sex drive but this drug hasn't in my case. | M | 21 | 4 weeks | 10/31/2007 | 3 | depression and anxiety | Lethargy and "spaciness" for the first three weeks or so, and some residual lethargy some days; very vivid dreams; yawning; frequent tingling sensations in my scalp that I've never had before; problems achieving orgasm. | I have found Lexapro helpful in diminishing anxiety/panic, feelings of sadness/helplessness/hopelessness, and general emotional volatility. It's also helped me get a better night's sleep; sleep disturbance had been a real issue before. I feel myself more on task, and my partner and friends have also noticed a positive change. I would encourage people to stick out the unpleasantness of the first few weeks of taking the drug. But I'd also encourage them to take it in conjunction with cognitive therapy; don't depend on the drug alone. | F | 46 | 3 months | 10/11/2007 | 3 | Depression/General Anxiety Disorder | Weight gain, jaw clenching, cravings, no sex drive, occasional weeks when I can't seem to get enough sleep, returning depression and suicidal thoughts | Back on 3/1/07 I posted a rating of a "5". I'd been on Lexapro for 4 weeks, lost 2 pounds and it seemed to be working ok. Since then I've gained 23 lbs. I've gotten out of a bad relationship as well. There were problems before but they seemed to get worse once I was on the medication. He told me that Lexapro took away my personality and my drive. This is something that I didn't see in myself. I was just happy that it allowed me to get through my day without yelling at anyone. After a few months I felt some of the depression and anxiety coming back. My doctor upped my dosage to 20 mg/day. This seemed to help for a while. But the old feelings returned again and even some thoughts of suicide. I'm very unhappy about the weight gain. Back in 1994 I started taking Zoloft. I took it for about 2 years and subsequently gained 85 pounds. I vowed to never let that happen again. When I stopped taking the Zoloft 40 pound seemed to melt of me and I managed to get rid of anot | F | 38 | 8 months | 10/11/2007 | 3 | Anxiety and quick temper | I am still evaluating lexapro. While it has improved my anxiety and quick temper, I have been dealing with headaches and memory loss. For me, I am not sure the trade off is worth it! | F | 41 | 2 months | 10/7/2007 | 3 | MDD/Anxiety | Constant dull headache, don't feel all-together, no emotion, trouble sleeping, jaws are sore, nausea, eyes sensitive to light (due to headache) | This is my 3rd day taking Lexapro. I had to call my doctor this morning because the side-effects are way too intense. I started on 10mg; tomorrow I'll cut back to 5mg. I haven't been able to function properly at work...I just stare at my computer screen. The first day I took Lexapro, I couldn't sleep. The second day I did fall asleep, but it wasn't restful sleep. I did have a dream, but it was typical...no vivid dreams yet. I did look in the mirror this morning and thought, "Hey, I'm pretty." So, I know SOMETHING is working... | F | 29 | 3 days | 10/5/2007 | 3 | GAD,OCD,severe panic attacks & depr | beginning:nausea,yawning. withdraw effects:nausea,vomiting,brain zaps,tremors,loss of feeling in hands & face,muscle cramping,vertigo,I couldn't move or watch tv or talk for 3 weeks. shear HELL!! | Only take this med if you have extreme symptoms! if you have mild forms of anxiety this is not for you! this works great at first, but over time anxiety returns, I became emotionally "flat"& slept 13-15 hrs.& still felt like crap all day. I completely lost my libido, & actually felt much more depressed & unmotivated than before this med. I had to constantly increase dosages over time & it did nothing for me.the side effects were much worse than the treatment. the first year great! then down hill. I just hope that others are warned of the severe side effects that I wasn't!just make sure you get a doc that REALLY cares! if anyone shares my symptoms & have found a med that works & doesn't have these harsh side effects!? please email me! I need help! | F | 25 | 21 months | 10/2/2007 | 3 | General Anxiety and Depression | Over the course of six months I still experience trouble falling and staying asleep, severe jaw clenching, low libido, difficulty achieving orgasm, and lethargy. I did not have any of these problems prior to taking Lexapro. I have also gained 25 pounds while on Lexapro and I hike 8 hours a day for my job. The weight gain is not natural-it has to be due to the drug. | I'm am starting to wean myself off Lexapro this week. Hopefully it won't be horrible. It did help me with my mild anxiety, but the side effects are now too great. Depression has increased because I can't fit into my clothes and feel unattractive. Hopefully I will be able to take this extra weight off after I stop taking Lexapro. | F | 25 | 6 months | 9/20/2007 | 3 | Depressing/anxiety | The First 2 days I had a head ache that was miserable! The worst pain ive ever had in my head. Also the first couple nights woke up with night sweats/racing heart/confused/and felt VERY IRRITATED/UPSET/Dizzy. I really felt out of it. Drove to work and had no clue how I had got their. Felt like I couldnt focus at work also have had no appetite what so ever and it has been really hard to get out of bed in the morning! | I really have seen some improvements but also feel its to early to tell. Ive been really care free and have been sleeping like a rock.(Better sleep then Ive had in 2 years!!!!)Before I had constant head aches everyday and i havent had one for a week now. | F | 21 | 9 days | 9/14/2007 | 3 | depression w/bipolar 2, GAD, OCD | First week and a half increased anxiety and major sweating but that went away. Took Ativan as needed for the anxiety. Since then fatigue which has gotten progressively worse it seems with each day. Really bad. Taking SAMe's (bipolars should be very careful about the dosage) and tyrosine helps but not enough. Now I have flu-like symptoms which are making the fatigue worse and I don't know if it's because of the Lexapro or not. It is listed as a side effect but few people talk about it. I am getting depressed about the whole scenario. | Ever since I started taking it all my negative psychological symptoms started going away and contined to do so pretty quickly, about 90% gone within 2 weeks.(bipolars are usually quick responders to SSRI's). But then over the past three weeks the fatigue has just gotten worse and worse. I was optimistic about waiting out the full 6 weeks before making a judgment but I'm almost there and over the past few days I've gotten depressed and even started to have suicidal thoughts. Don't know if it's just a realistic reaction to being so limited again in what I can do because of the fatigue AFTER such a long depression or if it is actually a symptom of the drug itself (suicidal ideation). Either way, it's a bummer. I will update this. | F | 48 | 5 weeks | 9/14/2007 | 3 | Anxiety, Panic attacks, Agoraphobia | Nausea. Some restlessness, Tense | Started at Half of a 10mg pill (5mg)every morning at 10am. After about an hour of first dose felt head tighten did a slow wierd movement with left arm, felt a burning tingling feeling between right cheek and ear, right ear very itchy. Day 2 just felt the itchyness in ear, also notice I felt restless. At night had to take .5mg of ativan (cause of some anxiety)Day 3 same itchyness in right ear but now on and off burning, tingling between cheek and ear left. took ativan (.5mg)at 5:45pm (ativan effected me different, more sleepy than before)also notice Now whenever i took ativan it made my ear itch also (never did before) felt like lexapro made me more rougher when play fighting with my wife.Day 4 feel like noise from kids doesnt bother me as much anymore. still itchness in ear on and off. Day 5 tense all day at night started feeling a scared feeling and started getting paranoid couldnt sleep until 5am when fell asleep woke up 4 times first time dizzy and scared. next day didnt take anymor | M | 40 | 5 days | 9/8/2007 | 3 | major depressive disorder | Initially yawning,jaw clenching, decreased sexual drive, anorgasmia--all which resolved but the decreased sex drive. At first felt great after several days of feeling sleepy, then felt better than I had in years. Happy, productive, outgoing again--then wham! After 5 months, started to feel depressed, didn't have any drive, hated my job, negative feelings creeping back in. WEIGHT GAIN!! Not at first--starting about the second month. Hungry all the time. Started out and stayed on 10 mg. Quit taking in morning, because I never got anything done. Had to take at night, then couldn't sleep well. Basically, when I needed to sleep I couldn't and when I needed to be awake, forget it! Also, I began to notice a lot of numbness, pain and tingling in my arms and legs and Restless leg syndrome. | Overall, it did help with my depression.However, the side effects were a little too unpleasant for me. I am presently in the process of switching to wellbutrin sr 150 mg. My doctor is assisting with this switch. Feeling great so far! GOOD LUCK. | F | 37 | 6 months | 9/7/2007 | 3 | Panic, Anxiety and OCD | Insomnia, major weight gain, lack of energy, decreased sex drive, bad memory, flat emotions :( | I've been of & on Lexapro for about 4 yrs. now. I was suffering from severe panic attacks, anxiety and ocd. The first time my dr. put me on this she started me on it at 10 mg. I had teeth clenching and bad headaches and was really really tired. After around 3 weeks, it went away and so did the panic attacks, but anxiety and ocd were still the same. I started gaining a lot of weight (30 lbs), so I decided to stop the meds. and the panic attacks came back almost immediately. They were so bad, I would pray that I could just go to sleep and not ever wake up. I then decided that I'd rather weigh even 200 lbs. than go through those terrifying panic attacks again. The next time I started by breaking up the 10 mg. pill in quarters and increased my dose by 2.5 mg. every 2 weeks. What a difference that made. No start up side effects. The weight gain is still there so is the flat/numb emotions and bad memory, but I'm hoping to add Wellbutrin and see if that helps. I've heard that c | F | 38 | 4 years | 9/1/2007 | 3 | social anxiety | dull headache first few days, lowered libido, dry mouth. | Not very effective at all. I felt less irratable and more outgoing in the first few weeks but I believe this was probably wishful thinking that the drug was working. After 12 weeks I have given up all hope that anything will happen. | M | 36 | 12 weeks | 8/31/2007 | 3 | General Anxiety Disorder | insomnia, night sweats, vivid dreams, harder to orgasm, constant yawning, tired a lot (probably from the insomnia), nausea the first week | Aside from these side effects, the meds were doing the job well. I found myself not worrying as much, and thinking more rationally. However, after seeing my doctor recently, I was told to increase the dosage because some of my old symptoms were returning. He explained that the dosage needs to be adjusted for most people to find what works for each person. The side effects that bother me the most are the insomnia and the difficulty orgasming. I will continue with the medicine as directed, as I was told that eventually the side effects will taper off the longer I'm on it. | F | 29 | 1 months | 8/31/2007 | 3 | PMDD,Depression,Rage,Crying,Anxiety | 1st month or two - clenched jaw, dry mouth, headaches, tired, nightmares, and increased appetite. After that - tired, nightmares, and weight gain. | I started taking Lexapro a little over a year and a half ago. I started taking it because I was experiencing extreme PMS symptoms for 3 weeks out of the month. It definitely helped me mellow out, but looking back I ask myself, at what cost? I recently began weaning myself off of a 10mg dose. At first I was frustrated because I felt like my old self was back again, and I hated that person. Now I realize that there were things in my life that were making me miserable and I got on Lexapro to make me happy in spite of it. What I should have done was deal with those things and not have taken Lexapro. Now that I'm pretty much off of it and I've dealt with the things in my life that were making me so unhappy, I truly regret ever being on it. I don't feel like I 'lived' while I was on it, I feel like I only 'existed'. I was numb and unemotional and tolerated things that I never should have tolerated. I feel sad that I'll never get back that year and a half of my life. Please ask yourself if th | F | 30 | 1.5 years | 8/31/2007 |