anyone on lexapro?

[stirringleaf]

i was given free samples by a neurologist, and i was wondering about side effects. have any of you used it , and was it OK?

i dont think i am going to use it, becasue i am trying acupuncture and other things first, but i was wondering what people think about this drug.

thanks

[Amydoula]

I will have been on it 2 years next month. I have had no side effects at all except in the very begining I was tired for a couple of weeks and had an "off" stomach for about 3 days. It was very very tolerable for how much better it made me feel! Also, I am a very sensitive person and that is why I was prescribed this particular SSRI, b/c i has low side effects. I don't think it is working as well, at the same dosage, as it did 2 years ago, but then again that might be skewed b/c I am digging into deeper issues with my therapist.

Amy

[bobica]

HI! I've been waaay happy with Lexapro. I've been on it since June '04 & have very few side effects that i'm aware of. I've been thinking of looking at other options b/c this is soooo expensive ($50 copay each month). But, it would have to be a really great alternative to be worth switching.

I : acupuncture & it did help with the anxiety but not nearly as much as the meds. Also, i had to pay $60 a pop for acupuncture, so the lexapro is actually cost effective! . I'm learning to meditate this year (just got a cd today!) & am trying to exercise more & add more yoga. If we want to TTC again, i want/need to be med free!!!

[weetzie]

I'm on Lexapro--I think I've been on it around a year. It has really helped with anxiety, and some of the depression as well (though I used to be on another anti-depressant as well, so it is hard to tell which does which). I don't remember any side effects, at least none that were glaring.

I agree with Monica--I did/occasionally still do acupuncture, meditate regularly etc, and Lexapro has really given me the help that I needed. I hope that you don't need it, though. While I don't believe that anti-depressants are bad, I would much rather be med free.

[cztarma]

Just went off Lexapro

Hi, I was on lexapro after 6 months of Zoloft. I had the sexual side effects that they talk about on the package, and I also had weight gain.

It really helped with my depression for a while (PPD) and also with my anxiety. So, for the time I had the side effects, they were worth it. I just tapered off, and the withdrawl wasn't too bad.

If you are depressed, you should try it. It really helped me a lot and for moms who are really busy it was an amazingly easy way to get out of my PPD "dark days" as I now call them.

good luck, Allysen

[krisnic]

I am on Lexapro and love it. I have actually had weight loss instead of gain, because the past medicine I was on (Paxil) increased my appetite so much that I gained 50 pounds! I have lost 9 pounds in a month on this medicine and feel like a completely different person.

[Vito's Mommy]

I have the bottle and I look at it everyday. I was planning on starting it during dh days off in case of a crazy side effect and ironically he hasn't had 2 days off in a row in over a week! Let us know what you decide, as I too am on the fence. Oh, my bf lives in SF and goes to the School of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupunture and really wants me to come in. If anyone is near the area, the clinic is 1/2 price!

[bell bottom blues]

I haven't tried it, but I will say that I've had some crippling depression, where I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed - and 6 capsules of fish oil does the trick like I don't think anything else could. If I skip taking it for just a couple days, my mood plummets. I never dreamed it would be this effective, but it is.

If fish oil worked for you, would you choose it over the Lexapro?

[stirringleaf]

my OP was a long time ago. i never took the lexapro. i was given it cuz i hit my head and was taking a very long time to recover. anyway i went and got acupunture instead, and after 2 treatments within one week i was MUCH better. within 5 treatments i felt very close to normal. if i could afford acupunture once a week for the rest of my life , it is what i would do.

i will try the fish oil, since i have some in my fridge right now.

just thought i would update

[canadianchick]

I just started Lexapro today. I had been on Paxil for 3 1/2 years. I'm hoping for the weight loss like one of the other mammas talked about. :

[monkeymimi]

Hi, I am newly pregnant and just withdrew off my good ol Lexapro - I did love it. I am not happy to be on any med, of course, but have experimented off and on over the years, and frankly, my quality of life is much better on the pills. Very few, if any, side effects compared with other meds I have tried.

I am a big believer in hitting depression from all sides. I take the pills, take the fish oil (yay fish oil!), go to therapy, eat right, stay mindful of exercise, and stay connected with my community - all of these things are equally important to me to managing sneaky depression that takes all the fun out of everything.

Definitely don't want to feed it to my embryo, though. I feel lucky that I have all these other things in place - I recommend this approach to anyone considering meds - they can't do the whole job alone.

I would encourage anyone who is considering meds to experiment. Life is too short to miss because I am feeling crappy.