Experience with Lexapro?

I used to have horrible anxiety!! I started Zolift, well the generic, sertraline after the birth of my third child. It has seriously changed my life. Absolutely no side effects whatsoever. It took a couple of weeks to get in my system, but I noticed feeling better days later. I am no longer impatient with my husband nor my children, I don't worry about every single little thing, or have bad (scary) thoughts.

Get a prescription for Xanax ($4 everywhere). It really helps keep me calm if I think I am going to panic, and I take a tiny dose. I cut a .25 in half. Xanax is great, I wish I had an "I heart Xanax" bumper sticker :)
~A~

OMG!!! That same thing happened to me. The doctor swore it was not because of the Lexapro, but I stopped taking it at once. I have not taking another depression or anxiety pill since.... I started praying and trusting GOD!

I know the feeling...I used to get that way when I would drive or shop at WAl-mart or the mall. I had a bad panic attack in Wal-mart one day when it was just my daughter and I. I went to the dr. the very next day. I dealt with these panic attacks for 6 months before I did anything about it. It is a horrible feeling! I take Zoloft for my anxiety! I love it. It doesn't make me tired or anxious, or gain weight or anything. I tried lexapro a couple of years ago after I had my 1sy child and it was not good for me. It kept me up at night and made me very jittery, I could not sit still and it didn't help with the anxiety. Come to find out my General physician said Lexapro is more for depression than anxiety...it can make you more anxious!
Hope this helps! And good luck!

I think it is a little early to think the Lexipro caused your anxiety since you just started taking it. That doesn't mean it will necessarily work for you when it does get in your system.

I took Lexipro and I believe it made me mean. I'm usually a doormat for everyone and while I was on Lexipro, I was able to stand up for myself. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I wasn't doing it in a diplomatic why. It was more like an explosion of anger. I do know others who take it and do fine on it. Everyone is different and the way these drug affect people are different.

I also have taken Zoloft but after 6 months or so, it worked almost too good. Nothing bothered me including missing deadlines and other things that I needed to bother me to keep me motivated.

I'm currently on Pristiq and love it. One of the positive things about it is it does not make you gain weight. That's always a plus.

Good luck, B.

I tried Lexapro because my GYN recommended it for hot flashes. I did not like it and only took it once. It made me very lethrgic and depressed. I think it is the medicine. Ask your Dr. to try something else if you feel you really need it. It might be a side effect. All meds have them If nothing else,check the health food store. There are many natural products out there.

I take 10mg Lexapro for anxiety. It doesn't work like that. It has to be in your system. That's why you go for a follow up visit a few weeks after you start taking it. My doctor also gave me a few pills of Xanax to take at the onset of an anxiety attack. I have used it a few times like when I went to the dentist for a filling, and it worked fine.
Give the Lexapro time. I have been taking it since November and I do notice a drastic improvement.

I also started keeping track of the triggers that set me into anxiety attacks and I try to avoid them.

I hope things work out for you.

I had a similar experience and ended up having to cut the pills in half and just take half a pill. The first pill was by far the worst, but once the dosage is right they are well worth it.

Hi SJR if you prefer something more natural I would suggest contacting the Sunshine herbal store in Saginaw. They are wonderful people and know their stuff.

Oh, let me add that you may also check out Dr. Chalmers. He can test your hormone levels to see if supplements can bring you back to a calmer state....his web address is below.

http://chalmerswellness.com/

I didn't have that experience with Lexapro, but did with another med for depression. I ended up stopping the meds because of the way it made me feel. The doctor prescribed anti-anxiety meds to get me through that period (it goes away once your body gets used to the med), but I just couldn't do it. I was on Lexapro for about a year and really liked it. The only problem with it is that I gained over 10 pounds on it which I've never been able to take off. My doctor claimed that the meds were not the problem, but I stopped gaining as soon as I stopped taking it.

If you really feel like you need the meds, try to get through the adjustment period (with other meds help if you need it). If you don't feel like you need them, then try other methods of coping such as exercise. I know what you are going through, and it is a TERRIBLE feeling.

Good luck!

I have taken Lexapro and like the other posters said it takes a while to get into your system - I would guess that your anxiety about taking the pill is what made you react that way. I had a really good experience with Lexapro - helped a lot with my anxiety. If you are that anxious about taking medication I would talk to your doctor about it. I have a couple of friends who have started taking 5-HTP which is a supplement which helps balance your seratonin - and they really say it helps and would be a more natural solution for you. Good luck!

I've been on Lexapro for 4 years now, and I can honestly say it had increased the quality of my life. It helps me not obsess as much, which in turn helps me sleep better, and helps me not think about horrible things all the time (such as, world problems, hell, etc!) I did not have any anxiety with taking the medicine. However, this is just my experience and could be totally different than yours. I just wanted to say that the Lexapro has been, for me, a lifesaver.

I took Lexapro and didn't have the reaction you had. I took it to help with my moods more then anything. I was having hormonal issues right before my period and my doctor put me on that. I quit taking it because I didn't notice any difference with the Med. I
hope you find a medicine that works for you. May God bless you.

I just stopped taking it Wednesday. My doctor approved me to take 1/2 a pill daily in the mornings but I was still having side effects, and didn't notice any improvement or worsening of my anxiety.

My side effect was jaw clenching. I took a whole pill the first night adn could not stop clenching my jaw. Didn't even notice it.

He did stress it has to be taken in the AM, though.

I took Lexapro for a short time a few years ago, and I gained weight that I haven't been able to get rid of. Be careful, my friend has panic attacks and depression and is on a very low dose of Paxil. It seems to be helping her. Good luck.

I have taken lexapro (5 mg) now for over 1 year. When you first start it, you should take Xanax or something with it for 10-14 days because you get ringing in the ear feel like you are having a constant attack...BUT after your body adjusts (10-14 days), it is the most amazing medicine. I take it every day just before going to bed and will not be without it. Talk to your doctor.

Hang in there mama! Here are some things that have helped me get through some of the rough times.
1. Yoga has been an incredible release for me. It is my time to relax and start over. I feel like I get a restart every time I go and I look forward to it. Check out www.corepoweryoga.com They have a work for trade program where you can clean the studio once a week for a couple hours in exchange for free, unlimited yoga.
2. I had similar experiences with psychotropic medications in the past and sometimes the side effects get better with time. But you don’t have to stick with just one…there are hundreds of different medications out there so if Lexapro isn’t working for you, you can try a different med. At one time I was taking an anti-depressant for depression, but that drug caused anxiety so I took an anti-anxiety medication, but that drug caused insomnia so I was taking a sleeping aide, etc…
3. An alternative treatment for depression and anxiety is an herbal supplement called Luminex. Do some research and look into it further. It contains natural ingredients including St Johns Wart, griffonia seed, folate, and vitamin B12 that help with depression and anxiety. My husband and I both started taking it a couple months ago and we noticed a difference within a couple of days. It can’t be taken with other psychotropic medications, but it may be a good alternative for you. Let me know if you are interested or have any questions.

I tried Lexapro for about 7 weeks. It was very strange for me. Nothing bothered me, but I slept ALL the time, just getting up long enough to sleep,bathe, and exercise. I must have slept about 20 hours per day.

It was an interesting experience for me though. When I completely stopped reacting to my husband, he stopped making digs at me. (I always tried not to react to him, but he could tell by my general muscle tightening or expression, or something) This was valuable information to me.

I've been on Lexapro a couple of times. For me, it can be somewhat stimulating, so I could never take it at night. I had to take it first thing in the morning with breakfast, and I cut the pill in half (5 mg). It seemed like I still had some insomnia, but I really had it anyway because of my depression/anxiety. After about a week or so, that went away and I slept better than I do without it. Also, I don't know if you drink coffee or much caffiene, but I had to cut that in half because of the stimulating effects of the Lexapro. I say give it a chance for a few more days and don't take it at night and see if that helps. Some people say the opposite, that it makes them drowsy, but that wasn't the case for me. Also, I didn't really get queasy, but it did seem to get rid of my appetite right at first, but that also tapered off pretty quick. Good Luck.