iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

No, you have to build yourself up to that point, that doctor doesn't know what they are doing. That should be a red flag for you, I would get a second opinion. It's not good for you or your body.

Posted: 2008-10-28 21:18:33

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

my boyfriend started at 10mg and is now at 20mg he forgets things he says. What he says and what he does completely contridict each other. he takes street drugs (meth) or viagra to get a decent erection and even then the climax is 50/50. Occasionally its great. Not often enough. He gets acid reflux horribly and he has a problem with communication. Its almost like he hates to hear advice no matter how important it is. He has to take sleeping pills. Its crazy. Sometimes if he feels like crap he"ll take 2 20"s I personally hate the drug.

Posted: 2008-11-03 07:33:43

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

no i have been on lexpro 10 mgs for 1 1/2 years and it's worked ok for me since i've lost both of my parnets in the last 10 1/2 years then i've lost 1 of my brothers in the last 5 years to lung cancer thats my yougerest brother and then last year my oldest brother died of lung cancer .

Posted: 2008-11-03 15:34:07

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Yes, i started out on 20 mg of lexapro. but i was on zoloft 1st - which didnt work for me (made me gassy & cranky!) The lexapro is a great change and I feel much better on it. It really works for me.

Posted: 2008-11-15 16:34:55

Answer/Reply:

Yes, I was also started on 20mg....worked very well for me... I have been taking this drug for 6 years, and just 6 months ago my dosage was increased to 30mg....I am doing extrememly well on this dosage. I take a 20mg pill and a 10mg pill once per day. I have suffered no side effects.. unless getting the munchies every so often is a side effect, then yes I am guilty......but ooooohhhh!!! that pop corn is sooooo good.

62 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-17 23:23:30

Answer/Reply:

Too be so mellow on lexapro, life is good.

49 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-24 09:16:24

Answer/Reply:

i have been on lexapro for GAD and depression for about 5 months and when i first started taking it, i was horribly nauseous all day long and VERY sleepy. i called my doc and he recommended taking it at bedtime and i haven't had any problems since then....

27 year old Female

Posted: 2008-10-24 17:46:18

Answer/Reply:

I was on paxil also and when I got off of it gradually I had problems with feeling like my brain would not move as fast as my head would. The side effects sucked. But now I am on lexapro 20mg and I havent had any problems.

34 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-02 23:27:57

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

you will have to back up the dosage meaning going from 10mg to 5mg over a period of time then cut the 5 in half and take the 2.5mg for about a week from there you can stop with out the panic attacks.

Posted: 2008-10-17 22:40:07

Answer/Reply:

I absolutely agree. I gained 30 pounds in 6 months. But I LOVE lexapro. I've taken paxil and zoloft for anxiety, but I really didn'y see much help. When I started the Lexapro within a week I felt "Normal" again!!! I took it for awhile and have gotten off of it due to weight gain, I can feel the anxiety creeping back in. This is absolutely the best drug I've found for anxiety!

33 year old Female

Posted: 2008-10-09 23:47:06

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Yes, I am having this same problem with the sudden weight gain side effects from this medicine, and I don't need to take it everyday! I can tell the weight gain by my clothes are getting more snug around my stomach, hip and thigh areas! Please let me know what to do about this!

Posted: 2008-11-19 00:29:30

Answer/Reply:

I, too, had been taking Lexapro - but for depression. It is expensive, so I asked the doctor for a medicine that was equivalent to Lexapro. He put me on Celexa. I found that it didn't work as well for the depression as the Lexapro. I'll be asking for a change back to Lexapro next month at my check up.

Glad to hear that someone else had this same problem with Celexa. My husband calls it my "Happy Pill", because without it - I'm miserable!!!

48 year old Female

Posted: 2008-10-01 16:34:19

Answer/Reply:

I'm also on lexapor and I also call it my "Happy Pill". It works for me I've been on it for 2 yrs. and I do feel much better. I'm happier and seem to cope with things and people even at its worst. I have started to gain weight but I don't know if it's because of the lexapor. I try to watch what I eat but also I'm 61 yrs old and weight also comes with getting older. I just hope I don't gain too much I'm 140 lb. I was 136 lbs but have gotten up to 143 lb. Doesn't seem alot to some but for me it does since Iam not a tall person 5' 2". I like my Happy Pill

61 yrs
Glendale, Az

62 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-25 12:53:31

Answer/Reply:

Absolutely. On Wellbutrin alone, I had no sexual problems. Added just 5mg of Lexapro and, yes, it's been a libido killer for me. I recently upped to 10mg Lexapro (still in addition to the Wellbutrin) to slowly increase dosage for my additional, subtle OCD issues but now I don't even want anyone to even think about touching me! Plus more weight gain. Plus suddenly I'm having Migraine Equivalents (the pre-migraine visual "flashing lightning bolts" effect) several times a week. Now I'm thinking that could also be due to the increased Lexapro. I don't know if I don't get the actual migraine because I take Advil or Tylenol as soon as I see the flashing lightning bolts or if I'm just getting the visual effects regardless of taking any precautionary pain meds but I think I won't be increasing the Lexapro anytime soon.

I am envious of those on Lexapro with no apparent side effects!

54 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-19 20:15:21

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Just keep trying, it does sound like you may be sensitive, but I'm no doctor. Also, a low dose may be what you need to start with and work upward on dosage, if needed.

When I started taking Paxil in '97, I noticed some "odd" feelings for about a week, but they passed and I felt better than I had in years. I'm now taking Lexapro, and have been for about 5 years. I'm on 10mg a day.

Speak to the doctor and don't let up until you get the help you need. Life's too short to feel low all the time. And an anti-depressant works differently for everyone.

Posted: 2008-09-07 19:29:13

Answer/Reply:

I think it is the class of drugs (SSRI's?) or something. I don't know what the class is. I react the same to all of them. They lift my depression after a week or two of being on them but they seem to cause a generized aching all over my body. There isn't a part of my body that doesn't ache. It is horrible. There are other classes of anti-depressants out there but they usually leave me so sleepy all day that I can't function. Is there anything else available? Has anyone else suffered from this whole body pain?

67 year old Female

Posted: 2008-10-02 12:55:42

Answer/Reply:

I've had the same problem!! Every med I've tried I have a bad side effect! I even start out at the lowest dose possible & it still does it!

37 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-20 08:56:01

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I am very glad to hear this! I just started taking Lexapro and am a little worried. It took me some time to go see the Dr about my depression and I am glad I did but worry about pills.

Posted: 2008-09-12 09:25:39

Answer/Reply:

I have been on lexapro for about 9 months now I started on the 10mg dose and was upped to 20mg about a month ago. I too had the problem with the queazyness in the morning after taking it but there is a certain way you are supposed to take the meds. I can't remember right off the top of my head right now but I know it is best to take it in the morning. My queazyness stopped after a couple of week but I made sure I took it at the same time every morning.

27 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-10 11:22:18

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

It is recommended to take Lexapro at night since it (can) cause drowsiness. Taking your dose at night can possibly help you get to sleep.

Posted: 2008-09-05 21:40:18

Answer/Reply:

I've been on Lexapro 10mg since last November and the only thing I noticed was it worked for about 3 months and then I was having trouble sleeping. My pyschiatrist put me on wellbutrin also. That did the trick. I'm sleeping great now. 40 year old female

41 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-20 22:50:09

Answer/Reply:

I suffer from insomnia...and I would rather not take a prescription sleep aid. I found a wonderful over the counter product that is all natural. It's a little pricey - but well worth it. The product I found and take is called "Sleep MD" and I highly recomment it! I've been taking it for 3 months and it doesn't leave you with the "hung over" feeling in the morning. My email is kltrow@rock.com. Let me know how this works for you - or contact me if you have any questions about it. I found it at Wal-Mart and the price is $14.97 for a 30 day supply. Good Luck!!!

Kathy

48 year old Female

Posted: 2008-10-01 16:39:13

Answer/Reply:

I have tried the Sleep MD and I still had problems with my brain shutting off. I recently had a sleep test and am waiting the results. Currently I am taking 2 1/2 mg Melatonin and Calms Forte, 2 pills. It works fine so far. I still wake up several times a night and it still takes about an hour for me to actually fall asleep. I am still fatigued through out the days. Talk about frustration. I am hoping the sleep test, which of course I did not sleep well, comes up with something. Thanks for your advice.

38 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-20 10:25:55

Answer/Reply:

Except for the very first antidepressant I started with back in '85 which made me sleep like a zombie, every other one I've been on (including Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, etc.) has given me sleep problems. I tried OTC antihistimines until they actually started making me anxious (rebound effect!), then did Ambien for a while, Lunesta did nothing for me, the new form of Ambien also did nothing and going back to Benadryl just made me too groggy all day. Klonopin is the only thing that has consistently worked -- although iGuard informs me that taking Klonopin with either Wellbutrin or Lexapro (let alone both!) can up the risk of stroke and siezure. Whoopee. Well, so far that hasn't happened but it feels like I'm between a rock and a hard place. I need the meds for severe depression (Bipolar 2 with emphasis on cycling levels of depression, and traditional bipolar meds had too many severe side effects for me) but the meds bring weight gain, sleeplessness, loss of libido -- all things to make one depressed anyway!

Yeesh.

Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth the trouble.

54 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-19 20:34:58

Answer/Reply:

And beware of bad batches of clonazepam (generic Klonopin). I can tell you that it happens. I switched to the generic for cost reasons and for awhile it was OK. Suddenly, it was like they just stopped working but I had just received a new supply. My psychiatrist told me to switch back to the brand to see if it was a bad batch of generics and sure enough, that was the problem.

Luckily, he tells me that he's heard of no problems with generic Wellbutrin so I'm going to make the switch there. At this point I can barely afford generics. But please beware! Regardless of what the insurance companies, pharmacies and some ignorant medical folk will tell you, all generics are not created equal. All generics are not identical to their brand counterparts. Ask your doctor about the reported success or failure of any generic before you switch to one. If he or she doesn't know, ask around and do some research.

I think that would be a great topic on these boards. What is your experience with taking a brand vs. generic drug? Good? Bad?

54 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-19 20:52:08

Answer/Reply:

Also, I meant to include that many years ago a professional jazz musician who travels the world told me about melatonin as the magic sleep aid. I tried it and it was a magic sleep aid for me except that after about a week I started getting more depressed. Sure enough, most Melatonin labels warn against taking melatonin if you have depression.

And if it takes you an hour to fall asleep and you still wake up several times a night, is what you're taking working at all?

My psychiatrist had me tested for sleep apnea and that proved negative.

54 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-19 20:42:59

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

There is a generic version of this medication. It is produced by Ivax Pharmaceuticals.

Posted: 2008-08-06 15:19:17

Answer/Reply:

What is the generic's name?

32 year old Female

Posted: 2008-08-07 12:44:41

Answer/Reply:

I heard that there was not a generic Lexapro, the closest they have to Lexapro is Celexa, which is almost identical to Lexapro. From what a pharmacist told me Celexa lost it's patent so they took the ingredient that worked in Celexa and renamed it to Lexapro, they call the two drugs a mirror image of each other. And Celexa is on the $4.00/mo. list at Wal-mart.

32 year old Female

Posted: 2008-08-07 12:51:45

Answer/Reply:

Very true but the Lexapro has less side-effects. When they lost the patent on Celexa they made Lexapro which was a little more refined they do this alot in the drug business. I have personally been on both and I'd much rather have my Lexapro. I took the Celexa for about 1 1/2 yrs and have now been on Lexapro for 4 yrs. I hated the Celexa it made me feel numb to my feelings. Usually I am very emotional, but on this if I had an argument with my husband and he said something hurtful, I could care less.

29 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-27 07:54:31

Answer/Reply:

escitalopram

39 year old Male

Posted: 2008-08-29 23:14:33

Answer/Reply:

It has not been released in a generic form in the US. The pat. is still active they will not release it until the pat. is up.

29 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-27 07:48:48

Answer/Reply:

I definitely would not take this while I was pregnant, I would stop till the baby was born. There are natural mood supplements out there you could look into, one is from "Now" it's called "Mood Support" and the other is from "Source Naturals" and that one is called "Mood Balance" both have about the same ingredients but the one from "Now" has Holy Basil Root in it which can make some people's stomach upset. Before I would take these supplements research each ingredient online and see if there are any problems taking them while pregnant, most herbal remedies don't have harmful effects like prescriptions do but it is always good to research anyway. All the ingredients are well known to help people w/ depression and anxiety. Hope this helps!

32 year old Female

Posted: 2008-08-04 21:44:33

Answer/Reply:

I found out I was pregnant at 27 weeks and I had been taking Lexapro the entire time and for years. I was very very worried the entire time that my child would not make it or have major brain damage or some other serious problems. By the grace of GOD my child was born completely healthy with no long term problems. The only thing, he was addicted to my medications and was an emergency c-section. He stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks, but was the over all healthiest baby there. Now you would never know he had any problems. I have been truely blessed by GOD to have such a wonderful happy 1 year old. I was taking 10 mg and I'm 30 yrs old.

30 year old Female

Posted: 2008-08-22 10:40:07

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

A friend of mine was on Lexapro during her pregnancy. The doctor said it was safe. However, now they are in litigation because the drug cause her to have "placenta abruption" at 33 weeks. My friend almost died and the baby was pronounced dead and then resuscitated after 16 minutes. Her husband was told upon arrival at the hospital that the baby was dead and they were losing his wife fast. My friend survived the heavy loss of blood only because it happened at a medical facility and the baby had SEVERE brain damage. The baby lived in a Neo-natal for a little over 3 weeks before they realized that her entire digestive system didn't work. PLEASE don't take this if you are pregnant. My friend and her husband had to bury their bundle of joy 4 weeks after she was born. Not only that but she died on my friends birthday, the same day her baby shower was scheduled for. It was a terrible ordeal.

Posted: 2008-08-25 22:14:00

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

if you lower the to 5 instead of 10 ml I think it will help.

Posted: 2008-08-02 22:21:22

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Approximately 5% of iGuard members reported dry mouth or insomnia while taking Lexapro - but most people (96%) feel the benefits of Lexapro outweigh the side effects.

Posted: 2008-07-15 13:17:57

Answer/Reply:

If you take remeron with lexapro you reduce ssri side effects, like headache, nausia, sleeping problems and sexual dysfunction. Remeron is 5ht3 antagonist (no nausea) and 5ht2 antagonist and histamine agonist (sleepy in low dosage, less in 45 mg dosage)

martijn

39 year old Male

Posted: 2008-08-29 22:33:42

Answer/Reply:

You sound a lot like me, I think you should print that and give it to your doctor, it can be better; the ups and downs, you can even it out more, that was my frustration.
My doctor made up her own doseage, 1 1/2 pills to go mid-level, one was too low and double was too high. I don't seem to have many down days anymore, my personality is more fun, and it could be the Lexapro or combined with the fact I took up reading things that interest me from before reading nothing at all.
Subjects on positive thoughts, meditation, positive thinking, laughter curing illness, stuff that keeps me from being in the negative and more in the positive. I don't know if its brain power or Lexapro but either way, I'm feeling great these days!

32 year old Female

Posted: 2008-07-02 17:10:37

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Enjoyed reading your story. I have been on lexapro for about 3 years. I tapered off from 10mg last summer with some but manageable side effects. I too had gained the 20 pds and decided my depression was better so off I went. Lost some weight, felt better until Dec. when I became very ill and cound not seem to get well. After a battery of tests I was diagnosed with Lupus. I cried for 2 weeks. Lost my job due to the ext illness and became extremely depressed. So I can so sympathize with you. I started Lexapro back and until 3 weeks ago have been taking 20mg. I decided to taper to 10 and my worst side effects are waves of nausea and headaches. I am otherwise feeling better. You know like you said we know our bodies best and Im learning to listen to mine. I've accepted I have Lupus but I also realize now there are worse things and I cant give up. I wish you a happy healthy life.Good to hear from a fellow fighter.

Posted: 2008-07-11 04:26:47

Answer/Reply:

Enjoyed reading your story. I have been on lexapro for about 3 years. I tapered off from 10mg last summer with some but manageable side effects. I too had gained the 20 pds and decided my depression was better so off I went. Lost some weight, felt better until Dec. when I became very ill and cound not seem to get well. After a battery of tests I was diagnosed with Lupus. I cried for 2 weeks. Lost my job due to the ext illness and became extremely depressed. So I can so sympathize with you. I started Lexapro back and until 3 weeks ago have been taking 20mg. I decided to taper to 10 and my worst side effects are waves of nausea and headaches. I am otherwise feeling better. You know like you said we know our bodies best and Im learning to listen to mine. I've accepted I have Lupus but I also realize now there are worse things and I cant give up. I wish you a happy healthy life.Good to hear from a fellow fighter.

39 year old Female

Posted: 2008-07-11 04:43:10