I posted this on the recov board also, but just in case no one reads over there, I wanted to know what you thought of the drug lexapro? I started it today and was wondering if there were any side effects that anyone had?

Thanks,

HINY

HINY

It should have come with a list of possible side effects. I am taking it now along with Wellbutrin outside of going bald the stuff works great.
H <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I took Lexapro a few years ago. I loved it once the side effects wore off. For the first two or three weeks I was very tired and had horrible nausea in the evenings. I also suffered from dry mouth in the beginning. Those all wore off though and the benefits far outweighed the side effects.

The one effect that did not go away was a drastic decrease in sex drive. You may want to ask your doctor about that if it could be a problem for you.

Hiker you are sooo funny!

I hope I don't go bald....:).

Thanks Faith that was my number 1 question to her today when she prescribed it to me. I was on prozac and that did the same thing so she said to try this and see and if it didn't work there was another one to try. It seems whenever you fix one thing something else always goes array trying to fix it.

HINY

I was on Lexapro for about five months. It was invaluable the first three months because it calmed my mind so much.

The first three weeks I was terribly tired and had the dry mouth. Chewing gum really helps with that.

I started having problem with it after three months though, weight gain only in my stomach and a nasty twitch in my left eye. I did some reserch and it can really screw up your metabolism. It helps to take fish oil (the omega 3 oils) as it helps with the metabolism problems. This is what I read anyway and so I still take them, and my metabolism seems to be back to normal and the stomach almost gone.

It was hard for me to go off, took about a month of cutting the little pills smaller and smaller and then skipping days. I had the most awful brain rushes or whatever they are called.

I know a couple of other people on the board who never had any problems with it though.

As far as sex, it didn't seem to have any affect on me that way.

Thanks Weaver,

I also have read some awful things about it. So I thought I would get some suggestions first hand from my friends here at MB. It can be scary starting new meds.

HINY

Hopeful....Lexapro helped me get through some rough spots.
Took about 4 weeks to really kick in. Dry mouth...yep,
difficulty sleeping....yep (some Dr's will co prescribe a sleeping aide), mild tension headaches...yep. All these things went away after about 1-1/2 months. Sex drive for my WH/FWH was still there but he had some difficulties getting to the top of the mountain if you get my drift.

But...all that said about 2 months ago I started losing hair like crazy. My ponytail is 1/2 the thickness it used to be. It really sucked because I have always been complemented on my hair... My Dr first thought it was stress related which very well might have had something to do with it, but I have read a lot about certain SSRI AD's causing that too although it is not recognized by the companies as a side effect. I asked the Dr to wean me off,
It has been almost 2 weeks...seems like maybe I am losing less, but it is still a problem.

Funny thing is that everything that is growing back is GREY!!!!!!!

Overall I think it is a good med, and every person will respond differently, but if you do start losing gobs of hair, you might want to switch. I am surprised you are on Wellbutrin as well, but they do have different modes of action. Good Luck

Gees JCMH,

Hiker said he lost some hair too! Isn't that strange. I thought he was kidding honestly.

I am not on the wellbutrin Hiker is I think. I am currently only taking the lexapro alone. I started yesterday and lo and behold I had a terrible time getting to sleep and I woke up several times last night for no reason what so ever. I will have to pay attention and see if that side effect lasts because I really like my sleep.

Thanks for sharing with me,

HINY

I have been on Lexapro for 5 months and have noticed no hair loss, dry mouth, or headaches.

It has done wonders for my rollercoaster, smoothing it out.

k

I have been on Lexapro for about 1 year now. The first three weeks were really strange for me. If I was not so desperately depressed I would have stopped it then. I would wake up at night and not get back to sleep, I had moments of extreme clarity which sounds good but it was a clarity of all my faults amplified to the nth degree. That was weird, it was like seeing the world in sharper colors or something. That fortunately did not last long at all. I have had some weight gain and already lose a lot of hair so don't notice a diff there. The sexual side effects for me wore off after about a month. The first month I had trouble having an O. Oh and the nausea wore off after a month too. I still yawn all the time though.

The best thing about Lexapro for me has been in dealing with anxiety and anger. It slows me down just enough to be able to deal with all the sh*t in my life without snapping at my DD or flying off the handle at WH. I still have some depression but given how my life is that is not surprising. I have thought about asking to increas from 10 mg to 20mg but really prefer not too. I am afraid of becoming emotionless.

Sorry for the rambling.

4 mo now....now major side effects..yawn alot especially around 1 - 2- pm each day like clockwork...keeps me calm...

Hi,

I have been on Zoloft for over a year now at 100 mg. I just went to the Drs yesterday and discussed that especially during PMS, I still have symptoms of depression. I also have a quick temper at that time. She advised that the point of this medication is to be symptom free. She suggested I tried some of the other meds, specifically Lexapro, to see if they worked any better. I told her I was afraid to switch as I didn't want to go through that ramp up period of 3-6 weeks before it kicked in. She didn't think it would be that bad because I was already on an anti-depresant. I started taking it today, so your post was especially interesting to me!

Many of the side effects mentioned above are similar to Zoloft, dry mouth, upset stomach, decreased sex drive, sleepiness. Zoloft didn't have the hair loss thing though, I'm going to keep me eye out for that one! I also lose hair when I'm under stress. As far as weight gain, the Zoloft kept me calmer and less depressed, thus I think I was eating more regularly vs. when I was not on it and after D-Day no. 1, I lost 20 pounds! So, for me, I'll take the weight, it isn't that bad! Good Luck.

Nancy

Thanks you guys. Great responses. I am going to give a real college try here and see how I feel in a month. That is when I go back again.


Nab,

Keep me posted on how you are doing on it and I will do the same. You can call me out on the Recovery board if you want and I will do the same over here on GQII.

Thanks,

HINY

I was kidding...I didn't lose my hair(although I'd like less in my ears)
H

Hi HINY

like Hiker I took Lexapro and Welbutrim for about a month and it was my miracle mix! But...



Ohhhhh yes I can relate to that, in fact I stopped taking it because of it....

Right now I'm taking it again and I'm happy again... and my sex life will have to wait meanwhile I figure out what was putting me down.

Thanks Matilde,

I spoke with my H about the side effects and he said he would rather have me feel good and not want SF then be unsettled and want SF all the time......LOL! I guess that is a good thing that he feels that way now.

I do feel better already and so far I have no side effects.

HINY

HINY, the Lexapro kicked in really fast for me. The 1st few days I think I felt kind of strange, especially that 1st day. Those symptoms finally leveled off, maybe after a week. As I've told you I never lost my sex drive, but after a while had difficulty with Os. Sorry! The Lexapro did effect my sleep also. When I finally talked to the doctor and she found out I was taking the drug at bedtime she told me to take it in the morning. That helped greatly and I did begin to sleep. Good luck! CV