CV - Not worth it to me either but do you feel as well on the welburtin?? The Lexapro has made such a difference in my life that I hate to lose that as well. How long were you on the Lexapro?? Anyone know if the side effect might fade after time??

Did you have to go back in and see the doc or did they do it over the phone?

my doctor said that you can take the Wellbutrin along with the Lexapro to correct the SF dysfunction.

Started today 10 mg a day on the mornings. New counselor recomended this one instead of Remeron, the one I took a while ago.

Will let you know.

Lisa03 - So you are taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin??

I am very curious about all this. I would swear by my Lexapro <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" />

hh...I just started on lexapro this week and I can already tell a difference. The doctor said that he could add the wellbutrin if needed offset the SF side effects if necessary.

Havinghope, so far I don't think I'm seeing a difference between the Wellbutrin and the lexapro. However, I am still taking both. I'll write what me textbook says about the "special considerations" to be looked at with Wellbutrin. "It is not as effective as most other ADs in treating depression complicated by an anxiety disorder or eating disorder." For me I think I am a pretty laid back person, but I had real anxiety when I found out about the A. The Lexapro was great for that. But I found the longer i was on the Lexapro, started mid-January, my SF really started going downhill. Very similar to what other ladies here have reported. I actually called my doctor after seeing her and told her i wanted to switch to Wellbutrin. Sometimes when meds are being fine tuned, and other ADs are added to the mix, it's a good thing to see a psychiatrist. They are much better with the fine tuning than a regular doctor. CV

CV55 - Thanks for the reply. I have struggled with Anxiety my whole life and have never been what I would call the overly happy type. I just thought it was who I was. I started Lexapro and I have never felt better in my entire life (and my husband just had an A). Seriously it is amazing how good I feel. I think I should have been on something all my life.

I will check in with my doc and see what he says. Problem for me is I have never been good at expressing my feelings and issues with SF, even to the doc <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> . I am seeing a counsleor but not a psychiatrist so I don't think that will help.

CV...I did find it interesting that they do prescribe the two A/d's to be taken together when SF is an issue. I had never heard of that before. I tried Wellbutrin a few years by itself and it did nothing for me.

Havinghope, the counselor and psychiatrist are totally unrelated. These days most psychiatrists deal with the medications and don't do any therapy. I'm just saying if you aren't seeing good results dealing just with your doctor, this is what a psychiatrist's specialty is.

Lisa, if I don't like just the Wellbutrin it's good to know they can add on the Lexapro. I really did like that med, but the dysfunction was getting bad. CV

WhiteKnight -

Thanx for posting the warning info. I hadn't heard about that possible side-effect yet.

I have been taking Lexapro for several months.
The only side effects I noticed were mild and only during first week. As far as SF goes I wouldn't know because I am in Plan B...

My oldest daughter started taking Lexapro this week for severe depression and anxiety. The doctor had tried to get her to start taking it about a year ago but she refused then. Now she realizes her depression/anxiety is not going to go away on it's own and she is willing to go to appt.s with DR & FC.

Neither of us has any history with seizures, but I will certainly watch daughter for any side effects.

The Lexapro has pretty much returned me to my normal (annoyingly) cheerful self LOL. It hasn't altered my personality or ability to function (the reason I was afraid to start it).
I just feel like MYSELF again. No zombiness. I can still feel sad or angry - just not obsessing over it with staying in bed or crying spells. And most of the time I feel energetic and happy.

Now when I'm too tired to do anything there's no doubt it's because I really AM too PHYSICALLY exhausted to do any more (after having mowed lawn, exercised, taken a walk, cleaned house, taxi'ing kids to their activities, etc.)

Also, I sleep much better. I do have vivid dreams but not disturbing. I do wake up during the night a few times but wake up feeling happy and have no trouble going back to sleep.

I have an underlying sense of well-being and of success (instead of anxiety/worry over not doing a good enough job at things). But it's not PollyAnnish - I really AM getting more done and have reason to feel less anxious and more successful.

Also, I have never before in my life had so many creative thoughts! I crochet and am coming up with more new things to make than I can keep up with! Plus practical problems I have been trying to solve suddenly have some nifty solutions. Weirdness... It's amazing what a happy, relaxed human mind can accomplish.

Still, as much as a benefit the Lexapro has been for me, I don't want to take it forever. (One of the reasons I refused to start taking it at first.) I will continue to take it at least through September (when divorce will be final).
I also have been given DR's permission to exercise as much as I want to again (I usually want to exercise a LOT - even LIKE to do push-ups and sit-ups). So I will be able to go back to my normal lifestyle of using exercise as an AD.

<small>[ May 29, 2004, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: meremortal ]</small>

Thanks for sharing info about Lexapro. I am taking 20mg daily and I did notice SF. I thought it was just me having difficulty getting over sexual images from WH A. I have noticed that it allows me to get through my day and think clearer. I started at 10mg for the 1rst week and was told to increase it to 20mg. Does this seem like a lot??

How many mg. is everyone taking? I am down to 10, but feel like I need to go back up to 20? I like the Lexapro much better than prozac or zoloft.
KK

Hi -

I have been taking lexapro for two months for anxiety (angry outbursts is another term for it I think). I am on 5 mgs (1/2 a pill) but I am thinking of switching to 10 because I feel good but thought I may feel better. It has helped me to stay level headed. Even after my breakup last night I feel very much in control. I guess safe and a good sense of well being is a good way to describe. I did have a couple of glasses of wine and almost passed out so I thinking drinking while on it is not a good idea. I was also having a lot of trouble reaching the "big O", that is one of the side effects for some people, but I no longer have to care about that. I plan
on staying on it long enough to know that my life is back on track and that I won't do anything stupid out of anxiety to screw it up again.

Weaver

PS I keep saying I'm done posting on here but then I read something else and can't help it.

I have just stopped taking Paxil. I have started taking the herbal AD "St John's Wort" which I've looked up on the net and the "experts" have a lot of very good things to say about it.

BTW I have suffered depression and anxiety since I was a teenager. Any crisis of any sort and up it rears its ugly head again. I have found the new meds to be light years ahead of what I used to take but I'm willing to try "natural" for a while just to see how I am on them.

I was taking half a Paxil every morning (would be 5mg I guess - or would that be 10mg - not sure) and have been four days off them and four days on the St John's Wort". So far I feel great - they have no side effects which is the best part. The "O" came back after about 6 months on the Paxil but I still got "funny" twitchy side effects which were uncomfortable.

H took 2 years to get right again after taking Paxil. Even when he'd stopped taking them he still had real trouble with the "O". (Never, never had that problem before and this was well before the A). He took them after he was made redundant from his work. He won't touch prescription AD's now (it was THAT bad) and takes St John's Wort.

Weaver, you're very welcome here - keep posting.

Jenny

<small>[ May 31, 2004, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: KiwiJ ]</small>

Jenny -

Will you post updates on the St. Johns Wort. I think everyone would rather take a natural herb than a chemical if it would work for anxiety/depression

...and thank you for saying I am welcome here

Weaver

Thanks Weaver, I will keep you posted with updates on the SJW.

I actually ran out of Paxil and was going to make an appointment with the Dr to get more but I didn't, so I'm self-medicating at the moment which probably isn't a good idea. I will go straight back to the Dr if anything "weird" happens because I know I should have weaned myself off the Paxil properly.

Jenny

I will say that I am experiencing the "vivid, crazy dreams" since going on Lexapro but I had that with Paxil too! OM still haunts dreams which I can't stand. Do they make a pill to make that go away?? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" />

IF ONLY!!!!!!!! Or maybe one that wipes out all memory (except nice ones of the family).

Jenny

Ladies, before switching to Wellbutrin I was taking one 15 mg. Lexapro pill. It was great except for the sexual dysfunction. I am totally on Wellbutrin now, and it is OK, but I liked my mood better on the Lexapro. Of course I did the switch to have good sex with H. However, if you read my post over in Recovery I don't really want to have sex with him now. SH**, I should have stayed on the Lexapro.

As far as St. John's, I've talked to several psychiatrists about the natural remedies. Both of these docs are really good, and they claim they really don't do much. Granted Psychiatrists are in the business of writing prescriptions, but that is what they told me just the same. CV

I'm still willing to give the SJW a try. It will be pretty obvious to me in about a week if it's working properly or not.

I'll be the MB guinea pig (lab rat) if you like. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Jenny

<small>[ May 31, 2004, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: KiwiJ ]</small>