Maxlo -
I've been on lexapro for about six months now. I started taking it in the middle of a terrible, terrible time, and supplemented it with Xanax (a mild tranquilizer) to get me through the very worst days.
I would say that I started to see beneficial effects within roughly two weeks. During that same two weeks, I had some of the transient side effects from the drug -- night sweats, diahhrea, insomnia. (Transient side effects in that they fade as the drug builds up in your system.)
There are other side effects, though there aren't very many serious ones. You should check the medication insert or talk to your pharmacist to get a listing of them.
Again, though, I was going through a terrible time, and it wasn't entirely clear whether what was happening was stress-induced or from the drug. I was on the infidelity diet at the time, so loss of appetite wouldn't have been something I could really identify.
All in all, I've found that the lexapro created, for me, a calm center from which I could work. My emotions were certainly still there and still very strong, but the lexapro reinforced the underlying stability of my core. I very much needed it at the time.
Nowadays, I'm looking to get back off of it (you have to be on it for six months before you can even consider going back off). My sense is that I'm very slightly less able to do high-level analysis while I'm taking it (I'm a management consultant with a background in physics and industrial engineering), and I prefer to have my head completely clear.
Still, I think the lexapro has more than paid for itself. In many ways, it stitched my head back together at a time when WP was tearing it apart. I was thinking on a much, much lower level at that time, and the lexapro got me to where I am right now.
Oh, and there are also sexual side-effects. For me, I experienced a greatly reduced libido. Given the situation, I consider that to be a positive side effect. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />
