All about Lexapro

Howdy from a chilly (45! brrr!) Texas…
We should get together and post an FAQ on the group somewhere…
Just wanted to reply to a few posts:
1) Alcohol + Lex = a recipe for a disaster in side effects, not in liver
metabolism. Lex basically intensifies the effects of alcohol, from
speed-of-drunkenness to blackouts, etc. You would likely pass out and fall
asleep before you
drank enough to cause liver damage. While you should always check out herbal
remedies with a doctor before mixing them with Lex, vitamins and minerals are
fine (I take tons of them every day). Valerian and St. John’s Wort remain two
of the most potent agents to be careful of, because of the way they are
metabolized in the liver. If you have any history of liver problems, be careful
even
with Lex alone.
2) Suicide — my thoughts are with you after that attempt. I’m glad to hear
you had the courage to get the help you needed. Interestingly enough, Lexapro
is to be admistered only with caution to patients at high risk of suicide. But
I also am glad you were brave and kind enough to share your story with others,
because it is NEVER a good idea to quit a psychotropic drug cold turkey. The
results are unpredictable — you are messing with brain chemistry.
3) Insomnia — This is a known side effect of Lex, and all side effects
increase the higher in dosage you go beyond 10. I actually had insomnia of
Herculean proportions (sleeping three hours a night, maybe?) with Lex when I
started.
Took an Rx of Restoril 30mg qhs (a benzo) to get me to sleep. Ambien isn’t a
benzo, but it works the same way. My doc and p-doc agreed with me that using a
benzo would be fine, even if I took it every day, because we were treating a
side effect, and canceling something out, rather than just using it to alter
brain chemistry to induce sleep. Might be worth discussing with a p-doc. At any
rate, until you can find an Rx sleep agent, try 50mg of Benadryl (or its
store-brand equivalent — you’re looking for diphenhydramine). It’s interesting
that this everyday antihistamine is also sold under about 10 different names as
an OTC sleeping pill, usually for twice the cost All the best,
Brian in Houston

for the best!
it has defnitely been a huge catalyst in helping me to:
-give my daughters ‘father’ the boot, break up with him
-keep it together thru our not seeing anything of him these past 5 months…
-dealing with living with my mother and her continuing alcoholism/dui’s, etc.
-getting out of 2 brief relationships where i was half way living with the
guys…in my past i would have stuck it out til it got real unsatisfying,
chaotic and/or miserable…
-be more self sufficient and earn my own ‘keep’ by selling things in storage
and garage, etc. on ebay…i am doing very well at this!!! within about 3
weeks i have made over $1000. from selling my stuff!
-get a nanny job…i finally found one i click with (the family) and am
moving to maine…completely across the COUNTRY,which is a BIG deal for someone
who
has been so dependent on men and/or my mom financially and emotionally for 33
years…i am finally ready to be self sufficient and provide for myself and
my daughter…i am AMAZED. i’ve been a spoiled princess in a way…and it has
hindered me so much…it was like a drug. but now i am FREE!
-within the past 2 weeks i have been everything is falling into place…i am
moving back east and i love it…i am just thrilled -i am jamming to get my
things in order to move quickly to maine to work for this family…
-i have sold furniture to a local used furniture place, etc…and…he is
offering me more than i even expected he would…wow!
-i have sold jewelry my ex gave me at the local pawn shop…that felt great
-i feel confident, refreshed, cleansed, ALIVE and just plain proud of myself!
i am excited for not just what the future holds for my daughter and i, but
the PRESENT. i am enjoying life and who i am. wow.
just thought i’d share my success story with all of you. this med is truly a
miracle for me. i’m only on 10 mg. a day, thought i might add…didn’t take
much for me with this med. i’m so used to being negative and focusing on the
wrongs of my life…that is why i’m making a point of celebrating.
~lisbeth

Hello everyone.,
I don’t post often to the group. But I wanted to
share my experience of what can go wrong when quitting your meds cold
turkey.,….
Wednesday nite, after not being on my lex for 2 weeks, I had a manic attack
and slit my wrist with a butcher knife. I don’t remember much of what
happened. But, I do remember the fire fighters and paramedics forcing their
way into my master bathroom to get me out. I had barracaded myself in. I
wound up the emergency room, disoriented and I voluntarily admitted myself
to the Psychaitric ward for the night. This morning I did a walk thru of my
house and found my blood from the kitchen to the bathroom. That my husband
desperately tried to clean before I came home last night. So now I am
sitting here typing with 13 stitches in my wrist. The reason I wanted to
share this is. It is never a good idea to go off your meds without sharing
this with your DR. The right way is to talk this over with your P-doc and
get his opinion and the right way to step down on the meds if both agree. I
made my husband cry my son is mad at me for what I had done to myself, he
won’t talk to me right now. And I understand that.
I never thought that this would happen to me. I had always been the one to
keep control in my life. But I am also an introvert. So it was common for
me to keep everything inside and attempt to deal with it myself. One step at
a time.
For those of you wanting to quit….do it the right way please!!!Don’t end
up like I did….
Jacquie

I have two questions for all. Not that I want to go get sloshed, but,
I am curious about
the affect of alcohol consumption while taking Lexapro. What has been
anyone’s
experience with this? I have wanted to have a beer but wanted to
find out if it’ll cause a negative affect. I started Lexapro January
3rd 5 mg for 4 days
then went up to 10mg which I have been on since. I feel as if I had
started out with a
bang and now leveled off. I feel the drug is helping. I was really
irritible and easily
aggravated before the drug. I feel better, but, sometimes especially
in the past week,
I’ve had a couple of times where I thought it wasn’t working. I have
a lot going on
though. I am a single mom, college student, live with parents to help
so I can finish
college (going to be Dr.-science courses,ie:physics, etc.), have a
six year old who is
going through the my way or no way thing, and just lost my job before
xmas.
Sooooo… I guess I am doing pretty good considering. Oh check this
one out. Due to
my anxiety/depression , I have bad testing anxiety and have been
fighting with
professors to let me take tests outside class in testing centers.
Mostly they tell me to
“get over it.”
Taking tests in the classroom makes me
bomb tests-STRESS!!! I have been going to college since 1998 and have
never sought
help for it. BUT…maintained A’s,B’s. I probably could have gotten
all A’s if I would
have gotten help sooner. My college has an office of student
disabilities which faxed
my new Dr. to get proof he is treating me because he wanted me to
come in for a
doctor’s note. I just went in before xmas and now have no insurance.
I have been
going to the same offic efor 20 yrs. Go figure. Well I have victory!!
I now have a paper
to give all professors stating I am to take all quizzes and test in
the Office of Student
Disabilities. PROOF! Anyway I had to share that with you all. People
don’t seem to care
or understand that depression and /or anxiety is a disability.
Thanks for listening.
Jill

In a message dated 1/22/2004 12:01:37 PM Eastern Standard Time,
dep0318@… writes:
passed. I
just recently lost 40 pounds in 6 months by just
cutting down my portion sizes (almost in half!)
I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to ask: How overweight were you? I mean,
I have a relative who says he lost 30 pounds by cutting out snacks, but he was
at least 80 pounds overweight, I think.

I gained 30 lbs in the 7 months that I was on 10mg of Lexapro and 3
weeks ago I went to 5mg in hopes that I would wean off of it in a
couple more weeks. During the past 3 weeks, I have gained an
additional 7.5 lbs.
Has anyone else had this occur?
I am stressing out because I gained weight on the Lexapro and I’m
gaining weight as I lessen my dose! I am fearful that in a couple
of weeks when I stop taking the Lexapro I will have another huge
weight gain. This is not what I expected to happen.
Any insight would be much appreciated!

Hello everyone:
When my doc switched me from Zoloft to Lexapro, I asked him why
people get sick from SSRIs. He said we have a large concentration of
Serotonin receptors in our abdominal region. The SSRI meds are non-
specific about where they react (that is, Serotonin is reacted upon
no matter where it is found–brain or stomach). The doc said future
meds will be specific–so, they will only effect Serotonin in the
brain.
Good times
GZ

Background:
* Social anxiety, mild depression
* Took Zoloft for 1 yr.
–too many side effects (lethargy, negative thoughts, lack of
focus/concentration).
* Doc switched me to Lexapro 4 wks ago
* so far, mild to no side effects.
–increased focus, greater enthusiasm for participating in
activities (no doubts about going out), achieving goals.
* overall positive outlook
Zoloft is great, helped immensely.
* However, Lexapro is much better (noticed difference within days)
Good times

Hi–
Is there anyone taking the liquid form of Lexapro since they
experience side effects from the SSRI’s (increased anxiety, panic and
in my case increased OCD symptoms? If so, I would like to know how
you are doing with this sort of way of taking the Lexapro–I am
taking it mg, by mg, by mg. From what I have been hearing the Lexapro
works!
I am on the liquid form of Lexapro (I have OCD)since I have severe
side effects from the SSRI’s. My doctor has started me on a very low
dosage 1mg every 4 days, for 2 weeks, then 1.5 mg every 3 days for
the next 3 dosages, now the next dosage is 2 mg for the next 3 to 4
dosages. I am really hoping this is going to help my symptoms.
Kelly

Hi everyone,
I’m new here and have been on 10mg of Lexapro since Dec 19th. I was
started on it slowly since I’m sensitive to meds and feel like it’s
not doing me much good at all. In fact, right before my period this
month I had worse PMS then when I wasn’t on the Lexapro. How long
should I give it?
Thanks!
Amy