All about Lexapro

Hello everyone,
I hope my writing is seen as appropriate and not flaunting anything -
- that isn’t my intention.
Last June, I joined this list because I was just starting on a wierd
new pill called Lexapro. I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of
good answers, and even made two good friends who I still chat with
from time to time.
I was looking back at my progress, and, WOW. Life is good. I look
back at how I let myself behave in different situations and just
can’t imagine my life being like that for so long. My deal was
social anxiety — I coudn’t have any sort of interaction with anyone
without feeling I was being judged or ridiculed in some way.
I’m still on my same dose.. and I had to go off it for a while when
I had some surgery and those side effects came back just like
clockwork (no circus the second time either but I knew what I was in
for.)
In talking with a friend we decided that a lot of it wasn’t just the
pill… it was my wanting the pill to work — the attitude that
allowed this little circle of compressed chemicals to float around
my bloodstream and let it do what I had to do — but to work with it
and not fight it, not sit there like a kid at a circus daring the
clowns to make him laugh.
The transition is so gradual you wont’ even notice it… but when it
hits…. and you look back and say “did I do that?” It’s so
wonderful.
Again. My intention is not to brag or say “ha ha I’m healed and
you’re not.” I’m not healed. I’m still working at it, day by day –
but like they say in that Phillips TV ad, it’s getting better…
There IS life after anxiety and depression.
I didn’t believe it.
Murph

Hi,
My pdoc added clonidine,to my lexapro.Anyone with experience with
clonidine?He chose this,rather then properol(sp).
My anxiety is rather high.The clonidine is suppose to help this.
den

Kelly ~ ~ I was just reading up on Dr. Andrew Weil’s website today.
He has a section all on anxiety. Here is one section I copied for
you:
Several parts of the brain are key actors in a highly dynamic
interplay that gives rise to fear and anxiety. Using brain imaging
technologies and neurochemical techniques, scientists are finding
that a network of interacting structures is responsible for these
emotions. Much research centers on the amygdala, an almond-shaped
structure deep within the brain. The amygdala is believed to serve as
a communications hub between the parts of the brain that process
incoming sensory signals and the parts that interpret them. It can
signal that a threat is present, and trigger a fear response or
anxiety. It appears that emotional memories stored in the central
part of the amygdala may play a role in disorders involving very
distinct fears, like phobias, while different parts may be involved
in other forms of anxiety.
By learning more about brain circuitry involved in fear and anxiety,
scientists may be able to devise new and more specific treatments for
anxiety disorders. For example, it someday may be possible to
increase the influence of the thinking parts of the brain on the
amygdala, thus placing the fear and anxiety response under conscious
control. In addition, with new findings about neurogenesis (birth of
new brain cells) throughout life, perhaps a method will be found to
stimulate growth of new neurons in the hippocampus in people with
severe anxiety.
Go to www.drweil.com and click on the left side hyperlink
for “Mind/Body/Spirit” and read the article on “Anxiety”.
Kelly ~ ~ In reading this article it reminded me of something
happening to my body. As I grow older, as per my pdoc, my genetic
mapping is causing certain things to happen to me as I age. Like I
developed Asthma at age 43, a skin condition at age 30, etc., etc.,
etc……….. just another thought for you.
Dana Rose

Anyone seen or heard from Jeff yet ???? Hoping he is okay !!!!
Dana Rose

Hellow this is Thea.
I just wondered if I was on moderated status for a while?
I wrote an intro to the group and haven’t received it yet in my inbox, nor any
other messages from the Lexapro group.
Just curious,
Thea

Dear Lexapro Group,
I’m currently on 20 mg Celexa and almost from the first day experienced the
wonder old side effect of having little or no sensation “down there”. I’m pretty
much resigning myself to the fact that SSRIs seem to work best for my
depression but worst for my ability to orgasm. I’m wondering if anyone has
been on both Celexa and Lexapro and if so did they experience any less of a
sexual side effect on Lexapro?
Thank you!
Kelly

Hi everyone. Does Lexapro come in a tablet where I could break it
up? I am very sensitive to medicine and prefer to start out at the
lowest possible dose. I took Serzone a few years ago and I broke the
50 mg tablet into quarters and worked up to half a day. I’ve heard
good things about Lexapro but am afraid to take anything new for fear
of the horrid side effects. Charisse

Well, I took a temp gig yesterday and I had a very bad experience. It
took me 2 hours to go 11 miles to work and not only was I an hour
late but the temp agency gave me the wrong address I had to pull over into an office building and ran into the ladies
room and sat there and shook. When I first got out of my car, I
didn’t know if my legs would hold me up !!!! I also had a near
accident because I was sooo panicky that I pulled out right in front
of another car.
This is not like me to react like this……
Then when I finally arrived, they put me in a very noisey section of
the office, where this very young woman sat, flinging her hair all
over the place as she bobed up and down at her chair while singing
and whistling and snapping her fingers to this heavy rap music
station. My job is a thinking job and requires an intensely quiet
environment. I had to take an initial test and I failed because I
couldn’t concentrate enought to think through the questions. It was
also an environment that I didn’t like…… harsh phlorescent
(spell ??) lightening, short and small cubes (everyone can hear you
and see you) a very uncomfortable chair. Then I sat there the rest
of the day and did nothing, nothing at all. I guess it was okay as I
was paid handsomely for it, but when I got home, I was snapping at my
cats, my neighbor and tonight I woke up around 2:00 am and thought I
was having a heart attack. I was able to finally calm myself down and
decided to come here and write about it.
I have been off work now for 5 months and I am wondering if it was
too much of a reality shock to go back like this. I am not used to
intense traffic and to top it off, I was late due to the traffic and
the wrong directions. Then my curious anxiety and panic reaction
which I thought I had under control. The disappointment of being put
into an environment that was not conducive to a healthy way of
working (I am very much an introvert), and now the panic over what
will I tell my temp agency tomorrow ??? This is no regular temp
agency, this is an agency that specializes in my industry and it is a
highly respected place to work. I mean, if you are hired to work
there, you have got it made and I don’t want to start off on the
wrong foot………. But I can’t handle the job this way and I don’t
want to go back………………… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thinking I will
call and find some excuse why I can’t go back Then I found out tonight when I stopped off to pick up a prescription
that my health insurance terminated and no one notified me. I called
my insurance carrier, and my employer did not disclose something to
me. That threw me into a panic situation as well.
So, here I was laying in bed, in a cold sweat feeling like I was
having a heart attack a few minutes ago and no health insurance !!!
Not a good day, holding my head in my hands.
Dana Rose

Hi everyone -I’m new here. I have an appointment on Monday to see my
dr about taking an anti-depressant. I was on Serzone over two year’s
ago. I took a VERY low dose -25 mg per day and that was by breaking
the lowest dose pill in half. It was pretty effective for me but not
completely. I mainly suffer from anxiety and OCD stemming from a
severe phobia of vomiting. I need something that stops the obsessive
thoughts I have but of course the first side effect on every anti-
depressants it “nausea” which is my big fear. I had horrible nausea
from Zoloft and Paxil. I think one of the only reasons Serzone
helped is because I took it upon myself to break the pill into
quarters and start on a low dose. All the other times I had just
accepted it when the dr tried to start me out on a moderate dose. I
didn’t know any better I guess. I am interested in Lexapro because
it is such a low dose (10 mg right?). Has anyone here suffered from
major nausea on it? Also how about weight gain or sexual
dysfunction? I am hesitant to take Serzone again only because it
didn’t help me 100% last time and there is a lot of talk about it
causing liver damage. Look forward to getting to know you -Charisse

Has anyone switched from Lexapro to Valuum if so please let me know
your results. I am wanting to switch because I notice a HUGE
difference with my anxiety with it not being so bad on the valuum
apposed to lexapro. Very interested in hearing from anyone with
info. Love, Tammy