Anyone taking Lexapro? Have taken it before?

[bobdole369]

I'm not sure if I want to continue taking the pills.

A common occurrence.

So I took my first Lexapro today. Within 20 minutes I had my first panic attack in a long time.

I tend to think the 2 are unrelated. As someone else said it really does take a while. Lexapro has one of the shortest half-lives and you need to have a level in your body for a while before it starts to affect your brain.

I had some type of reaction that cause my skin to feel weird.

I have that all the time on every SSRI I've been on. If anyone here has ever done acid - it sort of feels like a really weak body trip. Like a cup of tea would feel. But not coffee (jittery). In fact I can intensify it with green or oolong tea, sometimes but not always black tea. Not crawling or bugs, but maybe tingling everywhere. It isn't unpleasant, does nothing at all but I can use that to tell if I've taken my meds, cuz once the day is out, that weird skin thing is gone too and if I don't take my meds - it doesn't come back. It lastsnearly the entire day though, and zyso says it was gone in a few minutes.

Try taking your meds before sleep. Dunno if your doc has another schedule but thats how I do it.

Try waiting a day before you try for another O. It'll happen. If you get worried like I do, or are married and wife is somehow the horny (not saying any wife is frigid, just that marriage sometimes leads to less sex), just don't take your med on that day. No biggie, and it makes it a LOT easier. Granted you can't go back in a delorean 88mph and tell your self not to take it cuz your wife wants it, but just saying. If you know you always do it on thursday or after shes gone out and had a few and thats gonna happen tomorrow, don't take it.

Oh and BTW, you shouldn't drink either. Welcome to SSRI land

 

[Carmen813]

I'd recommend seeking counseling as well...most research studies show that antidepressants and psychotherapy work better together than either alone. Do some research first though, there are differences in how the different helping professions (psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling) approach treatment...as well as individual differences.

Antidepressants take at least two weeks to establish proper levels in your system, so it's essential that you take it regularly for at least that amount of time. If you start experiencing serious side effects talk to your physician about an alternative.

If you want more info send me a PM and I'll try to help you out.

 

[IronWing]

Vomiting
Suicidal thoughts
Hives, itching, or other skin reactions
Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
Feeling over excited, that you cannot control your actions, or rapid talking
Feeling confused

Um, this how I usually feel around girls, especially that last one.

 

[MetalMat]

Um, this how I usually feel around girls, especially that last one.

Stop going to strip clubs at noon time

 

[Lanyap]

I was given Lexapro by my doc and took it for a week before quitting. It made me feel too strange and I sweated alot. I don't like taking mind altering medications. Tried several others then took Wellbutrin for a while. I was dealing with a lot of stressful issues like layoffs at work and taking care of my dying mother. It helped me get through the bad times. I stopped taking it a few months after I was laid off and mom died. I'm doing ok now. I did not experience any negative affects after quitting. One of Wellbutrin's common side affects is that it can enhance the sexual experience for both men and women. That tends to help when your depressed.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Yeah, counseling + the antidepressant will help much more than the drug by itself. Wellbutrin did nothing for me.

 

[coreyb]

lot's of bad advice on opinions here. talk to your doc/psychiatrist and leave it at that. nobody here has any credentials.

my experience, I would of killed myself by now if it wasn't for lexapro.

 

[Gothgar]

• Vomiting
• Suicidal thoughts
• Hives, itching, or other skin reactions
• Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
• Feeling over excited, that you cannot control your actions, or rapid talking
• Feeling confused

SIGN ME THE FUCK UP

 

[vital]

all i did was sleep all day on that stuff for 2 months

 

[Lanyap]

Yeah, counseling + the antidepressant will help much more than the drug by itself. Wellbutrin did nothing for me.

Yes, counseling is a big factor. In addition to seeing a psychiatrist, consider seeing a licensed professional counselor. They work with you in a different way than a psychiatrist. I chose a good LPC and she has been instrumental in helping me through my recent bad times.

 

[between]

..

 

[ShawnD1]

Not to ruin the thread, but I hope you exhausted all other options before taking chemicals.

Better stay away from nuclear power as well. It contains ATOMZ!


SSRI drugs are truly horrible. I was on paxil for 1 week before I stopped. It didn't make anything better. It caused extreme tiredness, but at the same time it would cause insomnia. I was tired but I couldn't sleep. That makes everything 100x worse.
The beauty of these medications is that you know right away if you should be taking it. If you feel terrible, just stop right away. Too many people fuck this up and keep taking it even though they know it makes them sick and they know it makes them unfit to drive. People are stupid as fuck.

 

[moshquerade]

lot's of bad advice on opinions here. talk to your doc/psychiatrist and leave it at that. nobody here has any credentials.

my experience, I would of killed myself by now if it wasn't for lexapro.

on the flip, antidepressant medication has also ENABLED people to commit suicide. read about it.

i don't see much bad advice here at all. these meds are not magic drugs to take all adversity and sadness away. these things are part of life, and seeing a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist can help you deal with life when it becomes overwhelming.

counseling should always come first before taking medication. i don't see that the op has done this. which is a shame.

 

[ShawnD1]

counseling should always come first before taking medication. i don't see that the op has done this. which is a shame.

In the OP's earlier posts he said he doesn't really feel emotions. He is not sad, but he's not really happy either. That sounds like more of a chemical problem. The same kind of zombie-like behavior can be caused by poor sleep quality, very poor diet, very low exercise, underlying disease, or millions of other random things.


People in this thread already said diet and exercise. That's good advice and you should consider it. Another thing is to make a video of yourself sleeping or record what it sounds like when you sleep. This can help people diagnose sleep problems they don't even know they have. Lots of people don't even know they snore. If you find that you wake up in random positions and a video shows that you move around all night, that would be an indication that your body never reaches the deepest levels of sleep, and that alone is enough to cause major depression.

 

[Carmen813]

Full disclosure: I'm working on a graduate degree in mental health counseling. I haven't graduated or been licensed yet.

Everyone has emotions, we all express them differently. It's not uncommon for individuals to have trouble expressing or feeling emotions, especially men and certain cultural groups, as this is how we are socialized. Proper sleep, diet, and exercise may help but if the OP isn't feeling motivated that may not be an option at this time.

I do highly recommend seeking counseling. It can take a while sometimes to find a good match, but research firmly backs up that counseling is just as useful for symptom relief as medications, without all medication's side effects. Outcomes are usually better overall when counseling and medications are combined.

Quick, overview of helping professions:
Psychiatrist --> Medical doctor, can prescribe medications, unlikely to be highly trained in actual counseling. Typically knowledgeable about the "physical" side of mental illness, such as brain chemistry and the like.

Psychologist --> Typically has a PhD or PsyD. PhD is more oriented towards research, PsyD is more towards clinical practice. Tends to be similar to psychiatry in that it follows a medical model using diagnosis, but is going to vary based on practitioner. Can prescribe medications in a couple of states. Level of training in counseling skills will vary based on program and degree type.

Social work --> Typically a Master's degree and state licensed. Helping approaches tend to be based on analyzing systems (work, family, ect) and how they impact individual. Level of actual "counseling" skills is going to vary based on experience and training.

Licensed Professional Counselor/ Licensed Mental Health Counselor --> Obviously the one I know most about. Look for a counselor who has graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Check out this link to find a licensed counselor in your area. Typically utilize a wellness based approach (i.e., focus on a person's strengths, not their limitations) that shies away from diagnosis, though diagnosis is often necessary now to obtain insurance reimbursement. Also tend to focus more on prevention that the other professions, which are more about symptom relief/management.

 

[Carmen813]

on the flip, antidepressant medication has also ENABLED people to commit suicide. read about it.

i don't see much bad advice here at all. these meds are not magic drugs to take all adversity and sadness away. these things are part of life, and seeing a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist can help you deal with life when it becomes overwhelming.

counseling should always come first before taking medication. i don't see that the op has done this. which is a shame.

It's inaccurate to say that antidepressants have enabled people to commit suicide, rather these drugs can increase suicidal ideation...which in turn is a warning sign that a person may be at risk for suicide.

These medications may increase suicidal ideation in teens and young adults, but in general they do more good than harm. The increased risk of suicide due to antidepressant medication is very low, and unsurprisingly blown out of proportion due to a media that likes sensationalism. By the very nature that a person is depressed, the risk of suicide increases.

In general, it's always good to be aware of yourself. It is not uncommon to have occasional thoughts of suicide if you are depressed. If you find yourself thinking about suicide more often, for a longer amount of time, with more intensity, or developing a plan for suicide...than it's time to seek help. Contrary to popular belief, talking about suicide does not increase the risk of it.

 

[Stifko]

My mom was on Lexapro for a while. It made her very anxious and raised her blood pressure. She is taking Zoloft now and that agrees with her.

 

[bobdole369]

It's inaccurate to say that antidepressants have enabled people to commit suicide, rather these drugs can increase suicidal ideation

This may be hearsay, but I've heard something along the lines of - the antidepressants bring a deeply depressed and already suicidal person up to a point where they are able to do something about it. Whereas if they had left the chemicals alone, they were likely to remain in a funk. Just what I've heard, I'm obviously not a doctor.

 

[zerocool84]

Not to ruin the thread, but I hope you exhausted all other options before taking chemicals.

This

Sounds like you need to find out why you're depressed, have OCD, and anxiety before resorting to chemicals.

 

[ShawnD1]

These medications may increase suicidal ideation in teens and young adults, but in general they do more good than harm. The increased risk of suicide due to antidepressant medication is very low, and unsurprisingly blown out of proportion due to a media that likes sensationalism. By the very nature that a person is depressed, the risk of suicide increases.

I'll try to put this in sketchy drug terms so it's easier to follow:
The thing that's dangerous about SSRI drugs is the type of high it gives you. Serotonin seems to be strongly tied to the way you physically see and hear things. Drugs that mess with serotonin tend to cause extreme hallucinations, or they change your version of reality so badly that it becomes irrational. This effect is most clearly seen with the drugs psilocin (mushrooms) and LSD (acid). These are both serotonin drugs, and the way they affect your perception is legendary. I've seen people talk to trees while high on mushrooms. My friend once thought the spaces between trees were mirrors. People on SSRI drugs occasionally report having problems with intense hallucinations or nightmares, and they will act irrationally in response to it. It's hard to explain why people on SSRI drugs kill themselves because you can't see what they see or hear what they hear. Lots of people having these hallucinations won't tell anyone they are hallucinating because it seems very real. When your friend is high on mushrooms or Paxil, he's talking to the dog because he honestly believes (at that time) that the dog understands him and is talking back to him. If the dog says he should cut his wrists......

Other common problems associated with serotonin drugs are depersonalization (watching yourself do things without being able to control it) and derealization (feels like you are dreaming and nothing is real). Have you ever had a dream where you knew it was a dream? And you started doing stupid dangerous things because you knew it was a dream? What if it wasn't a dream, and you were actually experiencing an episode of derealization? To an observer, your reckless behavior might look like a suicide attempt even though that's not your intention. This happens all the time if your antidepressant dosage is too high.


The only safe way to take these drugs is to start at the lowest possible dosage and work your way up. Unfortunately there are a lot of horrible doctors out there who will start with the highest dosage first. I was once given a prescription for Paxil, and the doctor gave me a ridiculously high dosage even though I only weighed about 120 pounds at the time. If I didn't know better, I would say he was trying to kill me.

 

[moshquerade]

It's inaccurate to say that antidepressants have enabled people to commit suicide, rather these drugs can increase suicidal ideation...which in turn is a warning sign that a person may be at risk for suicide.

It is not inaccurate.

"On Sept 14, 2004, an FDA panel voted 18 to 5 to require manufacturers of all antidepressants to add black box warnings to their product labeling. A month later, the FDA adopted the panel's recommendations. The warning reads in part: "Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in short-term studies in children and adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of [Drug Name] or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Patients who are started on therapy should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior."

http://www.mcmanweb.com/FDA_suicide.htm


In case you don't know, suicidality is the act of taking ones own life.

These medications may increase suicidal ideation in teens and young adults, but in general they do more good than harm. The increased risk of suicide due to antidepressant medication is very low, and unsurprisingly blown out of proportion due to a media that likes sensationalism. By the very nature that a person is depressed, the risk of suicide increases.

In general, it's always good to be aware of yourself. It is not uncommon to have occasional thoughts of suicide if you are depressed. If you find yourself thinking about suicide more often, for a longer amount of time, with more intensity, or developing a plan for suicide...than it's time to seek help. Contrary to popular belief, talking about suicide does not increase the risk of it.

It is significant enough for the FDA to issue a suicide warning be placed on antidepressant packaging.

 

[Analog]

lots of opinions here, many from those who have never taken these meds. Instead of giving your opinion, wouldn't be more helpful to the op to reply if you've actually experienced it? That is, after all, what he asked for in the title...

 

[NoReMoRsE]

These are my thoughts too. : /

Unless you are a severely depressed SSRIs are not going to help you.
Also, a gen doc should not be prescribing anti depressants. Only a psychiatrist should.

Wow, what a horrible system the US has. Thank god I practice in Canada.

 

[erikistired]

lots of opinions here, many from those who have never taken these meds. Instead of giving your opinion, wouldn't be more helpful to the op to reply if you've actually experienced it? That is, after all, what he asked for in the title...

this is anandtech. everyone is an expert on everything. especially a few people who posted in this thread.

 

[moshquerade]

Wow, what a horrible system the US has. Thank god I practice in Canada.

Could you elaborate?