My doctor gave me some sample medication yesterday called Lexapro to address various problems I've been enduring, which include clinical depression, society anxiety disorder and adult attention deficit disorder. This is the first time I've ever taken a psychotropic drug and I'm not sure how high to place my hopes. Lexapro is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) so it probably won't do anything for my ADD but I guess you've got to start somewhere.
He told me to cut the 10mg pills into quarters to start. This is not an exact procedure, of course, but he doesn't want me to start off with a full dose because Lexapro is supposed to be a pretty strong anti-depressant. Despite taking such a small 2.5mg dose, I've experienced a few of the common side effects already: headache, dry mouth and some somnolence. It's bearable but I wonder what would have happened if I took the regular 10mg dose from the start.
I'm supposed to work my way up to 5mg in a week and then to 10mg the following week. Lexapro generally becomes effective in 1-2 weeks, rather than the 4+ weeks that many other SSRIs require. My doctor gave me a 6 week supply and I'm going back for a review around that time. With the holidays coming up I hope I can get something positive from the drug instead of going to family gatherings and being a sad sack that shies away from everybody.
I'm not convinced that I "simply" have a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected but the alternative - continued misery and withdrawl - doesn't look very appealing. I've been suffering from depression for many years and I hit bottom about a month ago when I started to ask myself "do you think you could ever kill yourself? do you think that's how it's going to end?" That told me that I was losing the battle and I'd have to seek professional help.
Has anyone taken Lexapro or an SSRI to combat depression? What do you think about these anti-depressant drugs?
He told me to cut the 10mg pills into quarters to start. This is not an exact procedure, of course, but he doesn't want me to start off with a full dose because Lexapro is supposed to be a pretty strong anti-depressant. Despite taking such a small 2.5mg dose, I've experienced a few of the common side effects already: headache, dry mouth and some somnolence. It's bearable but I wonder what would have happened if I took the regular 10mg dose from the start.
I'm supposed to work my way up to 5mg in a week and then to 10mg the following week. Lexapro generally becomes effective in 1-2 weeks, rather than the 4+ weeks that many other SSRIs require. My doctor gave me a 6 week supply and I'm going back for a review around that time. With the holidays coming up I hope I can get something positive from the drug instead of going to family gatherings and being a sad sack that shies away from everybody.
I'm not convinced that I "simply" have a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected but the alternative - continued misery and withdrawl - doesn't look very appealing. I've been suffering from depression for many years and I hit bottom about a month ago when I started to ask myself "do you think you could ever kill yourself? do you think that's how it's going to end?" That told me that I was losing the battle and I'd have to seek professional help.
Has anyone taken Lexapro or an SSRI to combat depression? What do you think about these anti-depressant drugs?
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