I have had extreme anxiety that left me in a non-functioning state I have tried several pills and nothing helped until Lexapro! I have been on 10 mg of Lexapro since February 10th. I started taking it around 10am, this last week I started taking it at night. I feel awesome but I also feel like I could sleep 24 hrs a day! I've read where some people were over the fatigue in 4 weeks, has anyone had it longer? Should I cut it down to 5mg? Will this extreme fatigue ever war off? I am on Klonopin, but I have cut the dosage way down. Could someone please help. Also, please no negative feedback, I don't need that in my head.
So sleepy with Lexapro, help!?
Question posted by Breathe2 on 2 April 2014
Last updated on 21 February 2021
46 Answers Page 3
The Drug Interaction checker says that the combination of Lexapro and Klonopin can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating.
I've been on Lexapro (generic) for 10 months now. I started on 10 then went up to 20 and then 30. I felt amazing! So happy most days that I didn't care about being tired until I sat down at my desk at work. I would be in the middle of an email and drop into sleep and start to dream and then a moment later wake up and see a sentence that made no sense that I had just typed. I dropped my dose down to 20 mg and I feel good and a lot less tired. I'm still a sleepy person but I was sleepy before I ever went on Lexapro. I hallucinate at night off Lexapro and I still do on it but it seems to be less. A glass of wine or OTC sleep aid helps to go to sleep and stay that way. I take it at night too, which seems to help.
I've been on and off lexapro for 5 years, weaned myself off when I became pregnant twice. It works great for me. The initial fatigue went away after the first 2 weeks I would say. I take it at about 7:00 at night so by the time I'm in bed I am ready to zonk out because it does make me a little sleepy still. I feel refreshed and energized when I wake up and am very productive through out the day.
I was wondering, do you feel less sleepy during the day because you take lexapro at night? If I take lexapro 10mil in the morning.. would I skip the morning dose and just wait until night? I also take Wellbutrin with it to counter act the sleepiness but it makes it hard to sleep. It’s been 4 months on both.
Thanks..
I started 5mg Lexapro (generic) 3/1/16 for major panic/anxiety that leaves me non-functioning. I also have Adult ADHD and am taking 10mg Adderall. I cannot stay awake to save my life. I am sleeping 9-12 hours and have no drive or motivation. This is just as bad as shutting down from panic and anxiety since I am unable to get anything accomplished.
I was supposed to goto 10mg after a week and I stayed with 5. I took it the first week in the morning and was falling asleep after work for 1.5-2 hours (seriously) and then fighting to stay up until 11pm. I wake up around 7 and it is so hard to pull myself out of bed.
I started taking it at night and it has the same effect (5mg).
The fact that I am on 10mg Adderall for ADHD and I'm still falling asleep -- surprised me. I forgot to take my Lexapro one night by accident and I was able to stay awake the next day no problem -- that is why I know it is the Lexapro.
I let my Dr know and I will let them know again today about the lack of motivation and drive. I cannot function like this, I have too much I need to get accomplished.
It has worked great on my panic and anxiety, because I really don't have the energy to expend on a panic attack.
I'm on 10 mgs, not 5. Was supposed to do 10 for a week then move to 20. I stayed with 10
Thank You for posting this!!! I have had ADHD for years and started lexapro about 5 weeks ago, I did not even flash on the interaction between the 2 meds, I see 2 different doctors. I am tired all the time, I do not have energy, I just changed my ADHD med to vyvanse .. I am going to stop the lexapro..Do you feel better fast, does it leave your sytem quick?
I started Lexapro (generic) on 3/3/16 I was suppose to bump it up to 10 but after 3 days of that I was way too anxious. I don't find myself being tired all the time but I do have a lot of days, like today that I feel lethargic and have no motivation. Then I get mad because I want to go out but then feel a bit anxious. Is that normal? I am a lot better than I was because I couldn't even leave my house but I still get discouraged when I feel like I do today.
I only took Lexapro for 2 weeks, then I switched to SNRI Effexor 75 mg. Now I have no sex drive (damn! ) Not happy about that at all. Upped my adderall to 10mg am and then 1 pm. I have no problem switching over, no problem sleeping -- I still sleep too much.
Working on finding my drive and motivation. I am looking to see what SNRI is available to try. I really don't want to have a numb sex drive -- that is not right.
Has Vyvanse helped?
Breathe2,
This is my exact same reaction to lexapro too! I found it kept me awake the first few days though and after that the fatigue slowly crept in. I feel like I can sleep at the drop of a hat, anywhere and anytime! Now I sort of just deal with it unfortunately but make sure I take it at night not morning so I can semi-function the next day. After being on 10mg for 2 years I have dropped down to 5mg just over the past week to help give me more energy. Has worked a little I think. Still tired but can cope a few hours longer during the day.
I was given lexapro on Feb 3 2016 I have not filled it yet I wanted to see side affects i have severe panic attacks they get so bad it kicks in my asthma and have ended up on life support I have very bad insomnia so this will not make my insomnia worse will it i asked my doctor he said he said he didn't know if it would so i thought i ask people on here who are taking it if anyone knows can you please let me know thanks
It won't make your insomnia worse. I am in the same boat as you. I just started the lexapro for very bad side effects. i was battling insomnia and getting 3 to 4 hours of sleep at night. I started taking it at night with the 5 mg and also added in a little benadryl. I did wake up a couple of times but went right back to sleep.
I started lexapro and was lucky that another friend had recently taken it. The side effects in the first three weeks can be difficult... the headaches are intense. But she assured me that if I continued I would see a big difference in my life. She was right. I have found that I can see a problem and deal with it head on as opposed to being unable to cope. Stick with it... give this medication to work... then decide for yourself if it works for you.
It is important to know that this type of medication has different initial side affects for each person. The side effects I get are much different t my sister. I sleep a lot and she becomes more hyper. My dosage is 20mg and she can only tollerate 5mg. Therefore, it is going to be you and your Doctor working on the dosage. Higher dosages make people dizzy if they are higher strung like my sister. Therefore, if there are headaches the dosage may be to high for the person and I recommend seeing a doctor not waiting for symptoms to work themselves out. Dosage is important. Maybe a different type will be better for you.
I was switched to Lexapro about a year ago from Celexa as apparently people over 60 can develop heart problems on Celexa if they are over 60 yrs of age. Lexapro is twice as strong as Celexa so dosages are usually half of the Celexa doseage. I had problems with insomnia with Lexapro yet no insomnia with Celexa... strange as they are both basically the same drug with some changes to the Lexapro. I have just switched to taking the Lexapro 10 mg from taking it at night to taking it in the morning in the past 2 days. I have been on it for close to a year so perhaps my body has adjusted to it by now. I feel a little tired & fuzzy right now during the day for sure but I am not anxious. I was anxious during the day when I took it at bedtime. When I was taking 10 mg of Lexapro at bedtime I had to take Clonazepam as well and it still took 2 hrs to get to sleep. Although I am still taking Clonazepam at night for sleep, I now fall asleep within half an hour.
I am hoping this "over relaxed" feeling I am now experiencing by taking it in the morning will go away... there seems to be an adjustment period. I am not so tired on awakening now. I may reduce the Lexapro to 5mg in the morning if this fuzzy feeling continues. Maybe I just don't need 10mg. We all metabolize drugs differently. It seems to be a trial & error process based on individuality & patience!
I was switched to Lexapro about a year ago from Celexa as apparently people over 60 can develop heart problems on Celexa if they are over 60 yrs of age. Lexapro is twice as strong as Celexa so dosages are usually half of the Celexa doseage. I had problems with insomnia with Lexapro yet no insomnia with Celexa... strange as they are both basically the same drug with some changes to the Lexapro. I have just switched to taking the Lexapro 10 mg from taking it at night to taking it in the morning in the past 2 days. I have been on it for close to a year so perhaps my body has adjusted to it by now. I feel a little tired & fuzzy right now during the day for sure but I am not anxious. I was anxious during the day when I took it at bedtime. When I was taking 10 mg of Lexapro at bedtime I had to take Clonazepam as well and it still took 2 hrs to get to sleep. Although I am still taking Clonazepam at night for sleep, I now fall asleep within half an hour.
I am hoping this "over relaxed" feeling I am now experiencing by taking it in the morning will go away... there seems to be an adjustment period. I am not so tired on awakening now. I may reduce the Lexapro to 5mg in the morning if this fuzzy feeling continues. Maybe I just don't need 10mg. We all metabolize drugs differently. It seems to be a trial & error process based on individuality & patience!
Hey, don't worry; the Lexapro will definitely help the panic attacks. I had very much the same problem, especially at night. I would get all keyed up and go from one activity to another, unable to find any satisfaction in anything I was doing. And then I would try to sleep and find I could not. My doctor started me on Lexapro and gave me Klonopin (Clonazepam) for the nightly anxiety. I take 1/4 of a tablet, and it relaxes me. However, I have been suffering with sleepiness all day. I can take a three-hour nap in the afternoon and then fall asleep again right after dinner. I want to nap all day! I was recently on 15mg of Lexapro and have reduced it myself to 5mg. I am going to see how this goes; I hope the sleepiness subsides because I can't get anything done this way, and I am also falling asleep when I am supposed to be working. I want to offer you my best wishes for your health. You are a good person. I can tell.
And I want you to know that your are loved (even by people who don't know you!). I will pray for you and your happiness. We are all in this mental health journey together. If I've learned nothing else, I've learned that much. All good things to you! Fill the Lexapro; it will certainly help the anxiety and panic attacks. And see if you can get Klonopin for the insomnia. Even a small amount will relax you and give you restful sleep. Cheers, and all the best!
Loxapine is a miracle for me. I've even stopped buying my nails. In exchange for the chance to live again and be social I'm ok with the tiredness. (It does get better with time)
bREATHE2; yes it is posible to have this side effect longer than 4 weeks but it is supposed to get better. Give it a bit longer and if it continues Check back with the doctor you may need the dose adjusted or even changed try and hang in there a bit yet if you can. CHUCK1957
I ve been using it for three months and the fatigue is still there. Going to my Dr next week when these run out and asking to be switched. They do work great for depression and anxiety but the wanting to sleep all the time I cant take.
I think the clonopin makes you tired. I have taken both and the clonopin made me really tired.It is suppose to relax you so you don't have panic attacks and it does
I also am very sleepy and have no drive while taking Lexapro. I started 5mg in January, while also starting therapy to deal with anxiety. I also take 450mg of Wellbutrin for depression. They recommended 10mg of Lexapro, but it made me nervous so stuck with 5. I've taken zoloft prior to deal with a stressful job, and gained a lot of weight due to having no drive or energy. Lexapro did the same thing. It was very helpful in curbing my very high level of anxiety. I would strongly recommend going to a therapist while on it. My therapist helped me understand the root of my anxiety, and also a lot of techniques to deal with it. I developed trichotillomania at age 25 due to a very stressful job at a law firm, so now at age 29, went to therapy to understand why and to help to stop.
After seven months of therapy and Lexapro, I found myself having almost zero anxiety and also stopped the hair pulling. Now that I've completed my therapy, I've weaned myself off of Lexapro over the last three weeks. I started taking 2.5 mg daily for a week, then every other day, then every third day, and am now done.
I find that I have more energy already, and know it will continue once it is fully out of my system. This is the same experience as when I went off Zoloft. I found in the past week that my anxiety levels have increased (since not on Lexapro) but I'm able to deal with it from what I learned in therapy. I feel very "normal," and it's great. I know I will always have to process anxiety in a certain way, but I find that understanding it through therapy has been life changing. I also simplified my life A LOT.
Hope this helps and that you can find a balance!
I am on week 6 of Lexapro 10mg. I'll add it's the brand name for now until that runs out, then generic. I'm so sleepy in the morning. I have to force myself out of bed. Somedays I go to work a half day. There seems to be no end to feeling tired in the mornings. It's been longer for me than 4 weeks. Will this extreme fatigue ever ware off?
I take Lexapro 10 mg for migraine prevention and just saw my doctor yesterday to ask if this could be causing my extreme fatigue. She just switched me to CITALOPRAM, which she explained was the original drug that Lexapro is based on. She thought this might help with fatigue. I haven't started taking it yet, but it might be something to ask your doc about. I am like you... it's 9 am and I'm day-dreaming about taking a nap!
SmeeJane
Did switching to Celexa help? I'm afraid of having sexual side effects and I really do not want that to happen. I'm not fighting the dark cloud of depression, I'm dealing with panic and anxiety right now.
Hi, I'm a single mother with 3 children, 10, 6 & 4. I've been taking 10mg escitalopram for about 9wks. I did take it in the morning but felt very drowsy on the school run & at work. It would wear off by afternoon so I tried taking it at night time but it disturbed my sleep terribly. I now take it between 6-7pm which seems to make the daytime better & i sleep well though i want to go on sleering lon after the kids have woken me up. I struggle with a lack of energy & feel pretty weak. The medication has sorted out my anxiety & panic attacks but the side effects to the medication seems to be getting worse. I used to take 20mg Citalapram & felt terrific on them until circumstances caused me to suffer extreme anxiety, rendering me unable to function normally. Does anyone have any advice for me, do you think I should go back to the doctors?
I'm on day 4 of lexapro, prescribed 10mg, however I started cutting it to 5mg because I'm literally so tired. I'm at the gym right now and cannot keep my eyes open. This sucks so bad. Everyone keeps saying give it time, but no one is saying it gets better, they keep saying its a worth it trade off for no anxiety. I would rather take ativan as needed than to feel exhausted all the time and I also experienced ED issue this morning for the first time ever in my life trying to have sex. Now I'm considering going home and sleeping the rest of the day...
I also have sexual side effects, I have been married a short while and have ZERO drive, husband is frustrated, what is the answer?
I recently started taking lexapro also and can barely stay awake at work. It is a hazard for me to drive. However I am also taking wellbutrin so I am not sure if it is the Lexapro alone. Is it better to take it at night?
Hello, I 've been like you... extremely tired, and can barely stay awake at work. The morning periods are very bad, then later in the day I'll feel better. Yet I have to sleep 12 hours to feel human. I have no trouble sleeping. Whereas I've read many that trouble and take sleeping aids.
I've been taking it in the morning, 10mg for over 5 weeks. Being that I feel more awake later in the day, I just started to take it right at bedtime. Today was the first day. Iwas still tired today, but that most likely was because I took 10mg that morning and 10mg at night to get that routine started. I also want to increase to 15mg tonight.
I only noticed a slight difference for the better. I still lag at 5pm and desperately want to nap at 6PM for at least an hour. I'm only on 5mg.
Hi McNeery, is there any improvement in staying awake with the medications? I also uses 5mg cipralex at night and I feel difficult to stay awake at work time especially doing tasks with high concentration like writing and reading...
Hello everyone, I was recently prescribed wellbutrin 150mg for depression. I take 1 tablet every morning when I awake as prescribed. And today is my 2nd day being on them and I've noticed I'm not so tired through out the day being on them. Before wellbutrin, It was hard for me to get out of bed for anything a lot of the time. But as far as depression being treated with wellbutrin, well that takes at least 3 weeks to a month to feel any effect of no depression from wellbutrin. Today (03- 03- 2017) my phycologist prescribed me, escitalopram/Cipla 10mg 1 a day just before bed to help with getting sleep! I have not taking any of the escitalopram yet because I'm not ready for bed. But sounds to me that a lot of you should talk to your doctor about taking escitalopram at bed time just because you all are having trouble staying awake during the day when taking the medicine in the morning. I hope this helped some. Take care and God Bless
I just started on Lexapro. Not sure yet if it's helping my Depression and anxiety, but this tells me what I suspected.
I'm having difficulty staying awake.
The other posts have helped me confirm my suspicions that it is the Lexapro causing this.
I'm glad I read your question.
I too recently started taking lexapro,not sure if it's helping or not yet.I seem to be better,on the other hand I still experience mood swings snd,I'm so tired all I want t do is lay d own and yawn all day..at least I had energy before taking this..
Hi Breathe2 I'm wondering if you are still sleepy or what happened? I have been on lexapro for a few years. It has totally helped my debilitating anxiety!! But I'm sleepy all the time. I could lay my head down and be asleep whenever wherever. Did cutting your dosage help?
Thank you!!
I have long term experience with Lexapro. I first took Paxil which made me sleep to no end. I found out that Lexapro was created to minus out the side effects that were going on with most other drugs. I took it for 3 years. However, this time it makes me tired all day if I take it in the morning. If I take it before bed I don't get sleep at night and I wake up tired. Therefore, I am going to go into the Doctors office as soon as my new insurance kicks in July 1, 2014. I think I remember being prescribed Wellbutrin to offset the sleepiness with Paxil. I dislike taking medications at all but Lexapro is something that is important for those of us who suffer from anxiety disorder or Bi-Polar/manic mood disorders live a more balanced life and have better interpersonal relationships.
Also, cutting the dosage down does not help. I tried it, and it only made a small difference but it did not make me feel I was in complete balance. You take away from the benefit of it.
I hope this helps.
Hi, I know this was a while ago for you, but I am having the same problem. It is extremely frustrating as you're aware. I was hoping you could tell me what you decided to try next or found any type of solution? I hope you feel better now.
Thank you!
I was told wellbutrin can off set the tiredness; consult your physician. I do not take an antidepressant anymore. At my age now I just take an anti-anxiety medicine called buspirone as needed. Good luck.
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lexapro, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, pill
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- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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