how long does it take lexapro to start helping with depression ive been taking it for alomost 2 weeks and no help yet
To anyone on lexapro - how long does it take to work?
Question posted by oxyaaron on 24 Aug 2010
Last updated on 4 November 2021
6 Answers
JudytheRN
4 Nov 2021
I am sorry for your loss but this is highly inappropriate and the fact that you would post something like this makes me question your current mental status. It is very awful what happened but as a medical professional I can tell you that one pill did not cause him to take his life. It was in bad taste for you to comment on something so serious without medical sources, and peer reviewed research within three years of this date. This response should be discarded by the company as inappropriate unfounded false info. Fake news. You may not be a medical professional but use you ur head. One of the problems with this Med is that it actually takes several weeks to begin to make a significant clinical change, so I can say with all certainty that it had nothing to do with the death of your husband. I am saying a prayer for your family though. That is just awful. Judy H. MSN, RN, OCN
HazelEyedGirk13
17 Oct 2012
I am 15 and I've got irritable bowel syndrome & am in the process of being diagnosed of endometriosis. On top of all that, 7yrs ago i lost my dad, & this year, I've had a niece born, gained a stepdad, a nephew, & 3 stepsisters, just so much stress. I've been depressed for about a year & had anxiety for as long as i can remember. I just started counseling a few weeks ago & today i started Lexapro(10mg) & i don't know if its just in my head or what but i felt a difference just a few hours after taking it. i think it just depends on the person and how bad their problem is.
Aibarreto
30 Aug 2016
I just started taking lexapro a few days ago, I have been taking lorazepam 2MG for a vary long time. Right now my lorazepam is not due for refill and have to wait 1 week. Will lexapro help with withdrawal symptoms from the lorazepam?
polly545
26 Aug 2010
Hey there! I kinda disagree with most people on this. i asked my theropist who was once a phyciatrist and he said it is the most unique anti D cause it has the least amount of bad side effects and starts working literally within 6 to 8 days. Plus its your mindset also. The med is not a cure it just helps, you also need to think more positively and become more active. i know people who are depressed and lay in there bed all day, so they go to the doc and get an anti D (Lexapro) and then they go back and lay in there bed and expect it to work. its about changing your lifestyle as well. Good Luck I wish ya the best!
jamelleo
26 Aug 2010
You are right. Everyone else I have asked personally who have ever taken Lexapro have stated that they had no bad side effects. But all 5 of these people no longer take Lexapro and have moved to something else. My husband was not prescribed Lexapro for depression. He was prescribed it for anxierty and stress. This man did not lay around in the bed all day. Part of his problem was that he couldn't sit still. He was so anxious that he felt he had to be busy all the time. He felt overwhelmed but just kept right on going. He was a master cook & our yard is like a 5 acre park. Bought and paid for. He had nothing to be depressed about. We had a good marriage. We had normal spats like anyone else. Google Lexapro and Suicide and see what comes up. Two older aged brothers within 17 months apart both were taking Lexapro. Now I find a lot of cases of children and teen suicide stories. My husband weighed only 135 pounds. Could his size been a factor? Maybe.
He didn't have an ounce of fat on his 44 year old body. He was fit, muscular & handsome. And believe me he knew it. I say he and Patrick Swayze are arguing whose the most handsome right now. The only real difference in his routine was the Lexapro prescribed 6 weeks earlier. I'm not trying to scare anyone either just be aware. The only warning on his bottle is that it may cause dizziness. The fine print in the pamphlet gives a little more detail on side effects, but I figured six weeks in and we should have been fine. I decided to stop my Zoloft last week. I am going to get it together myself. Just be aware people.
oxyaaron
26 Aug 2010
well my problem is i have a bad case of degenerative and its hard for me to even get out of bed some days because my pain meds no longer work
WildcatVet
4 Nov 2021
Sorry to say but it's called the placebo effect.
jamelleo
25 Aug 2010
Be so careful with this medication.
My husband was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety and stress. Six weeks later he killed himself. I have lived with my husband for nearly 17 years. He has always had a little stress and tension in his life. Mostly due to caring for his parents, children and grandchildren and constantly worrying about his siblings. He was a true family man. The day before his death he had canned green beans and tomatoes. He took his grandson for a haircut and got one himself. He did a little work for an elderly couple a few miles down. He worked in the garden when he got home. We had a spat. I figured he was hot and tired due to working outdoors in 90 degree weather. But nothing really different than any other. I figured it would all blow over just like all the others have before. The next morning he was gone from a gun shot wound to the head. The day of his death, was the same day as his nephew's birthday party.
He worshipped his parents and his father's birthday was the following day. Their 50th wedding anniversary is next month. My husband and I have been planning a party and looking at new wedding bands for over a year now for his parents. We had planned to take the kids to Coney Island that week. He has a new grand baby due in October. He was a wonderful man who looked at least 10 years younger than he was. He had energy and stamina and would help anyone who needed it at any time. And just like that he is gone!
arcanoidcyst16
25 Aug 2010
I'm sorry but that is a horrible comment.I mean we are trying to give support here jamelleo!!NOT try and scare him.That's okay oxyarron.I just started on Lexapro 10mg and 2mg Abilify combo today.So I will let you know when I start feeling relief.I hope I was of some help and that I didn't scare you.
oxyaaron
25 Aug 2010
wow im very sorry to hear that
jamelleo
26 Aug 2010
To Arcanoidcyst16
That is a little defensive for someone who just started taking Lexapro today. Do a little more research hun. I just don't want this kind of hell for any other families who are clueless sometimes that their loved ones are even taking medication for depression or anxiety. One of my best friends said her husband began to change and become very grouchy and down right mean. Come to find out he had been prescribed Lexapro and she did not know about it. He no longer takes it and has moved to something else. All drugs affect people differently but anyone taking these type of meds need to inform your friends and family members to be aware of abnormal signs. In my husband's medical records it states that the doctor informed him that if he had the urge to hurt himself or anyone else to immediately call 911. Well it seems to me that when you get to that point you aren't thinking about calling 911.
You are right. Everyone else I have asked personally who have ever taken Lexapro have stated that they had no bad side effects. But all 5 of these people no longer take Lexapro and have moved to something else. My husband was not prescribed Lexapro for depression. He was prescribed it for anxierty and stress. This man did not lay around in the bed all day. Part of his problem was that he couldn't sit still. He was so anxious that he felt he had to be busy all the time. He felt overwhelmed but just kept right on going. He was a master cook & our yard is like a 5 acre park. Bought and paid for. He had nothing to be depressed about. We had a good marriage. We had normal spats like anyone else. Google Lexapro and Suicide and see what comes up. Two older aged brothers within 17 months apart both were taking Lexapro. Now I find a lot of cases of children and teen suicide stories. My husband weighed only 135 pounds. Could his size been a factor? Maybe. He didn't have an ounce of fat on his 44 year old body. He was fit, muscular & handsome. And believe me he knew it. I say he and Patrick Swayze are arguing whose the most handsome right now. The only real difference in his routine was the Lexapro prescribed 6 weeks earlier. I'm not trying to scare anyone either just be aware. The only warning on his bottle is that it may cause dizziness. The fine print in the pamphlet gives a little more detail on side effects, but I figured six weeks in and we should have been fine. I decided to stop my Zoloft last week. I am going to get it together myself. Just be aware people.
I have read other stories posted on here. I didn't just make this up. We'll see one day when the FDA finally pulls it off the shelf like they have so many others. I thought I was depressed before. That depression is nothing like the depression losing a spouse causes plus the anger. I was depressed and my spouse was stressed and anxious. Ain't that America. If they can put flouride in the water. How bout some happy gas? I stopped taking my meds (Zoloft) probably 10 days ago. I want to feel this pain and sorrow and not cover it up with some man made pill. What did people do 100 years ago? People were a lot more spiritual back then too. They believed in something. I know there are those out there that really need to be medicated, but there are those of us that need to get up and start living and quit depending on a quick fix. I am one of those. Now I have to tend my husband's garden and I am outdoors more doing the things he loved to do. I see things differently now and though my heart is broken and will never be mended, I do feel better. I love to feel the breeze on my face just as he once did.
zerozerone
4 Dec 2017
Sorry that happened but that event most likely had more to do with the reason your husband was put on Lexapro than the effect of the medication.
tigetil12
24 Aug 2010
Hello, Everyone has a different system of tolerance and absortion rates. The standard is 3 to 4 weeks. I was prescribed Lexapro for 90 days to see if it helped. I never actually felt any better but not any worse either. The Dr. changed me after that saying that if it was going to work it would have within 3 months. Tige
Inactive
24 Aug 2010
It can take up 6 to 8 weeks for the Lexapro to reach its "fully effective" level in your system.
I know that seems like a long time, and even longer when you're waiting for it to work, but when you feel it beginning to work you will feel a lot better.
Take care my friend and be patient.
Aibarreto
30 Aug 2016
Thank you in advance for any support.
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Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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