Escitalopram for Borderline Personality Disorder User Reviews

• Fem...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 1, 2019

"I have been on escitalopram for 2 years now and it has been an absolute lifesaver, all the rage, the anger and hatred is gone. I’m not riddled with anxious thoughts like I once was. I use the drowsiness to my advantage, so I take my pill before bed, which is usually when my anxiety is the highest. I’m no longer snapping at my friends and family. I’m able to process my thoughts and verbally articulate what I’m thinking. Before my thoughts were always racing and I couldn’t find a way to communicate with people effectively. I thank the people who created this wonderful medicine that allows me to function in a semi-productive manner."

• meo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 12, 2019

"I have been scared of medication so many times, from feeling like I was on drugs (lol) or other weird side effects, as well as reading too many scary reviews online!! For years, I have been struggling with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and just broke down and decided to start on escitalopram and OMG. The first day sucks because it feels like you're high on drugs, but then the next day, wow, I know some people say it takes a while, but I noticed almost right away. I was happier, I was a little more stable, I didn't believe it! I thought I would crash at any time, but now it has been a month and I feel even better than before! I feel like a kid again, (sounds weird but that's the last time I remember being hyper and happy all the time). Everyone should give it a shot, I almost gave up and tried almost everything in the books. This saved me honestly wouldn't even mind staying on it forever! No weight gain, although I can't orgasm at all (that sucks) but hopefully that gets better with time!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 25, 2020

"This is my third year on escitalopram due to anxiety, depression, and BPD. I’m usually on a 10 mg dose, but I’ve been bumped up to a 20 mg dose lately due to situations. This drug definitely helps, but I don’t find it magically fixes anything, you have to work on yourself as well. I’ve never experienced any side effects from this medication, and I wish everyone all the best on their journey."

• She...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 28, 2020

"I'm 43. Was diagnosed with BPD multiple times in my late teens and early adulthood. For the first 6 years, I tried Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, and Zoloft. Finally, I tried 10 mg Lexapro. For the first two weeks, I felt great, even had a huge boost of energy. After my energy level stabilized, the drug mellowed my anxiety and depression between 'episodes,' for the most part. It took the edge off. After about a year or so, the drug started losing its effect. Then, the dosage was increased to 20 mg. I've continued this dosage to the present day. It's hard to determine how much the Lexapro helps. I am a high-functioning BPD. In 20 years, I've gone from a debilitating, low-functioning state to a more stabilized, quicker-recovering state. Most of my progress has been made by learning stress-relieving and communication skills and techniques, but I cannot disregard the impact of the Lexapro. I don't think I'd be able to do the work without the Lexapro taking the edge off the anxiety and depression."

• Ple...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2020

"Been on 10 mgs escitalopram for a month and a half now. I can see why people might feel flat or robotic on this medication, as it does reduce the intensity and duration of any and all emotions. Very few things stir me like they used to. I've experienced far fewer crying fits, anxious episodes, and blind rages wherein I scream, hurt people, and hit things like an out-of-control toddler; and when I do have my moments of emotional volatility, they're dulled and short-lived. My fiancé and closest friends have noticed a marked change in my behavior and mood. I'm overall more pleasant to be around, and I feel happier with who I am as a person. Only side effects I've experienced were heart palpitations while starting the meds for the first time, increased appetite, and intense sleepiness that has gotten better since I've started taking the medication in the morning."

• Pet...
• October 19, 2018

"This medication has done amazing things for me! I am no longer paranoid, my anxiety and emotional insanity are gone, and I no longer have racing thoughts at all! For me, this is a wonder drug. I don’t ride the emotional roller coaster anymore and don’t cuss my precious husband out at all due to the rage. I am able to have a thought, reason, and rationalize what I am feeling and then totally dismiss it. I no longer feel like a monster! Hallelujah! The only side effect for me is yawning. I feel so calm now, it’s unreal, and I am still only on 5 mg a day. Gonna have it upped at my next appointment. I’ve been on it for about 1-1/2 months."

• Cal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 14, 2019

"I've been on this medication (10 mg) for the past 18 months, and after a few days of tiredness and mild headaches, I felt relaxed, less irritable, and energized. My adulthood had consisted of daily mood swings that affected my marriage, relationships with my kids, and work colleagues. I can honestly say that has now stopped, however, since I felt so great, I decided to have a break from taking the medication as we went away for a week, and I had no tablets left and wanted to see if I still needed it. Well, unfortunately, a week later, my mood swings were back, and I started to self-medicate with wine. Needless to say, I'm back on the medication."

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 11, 2024

"My dose currently is 15 mg every morning. The medication had an overall positive effect. It helped with symptoms of unregulated anger and stabilized my emotions over the day, instead of, sometimes bi-hourly, heavy mood swings that ranged from extreme euphoria to suicidal thoughts. Due to this, I experienced a positive change in daily routines, an increase in stability in relationships with friends and my partner, and a decrease in suicidal thoughts and plans. The negative result was a severe reduction in strong feelings of happiness and excitement for some activities. No effect on feelings of anxiety, but a lessened frequency of panic attacks. No change in my libido."

• kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2017

"My doctor wanted me to try an antidepressant. After several years of being non-compliant with my psychiatrist, I agreed to try this drug with a new doctor. She started me on 10 mg. It's only been 6 days, and I've noticed a marked difference in my thinking and how I feel. Most of all, my negative thoughts have stopped. I'm not sitting at home feeling paranoid or angry about anything, I don't get rage fits over little things since I started. I am able to get over anger so easily, like within a couple of minutes versus 2 days. I feel more energetic. I feel rested when I wake up. I just had some nausea the first day, which was bad. The nausea has subsided. I can't wait to see how I feel in 5-7 more weeks. Thank you, science."

• Ban...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 5, 2021

"Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been hard, but until recently, I found I was unable to cope anymore. I had tried several medications over the decades, but could not take the side effects and found they didn't help at all. I have now been on escitalopram for 4 months, with minimal side effects, and I cannot believe how normal I feel. Better than normal, actually. Highly recommend this medication."

• Jod...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2024

"Never would have thought to try an SSRI for my BPD. Switched from quetiapine (antipsychotic) to Lexapro, while continuing my lamotrigine. This seems to be the best combination, the first time in years I've felt 'normal.'"

• Ess...
• September 18, 2022

"I’ve been on this drug for 8 weeks now, after battling with myself. My anxiety was taking over my life. I felt out of my skin. Out of my body. I questioned being alive. I felt that at some point in my life I died and wasn’t here, it was so horrible. I was on mirtazapine for 3 years, and it began to make me feel so distant. These new escitalopram tablets have changed my mind and whole world. I was 10 minutes away from suicide. I’m so happy now, my children, my partner, everything matters now. Thank you, whoever you are."

• Pre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2019

"Been taking 10 mg for 3 months now, after 5 yrs on St. John's Wort. Escitalopram has been incredibly effective - from the 3rd day, I felt calmer and mentally quieter. Side effects were rough for around 3 weeks but have all resolved. Included serious fatigue and daytime sleepiness, disrupted sleep, generally feeling fluey & spacey. Some night sweats (minor) and difficulty with orgasm. No nausea. The thing I've noticed most is an almost complete absence of irritability. Just gone. And as a bonus, the perimenopausal PMT has also gone (I'm 49). At this point, I sleep well nearly every night, and that's after 10 years of serious sleep maintenance insomnia. Slower start to the day, and in general, I do less - I've realized how much of my activity was driven by anxiety. Around 2 kg weight gain in the first weeks with no change since. I've been formally diagnosed with BPD but have had two psychologists since say they think it's a misdiagnosis, so might be anxiety disorder/depression being treated."

• Wow...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 28, 2020

"I suffered from anxiety, depression, and all the explosive BPD symptoms for most of my life. I struggled to trudge through in misery, each day feeling like a bad dream. I finally talked to my doctor about Cipralex, and boom, a miraculous change. I am almost totally in remission. I love being a great parent and spouse! I hope it works for you too! Yay Cipralex."

• Fee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2023

"Started taking Lexapro 5mg, increased to 10mg along with Abilify 10mg. My anxiety, irritability, and anger are WAY less. It has greatly lessened my ruminative negative thinking. I have more energy and more hope. I recover quicker from negative experiences. I'm less defensive and feel more empathy. I have more self-compassion and self-forgiveness now. Hope it lasts."

• Ama...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 17, 2022

"Dose: 20 mg before bed. Has been an absolute dream medication. In the beginning, I was on it for about 1-2 weeks when I noticed I was slowly getting more energy, anxiety was lessened, no depression whatsoever. I was extremely organized, on top of my game, among a few other things. My doctor’s opinion was that to try this one because it’s one of the “better ones.” I took his comment with a grain of salt, but I’m so glad I went ahead with trying it. This medication plus regular exercise has changed my life. Never been happier. Of course, everyone’s experience will differ, this is just mine. Good luck!"

• Lis...
• August 3, 2017

"It's the only thing I've found that helps with the impulsivity, anxiety, and rage fits. It helps me function like a normal person. I do get side effects of having trouble getting to sleep and being a light sleeper with no dreams and yawning a lot. When first starting it, I also experienced nausea for the first few days."

• Jad...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 18, 2024

"I feel a lot calmer. I am able to control my emotions better. I am oversleeping more. Not terrible considering I used to lack sleep pre-medication, but it's still something that I have to stay concerned about."

• BPD...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 27, 2023

"I've been on Lexapro on and off for about 3 years. I recently got back on it, and I can't believe I ever stopped taking it. I have generalized anxiety and depression, but my borderline personality disorder was destroying my personal relationships and even affecting my job. On Lexapro, I'm able to stabilize my mood and stop my episodes before they begin. Things that used to set me over the edge are manageable, and I feel able to rationalize situations. I'm only on 5 mg, but the difference has been amazing. Also, I experienced no weight changes. The worst side effects were fatigue, which improves around month 2."

• lau...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2021

"This is my second medication I’ve been on, and while I am not having any side effects, it’s not helping my mood much. I’m still having intense episodes and moods, and all of that. It’s just a few times a week instead of every day. I’m on 15 mg for 5 months now."

• Lis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2022

"I have been struggling with uncontrollable rage and intense mood swings throughout my life. Lost friends and stopped going out because I just couldn't interact in social settings. My doctor tried Prozac, and it wasn't as helpful as it should have been and was a short-lived solution. Then my doctor placed me on escitalopram, and my rage is gone. My husband is relieved, and I am so happy. I won't say people still don't bother me, but in the last two years, humans are way more obnoxious anyway. So... I will say my rage has disappeared, and my depression is less. I wish I had this medication long ago! It would have helped me in my twenties and so on. The anger and mood swings took most of my life. I recommend at least trying this medication!"

• mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2021

"I've been off and on this due to drug abuse, but now I’ve been taking it properly for almost 3 weeks. I’ve noticed I’m not as manic, and instead of having really high highs and extremely low lows, they’re just low. My anxiety is still at its worst, though, so I’m on lorazepam (Ativan). It only really makes me feel nothing, whereas when I was off it, all I felt was sad and angry."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 16, 2021

"It’s helped my BPD a lot. I feel insane when I’m not on them, no thought process, and I can’t control my anger. When I’m on them, I can actually think, and my anger is hardly there. Everyone around me also sees how much change this drug has done for my life."

• ras...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 4, 2023

"I've been on escitalopram for almost a year now. At first, I lost hair, my skin was flaking severely, and I was terrified. The first few days, I was nauseous and lethargic. I fell asleep up to three times a day in the first week. I felt it physically take effect after 15 minutes of swallowing, and it scared me. I felt drowsy, confused, and scared for weeks, but it settled after a few months. It made me really dread taking my medication, and I lashed out at my healthcare workers who were googling for information on this. I think I was unfortunate with the dosage in the beginning or something. I started at 5mg for four days, then 10mg, then 15mg, and now I am still at 20mg daily. The days I forget to take my pill, I'll have major mental crashes before I realize it's because I'm unmedicated. I'm not fixed or even significantly better, but it's comparable to using a pool noodle to stay above water. It is not magic, it is a daily battle, and for the time being, I am happy enough with the effects."

• evi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2023

"Escitalopram was great for me for the first few months. I was on it for 3 months total. My mood was improved, and I was able to experience the emotion most people call 'fun' (not mania, not obsession, just pure enjoyment) for what seemed like the first time in my life! However, it started to impact my gut microbiome. I developed mild food sensitivities, which was why I had to stop. Looking back on the time I was on escitalopram, life was fun, but I was unproductive. So overall, it had quite a minimal effect on my quality of life."