Lexapro for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• ptsd
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 31, 2023

"Started to feel gradually better over the course of a couple of weeks. The drug does take time to adjust your body's chemistry. Taking it in the afternoon is the best, as it helps with easing into sleep at night. I do feel a lot better on Lexapro than before. Because of this medication, I can live a normal life, including working, being with friends and family, and completing daily tasks. I struggled severely with anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and social phobia to the point where I couldn't hold a job. It takes time to work. It's not an instant fix. Take it as prescribed and talk to your psychiatrist."

• Momof
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2019

"Lexapro didn't fully resolve my depression. It took the edge off but my doctor had to add Wellbutrin because alone it wasn't doing enough even on 20mgs. I discontinued Lexapro because I was gaining too much weight from increased appetite and lethargy. It also messed with my libido and made it difficult to orgasm as well as made me super forgetful and flighty. After taking a gene sight test I found that Lexapro was in moderate category so it never would have worked for me anyway."

• Emano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 23, 2019

"This medicine made me so sick. I tried taking it in the morning, I got sick. I tried taking it at night, I got sick. I tried with and without food and I kept getting sick. I was on 25mg and after a week I couldn’t take it anymore. All it did was stress me out and made me feel weak."

• Barb...
• August 26, 2016

"I've been on this med for over a month and the side effects do not out weigh my symptoms . The withdrawal sucks and the hyperness and the tiredness sucks. I'm 31 and haven't been on a depressant since I was 15. I lost my sister 5 months ago and it set me into anxiety, panic and depression."

• RyanB
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 15, 2022

"Started this drug in November of 2021.I wanted to try something that could get me through some difficult grieving I was experiencing from losing my dad. Had a few shorts stints with it over the years but never made it through the side effects in the beginning so I stopped. My primary started me on 10MG for about 1 month and a half and then moved me up to 20MG. The side effects were brutal. Panic attacks, extreme nausea, fatigue, and some lightheadedness. After the effects subsided, I have felt nothing. I am on constant auto pilot. I can't cry or even feel emotions. I'm just stuck in a fog and feel so disorientated every day. My anxiety is through the roof and can't hardly get through the day without having a panic attack. I know this isn't supposed to primarily help with anxiety, but some have said it has done something for them. I quit cold turkey in June 2022 and since then have been able to feel things. Sadly, the feelings are so heightened that it's hard to manage sometimes."

• mmano
• July 16, 2019

"My Dr. prescribed me Wellbutrin Xl at 150 mg, and was on ( currently) for a few months. He wanted to pair 5mg of lexapro with my Wellbutrin to see if it would stabilize things. I gave this med a whole thirty days cycle. I’m unsure if it was the pairing of the two or just the lexapro itself. But it caused me to physical and emotional distress. Physical: extreme nausea, diarrhea, upset stomach, dizziness, I had a ton of vivid dreams. I felt consistently even more fatigue, but could never fall asleep. Emotional side: I felt a bit foggy, had some really dark thoughts, more sensitive than usual, and had no motivation to workout, so activities I enjoy, etc. it intensified some of my old depression symptoms, instead of aiding it. I’m unsure if it helped the anxiety portion. This med is clearly not the right for me. Currently slowly weaning off of it. I hope it works better for others"

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2021

"I've been taking Paxil for 6 years now, 40mg daily. It was my miracle drug it seemed. Kept my migraines at bay, my depression curbed down, I felt myself. My daughter passed away in 2009. Every year near her bday I'd always get low, this year 2021, I must of met my breaking point. About a week before her bday I had the worst panic attack I've had in 6 years. I had to pull over, dad had to come and rescue me and drive me home, for 30+ minutes I couldn't see straight, heart pounding, even had a stranger come and talk to me, he couldn't believe I was having an attack because to him I seemed totally fine. Come to find out he was a priest, he prayed for me. Well I met with my Dr fee days later, he said paxil probably stopped working and he put me on Lexapro 20mg. Tuesday I took my paxil, Wednesday morning I stopped it and started Lexapro. Immediately switched, he said I'd be fine. Of course like yall I had to look it up, wish I wouldn't. Each day I'm getting better, today is day 7 on lexapro"

• the...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 28, 2015

"I've had depression since my teenage years but never spoke to anyone about it and didn't take anything for it until 2 and a half years ago when I had a bad run of luck with a few big things close together, it all got too much and I took a massive amount of prescription medication to try and end my life, 16 hours later I was woken up by my mum and taken to hospital. The Drs said most people wouldn't of woken up or at least had severe organ damage but I was ok, no damage. That's when I had to speak to Drs, psychs, family and some friends. They put me on lexapro and it worked fairly well for 2 years but when a few bad, stressful situations happened again it failed the test, I'm now trying venlafaxin, not sure yet but hopefully I get better results"

• bshank
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 9, 2021

"I was on it for about a year. Even pushed it to 60 Mg with my doctor. Never could quite help me. For me it was better for Anxiety than Depression. I think there are some people that are never introduced to any drugs except SSRI's - but I can tell you none of the SSRI's helped me. Getting some help from another Drug in another class right now. Praying it works."

• Itz
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2023

"Completing week 5. It has been hell. The first medication Mirtazapine seemed to have made my already severe depression worse. I felt extremely suicidal without space for any other thought. So far I had my period a few days ago and for the last two days the suicidal plan hasn't been up and running. I am taking it as a good sign. Starting week 5…. We’ll see. I'll try to come back."

• abdul
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2019

"For the first few days, it felt like it is not working but after a week it makes me become better. Plus I do not have sexual dysfunction like it said there might be for side effects, it gives me more erection and I'm worried"

• Peten...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2021

"This is one of many antidepressants I have tried - it worked for my depression to an extent, but I went off it after 4-5 months because I felt like a zombie. It also removed my ability to enjoy sex (anorgasmia). I'm grateful I took it when I did, because it numbed me to the loss of a beloved family member to a horrible form of cancer, but that was exactly the problem - I was numb all the time. I had no lows, but I also had no highs; my personality felt like a constant flat line. In the end , I wanted my personality back, so I stopped taking it. It also caused me to gain weight (5-10 lbs). I probably would have overlooked that if not for the other issues."

• BeeRe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 16, 2020

"This antidepressant Lexapro actually helped my depression a lot. But it made my bipolar disorder worse. I rearranged my whole apartment, furniture and all 4 to 5 times in a month. Anything was misplaced by someone living there I would start yelling at them."

• It...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2022

"I’m very glad I stuck it out with lexapro. I take the generic version but the first few weeks are going to be ROUGH. I was feeling nauseous 24/7, getting daily headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. It’s worth it. If you can stick out the first couple of weeks it is awesome. I’ve never felt better about myself and I can actually focus on my tasks and get out of bed. Been through a couple of different anti-depressants but this one is definitely the one that works the best for me."

• danci...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 26, 2017

"I'm in a very depressed mood all the time, my doctor put me in lexapro and xanax, but my depression is still there mostly cuz of money, I got way behind and that helped put me in a depressive mood, I'm 74 will b 75 on May 1 and took my granddaughter and her two boys ages 14 and 12 but that helped with my depression cuz supporting them put me behind in my bills, I'm struggling, she just got a job but its temporary, the 12 yr old is a backtalker and at my age it bothers me very much. But the lexapro does help some since my doctor upped my dosage to 20 mg, I can't put them in the street, but grandson who is 35 got divorced last yr and he helps me around the house. and I also suffer from 5 compressed disks in my low back and now travels down my leg"

• Natzz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 1, 2016

"Well I went back on this as it was kind of OK when I had CFS a few years ago and somewhat improved my mood. After a few stressful incidents it became hard to manage my depression naturally so I took the quick fix route because I didn't have time to work out and eat right. Having achieved remission with diet/sleep/SamE/exercise I can assure you that the effects of Lexapro are wildly different than a careful self care routine. Day one I was so drugged, I felt high and was barely able to work let alone drive. Total lethargy, extreme anxiety and inability to stop smiling even though I was terrified on the inside. In short, similar to a bad overdose on MJ. Day two, same effect, I had to call out of work. Stopped the pills."

• Sxanb
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2016

"Im 17 years old and started suffering with depression a couple months after my dad died and thats when I was put on Lexapro 10mg. The side effects were horrible for the first couple of days, extreme nausea and massive headaches. About a couple of weeks later we upped my dosage to 20mg and it helped me with me depression a little bit for a while but now (about 4 months later) my depression has gone back to how it was before I started Lexapro. Ive also noticed that it has made me extremely exhausted all of the time. I have to sleep at least 12 hours to function and even then it is hard to wake up and carry out my day. This may work for some but it did not work well for me. Im going to try to switch antidepressants within the next few days."

• Anon
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2016

"Was absolutely awful for me. After 1 pill at the lowest starting dose I experienced horrible anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks in the morning so bad I was worried I'd have to go to ER for my heart. Prescriber told me to halve the dosage and this only somewhat lessened the effects. I could not tolerate this med at all."

• alias
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2019

"So I was on just 5mg of lexapro and got high (hypermanic) like I've never been before. My doctor diagnosed me as atypical bipolar even though it was a one time thing, but whatever. I needed a mood stabilizer after that and take a lot of antipsychotics to stabilize myself."

• Nextm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 29, 2016

"Didn't do much for me at all, often felt sedated. Motivation is really bad. It stopped me from crying 24/7 and now I have an appetite but thats about it. Onto the next med I guess, I need the next one to be much better."

• Hyang
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2018

"I’m on my third day on Lexapro double dose to 20 mg. Muscle stiffness, major headache, fatigue, trouble sleeping, fast heart rate, and lower backaches. Weight gain. Blah! I tried Effexor and Zoloft. Both gave me rapid heart rate and major blood pressure. I had to go off of them and the effects of going off was like dying. I had more side affects than when I started and triple that effects. I’m hoping the Lexapro will do better and the side affects will not stay. This is my fifth SSRI."

• Catun...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 25, 2018

"Was prescribed Lexapro 10 mg about 7 months ago after a really bad depressive episode on Zoloft, which led to me being highly suicidal. At first this drug was truly amazing as I'd finally started to feel normal, the negative thoughts and rumination disappeared along with my anxiety, I started going to the gym and enjoying my life like never before. A really important advice I'd give is to NOT drink alcohol while taking Lexapro if you used to have a problem with drinking or being more or less of an alcoholic. I do not know if drinking is the cause but after a while I became highly depressed and could not restrain from drinking alcohol. I gained 20 lbs (which has never happened before as I do not usually gain weight) and lost all my libido, lost interest in everything and started to isolate myself from friends and family. Even tried to increase the dosage of Lexapro to 20 mg and it made me incredibly anxious and numb."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2022

"I was on Prozac + Paxil as a teen and ugh not great. Found prozac and took a baby dose- 10mg- and it helped my mood, anxiety, irritability, anger, motivation, apathy, isolation, depression… then it stopped working as sometimes happens. I was nervous to switch as it was helpful at one time. We switched to Lexapro as it’s similar and within 2 weeks less depressed, a month mostly recovered, 2 months as good as it’s gonna get:) Noticed 0 side effects and I usually have side effects. I notice I can sleep better, but also struggle with wanting to stop sleeping:) It’s almost too easy to sleep, so it needs a behavioral solution, or I can take halved pills every other day to see:) I don’t feel tired or groggy or even sleepy, it’s just easy for me to fall asleep at rest:) I love this med! It’s brought me back from a pretty big depressive episode."

• raissaw
• June 29, 2021

"Part one: Hello. I would like to share my so far short experience. I’m suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and adhd. All of them are pretty bad. You all know what it feels like to suffer from these, so I’m not going to list all my symptoms. I’ve been on Zoloft, abilify, adderrall, remeron , propranolol ( for high blood pressure and anxiety) and clonazepam for many years, and they seemed to help. And I’ve been on several other antipsychotics including Lithium. Side effects from the antipsychotics were, Hallucinations, extreme night sweats, dry mouth, I had no interest in anything, very low energy, half of my hair had fallen out. It was just terrible."

• RJC
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 30, 2017

"I went through withdrawal from Cymbalta and Benzos at the same time 7 years ago. It was torture and after two years I was still feeling wrecked. Some things improved, I think mainly Benzo related, but was still in a nightmare. I finally gave up and risked going back on an antidepressant so I started Lexapro. I couldn't believe how well it worked and it seemed to take away the lingering withdrawal symptoms. I could think straight and enjoy things again. Worked for three years until it seemed to not help much with my mood anymore. I switched to Prozac which helped for the next couple years and quit working. I'm still on it and feel a lot like when I was withdrawing from Cymbalta. I am going to try Lexapro again. Wish me luck!"