Lexapro...

turnedmyworldtoblack

Okay first off thanks for taking the time to read my bullshit.

I went to the thyroid doc, who sent me to a psychologist, who sent me to a doc seeking depression meds.

He has prescribed me Lexapro and it really makes me scared, especially after reading about it. I really want to only use it to get out of this EXTREME rut I have been in, get back in the game, start being social again and exercising and I am hoping to not be stuck on it long enough to even refill the script.

Has anyone taken this and if you dont mind telling me how you felt before you took it and if it helped? If you don't want to share publicly I can Pm you.

I dont want to be stuck popping pills, but I want whats best for myself.

Thanks in advance anyone

in_hiding79

I'm on Zoloft, but I hear Lexapro is just as good!

If the zoloft didn't work for me, that is what my doctor's second choice would have been! Hope you start to feel better...:)

MattCameronKicksButt

It's ironic that you suffer with anxiety and depression and your nervous and upset about taking anti depressents.
IMO, you should go for it. I know doctors throw out anti depressants to so many people but I think sometimes it can really help. And if you don't think they suit you, you can look at other options. Since you can't find the strength to excercise and such, it's probably a good idea.

worlie

I have never posted in this forum before....
Saw your post. I was on Celexa, which is essentially the mirror image of the chemical formula of Lexapro. The only side effect I had, is that my gag reflex was irritated and I would yawn a lot. Worked pretty well to counteract the extreme fertility treatments I was on.
I also used to work as a case mgr with a psychiatrist, and saw a lot of children/adol get helped by both meds.

Make sure you give it a full two-four weeks to see a difference. Also, do not stop taking it on your own. It will stay in your system for about two weeks after you stop it, so dont fool yourself into thinking you are better.

Good luck.

drtyfrnk29

I was prescribed Lexapro in a 20mg dose about two years ago after being on Paxil for three years before that. I eventually switched back to Paxil but the Lexapro was decent enough.

worlie wrote:

The only side effect I had, is that my gag reflex was irritated and I would yawn a lot.

This is something that I have been struggling with recently. I never thought it was connected to the medication. Calling my Dr now.

worlie

It was very strange, but it did eventually go away (a month?). I always seem to have the weirdest side effects to meds. Not even sure what it would have been, but I always felt like I was about to yawn or gag. Good luck with it.

meme

I travelled a similar route to an antidepressant, Wellbutrin.
I was told it would take a few months to see any result and, like you, I was skeptical. I took it for a few days, could not sleep and was a mess in general.

I was shocked that it took the string of doctors I saw less than an hour to box me into the depressed box.

I stopped taking it. I would suggest seeing a therapist about your rut and forcing yourself to the gym before you take the antidepressant. Then again I know shit about you and your malaise. Even less than the docs who saw you

edvedder913

My sister in law took Lexapro (due to the sudden death of her sister) and then changed to Celexa. Apparently the Lexapro made her very sleepy and made her gain a lot of weight. She likes the Celexa better.

Good luck!

genie

i've never been on anit-depressant tablets, and would never take any. i think tablets can help you for a some certain period of time, in the long run you need to figure out and go through some though shit to be able to deal with life....and it will make you a stronger person you will have to resolve your problems one day and come to terms with them.

meme

Sawyer wrote:

i got off of it after four days....my buddy killed himself and at his funeral I felt nothing.........that was enough for me.

Good for you.
Sorry about your friend.

turnedmyworldtoblack

I read alot of different things about peoples reactions to it. I have been through alot of strange feelings with my Graves Disease so I am not worried about it. I dont think any type of side effect from this can touch the feeling of zero thyroid hormone. I am going to give it a try.
Like genie said it should be used to work out your problems, and right now my problem is having too much anxiety and low thoughts about myself to develop any relationships. I think once I can develop a relationship a nice healthy relationship with a woman will turn into my anti depressant.
Forcing myself to the gym sounds like a good idea, but if you dont feel the thoughts I do around being in that social situation and how much that makes me scared then it is really hard for anyone to understand unless youve been there. (someone clarified that in their post)

Thanks for your input everyone.

About the over prescription of anti depressants, the doctors ask questions that basically anyone could feel at times. The questions are so vague and they could give someone having a bad day a 'script to this shit.

vedderfan10

I've been on both Celexa and Wellbutrin for a few years now - and I don't want to imagine life without them. I also went to the gym (when I was off work) five times a week and also walked pretty much everywhere....all of this helps. Self-care is as important as taking the meds...I also read a self-help book, tried meditation, and CBT therapy...And it all works.

The thing about all of the above is that, if you don't like something, try something else. Sometimes it takes a few med trials before you find the right one...and sometimes you might need more than one...

And it can take less than an hour to diagnose depression - docs use screening tools (like rating scales) and observe your mood and affect, etc....If you don't like what the doctor says, go get a second opinion.

Think of meds as a helping hand, like a friend who only wants to help you...just an extra little nudge...

gobrowns19

Unrelated, but our old neighbor used to work at a pharmacy and gave us tons of Lexapro stuff. We have coffee cups, baby wipe dispensers, and biggest of all, PENS! I used Lexapro pens all throughout high school and am still using them in college. Several of my friends houses also have Lexapro pens because I would accidentally leave them there, etc.

Anyways, best wishes.

worlie

I want to point out in response to some of the "don't take meds, just get through it" kind of comments:

Depression is a disease. There is a HUGE difference between feeling depressed over a traumatic event (although that can trigger a chemical depression) and not having the correct brain chemicals flowing to maintain normalcy.

Chemical Depression is serious problem for millions of people. I would guess that your thyroid issues are causing some if not all of the imbalance, and it may take trying a few different medicines before you find the correct one.

Anxiety can also be caused by a chemical imbalance, as well as a traumatic event. Some medicines work better on anxiety than depression symptoms. I have seen Effexor work brilliantly for some, and cause weird side effects for others.

Exercise can increase the flow of endorphins, and therefore make the depression better temporarily, but it is not a "fix". It doesn't correct the imbalance.

The best choice in starting treatment is starting with your family doctor, but you can also try a psychiatrist. They are able to prescribe meds, where psychologists cannot.

PM me with questions, if you would like. I do have a lot of experience with this. When I take the heavy dosage fertility drugs I have to take, I am thrown into a full scale chemical depression until the meds are done. The difference is marked, and there is nothing I can do but take a script to correct the chemicals.

Good luck.

worlie

Sawyer wrote:

i got off of it after four days....my buddy killed himself and at his funeral I felt nothing.........that was enough for me.

Sorry to disagree with you, but if you were only on it for four days, you would not have had any effect yet. There is no way any depression medicine would have been significant enough in your body to cause this if you took it for four days.

It could have been that you were emotionally numb about your friend (I'm sorry about that), but it was not the medicine.

PearlyOceans

I'm on Lexapro since April last year and I feel really good, finally. I started taking antidepressants when I was around 18. The doc prescibed Seroxat to me and I used that AD till last year. Lexapro is working better for me than Seroxat. No side-effects and I really feel a lot better than a couple of years ago. But this doesn't neccesarily mean that it will work for you. I know someone who was on Efexor and she was doing very well. I took Efexor for a week and it made me very sick.

worlie

wow, well I guess it could have been an allergic reaction. normally the meds do not have that effect unless the dose is at toxic levels. you might just be really sensitive to ADs.

Strangest Tribe

I've been on low dose Xanax and Lexapro for 5 years.

I had a back injury and was on Hydrocodone for 6 weeks. The pain meds caused me to lose my shit. My chemical balance was way off.

I never had problems or anxiety issues before. Never had ADD or anything or any reason to suddenly go off the deep end, but all of a sudden I got real nervous, couldn't sleep, my heart didn't beat right, I wanted torun away, I wanted to die.

I kept having panic attacks, then my Dr put me on too high off doseof Zoologt and I started having seizures and when I closed my eyes lights would flash across the inside of my eyelids making sleep impossible.

I've been down that road PM me if you need some helpful guidance.

The best advice I can give you is to get away from your general practitioner and seek the help of a bonafide Psychiatrist...not a clinical Psychologist...a Psychiatrist. They will know how to properly adjust your meds.

I found Lexapro to be a better fit for me.

It will take some time to work effectively. It took me about 6 months to get better, but I stayed on low doses up till now by choice.

You will gain weight.

Strangest Tribe

I've been on low dose Xanax and Lexapro for 5 years.

I had a back injury and was on Hydrocodone for 6 weeks. The pain meds caused me to lose my shit. My chemical balance was way off.

I never had problems or anxiety issues before. Never had ADD or anything or any reason to suddenly go off the deep end, but all of a sudden I got real nervous, couldn't sleep, my heart didn't beat right, I wanted torun away, I wanted to die.

I kept having panic attacks, then my Dr put me on too high off doseof Zoologt and I started having seizures and when I closed my eyes lights would flash across the inside of my eyelids making sleep impossible.

I've been down that road PM me if you need some helpful guidance.

The best advice I can give you is to get away from your general practitioner and seek the help of a bonafide Psychiatrist...not a clinical Psychologist...a Psychiatrist. They will know how to properly adjust your meds.

I found Lexapro to be a better fit for me.

It will take some time to work effectively. It took me about 6 months to get better, but I stayed on low doses up till now by choice.

You will gain weight.

turnedmyworldtoblack

Sawyer wrote:

it was absolutely the medicine......i could get into ther effects too. That was it.

Sawyer I appreciate your input but from what the doctors say and from what I read there is no way that Lexapro could have given you so much serotonin in 4 days that you were incapable of feeling sadness. Placebo is quite a phenomenon though. As for the side effects, that very well could be true.

Strangest Tribe > I also read studies that weight gain is not typical in everybody who starts Lexapro treatment. Lucky enough for me though my weight is basically regulated by the amount of that stupid thyroid medicine I take, and it is very hard for me to gain weight. I have been monitoring my weight daily since last night though so we will see if that is true.

vedderfan10

I was on Celexa for six weeks before I thought I was incapable of feeling grief (a patient where I worked had committed suicide, and I was at my friend's (the dead guy's psychiatrist) place - and he didn't know about it. I felt like crap about the whole thing (but didn't tell my friend what happened), but I remember being unable to cry... but knowing that the body takes awhile to adjust to things I stuck with the Celexa and everything sorted itself out a few weeks later. It was strange, though, to go from crying at everything, for no reason, to not crying at all....When I was deemed stable, my Celexa was discontined gradually - and in less than six months I had another breakdown so I had to go back on it....but I didn't experience that "dead" feeling again. Sometimes your emotions just take a break.