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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Lexapro (Escitalopram) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Lexapro review by 39 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken daily/at bedtime for the period of 2+ years |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | Trazodone | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I have clinical depression with aggitation and anger. This medication seemed to take the edge off the anger as well as decrease my depressive symptoms. I started at 10mg, then shortly increased to 20mg, which left me feeling too drugged. It was only after 12+ months of taking 10 mg that it was increased due to increasing depressive symptoms. |
| Side effects: | | Initially the medication made me very drowsy. I began taking it at bedtime, which seemed to eleviate that particular concern. I think there may have been some weight gain, but I am not certain that it was specifically related to the Lexapro. Also, I did initially have difficult acheiving orgasm, but this side effect seemed to diminish within 6-9 months. |
| Comments: | | I'm not sure waht you mean here- I started on the medication over 2 years ago at 10 mg a day. The dosage was increased to 20 mg after about 12 months. The side effects were limited, and mostly not perticularly bothersome. |
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| | Lexapro review by 36 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression/anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg daily taken daily for the period of two months and continuingto use it |
| Other conditions: | | frustrated/short temper/mood swings |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | better outlook on life in general, less anxious, easier to deal with everything, a difference of night and day |
| Side effects: | | during the initial dose(first week to ten days) a bit of nausea,strange sensation in teeth and my head felt a little odd |
| Comments: | | I am happily married with two children, ages three and five. For years I cried everyday, freaked out at the drop of a hat, yelled all the time, had no self esteem and sometimes thought I could not go on. After two weeks of taking Lexapro I am a completely different person. I have not cried once after the first week of being treated. I love myself and my kids. All the menial tasks that I felt so difficult before, I now do with a great sense of ease. My friends and family notice a huge change in me. I couldn't be happier. |
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| | Lexapro review by 45 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Depression and anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg/ day taken once a day for the period of Five years |
| Other conditions: | | Fibromyalgia, allergies |
| Other drugs taken: | | Zyrtec, guaifenisin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It took the edge off of my stress and anxiety level and helped me feel more present and even-keeled. I started taking it during a difficult period and it helped lighten my mood. I did not feel like I was numbed or that I was unable to feel highs and lows. |
| Side effects: | | I gained a few pounds. It may have had a slight effect on my sex drive, but that is hard to tell. |
| Comments: | | I started on 10 mg/day for a few weeks and then went to 20/mg a day. This seemed to be a more effective dose for me. |
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| | Lexapro review by 35 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 15 mg taken daily for the period of daily |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Lexapro seemed to work well for me. I suffered from panic attacks in the past and the Lexapro definitely helped with these. The Lexapro also assisted with symptoms of depression. |
| Side effects: | | did not have any treatment side effects |
| Comments: | | My doctor started me on a very low dose to treat some situational depression and panic attacks. The 10mg did not work well enough and eventually I was given 15 and then 20. The 20mg seemed to do the trick without any additional side effects. |
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| | Lexapro review by 28 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 5 - 10 mg aday taken i took this once a day for the period of Approximately six months. |
| Other conditions: | | None, I am a very healthy individual. |
| Other drugs taken: | | None. | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Initially, Lexapro helped alleviate some of the stress I was experiencing. I noticed that situations that would normally aggravate me (i.e. stress of work, children, college assignments,etc.) I was able to handle better. |
| Side effects: | | Although some stress was alleviated, I noticed that I spent more time in a "vegetative" state. I am normally a very active person who enjoys exercising daily. While on Lexapro, I found myself preferring to just relax and watch televison (did cause slight weight gain due to this). More serious and traumatizing side effects was the sudden onset of severe chest pain, rapid heartbeat, dizzy spells, sweating, fatigue, numbness in legs and nausea. The first episode occurred one day at work causing an ambulance to be dispatched to job. From that day on, these attacks happened quite frequently, my doctor took me off the medicine. However, these attacks continued to occur for over a year later (never happened to me before Lexapro). In fact, these effects started a two year long string of attacks, visits to cardiologists, emergency rooms, my fear of exercising as increased activity seemed to affect my heart and induce rapid heart beat. I began to fear driving as my dizzy spells would occur for no apparent reason, as well as the numbness in my legs. No doctor was much help, in fact I often got treated as if I was crazy and was just told that I am suffering from panic attacks. I understand that panic attacks can occur out of nowhere in ones life and once you have them you may experience continued anxiety. I believe the Lexapro opened this pandoras box for me though. I read somewhere that an earlier version of Lexapro (or similar type of pill) caused heart problems thus was pulled off the shelves. Who knows the story behind that. It has taken me two long horrific years to get back on track. I am now approaching my issues naturally and am doing better (not to say this completely stopped my life - but it did seriously change it). |
| Comments: | | I took approximately 5mg a day. I visited my doctor on monthly basis, and was in contact with her via phone during first several weeks (my doc was old school... she really cares about her patients). I was placed on this treatment as I was a single mother of two very young children, employed full time, and attending college full time. The stress wasoccasionally overwhelming and my usual source of alleviating stress (exercise) was no longer helping. |
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| | Lexapro review by 55 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken 1 tablet per day for the period of 1 year so far |
| Other conditions: | | osteoarthritis |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It has worked pretty well at lifting my depression symptoms. Not dramatic effects but enough to help. It also decreased my appetite and I lost about 10 lbs and didn't gain it back. |
| Side effects: | | I had mild nausea at first but that stopped. |
| Comments: | | I take one 10 mg tablet a day. |
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| | Lexapro review by 48 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once daily for the period of 4 days |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I felt less sadness. |
| Side effects: | | i felt less of every emotion. i felt emotionally flat. Slept a lot. When I wasn't sleeping, I really could not even have driven a car. Made me a zombie. |
| Comments: | | I took a whole 10 mg tablet the first time and I wasn't right for two days. I then took just a quarter of a 10 mg tablet and got the same reaction, but it only lasted for about a day. I was through with it a that point. |
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| | Lexapro review by 52 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | peri-menopausal syptoms |
| Dosage & duration: | | one tablet taken once daily for the period of 1 month |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was experiencing a lot of hot flashes and I think they have subsided in frequency, duration and intensity since starting to take the Lexapro. |
| Side effects: | | I haven't noticed any side effects. |
| Comments: | | I take one tablet each morning. I have been on this treatment for one month. |
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| | Lexapro review by 54 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken once per day for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | menopause |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | depression reduced slightly |
| Side effects: | | could no longer have orgasms |
| Comments: | | I took lexapro for depression, within 2 weeks it affected my sex drive and within 4 weeks i was having difficulty reaching orgasm, whereas my entire life I never had this problem. My depression was only minimally relieved. I stopped taking it within 2 months, because I wanted my sex life back, and luckily it did come back. |
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| | Lexapro review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Mild depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 50 mg taken once a day for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | HRT, seasonal allergies |
| Other drugs taken: | | Climara | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The benefits were amazing. After 3 days, I felt good. I didnot want to stay home and not see anybody. |
| Side effects: | | A little sleepiness at first. |
| Comments: | | I have always been depressed. This flared up considerable when I was having trouble with endometrious. I was just sick of myself. Within a few days of taking Lexapro, I felt beeter and could make reliable decisions about things. After my hysterectomy, I needed the meds to work with the HRT. I just needed a little boost because my body was not responding to the hormone therapy like it should. |
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| | Lexapro review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Major depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg./day taken once a day for the period of Several years to present |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Lexapro has proven to be a very effective antidepressant that is entirely lacking in sexual side-effects. |
| Side effects: | | Lexapro is quite stimulating, which I consider to be a good thing, but I do consider the feeling of being a little too euphoric a side effect of the drug. |
| Comments: | | I have suffered from dysthymia (low mood) with major depressive episodes for most of my adult life. The newer antidepressants, particularly Prozac and Effexor, were lifesavers for me and I expect to be on a daily antidepressant for life. Antidepressants such as Prozac and Lexapro, however, greatly depressed my sexual desire and ability to reach climax (adversely affecting my relationship with my husband). These medications also "pooped out" (stopped working) after a while, and even when they were working, they would not entirely relieve my low mood. Ever since my psychiatrist prescribed Lexapro several years ago, my mood issues have entirely disappeared with absolutely no adverse sexual side effects. |
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| | Lexapro review by 42 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 8 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Lessened anxiety,brought about more attention |
| Side effects: | | drowsiness,lethargy,lack of deep emotions |
| Comments: | | take one pill daily |
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| | Lexapro review by 45 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression/anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg per day taken daily for the period of about 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Lexapro worked very well to make me feel better, less anxious and unhappy. |
| Side effects: | | I gained ten pounds in the few months that I took this medicine. |
| Comments: | | I've taken several anti-depressants over the years trying to find something with the least side effects for me. Paxil caused my jaw to always clench, Prozac caused heart flutters.
My doctor was very insistant that Lexapro was not the cause of my weight gain. However, I insisted on trying something else (Wellbutrin). Within 2 months I had lost the aberrant 10 pounds. |
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| | Lexapro review by 29 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 40 mg taken once a day for the period of a year |
| Other conditions: | | anxiety |
| Other drugs taken: | | birth control | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | more motivated and focused to accomplish daily activities, increased feelings of energy and decreased feelings of uselessness |
| Side effects: | | increased sensitivity to alchohol |
| Comments: | | in combination with talk therapy, i took 40 mg of Lexapro in the morning because when I took it in the evening, it caused some restlessness. Before Lexapro I took Prozac for a year and found that it caused me to have interrupted sleep cycles so that is why I changed to Lexapro |
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| | Lexapro review by 42 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 8 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Lessened anxiety,brought about more attention |
| Side effects: | | drowsiness,lethargy,lack of deep emotions |
| Comments: | | take one pill daily |
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| | Lexapro review by 39 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | post partum depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken daily for the period of 2 yrs |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | it did not make me feel like i was on a major drug. i still felt like "myself" and could experience emotions. there were no weight loss/gain experiences. |
| Side effects: | | i did not ecperience any side effects that i know of. |
| Comments: | | my OBGYN origionally prescribed lexapro for post-partum. I stayed on it for about 3 years and recommend it highly. |
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| | Lexapro review by 40 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg daily taken once daily for the period of 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | less depression/anxiety |
| Side effects: | | weight gain of 13 pounds -- very distressing. |
| Comments: | | I stopped taking the Lexapro and have been trying to manage my depression on my own with yoga, light therapy, supplements which has only been mildly effective. |
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| | Lexapro review by 47 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | nerves |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken 1/day for the period of still taking it |
| Other conditions: | | n/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | n/a | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | benefits: Nervous twitch went away under my eye. I am able to handle stressful situations better. |
| Side effects: | | I did not have any side effects |
| Comments: | | I recieved 5 mg/day for the first week. 1/2 a pill and then took 10mg/day. |
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| | Lexapro review by 50 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken once a day for the period of 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I had felt so depressed over the diagnosis of my mothers terminal illness and after taking this medication for less than 2 months I noticed that I could control my emotions much better. |
| Side effects: | | none |
| Comments: | | Mother diagnosed with terminal illness. Difficult time for me. Cried alot. Lexapro let me get hold of my emotions. I felt that I could cope with the situation better. The doctor increased my dose to 30mg after about 3 months. I don't feel that it made a significant difference so, I cut back to 20mg. |
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| | Lexapro review by 25 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression, anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 100 mg taken once a day for the period of 14 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | symptoms were numbed, I was able to better "deal" with life and get through my days without crying or having a nervous epsiode |
| Side effects: | | I felt NUMB and low energy. It was like living in a cloud. I also gained a lot of weight which in turn made me feel bad and sad for myself all over again. |
| Comments: | | I just took one a day, in the morning. When I would voice my concern about the perks of the drug with my Doctor, he was just adjust the dosage or try me on something else. I wished he would have advised me to do some psychological exercises to accompany the treatment. |
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| | Lexapro review by 33 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 2yrs |
| Other conditions: | | n/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | helped anxiety & black moods, headaches. Made my life a happier place to be in, especially for my family. Have had great results with lexapro with only minimal side effects such as a small weight gain. |
| Side effects: | | Would not recommend going off lexapro cold turkey as the effects of doing this are pretty horrible such as head spins, highly recommend slowly weaning yourself off it. Have had a slight weight gain due to slowing me down considerably. |
| Comments: | | Doctor prescribed lexapro when I had seen him about black moods & depression which is something I have had on and off since I was very young. Depression was starting to effect my family life so felt I needed to see a doctor, he prescribed me lexapro as it helps with depression & anxiety. I was prescribed 10mg and take one tablet daily. I visit the doctor regularly to update progress on lexapro |
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| | Lexapro review by 20 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | anxiety/depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 milligrams (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 7 months |
| Other conditions: | | endometriosis |
| Other drugs taken: | | Yasmin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Decreased depression. Decreased anxiety with heart palpatations. |
| Side effects: | | Decreased libido (which was temporary) |
| Comments: | | After about a week of taking the medication, I felt "like myself" again and not like a crazy person. I had felt that depression and anxiety were takin gover my personality. The medication neutralized these feelings. |
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| | Lexapro review by 61 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | clinical depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | excessive anxiety/panic attacks |
| Other drugs taken: | | Glucovance for diabetes | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The treatment benefits were very minimal because of the severe rage that I experienced. I don't think I benefited at all from taking this drug. |
| Side effects: | | This drug was very toxic to my system because it caused severe rage. I really was never relieved from my clinical depression because I kept hoping that the drug benefits would kick in and kept on taking it until one day I realized that I had to stop taking it. After about 2 months, I realized that I was very agitated constantly. I just thought that it would eventually go away but it never did. My nervousness was getting extreme. One day, I was in a grocery store shopping, pushing a grocery cart, and a little boy walked in front of me pushing a toy cart. I was so agitated that I had an INTENSE DESIRE to ram him with my shopping cart. I realized that this behavior was NOT ME and that the Lexapro was causing the severe rage. I also had a constant desire to start running down the street as fast as I could and NOT stop. I also couldn't sleep at night and if I was able to go to sleep finally, I would only stay asleep for a few hours. I sure hope this medication is taken off the market because it could cause some unstable patients to take other's lives from the severe rage. |
| Comments: | | This medication is manufactured by Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc. in St. Louis Missouri 63045. I was given the prescription of taking 10 mg. once a day. I cannot even imagine what would have happened to me if I had taken the full dosage recommended of 20 mg. I would have probably hurt someone badly. I have always suffered from clinical depression and have taken many different medications. Right now, Paxil is helping me with my depression a little. I think that I need to have it "upped" because the usual dosage isn't as effective as it once was. Anyway, my psychiatrist prescribed Lexapro for me because he really believed that this new drug would be just perfect for me. I had no idea that it would cause such turmoil in my life. I was in a constant state of nervousness and my panic attacks had started to get much worse. I just thought that my daily routine was the cause for my anxiety but realized when I had the desire to shove my shopping cart into a little boy who walked in front of me in the store, as I stated before in this report, that I had to quit taking Lexapro. Sometimes, I would sit on my sofa at night and want so badly to just scream at the top of my lungs. My therapist just told me to take a pillow, put it over my face, and scream at the top of my lungs. I was afraid that my neighbors would call the police if they heard me. That was no way to live. This medication was so toxic to me that if I had not realized what it was doing to me, I might have even taken my own life. Because of my great faith in God, I didn't kill myself and finally realized that I had to call my doctor immediately the next morning to report what Lexapro was doing to me. I also have a friend who is taking Lexapro and has taken it for sometime. She also shows signs of rage at times. Just a minor infringement on her and she will go into a state of rage (but not as bad as I did). I have tried to tell her that she needs to get off Lexapro but she just thinks that OTHER people are intimidating her. One day, when she rams her car into someone elses because they pulled in front of her, she will finally realize that Lexapro is not the drug for HER either. I really do think that Lexapro should be taken off the market until further testing is done. I would NEVER recommend this drug to anyone. It is just too unstable. |
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| | Lexapro review by 42 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Depression/Anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of 1+ year |
| Other conditions: | | Migraine headaches |
| Other drugs taken: | | Imitrex as needed | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Depression lessened considerably after 6-8 weeks. Anxiety & depression not totally eliminated, but after initial 6-8 weeks of treatment patient was better able to deal with depressive thoughts and worry. Allows patient to live a functionally normal life. |
| Side effects: | | Several side effects when initially starting treatment: Indigestion, loss of appetite, increased anxiety, inability to orgasm, loss of desire, and insomnia. Insomnia has decreased after 4 months of treatment though patient still finds it difficult not to wake periodically during the night. Physical sexual function has improved, though desire has not returned to it's normal level. All other side effects have passed. |
| Comments: | | Patient has been on Lexapro in past, though weaned off (with negative side effects including tremors, electric "zaps" and finally the return of the depression/anxiety). Began treatment again Sept 07 and continues currently. Current treatment began with 5 mg daily for 4 days then 10 mg daily after that. Medication is taken in morning. |
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| | Lexapro review by 55 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken once a day for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | just vitamins | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The drug was able to improve my depression and create balance in my life over the long run |
| Side effects: | | Some memory problems and a bit of difficulty sleeping |
| Comments: | | The details are I take a pill once a day and have for the past several years and intend to continue in the future |
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| | Lexapro review by 39 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg down to 10mg taken daily for the period of 2years |
| Other conditions: | | nil |
| Other drugs taken: | | nil | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | ability to function/interact better especially in public. |
| Side effects: | | nausea dizzyness |
| Comments: | | started on 5mg then 10mg then 20mg then was brought down again to 10mg over the two year period. combined with monthly psychiatric follow ups. |
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| | Lexapro review by 51 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | stressfull live change |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once daily for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | benacar | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | leveled out emotional highs and lows |
| Side effects: | | foggy mind and sexual apathy |
| Comments: | | don't know what this question is asking. |
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| | Lexapro review by 56 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg once daily taken once/day for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | GERD |
| Other drugs taken: | | Prevacid | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | less irritability, slept better. Was less hungry. |
| Side effects: | | mild mania, manifested by spending more money. I felt less inhibition in my spending and bought more products than I had in the past. |
| Comments: | | Was put on paxil which was quite effective but had the side effect of wt gain. Switched to lexapro. Wt gain more easily controlled, but wasn't as effective as paxil for depression. Now I'm on nothing and I'm doing well. |
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| | Lexapro review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | always crying |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 6 mos |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | i stopped crying, and could breath better |
| Side effects: | | none |
| Comments: | | just went to the doctor, explained that all i felt like doing was sighing , and how i could burst out in tears at any given time- he suggested lexapro-i resisted-didn't want drugs. went back 1 month later and said, ok, lets try it-
i stopped crying, it worked |
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| | Lexapro review by 47 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken 2xday for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | Wellbutrin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Before I started on the drug Lexapro, I felt lethargic and didn't want to get out of bed each morning. I hated getting up and facing the day. I would sit and watch the time pass by. Finally, I went to my Dr. for a checkup and he diagnosed me as being depressed. He put me on Wellbutrin and Lexapro 10 mg. I was instructed to take the pill 2 times per day everyday. For the first week I felt disconnected from myself but by the 2nd week I started to feel as if each morning was something to look forward to. I believe that Lexapro was a great addition to my life during my troubled times.
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| Side effects: | | In the first week of treatment I felt disconnected from myself. I felt fuzzy and had trouble thinking clearly. It was this side effect that made me not want to take the drug anymore but I continued taking it 2 times per day. By the second week the fuzziness began to lift and I felt more like my normal self. After 2 months of taking Lexapro I felt like I was back to my old self again. |
| Comments: | | Lexapro was taken 2 times a day for 2 months. |
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| | Lexapro review by 36 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 15mg taken 1x daily for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | insomnia |
| Other drugs taken: | | occasional sleeping pills | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I felt more stable in my daily activities; more capable of handling stress; and better able to successfully complete my daily responsibilities of working nights, parenting three children and keeping a house running at an acceptable level. |
| Side effects: | | While I was taking the medicine, I slept alot during the day. It could have been a side effect of my depression; however, I felt it was from the Lexapro because it was more extreme in the beginning of my takning this medicine and subsided somewhat after the medicine had been in my system for a while. No matter how much I slept, I never felt rested and could still sleep a full night also. This could also be attributed to my working night shift; however, once I quit taking the Lexapro, the need to sleep so much during the day subsided. |
| Comments: | | I was prescribed 10mg initially and this was not enough so my dose was increased to 15mg. I would occasionally take an additional 5 mg, totalling 20mg, but this was rare. I eventually weaned myself off of the medicine. My doctor said that it would be acceptable for me to do this myself as I felt ready; largely because my father had died and my mother had remarried and we both felt it was going to be a temporary need only. I took Lexapro for approximately 6-8 months. |
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| | Lexapro review by 31 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once per day for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | Wellbutrin XL | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The benefits to the treatment were that my anxiety was significantly decreased. It took almost two months for the benefits to kick in, but when they did it was well worth it. The depression also decreased significantly. I'm not sure if that was due to the addition of Wellbutrin, or if the reduction in anxiety was so great as to reduce the depression. |
| Side effects: | | There were several side effects worth noting. First of all, the Lexapro caused serious lethargy and loss of energy. Taking the pill at night rather than in the morning helped with this side effect, as did the addition of Wellbutrin. Weight gain also occurred, as well as a severe decrease in libido. When weaning off of the Lexapro, severe dizziness occurred. |
| Comments: | | 10 mg of Lexapro (daily) was prescribed. It was taken every day for nearly two years, in conjunction with check-ups with the prescribing psychiatrist every six months. (The psychiatrist determined that the anxiety was due to a chemical imbalance and not situational. Therefore, regular visits and/or therapy were not necessary.) After two years on the medication, treatment ended due to inability to tolerate the side effects noted above. During the weening process, severe dizziness occurred. The only way to alleviate the dizziness was to take a Lexapro pill. As the weening continued, dizziness occurred less often and longer periods of time elapsed before it was necessary to take another pill. Eventually, the dizziness ceased completely. |
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| | Lexapro review by 33 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken daily for the period of 2yrs |
| Other conditions: | | n/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | n/a | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The benefits of taking Lexapro, for me, were noticable within a few weeks at the very most. I wasn't as on edge. I wasn't as anxious. I haven't had any more anxiety attacks and Lexapro has helped me. |
| Side effects: | | I did not personally have any side effects from taking Lexapro. I gained 5lbs after starting it, but it was also winter time and I seem to gain 5 pounds around the holidays anyway. No trouble taking it off in the spring so I don't think it was an actual side effect--just too much of the holiday food. |
| Comments: | | I had never had a panic or anxiety attack before. After having my first one, and being scared to death to have another one, my doctor put me on Lexapro. I take 10mg/ day and have not increased it. |
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| | Lexapro review by 48 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken 1/day for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | insomnia |
| Other drugs taken: | | trazodone | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | happier, slept better. The Lexapro helped with energy levels and anxiety; the Trazadone with sleep. Together they worked quite well, I thought, as I was peppier during the day and slept well at night. So all in all, I would say that this was an excellent combination for someone suffering from sleep deprivation, which contributed to depression, low energy, and anxiety. I felt cured |
| Side effects: | | groggy sometimes. And I could not really stop, though I was able to play with the amount of the trazodone, lowering it down to 50 mg. whenever ever I could. I did not notice side effects from Lexapro, just perhaps that I became flat overtime--not depressed but no super excited either. So at a certain point, I wanted to get off. I had wonderful dreams on trazodone, but would sometimes go back to sleep in the morning for 1-3 extra hours. |
| Comments: | | 50-150 mg of trazodone and 20 mg of lexapro daily. I took all at night, just before going to bed. I would when trying to bring the Trazodone down--so I would be less groggy in the morning-- go very slowly, 25 mg less every few days. Usually this would work. If I woke in the middle of the night, I would immediately get up and take another 50 mg. I have probably taken up to 250 mg in one night, but very rarely. And I have had long periods where I was at 50 mg, only taking more if I was really stressed out or my mind was buzzling with too many details. I recommend this combination really. |
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| | Lexapro review by 34 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken dail;y for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | anxiety |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Helped reduce some of the anxiety and had a moderate effect on the depression although it did not go away. |
| Side effects: | | Insomnia and fatigue were the main side effects experienced. |
| Comments: | | Taken orally daily at night to address depresion. Stopped taking due to side effects. Found increase of regimented daily exercise to be more beneficial. |
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| | Lexapro review by 37 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Anxiety |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 4 years |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The treatment benefits include less shakiness, stable mood, calm stomach and overall stability. |
| Side effects: | | I have not noticed any side effects. I have noticed that if I am inconsistent with taking the medication regularly I will feel anxious or moody. If I drink alcohol the medication does not seem to counteract the anxiety. |
| Comments: | | After the birth of my daughter I suffered from what seemed like acute anxiety attacks. Coupled with my unpredictable mood cycle and my inability to control my emotions my doctor recommended 10mg of Lexapro daily combined with talk therapy. |
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| | Lexapro review by 25 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | panic attacks |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once a day for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | anxiety |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I have no more panic attacks, it helped to reduce anxiety, to improve the mood. I feel the old myself again and can function well at work.Sometimes I still experience anxiety attacks but they are not severe. I highly recommend this drug due to minimum of side effects in comparison with other antidepressant drugs. |
| Side effects: | | None, the only disadvantage was it started working after 2 weeks of usage. |
| Comments: | | The treatment is supposed to last 1-1.5 years |
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| | Lexapro review by 54 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | anxiety, stress |
| Dosage & duration: | | 5 mg. daily taken once a day for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | hyperlipidemia under control by medicaiton |
| Other drugs taken: | | lipitor 20 mg daily | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Eliminated or reduced symptoms of anxiety - eliminated heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Provided a general feeling of calm. |
| Side effects: | | The worst, and the reason for d/c'ing, side effect was hot flashes and night sweats that awakened me and interfered with my working.
Secondly, I felt drowsy during the day even on this low (5 mg day) dose. I tried taking at night and the trialed taking it in the AM and experienced no difference in the side effects.
Both side effects are completely gone now that I have stopped taking it. |
| Comments: | | I believe I have already done so. |
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| | Lexapro review by 34 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 (dosage frequency: 1/daily) for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | hypothyroidism |
| Other drugs taken: | | unithroid | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The benefits were that once I started taking it, I became less emotional when I got upset. I could handle the small things better than before, which used to set me off. It evened out my moods so that I was less tempermental. |
| Side effects: | | If I missed taking a dose, I would feel a bit lightheaded, dizzy or have a headache. Too many missed doses lead to a really irritable mood. |
| Comments: | | After a break-up, I was very depressed and upset all the time. I began taking a dose of 20mg and within a few days, noticed a difference. I had fewer dramatic mood swings, and was able to handle the everyday things that got me upset in a more reasonable manner. I did not feel like crying as frequently as before the medication, and I feel it helps me keep a pretty even temper. I continue to take this medication because I have been told I have a natural chemical imbalance, and this keeps me from being overly emotional when it is unnecessary. Overall, I feel I benefit from taking it, and unless I miss a dose, I have no side effects. |
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