Lexapro (Anxiety)?

Hello. My name is Bethany. I am a 26 year old mother of 2. I am an avid runner, student, and stay at home mom. I also suffer from worsening anxiety.

I have had two panic attacks this week and yesterday's was embarassing. I lost it in front of my husband and was completely unable to breathe. I had to ask him to go upstairs so that I could sit in the corner of the cabinets in the kitchen, trying to get ahold of myself enough to cry instead of hyperventilate.

About two weeks ago, the doctor gave me the lowest possible dosage of Ativan to take at the onset of an attack. I am kind of opposed to taking medication as I had a bad experience with Paxil in the past. I do like Ativan, though, as it can also help me sleep (I only take one pill at a time and don't like to take it more than every other day).

I have the ability to take part in a study at the local hospital (a somewhat renowned, college affiliated hospital) for panic and sleep disorder (studying the relationship between the two). It is a blind study so I will not know if I am receiving the sleep medication AND a placebo OR the drug Lexapro. I thought Lexapro was just for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) but I have now read that it is also an SSRI/Antidepressant.

My experience (between 16 and 19) on Paxil was a terrible one. Weight gain, anxiety worsening, bulimia worsening, menstrual difficulty, bad dreams, headaches, grinding teeth, rage, etc. I suppose I want to know...

... my body composition is much different now (much lighter, on HBC to restart periods, avid exerciser, I'm older) and my hormones are more stable. Is it likely that the experience will repeat?

Has anyone taken Lexapro? Any positive or negative experiences?

Thank you.

My grandma took Lexapro for a while.  She said it didn't do anything for her depression.  She does take a minimal dosage of Xanax for anxiety.  After a couple of episodes of night walking and bruising her feet she stopped the Lexapro cold turkey (do not do this).  Her depression did not worsen.  She is taking St. John's wart which seems to be helping with the depression a bit.

Thank you for that - that was quite insightful!

I would suggest seeing a psychologist and consulting on possible treatment options.  There's a vast difference between anxiety, depression, and panic and I'm sure there's a great deal of difference in how different people respond to different medications as well.

i lost my boy about 3 years ago and i started taking lexapro about a year ago because i just could not function. they put me on 10mg and i was able to function again.

BUT i found that i wasnt motivated to workout anymore - i was happy but putting on weight but i didnt care because i was taking lex and i was happy. uh...NOOOOOO!!!! AND it made me a-orgasmic? i think thats the term...

so i started cutting down real slow back in late may and am down to 5mg a day now. i am working out again and the sex issue is no longer an issue either.

im going to stick here for a while. ive never taken any other meds.

watergirl.... i am so sorry to hear about your loss. i am so, so sorry. thank you for sharing your lexapro story with me.

thanks bethany. its all i have to share re: lexapro. sounds like you have a bit of a journey until you get your own "chemistry set" figured out. poor baby. good luck with that.

Hi,

I took Lexapro for about 4 months and I believe it helped me a great deal. I didnt gain weight but I did become very mellow (I guess thats what its supposed to do) but I got so mellow to the point of not really feeling anything. I felt pleasant enough and nothing bothered me at all. It was as if I was completely numb from caring.

So I stopped taking it and I became more balanced. I still get anxiety some but Im definitely over the depression that took control of my life for that time.

i had taken lexapro, i did not gain weight. i couldn't tell you if it helped at all because i used to work a really high stress job and then quit and took another one so i don't know if the changed helped me out or what.... but one thing i remember is once i tried to stop it was difficult for me, i got headaches and felt dizzy.. but i guess thats just like any other pill once your body gets used to it and goes into "withdrawal" when you stop.

i'm not a doctor, but i would start with a low dose (5mg) and see how you like it and increase from there if it helps. good luck!!!

I took Paxil and didn't like it, so I know where you are coming from.

I took Lexapro, and out of 3 SSRI's I tried, it was the one with the least side-effects. It didn't make me gain weight, it didn't do crazy things to my appetite (others did). And when coming off it, I didn't have any major withdrawal issues and I managed to lower dosages very quickly.

As for it's therapeutic ability, I'd say it was fine. It was probably as effective as Zoloft and more effective than Paxil for me.

Like any SSRI, Lexapro can have side effects and has basically the same side effect profile (lower libido and weight gain being the two that are most complained about) as any other drug in its category, but if you're gonna take an SSRI and are worried about side effects, Lexapro is probably the one to take because it's the "lightest" when it comes to those side effects.

But remember, everyone has completely different reactions to each SSRI (which is why every SSRI  basically does the same thing, but some people can tolerate one better than others), so the only way of really knowing is trying. And considering you took Paxil when you were 16 to 19, your body and brain might (and probably will) react differently to an SSRI now than it did then.

Well, everyone's different, so what works for one doesn't work for all unfortunately. Paxil and Prozac both didn't work for me, but Lexapro did. I believe I was on 10mg a day, I gained weight from the time I took paxil (they just moved me from pill to pill, no pill-less gaps in between) because I "didn't care". My emotions were fine, I was never depressed or anything, it was just seriously awful crippling anxiety. You're already awkward as a teen, I didn't need extras, lol. But the state I was in, I wasn't going to make it through highschool. My grades were fine but it was harder and harder for me to go to school (I have social anxiety as well). After finding lexapro to be the one, I was able to finish school and graduate. When I turned 18, my parent's insurance on me was gone and I couldn't get help anymore (I was seeing a therapist too). Lexapro was my "cure".

I'm 24 years old and still health insurance-less and unfortunately there isn't going to be a generic of Lexapro till approx. 2012. And out of pocket it is stupidly expensive. But I will have access to health insurance in January and hopefully I can get back on it, 5-10mg is all I needed to get rid of the constant fear/doom feeling I always have.

I've said in another thread somewhere, that I also take Xanex. I was first introduced to it March of this year by my GP (I go to a low income clinic), she gave me 10 (they're actually generic, called Alprazolam) .25mg tablets that I could take up to 2 a day as needed. Well since getting them I've used 4. Because they're addicting (my family has a history of drug abuse) I fear of getting addicted (I fear everything anyway, even pills...) so I only take them when absolutely necessary and they work wonderfully. I hope through therapy+lexapro I can slowly ween off lexapro and just use xanex (and still keep therapy) for emergencies till my anxiety is completely gone, if that is even possible. I feel like it's just apart of my personality now.

Edit: I hope it works out for you, anxiety sucks. Good luck!

The reason why docs often push Lexapro is because it is supposed to be less likely to cause side effects than other SSRIs.  I took it for a while, and I don't think it did anything for me other than gave me sexual dysfunction.  No SSRIs worked for me though--they work for a lot of other people.  I don't think you will gain a bunch of weight on Lexapro.  I know that Paxil is particularly known for that problem.  I'd say go for it.  If you do have some side effects at the beginning, it's good to understand that some of those will go away after the first week or two.  I took Wellbutrin and it gave me crazy side effects at first, but I suffered through it and now it's great.

*edit* nvm, those options are all expensive.

cptbunny

Just a thought, since you are low income (I assume) and no insurance, you might set up an appointment with your local MHMR (mental health mental retardation) and ask for help with your lexapro.

You may get a no.  You may get a LONG wait.  You may get help.  There is no knowing until you try it.

Oh yes, I applied at the NAMU of RI, and it was very expensive because you had to see one of their therapists ($150 a visit). I still get letters from them asking for donations... Thank you for the advice though. :D

I know it's been awhile since your post, but in case this could still be pertient, I've been on lexapro since January and it's really helped with my depression and anxiety, though I know others who have had weird side effects (some who take it for depression and some for anxiety). I have gained some weight over the past several months, though I can't say if it is the lexapro or other circumstances. I think everyone just reacts differently, and while it has done me some good, I think you'd have to try it out to see how it'd effect you.

Best of luck!