Posted by BarbaraEL on November 18, 2003, at 17:18:48
In reply to Everyone - Interested in when these darn SE's stop, posted by Dr. Jill on November 18, 2003, at 16:16:55
> Hi Everyone: Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts regarding Lexapro. I have been checking in daily since starting this medication. I am on day 16 and started off on 5mg and then increased to 10mg after a week. I put myself back on 5mg three days ago because the side effects were so bad. I have had major insomnia, my throat feels tight, cannot concentrate, feeling jittery, sweats, and constant nasal drip. How long did it take for your se's to go away? I figured that I stuck it out this far and I am not going to quit now. I have not even tried to have sex. Do not want to add another se onto the list. LOL. It seems like as one se goes away, another one appears. I had major tummy "issues" the first week. Thanks in advance for any information you can give me. Jill
Hi Jill -Yes, it seems like as soon as one side effect subsides a new one creeps in! I've been taking 10 mg Lexapro daily for six months -- up until 2 weeks ago. My side effects included nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, extreme sleepiness, sweats, that tightness in the throat you mentioned and the inability to concentrate, too.
I also noticed my short term memory seemed to be adversely affected - my brain was very foggy!
Most of these SE's subsided within the first 6 to 8 weeks. Occasionally, one of the above would pop up again -- maybe just for a day or two and to a lesser degree than initially. All in all, the side effects were tolerable and I was content in exchanging the depression for these random annoyances.My doctor told me that Lexapro might stimulate my appetite and that maybe I'd have the urge to snack more but this never manifested itself. I had quit smoking three months before starting Lex and have managed to stay off cigs and not put on any post-smoking weight either.
I slept better while on Lex, felt more relaxed and better equipped emotionally to handle the stresses in my life.
The least pleasing side effect for me was the change in my libido and ability to orgasm - which happened gradually over a period of a few months. I began to sense an overall numbness that I felt was induced by the medication and so now am in the process of weening myself from it to see how I feel with less of it in my system.
Despite what I've stated above, I'd encourage you to stick it out and see if most of the side effects don't subside within the next 14 days. Lex helped me quite a bit - even though I'd like NOT to take it anymore.
My doctor said I should use Lexapro for a minimum of six months - that it would take at least that long to reap the benefits. I don't know if agree with that -- for myself, anyway.
Best of luck! Keep posting...
BarbaraEL
poster:BarbaraEL
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031116/msgs/280951.html