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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by amygirl_011 on February 4, 2005, at 12:30:20
Hey guys. My name is Amy and I am new to this site. I have recently been perscribed Lexapro because I have been having random depression "episodes." Nothing serious, but the doctor here said that this shoudl help. I HATE taking meds and have been reading a lot about Lexapro.. the good and the bad... and I have a couple questions:
1) Has anyone of you gained weight with Lexapro? I recently lost 30 pounds, and knowing that if I gained that back I would be MORE depressed.
2) What are some withdrawl symptoms when I do decided to get off of this.
3) I am a little confused... the doctor said that I do not have to be on this forever, only 7 months or so. Is my body going to be so dependent on this drug after 7 months that I can never get off of an antidepressant?
Posted by Bill LL on February 4, 2005, at 12:47:48
In reply to Going to be taking Lexapro...., posted by amygirl_011 on February 4, 2005, at 12:30:20
Hi. Some people do either gain or lose weight on Lexapro, but most people don't do either.
A lot of people do feel some degree of discomfort when discontinuing antidepressants including Lexapro. But it's usually not too bad if you discontinue it gradually. Some people don't have any problems at all when they stop it. You will definitely be able to get off of it after the 7 months. It is not an addictive drug.
The more important issue is whether or not you will still have these episodes when you stop taking it. Hopefully they will go away. But if they keep coming back, you may need to once again start taking Lexapro.
Do you have seasonal affective disorder where you only get depressed in the winter? If so, using a light might be helpful.
> Hey guys. My name is Amy and I am new to this site. I have recently been perscribed Lexapro because I have been having random depression "episodes." Nothing serious, but the doctor here said that this shoudl help. I HATE taking meds and have been reading a lot about Lexapro.. the good and the bad... and I have a couple questions:
> 1) Has anyone of you gained weight with Lexapro? I recently lost 30 pounds, and knowing that if I gained that back I would be MORE depressed.
> 2) What are some withdrawl symptoms when I do decided to get off of this.
> 3) I am a little confused... the doctor said that I do not have to be on this forever, only 7 months or so. Is my body going to be so dependent on this drug after 7 months that I can never get off of an antidepressant?
Posted by Chris O on February 4, 2005, at 14:31:19
In reply to Going to be taking Lexapro...., posted by amygirl_011 on February 4, 2005, at 12:30:20
Amy:
I'll share my experience with Lexapro, for what it's worth. I just took Lexapro at 30-40mg/day for eight months. For me, the low dose (10-20mg) was not effective. At the higher dosage, I did experience weight gain in that time period, about ten solid pounds. It was very gradual, but I'm sure it was a result of the drug and not my eating habits. In terms of side-effects with Lexapro, they were minimal, only slight fatigue during the day, so taking with Wellbutrin might be a good idea. I didn't really experience much "withdrawal," maybe some minor nausea and "electric shock feelings" (kind of like anxiety returning), but this went away quickly. I've been off Lexapro for about 8 weeks now with no residual aftereffects.
Hope that helps + good luck,
Chris
Posted by starflower on February 8, 2005, at 6:07:51
In reply to Re: Going to be taking Lexapro...., posted by Bill LL on February 4, 2005, at 12:47:48
Hello Amy,
Just wanted to tell you about my experience of Lexapro which was, overall, very positive and I have been on a LOT of antidepressants. I feel like I could write a consumers' guide...
I had a bit of anxiety for the first 10 days but then that eased off and it took care of my depression. My appetite was regulated on it (but I still wanted to eat) and I lost 10 pounds.
It was among the easiest to come off, which I did in about 3 weeks (I had previously had great difficulty coming off Paxil and Zoloft).
All the very best with it honey, work with your doc and give lots of feedback
SF
> Hi. Some people do either gain or lose weight on Lexapro, but most people don't do either.
>
> A lot of people do feel some degree of discomfort when discontinuing antidepressants including Lexapro. But it's usually not too bad if you discontinue it gradually. Some people don't have any problems at all when they stop it. You will definitely be able to get off of it after the 7 months. It is not an addictive drug.
>
> The more important issue is whether or not you will still have these episodes when you stop taking it. Hopefully they will go away. But if they keep coming back, you may need to once again start taking Lexapro.
>
> Do you have seasonal affective disorder where you only get depressed in the winter? If so, using a light might be helpful.
>
>
> > Hey guys. My name is Amy and I am new to this site. I have recently been perscribed Lexapro because I have been having random depression "episodes." Nothing serious, but the doctor here said that this shoudl help. I HATE taking meds and have been reading a lot about Lexapro.. the good and the bad... and I have a couple questions:
> > 1) Has anyone of you gained weight with Lexapro? I recently lost 30 pounds, and knowing that if I gained that back I would be MORE depressed.
> > 2) What are some withdrawl symptoms when I do decided to get off of this.
> > 3) I am a little confused... the doctor said that I do not have to be on this forever, only 7 months or so. Is my body going to be so dependent on this drug after 7 months that I can never get off of an antidepressant?
>
>
Posted by stresser on February 8, 2005, at 13:17:24
In reply to Re: Going to be taking Lexapro...., posted by starflower on February 8, 2005, at 6:07:51
Amy
My daughter took Lexapro, and I also took it last summer. She gained around 8 - 10 pound on it, and I didn't gain any, so it varies from person to person. Most people don't gain any on that medication, so I would say you will be fine. If you notice you are gaining, just give your doctor a call, and he/she can give you something else to try. No big deal. ~L
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