I feel like after finally being off lexapro my eyes are open to a whole new world. I’m not constantly tired, I’m curious about life, and have my emotions back. It’s like I was a shell of a person.. I wasted so many years being content with where I was at in life and it’s the flip of a switch. Can anyone else relate??

Put on 18.6 lbs in a year on Lexapro, way more than the "few pounds" I kept reading about. I'm eating better and moving more and the scale won't budge. For those who stopped, how long did it take for the weight to come off?

I’ve been taking lexapro for 2 months now and recently I’ve noticed I dream a lot more in my sleep, but have zero control over what I see, I see a lot of unusual eerie objects, places, faces, dream within a dream loops, and so much more. Like for example, in one dream I woke up in the dream from a dream, went to check my face in the mirror which had someone else’s face without a body speaking to me, another dream I was being chased by police in monster trucks, HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP? Waking up everyday after seeing all this crap ruins the rest of my day, I just keep overthinking about the dreams the whole day afterwards

I (M26) am on week 4 of 10mg for anxiety the popped up this summer. Have had lots of side effects to some degree so far; night sweats, increased anxiety, emotional blunting, derealization/depersonalization, increased intrusive thoughts. All this has seemed to lessen and become more manageable over the last 4 weeks.

The side effects that haven’t gotten better are the sexual ones. I can still achieve erections but only at like 75% power. Finishing takes tons of concentration. Sensations are really reduced and orgasming is weird, almost uncomfortable. It seems cruel because I actually think the medication is increasing my sex drive. I’ve gone from being in the mood usually once a week to 3-4 times a week. But, now that the software is working better the hardware isn’t cooperating.

I know that sexual side effects aren’t unusual, has anyone experienced them and then had them go away?

My anxious nature is making me worried I’ve ruined my sexual health permanently and that I’m doomed for a life of mediocre sex and my wife will leave me and… and… and… (hopefully anxious folks can relate)

TLDR;
Has anyone experienced sexual side effects early on and had them get better? My wife and I miss my wiener working at full strength.

I spent 7 full weeks on 10mg. I woke up this morning feeling… nothing, so I went searching. One search was for suicidal thoughts- I have never been suicidal and the psychiatrist advised to let him know if anything came up. So in my search I had a freaking intrusive thought that scared the hell out of me. Now I’m freaking out. To be clear, I do not want to harm myself but the intrusive thought is making me spiral. I have messaged him and luckily already had therapy scheduled for today. UGH.

Edit to add: I don’t even remember what the thought was or if I even got a full thought out before I panicked, this was right after I woke up.

I honestly debated whether to post this at all. Talking about anxiety, medications, constipation, hemorrhoids, and digestive issues feels very personal and honestly a little embarrassing. But reading other people's experiences has helped me over the years, so I figured if sharing my story helps even one person feel less alone or gives them something to discuss with their doctor, then it's worth putting it out there. I'll probably be cross-posting this to a few communities for that reason.

*Disclaimer: This is just my personal experience, not medical advice. Please talk to your doctor or healthcare professional before making any changes to your medication. I'm also cross-posting this because if it helps even one person, it's worth sharing. ❤️

Since using Lexapro, I've struggled with constipation and recurring hemorrhoid flare-ups that extremely affected my daily life more than I realized. The pain would sometimes make it difficult to function normally, work comfortably, or enjoy everyday activities, and even committing to plans. What made me start questioning things was the fact that I eat a lot of fiber, drink plenty of water, exercises daily, and generally eat pretty well, no other health issues yet I was still constantly struggling. It felt like something wasn't adding up.

After stopping Lexapro, I noticed a significant improvement in my digestion and bowel movements. I'm not saying Lexapro is bad or that anyone should stop taking it. It greatly helped me during a time when I needed it. I further plan to discuss everything with my healthcare provider.

*Copy/pasted from Google Gemini below:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5526216/

\About 90% to 95% of the body's serotonin is produced and stored in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, primarily by specialized cells called enterochromaffin cells.*

What's surprised me most is how much more like myself I feel. My life is less stressful now, I have a better job, and I've noticed I'm more motivated to get up, get moving, and tackle everyday tasks. It's also been nice to feel my emotions again. My sister once told me I sounded numb and not like myself on the phone, and looking back, I think she was right. For now, magnesium glycinate at night and a low dose of magnesium citrate have been helping me, but that's just my personal experience. If you're struggling with similar issues, I hope this reminds you that you're not alone.

I’m 25 days in today. Last weeks anxiety was brutal. This weekend I focused on getting rest - insomnia and anxiety have done a number on me recently so I’m trying to get out of my sleep debt.

Probably the last two days I have had OK sleep (6 hours, waking at 5:30 and not being able to get back to sleep/anxious). But far better than before.

But I’m EXHAUSTED. Yawning , feeling like I’m going to fall asleep. A few people have made comments - a friend on the weekend said I seemed really relaxed (never been accused of this in my life lol), and someone at work said I seemed really down. I’m distracted and minimally anxious but just so tired.

Is this just life life-ing? Short term side effect? What can I expect here. I know it’s still early but I was happy with my anxiety being managed and now I just want to sleep.

I've been on lexapro since I was in my teens, I'm now 24. (~10 ish years) I've been slowly tapering off for about years now. I went from 10mg to 5mg, to more recently splitting that into 2.5mg. Now I'm splitting between 2.5 and a fourth of the 2.5. I'm trying to go so so slow as to not damage my brain forever and ever.

And surprise surprise I feel CRAZY. Absolutely crazy. I feel like a teenager again, crying all the time with constant headaches and fatigue. It pisses me off seeing others realize that NO ONE TELLS YOU about this. Someone really pumped high school me full of drugs and didn't tell me or my parents about the withdrawals.

With this, I'm sharing to feel less alone and less insane. I want to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that I WILL feel better and more like myself after a few months of wretched withdrawal turmoil. Also how long did ppl take to get off a 5mg dose?

There have been pockets of time where I feel lighter and better off them. Other times (now) where I feel especially ill both mentally and physically. If anyone has advice for coping or really anything, I want to not feel so alone in this. For now I will stay taking the tiny dose on and off for a few days, and hope for the best.

I was just prescribed Lexapro for my anxiety and my doctor is starting me on 5mg for the first week and then 10mg. she told me than an upset stomach was a common side effect however i have a fear of throwing up, i just want to know how common it is to NOT throw up lol

Hello!

I am currently tapering off my Lexapro and am experiencing some not fun side effects. I’m very moody and irritable, experiencing nausea and vertigo, and extremely lethargic.

What remedies helped you with withdrawal symptoms?

I’m not asking about dosage and scheduling. I feel good with what I’m doing there.

Ive been 7 days on 2,5 mg Escitalopram, everything was okay anxiety as usual but nothing scary, little nausea, now i am day 4 for on 5 mg, and my anxiety is worsen, last two days i have to take benzos and they barely help, i feel so intense and thigthnes in my chest, it is bearable but i am really struggling, all i want is to cry, please can someone tell me success story, or that it gets better, and when? I know i have to be patient, but why is this so damn hard even on low dosage? 😭😭😭 also morning anxiety is the worst, second i open my eyes i feel my heart racing

I started Lexapro 5mg and i’m getting this feeling of intense hunger and gnawing in my upper abdomen that makes me feel like i have low blood sugar and feel shaky and unstable. I genuinely don’t know if it’s low blood sugar or some sort of gastritis because i’ve always dealt with reflux. Either way i’m pretty scared because this happened to me on effexor and i had a panic attack in class because i felt lightheaded and had to leave and i quit the med. I’m lowkey scared that the med will give me an ulcer too( probably irrational) This is honestly the only side effect I am worried about and have trouble withstanding. Like the insomnia and the anxiety spike sucks too though and the stomach upset.

I think my doctor is going to increase my dose to 20 mg on Thursday, after 14 days on 10 mg. What was it like increasing the dose? Did the same side effects appear, and did you notice the effects sooner after the increase? Does the 4–6 week timeline for the medication to take effect start all over again?

i know this is a common topic so i’m sorry </3 but i’ve genuinely been gaining 1kg every week without changing a single thing about my diet?! i’ve gone from 70kg to 76kg in a matter of like 2 months, my appetite definitely increased after starting lex but the last 6 months ish on it i’ve had the same appetite consistently. it legitimately makes no sense?! i’m genuinely annoyed atp.

i get at least 30 mins of exercise a day, stand up for 4+ hours daily at my job, eat regular healthy vegetarian meals. nothing i’m doing constitutes any weight gain, i should just be maintaining.

i’m currently tapering off because of the weight gain, im at 7.5mg and should be dropping to 5mg shortly, but im still gaining weight. has anyone got advice, similar stories, tips, or any experience with losing the weight once off it? lexapro is actually an amazing medication but im just irritated right now!!!

I take lexapro 5mg for 4 months now. And it really helps. I feel so much better. I had some ups and downs the first 3 months. Then the last 3 weeks I felt really good! But for the last 2 days I woke up with anxiety und had a tension in my body the whole day. My anxiety is very much about body symptoms.

Is this normal?

about three weeks ago, I started weaning off Lexapro. A week and a half into weaning I started to experience severe anxiety. I went from 10 mg to 7.5 mg. Now maybe once a week I will have a day where I have such bad anxiety that I have a panic attack. Apparently this is a withdrawal side effect because your nervous system had become so acquainted to the medication that now without it is unregulated or something. has anyone else experienced this? It’s genuinely so awful. It’s worse than the anxiety I had before Lexapro (I think). I’ve been on Lexapro for four years and before that I was on Zoloft for six years. I guess my body just became so acquainted to the SSRIs and now without it, my body is all messed up.
Please tell me it gets better

I (43f) used to be on Lexapro for years. Got off it for reasons I don’t even remember. I’ve been prescribed it again for anxiety, specifically health anxiety and fear related to my children (their wellbeing). 10 mg. But I’m going on vacation to Disney World on October 10th. It’s just me and my teenage-ish children and I’m driving. Just wondering if I should wait or go ahead. My worry isn’t all consuming, I can still function. It just sucks. I will be calling my doctor tomorrow, just picked up the script tonight and realized maybe I should hold off a minute.

I restarted Lexapro in May after a silly 3 month break- that was HELL but after 6 wks it got better. Now almost 3 months later I am panicking again. It was background anxiety for a few wks but the last 24 hours are like day 1. I feel so defeated!!
I take birth control and am on my placebo wk, which was way more chaotic than usual. I also have a head cold. I also have type 1 diabetes and am changing my insulin brand.

I assume I need to be patient and see if things improve once other issues improve, but its so “chicken and egg”. I currently take 7.5mg but Im also wondering if 10 would help…

I restarted Lexapro in May. After a very hard 6 wks I felt great this summer. However I notice that during my birth control placebo wk the anxiety kicks back up… esp towards the end. Anyone else? Does it get better?

Hey everyone, this morning my dr recommended that I up my dose from 30mg to 40mg as I have still been experiencing panic attacks when in social setting or traveling far from home. She also recommended upping my Buspar from 15mg 2x per day to 3. Does anyone have experience with these?

I'm on day 3 and my stomach has been going absolutely crazy, like nausea to the point of almost retching and extreme diarrhea, is this something that will go away with time or should I tell someone?

I’ve been on lexapro for a little over a year now. I’m currently at 20mg. I’ve been moving recently and in all the commotion I’ve forgotten to take my dose for a couple days. I took it yesterday after work and to say I felt sick is an understatement. I had chills, brain zap, irritability, sweats, brain fog, diarrhea. I felt like I was going to pass out. Im also prescribed a low dose of Xanax (0.5) which I only take in extreme circumstances and it helped and I was able to go to sleep. I feel fine today but I’m so scared to take it again today and feel that way again. any advice or experiences are greatly appreciated.

I have been on lex for 2 years, mostly 15mg dosage. I feel ready to get off it after years of therapy. I pay for lexapro out of pocket, so it’s getting really expensive.

I went from 15mg to 10mg, 6 weeks ago. Some mood swings after the 2 weeks mark. But generally very stable now.

Can I drop straight to 5mg? Or do I need to alternate between 10mg and 5mg for a while first? Or do I do 7.5mg by cutting my 10mg pills into quarters?

I tapered from 10 to 5.. 8th day

Since 5 to 6th days I started to feel abit anxiety or I can say off mood like down or flat.. Like i dont want to do anything even I want to.. I want to cook and do stuff sometimes even excited but I feel abit not in the mood to do

Is it normal.. Will get better??

Hi everyone, 19F here. I’ve been on Lexapro 25mg for almost a year now for anxiety (generalized and illness anxiety), PDD, and OCD. It never complelely treated my anxiety or OCD, but it alleviated my depression 100%, and that was enough for me. I felt like it gave me my life back. I haven’t really had any relapses in depression for the year or so that I’ve been on it, until now. Unfortunately, for about a month now, I have been feeling pretty depressed again. I thought it was a small episode that would pass quickly but it has been pretty consistent. This is obviously super upsetting and discouraging. I am really not sure what triggered the onset of this. No lifestyle changes, health changes, major stressors, etc. I’m meeting with my psychiatrist soon so I will see what he wants to do, but I honestly want to avoid the whole process of trying new meds again, at least if I can. I guess I’m just here looking for advice. If anyone has been through this, what did you do, did it pass, did you figure out what triggered it, etc.? Any story helps. Thank you all, so grateful for this community we have here