Lexapro

nursingblahblah · Feb 3, 2005

Cool, I think you're the only other person on it for anxiety! I've only been on it for a week now, and I have a feeling it's not going to work for me, but I"m going to stay on it for at least a month and then discuss d/cing it with my PA. Thank you all for the responses. :)

HEY!!! IT IS THE BEST FOR ANGER TOO i think

purplemania, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2005

I have been on it about a year for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as it acts on vagal nerve. Practically no symptoms any more. I feel so much better that there is really no comparison. Am so glad my MD thought of it.

Lawnurse · Feb 4, 2005

I just upped my lexapro on my dr's recommendation and I can't sleep! I already take 50 mg benedryl every night to sleep. I've built up a tolerence to Trazodone and Ambien makes me loopy.

Does anyone taking lexapro use something to sleep as well? If you're not on lexapro but have a sleeping rx that has worked well for you I'd be very interested to hear it.

~~~lifelong insomniac~~~

purplemania, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2005

could the sleeping interruptions and dreaming be the anxiety breaking thru? What time of day do you take the medication? I take it at night and sleep fine. I do have dreaming that wakes me up once in a while, but not as often as I did before the Lexapro. So maybe the anxiety just breaks thru occassionally. Like when you have been told your job has been eliminated after 7 years! Sorry, did not mean to get too personal. Bottom line, the medication has been a boon for me.

Lawnurse · Feb 4, 2005

fortunately, is is not anxiety waking me up. the Lexapro makes me feel wide awake and it carries over into the night, even though I take it in the early morning. I am very happy with the increased dose, and I won't decrease it just because of the insomnia because it has made such a difference, but I would like to get some sleep! :)

Lawnurse · Feb 18, 2005

Is anyone else taking it with Wellbutrin?

I just went up to a therapeutic does, and I've had some agitation, restless sleep, and what seems like a little bit of depression peaking through (shudder). Still like the lexapro, but I can't get into see my doctor for 10 days.

anyone else have trouble sleeping - and what did you take?

nahjah · Feb 19, 2005

What about taking lexapro while pregnant???? I have heard mixed responses

SaderNurse05, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2005

I have been on Lexapro for about 18 months and love it. For me it takes the edge off of depression and anxiety. I imagine that in 40 years they will be able to do a blood test to identify what specific meds will work on specific people but until then it is trial and error. I encourage anyone who has problems with depression and/or anxiety to talk to their healthcare provider about it. There is no reason to go through life miserable.

mattsmom81 · Feb 19, 2005

I believe one needs to weigh the stories/ symptoms of side effects with the advice of our counselors/psychotherapists and potential and real benefits.

I also know people who tolerated horrid side effects hoping the med would eventually 'help', but did NOT. Some side effects are not worth weathering, IMO.

I took Paxil awhile and sweated like a pig the whole time... made hot flashes look mild (and I remember my dear Mother and sweat rolling down her face poor dear) I just couldn't STAND the side effects of Paxil, personally. We're all different tho and it may work WONDERS on others! :)

So...I think Blackbird's overall message is "Be careful"! At least that's what I read.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Feb 19, 2005

Paxil has literally saved my life. :)

I've been on it for 4 years now, and have only had to increase the dosage once. I get pretty weird if I run out of it and don't get to the pharmacy within a day or two........I've learned that the side effects of sudden withdrawal are far more unpleasant than those of the drug itself, which include sweating (I hit perimenopause right around the same time that I started on the meds, so I don't really know how many of my hot flashes are due to the pills as opposed to the natural hormone depletion) and weight gain.

Sometimes I toy with the idea of switching to a more modern antidepressant or even trying to wean myself off AD meds entirely. I hate it that I have to take pills to feel 'normal'.........but I spent most of my life on an emotional rollercoaster, and I was hell to live with (just ask my husband and kids). I tend to believe that if it ain't broke, you don't fix it. Paxil works for me.......if I ever get to the point where it doesn't, that's when I'll ask for a change; I just don't think it's in the cards for me to ever get off antidepressants entirely.

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2005

fortunately, is is not anxiety waking me up. the Lexapro makes me feel wide awake and it carries over into the night, even though I take it in the early morning. I am very happy with the increased dose, and I won't decrease it just because of the insomnia because it has made such a difference, but I would like to get some sleep! :)

Hi Lawnurse:

I was on Lexapro for about a month and really liked it especially after all the other meds I was on didn't work. But I had a night I couldn't sleep no matter what I took, Ambien and .5 Klonopin. Then I had a day where I was tachycardic. I wanted to continue on the Lexapro since I felt so good and just wait it out but the doc put me on Cymbalta. It is working good as far as the depression, but like with the Lexapro, I couldn't sleep so I took Ambien and I feel great and energetic taking the Ambien with it, but my concern is I just don't want to have to take a sleeping med every night of my life.

I have been thinking maybe the insomnia we are having will eventually go away as just another side effect. Does anyone know anything about this.

mv

Lawnurse · Feb 20, 2005

thanks for the reply -

I took ambien for awhile will I was on effexor. Instead of putting me to sleep, it make me "drunk." I did some pretty crazy things on ambien (including getting out of bed and 'decideding' i need more ambien, and taking even more of it, hiding things form myself, telling my bf we should think of names for our unborn children, drawing on the walls with markers, etc. :selfbonk: ) and it made me not care about going to sleep. I also used Trazodone for a long time, but the effect wore off. Two MDs told me Trazodone wears off after a while.

I'm back to Benedryl 50mg hs, which is just not effective enough.

Anyone know anything about hydroxyzine for sleeping? Is that used?