Lexapro for depression

T

tennisgirl

Cathlete
I was just diagnosed with clinical depression and was prescribed lexapro. I hate taking any kind of medicine. If you are taking this medicine can you tell me about the side effects. I checked it out on webmd and some of the side effects were nausea, dizziness and weight gain. I am worried about taking anything with side effects. To me the side effects are worse that the problem.

I do not like the fact that after my irst session I was given a prescription. I just do not like taking anything. Why are doctors so eager to medicate everyone?

Thanks for your help.
 
I don't like to take drugs either and I think (I better put my fire retardent suit on here - because I am going to get flamed :) ) doctors (at least some) are very quick now in diagnosing clinical depression and are even quicker in prescribing anti-depressants.

I had a therapist many years ago who wanted to put me on medication for what she called a "low-level underlying depression", I agreed to think about it, however, when I read about the side effects and reading some reports that these drugs are really not that effective and in many cases the side effects outweigh the benefits, I told the therapist that I wouldn't take it.

Obviously, I am no doctor, and I can't judge the severety of your depression. I would say though, if you don't like taking medication and you feel uncomfortable that you were given the prescription at the first session (which I totally understand - I'd be a little leary too),if I was you, I probably would get a second opinion.

I also know that some people had pretty good success controling their depression with the help of Naturopathic or Homeopathic Doctors (but you need to find a reputable one).

Good luck!


Carola
 
The side effects don't usually last long and if they do you can stop taking it.
I agree with you that the doctor shouldn't have put you right on meds. My doctor started me with talk therapy first.
Maybe get another opinion.
LD
 
I don't know all the specifics in your particular case. Was this your family doc or a psychiatrist? Did the family doc refer you to the psychiatrist or did you just choose to go on your own?

How long have you had symptoms of generalized depression? You are on the Cathe forums, so I assume you work out. Has working out not helped these feelings? Do you have a family history of depression? Are there personal circumstances in your life right now that explain your feelings or are they w/out reason?

These are all questions a doctor might ponder when he/she decides to give out medications. SSRIs (of which lexapro is) are very good at helping people with generalized depression. There can be side effects, but if a doctor gave you that medication, the depression should be more bothersome than the side effects. Have you lost interest in things you normally enjoyed doing in the past 2 months? Have you been able to function? If so, it may be better to have a few side effects than to be miserable.

If the side effects get to be too much and yet you need medication to control your depression, there are other meds that can be tried. Some have fewer side effects (less weight gain, less sexual side effects), but aren't generally given until a trial of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) is given.

Honestly, this is a conversation you should be having with the doctor who prescribed the medication. He/she should be willing to listen to your concerns and explain their reasons for the prescription. If they don't and don't allow you to have any input into your healthcare, you need to seek another provider. We are no longer trained in the old-school paternalistic way of medicine, but now in a biopsychosocial model where we look at the whole patient (not just illness, but also their values and desires).

In the meantime, call the pharmacist and ask about the side effects. They may be different depending on other medications you may be taking.

I wish you luck and hope you continue to get better.

Becky
3rd year medical student
Florida State University College of Medicine
 
I know a few people who take Lexapro and love it.

They have obsessive compulsive disorder and take this to help. They both have told me that they could not deal with life right now without it.

Even though it stinks to take meds of any kind, you may want to try it for a few months. See if it works. If you don't like it, get off of it.

Good luck to you!

:)


"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day!" :)
 
Thanks for all of your replies. I really didn't think I was clinically depressed, just going thru a bad time. My next appointment with the psychiatrist is on the 31st, I think I will wait and talk to her more about my concerns.

Thanks again.
 
If you saw a reputable psychiatrist, I would be apt to trust the diagnosis. Any good psychiatrist knows that there are VERY specific criteria that must be met to diagnose someone with major depression (or any other psychiatric illness) and would not diagnose someone basedon a "feeling." A good history is an extremely important part in making a diagnisis. The DSM-IV-TR is the most comonly used manual for diagnosis (in the US, in Europe they use the ICD).

At any rate, untreated depression can cause neuroanatomical changes in your brain structure (see Sheline, Gado & Kraemer, 2003 as an example). You can also look up "depression and hippocampal volume." There is also research on SSRI's and the prevention of heart problems as well as improved sleep architecture.

I am NOT advocating medication, but I do believe that depression (as well as other mental illnesses) are caused by neurochemical deficits. Medication alone is not the answer. It must be partnered with psychotherapy. That said,medication can be helpful. That all depends upon your degree of depression. If it is something you can live with and is not causing you problems in your everyday life, then get a good therapist and work on changing your cognitions, thoughts, and behaviors. If your depression is affecting your daily life and relationships, maybe you need a push that medication could provide.

It really is an individual decision. I would definitely do a literature search on untreated depression versus treated depression and the types of treatments available.

Also, you must feel able to have an open dialogue with your psychiatrist. If you feel you can't, then you need to find another doc.

As far as Lexapro, it is one of the "purest" SSRI's out there and works very well not only for depression but generalized anxiety disorder. I have many clients on it and they do not seem to suffer many side effects.

And, yes, as one PP said, exercise really helps allieviate depressive symptoms.

Good luck!

Lorie
 
I also have been taking Lexapro for about three years and love it. I always have worked out hard, but still had depression. Thinking back, it had been there for many, many years. When I first started taking Lexapro I had a few side effects: stomach cramps, dullness to senses and very brief nausea. Noone of them were bad enough to make me stop taking the drug. I also lost my appetite entirely and lost about 7 pounds. It took about 2 weeks for my "snap" to come back, but when it did, all was like before except that ugly edge of dissatisfaction was gone. Fabulous. The lasting side effects for me have been INCREASED sexual appetite }( , trouble keeping weight ON and a much improved outlook on life.
 
I HAVE BEEN ON LEXAPRO SINCE NOVEMBER. I HAD BEEN SEEING A THERPIST SINCE MARCH OF 2006 FOR AN EATING DISORDER AND FINALLY DECIDED WITH HER ADVICE TO TRY IT. IT HAS DEFINITELY HELPED MY ANXIETY AND IT DOES ALLEVIATE SOME OF MY EATING ISSUES. NOT ALL BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY SOME HARD WORK. I DID HAVE SOME NAUSEA AND A LITTLE DIARRHEA FOR ABOUT A DAY. IT IS NOT ANYTHING LOST LASTING. AS FAR AS WEIGHT GAIN, MY THERAPIST SAID SHE WOULD NOT PUT ME ON ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN AND IT HASN'T. I DON'T WEIGH MYSELF ANYMORE BUT MY CLOTHES ALL FIT. GOOD LUCK AND IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE GOING ON LEXAPRO DON'T DO IT YET. SEE A THERAPIST FIRST. AND NO THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
 
I could write a book on all the meds I've taken for Major Depressive Disorder. They are in the double digits since my diagnosis at age 27.

First of all, Lexapro is an SSRI and SSRIs are notorious for weight gain, loss of sexual drive and orgasm in women, and the discontinuation after long term use is like coming down off some illegal drug.

Also, many times the drugs stop working.

I took 60 mg per day of Paxil for 5 years. During these 5 years, I gained 40 pounds and became a fat little zombie. I still worked out, but I could not lose the weight.

I went on 2 Cathe roadtrips resembling a bloated Buddha due to Paxil.

After Paxil stopped helping my depression, I began the tapering down of the medicine.

I was OK until the last 10 mg.

When I stopped, despite careful titration of the drug, I went through hell.

I ended up hospitalized and under a suicide watch. During that time, I was kept under very heavy sedation. I spent the entire 2 weeks I was a patient asleep, except to go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, etc.

The weight fell off me when I got that poison out of my system.

But this is only my experience -- I can not speak for anybody but myself.
 
I know with these drugs, you have to come off very slowly.

My friend wanted to have a baby, so she had to slow herself off of this drug before trying.

It must be hard. But do what you need to do to feel better and enjoy every day life.

:)


"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day!" :)
 
Hi Carola,

I am sure not going to flame you!

I agree that too many people are dispensed way too often with drugs they do not necessarily need.

Major Depression is a real disease. It is isolating, debilitating, and a killer.

I have Major Depressive Disorder and it is HELL!

Sometimes I dont eat much of anything or get out of bed for days.

I no longer drive.

I have no friends. I hardly socialize at all.

I am so isolated and feel so guilty because I can't enjoy sunny days, walk and play with my dogs or play with my four birds.

I am a terrible wife and feel sorry for my husband.

I can't feel joy.

I cry all the time over the most insignificant things.

It is the most isolating feeling and it hurts like hell.

It REALLY HURTS. It is a hurt that I can't even describe, but it hurts.

My disease is entirely different from minor feelings of the "blues" or being "down"

I have had a few remissions, but not many.

When I disapper from Cathe's forum, it is usually due to my depression.

Doctors are all too ready to prescribe antidepressants to people who don't neeed them.

I agree that homeopathic is the way to go unless the depression is debilitating and/or a person is contemplating suicide.

I am not wanting pity; I just want to add my .02 on anyone falling prey to doctors who dispense antidpressants like candy.
 
Hi Lorie,

Psychotherapy did not do anything for me. All I did was rehash the same story over and over.

And those "contracts" were complete hogwash in my case.

I have used that contract junk to keep from going to hospitals over and again.

I have endured Mileu therapy -- which was horrible and I am glad that Freud and Mileu therapy, although not the same, both have fallen out of favor with competent psychiatrists.

I finally gave up on the therapy. In my case, therapy did not one thing to help me. It was a waste of money.

I am aware my brain is melting because of my depression.

I can't remember things, I can no longer spell, and on some days I can't remember Cathe's choreography on videos I used to do with my eyes closed. Sometimes I have to think before I can even articulate a sentence, much less write because I can't remember certain words.

That is why I so often have to edit my messages at this Forum. I can hardly put words together to form a cogent sentence.

I have had several psychiatrists -- some hardly knew me when I was in the hospital, but they all made the exact same diagnosis without knowing my background.

Depression can be lethal.

And if a person wants to ice themselves, no doctor or therapist is going to stop them.

Hospitalization is a joke. Most times when the HMO money dries up, the patient is released, no matter how ill he or she may be. My daughter's friend was prematurely released from a hospital because he was indigent.

He could not afford to have his prescritons filled.

Three days later, he was dead. He hung himself.

I feel hospitalization may be an option for a person who is dangerous to other people or are in a situation that may need to be defused.

I am the patient here, not the doctor. So I must voice my own very real experiences.

I have had the requisite MRIs of the brain and all the tests associated with this HELL I am in.

I've had anything physical ruled out.

I am well educated and only a dissertation short of a Doctoral Degree that I no longer care about.

My brain is melting.

I am only living to see if my insurance will cover VSN.

It is really my last hope and what actually keeps me going -- that there might be a tiny thread out there that will deliver me from this Hell..

I do attend the VSN teleconferences twice a month. Hearing from people as miserable as myself who have benefitted from VSN keeps me from crawling into a hole and dying.
 
As the mother of a 10 year old son diagnosed with Major Depression, I thank God for Lexapro and my son's doctor and his thearpist. I forgot who said it is hell, but you are right, it is.. My poor baby was so unhappy and sad and had so much anxiety without having a real reason too, the things i would think of are embarrassing, but so real. There were nights when he would cry he wished he were dead, he is 10, no 10 year old or anyone should feel like that. My husband and i would would cringe at the thought of taking him anywhere, and each day we would get up and wonder what kind of day we would have with him, he would hit and kick, and punch holes in walls, he didn't know how to deal with it, and he would do this in public too. i am not saying popping a pill is THE answer, but we use it as a tool in dealing with his illness, and it is a illness, just like diabetes, a lack of a chemical and or too much of a chemical. I think the hardest thing to deal with is the way some people look at him when he is having a bad day, if he was born with a physical disability something that people could see it would be obvious, but his and anyone else who suffers from this or any other mental illness it is not so obvious. Since starting Lexapro he is happier, he calls his friends, plays hockey, had his first sleepover, and deals with life, and lets face it life isn't always easy, but he deals with things better and he hasn't broken anything in months!! he goes to therapy once a month, I wouldn't go back in a heart beat, i look at him now with hope for him, that he can be the best kid that he can be, and when life throws him lemons he will make me a margareti, or mabey some lemonaide. But there are situationl depressions also, and sometimes those times, like in the aftermath of 911 and postpartum depression, death of a loved one, that medicine along with therapy are needed for short times. I just hate seeing people ashamed of something that they cannot control. Jake has learned to be open about it and he is hoping to write a kids book to help other kids learn about it and how it is ok.
 
Lexapro has helped me as well. I come from a history of depression and have been on Paxil, Prozac, and Lexapro in the past. When I first started taking Lexapro, the major side effects I experienced were dehydration cramping, a closing of the throat, and nausea. However, these side effects quickly went away. Benefits of the drug significantly outweigh the negatives:)
 
I believe you should find out if this is a doctor that uses just medication, or medication and therapy. If you are uncomfortable with medicication, you need someone who does therapy. You may still need medication, but they will take it slower and work on creating a plan that works for you. I have tried many meds for anxiety, including lexapro, and have found that a low dose med with therapy works best for me. Whenver we escalated a dose, my symptoms got worse. Also, finding the right doctor is hard, but once you do, it helps alot. Most of the side effects, except weight gain, go away in a few weeks. Unfortunately, weight gain doesn't. The medications may even change your metabolism, but many don't. If you were eating because of depression, people often lose weight. I know it's a hard thing. I wish you luck.
 
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