Where are the "lexapro" users for depression and anxietY? I NEED HELP!!
Question: I have been perscribed lexapro today......6 months ago i was on cymbalta and gained 40 lbs, so i gave it up right away because i could'nt handle the weight gain....i felt worse:( I felt ok there for a while with some low dose anxiety medication called klonopin, but hubby and family realized i wasn't happy and my moods were up and down constantly....so i asked for something that will make me feel better without the weight and this is what i was given????? please any insight.
Answers: I have been perscribed lexapro today......6 months ago i was on cymbalta and gained 40 lbs, so i gave it up right away because i could'nt handle the weight gain....i felt worse:( I felt ok there for a while with some low dose anxiety medication called klonopin, but hubby and family realized i wasn't happy and my moods were up and down constantly....so i asked for something that will make me feel better without the weight and this is what i was given????? please any insight.
everyone's body chemistry is different, so sometimes you have to try a few options before finding the right "fit". Zoloft made me into a zombie, Paxil made me feel crazy and "switched on". Lexapro makes me balanced,happy, and calm (no anxiety, no suicidal thoughts or overly BAD days. I've never experienced weight gain and I've been on it for 5 months. I've also heard great things about wellbutrin. Talk with your doc, and be patient :-)
i've been taking the lexapro for two months now and i don't think it helps that much. everyone is different. i use it for anxiety and it helps a little but i think i need something stronger. u shouldn't have trouble with the side effects after a couple of weeks. i took klonopin and it didn't help me either.
See www.drugs.com and www.crazymeds.us and www.theroadback.org on Lexapro. See anxiety treatments, at * ezy-build (below) in section 6. Set yourself a fixed limit for worrying about any particular subject, (say; 15 minutes) after which, resolve firmly to refuse to even consider that subject again on that day: realise and accept that to do otherwise would be counterproductive to your mental health, and enjoyment of life. Use the technique for reprogramming negative thoughts and internal monologue (self talk), on pages 2, and 2L, to help you in this: some people carry a wide rubber band in your pocket: put it on their wrist; stretch, and release, as a means of reinforcing it, and speeding up the process, re-pocketing it afterwards, but it's purely optional. Practice one of the relaxation methods on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples). Section 53, and pages 2, 2.q and 2.o at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEPRESSION: See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the "core treatments", including others as options, such as the supplements: Inositol, or SAMe, or herbal remedies, like St. John's wort. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even weeks to begin becoming effective. It's a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I'd just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I'd take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels.
We are all genetically different, so we all have different biochemistries.
[My doctor has gotten used to me by now; when he gives me a prescription and it simply has no effect, or I get side effects unknown to the manufacturer, etc - I seem to have a very strange metabolism.]
Because of this it can take a while to find the right meds. It is a pain, but it is so. Just accept that you may have to keep trying. But also realize that you WILL find the right mix.
You can find a lot of info at www.nami.org
I was on Lexapro a few years ago on a low dose...and while my anxiety was helped, it made me so tired. I wasn't tired because of mental problems...just had extreme fatigue. If given the choice, I would have slept all day. I had to get off it for that reason.
I'm on zoloft now and I don't seem to have any side effects (other than sexual side effects...but the only medication that doesn't give me sexual side effects is Wellbutrin XL). Zoloft has helped me immensely with my anxiety and panic disorder.
All the doctors are trying to get people to take Cymbalta (I think they must get kick-backs or something). I had a horrible experience with it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Lexapro has helped me a lot and I've actually lost weight. But you really need to get to the root of the problem and get into some therapy.
My sister, brother and I all took Lexapro and it did not seem to help at all. There are "families" of depression meds--some seem to work on some people better than others. Cymbalta, Effexor, Pamelor and Prozac are in one "family" meaning they work on the brain chemicals in a certain way. Other depression meds are in other "families". You may want to do some research and see which "family" of meds works best for you, then narrow it down to which med works best for you, and at which dosage.
We have noticed that in our actual family the medications seem to work or not work (or have/not have side effects) pretty consistantly. I guess we metabolize the meds similarly. So if there are others in your close family on similar meds, you may want to also see what works for them or if they are taking Lexapro and how it's working for them, what side-effects they have etc. (Mother, father, sisters, brothers) Depression and some other mental issues do tend to run in families.
Definitely research your meds as much as possible on reliable sites such as http://www.rxlist.com and http://www.drugs.com
This may also interest you http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/4586...
Hope it helps, and good luck!
i really wanna know alot about it too im 17 and they wanna put me on it
Lexapro is a good drug. I had good luck with it.