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Lexapro and Tiredness

Answered by

Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness

Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.

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MedHelp Member's Question

Lexapro and Tiredness

by Bunny123, Oct 07, 2004 12:00AM

Tags: Anxiety, mental, Health, Mental Health, Depression, sleep

I just started taking Lexapro for Anxiety and Depression about a week and a half ago. I am feeling better, but very tired. I take 10mg in the morning. My question is, does the tiredness go away? Or, should I take the pill in the evening, would that help?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D.

, Oct 08, 2004 12:00AM

It will probably go away, but taking it at night might be wise to try...sometimes it makes you stimulated, sometimes drowsy, so you have to experiment.

Member Comments (8)

by platinum, Oct 07, 2004 12:00AM

If it is making you tired, you should try taking it at night and see how it works for you. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!

by pumpkin674, Oct 07, 2004 12:00AM

taking it at night does help, i sleep fairly good, i wake a few times a night but i did that before the lexapro. ive only been on it for 11 days and at a low dose of 5mg (i will be upping to 10mg over the weekend) but when i wake up in the morning i feel good like i had a full sleep. ive read hundreds of posts on many sites and many people switched from day to night and have had great results. good luck

by sdc1213, Oct 07, 2004 12:00AM

Yep, I'm one of those night people 10mg I'm also on relaxation techniques which I don't wake up at all in the middle of the night and wake up right when I need to and feel as if I'm getting a full nights rest. Although during the day I'll feel fatigued but only when I'm active (GAD or Weight Training whichever).

Good luck,

Steve

by swollen, Oct 15, 2004 12:00AM

When I took Lexapro, within a few days of starting to take it I realized I should take it at night. I was able to stop another sleep medication because of the Lexapro's sleep-inducing properties. I LOVED this medication. It worked well for me. I felt more able to talk in therapy and get to real feelings instead of being too anxious to say anything. All meds work differently for all people, but I found this one of the best "shock absorbers" I've ever taken. (Unfortunately I ended up stopping it because I had an EXTREMELY rare side effect, and I've now been through two other meds in search of something else that really works for me.) I hope it works as well for you -- with no really bad side effects. Finally, I find that therapy and other non-medical tools have helped my anxiety (though not my depression as much) more than any medication I've even taken, including all of the benzodiazepine family and several other SSRIs touted to have anxiety-reducing qualities. Good luck!

by mandi1976, Oct 16, 2004 12:00AM

I have been on Lexapro 20 mg for a while. Once my body got used to it, I wasn't tired anymore and I could take it in the morning with my other meds. However, taking at night may help you out. Unless you like me, and always forget to take them at night - thats why I always take them in the AM. Good Luck to you! Lexapro is a wonderful drug!

by dreamnfleet, Nov 18, 2004 12:00AM

I was SOOOOOO tired on Lexapro I slept ALL day every day I went off it and onto wellbutrin. I HIGHLY don't recommend it. I think I wasted almost a month of my life sleeping from that medicine. It stopped the depression, but I just could not stop being tired. I regained my energy after I got off it.

by holly27th7, Dec 04, 2004 12:00AM

Hello I am on Lexapro 20 mg for Major Depression and GAD, and I have to take it at night because I get tired right after I take it.

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