Good and Bad responses to Lexapro

[sumihari]

Hi everyone,

My new therapist claims that many of her patients have improved on Lexapro - so I was hoping to get some comments from members. My sister went on it and her blood pressure shot up and didn't sleep well, so she got off it, so I am rather scared as I am anxious over my blood pressure readings.

I personally like to use all that CBT , relaxation and other stuff and the occassional anti-anxiety pill when things get a bit out of control. I just have a strong aversion to anti-depressants except for Remeron, it really worked for depression.

I just don't buy the logic of using an anti depressant for anxiety and on top of that you still have to work on your thoughts and behaviour with all that CBT stuff. I am not so averse to other types of medications for general health , just that many of these anti depressants cause a lot of side effects.

I also don't entirely believe that anxiety is caused by a serotonin imbalance. I thought anxiety is due to a lack of GABA and serotonin is low in depressed people. But the media claims that anxiety and depression co exist but I rarely get depressed so why should I take an antidepressant, especially when the common side effect appears to be anxiety for most of the SSRI's. I think it is all a bit of a joke. I read once in a reputable article that the scientists don't even know why anti-depressants work for some depressed people.

My belief is that there could be many factors causing anxiety in someone and to take a pill with a few chemicals many not fix everyone.I think more research is needed in the area of developing a better pill for anxiety and depression. Any thoughts and someone with more understanding in this area especially research , would be greatly appreciated. Maybe this is a question for you Ryan if you are online.

Having said that , I would really appreciate any member's comments who has experienced positive and negative effects from taking Lexapro.

Thanks.

[Summer123]

Hi.  I used lexapro and was then prescribed something like a generic ecitalopram which I think is a chemical just like the lexapro.  I had my first, and only time having mania.  I couldn't stay on it so got off of it.  None of the antidepressants worked for me for anxiety.  However, I was on paxil for depression and that worked well for that but it did contribute to increased anxiety, particularly in that it caused a hand tremor.  I still have it now, but it's better being off of the paxil.  After many years of trying antidepressants for anxiety, I have finally come to the conclusion that they don't work for me.  That is not to say that they wouldn't work for you or anyone else.  I wish the CBT worked for me like it has for JSGeare, but that also hasn't worked for me though I have not given up on it.  Unfortunately, it seems that I will never be able to give up the benzos for that is the only time I have any relief from anxiety.  

[sumihari]

You mention that the medication only made you feel less emotion. I interpret this to be that you found the medication a bit useful but that it wasn't such a great drug.  Am I wrong in my interpretation and also did you worry less whilst on Lexapro? It is good to know from you that you took it in the mornings so as not to disturb your sleep as I still am a light sleeper some days.

Thank you for your response .

[musicmama]

I got on Lexapro in the spring of '06.  Life was VERY stressful at home and at work at the time.  I was thankful for the relief when I started the medication, although I learned that I had to take it in the morning.  If I took it later in the day, there would be no sleeping that night.  After my life calmed down, I realized the medication only made me feel less emotion period.  I did wean myself off of the Lexapro last spring.  Since then, I realized I needed to create a balance in my life and work, and learn that I will not put myself in the same stressful situations as before.  Good luck and God Bless.

[sumihari]

Thank you for your responses. I agree with you JS in that anxiety can produce a reduction in quality of life which is a form of depression I guess and maybe some of the chemicals in the those anti-depressants may help. Only way to find out is to try one that many have had success with and if it produces too many side-effects to stop.

For the moment though I am giving the meditation/mindfulness and the changes in thinking pattern my therapist wants to work on. The thinking pattern is tough, it is like learning a new language for me but I am a quick learner and I notice some positive changes in myself.

My main problem is that when I worry I have a lot of muscle tension which I have over time learned to fear. Some people worry about their heart, I somehow managed to connect the muscle tension and high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease Since I have taught myself very well how to establish this fear connection , my therapist is trying to teach me a new way of thinking. It's going to be hard work for me I guess as I am impatient and want quick results . I have to learn to slow down my expectations and in general slow down my thinking.

Nursegirl, you asked me why I stopped Remeron, well the bothering side effect before and recently was the insatiable hunger. I was hungry almost all the time and had cravings for strange foods, I'd eat anything in the fridge. Now that is is not good as then I might for sure have cholesterol issues.Remeron has a tendency to increase the bad cholesterol it seems. So that is why I stopped. Having said that, if I was very depressed and have chronic insomnia, I will still go on Remeron despite this bad side effect. Not this time though as I haven't got the depression.

I am also trying to cut down coffee, chocolates and sugar, it is very difficult but on the days I do it I do feel more relaxed. I realise that I do need my daily caffeine and sugar fix but not as much as I normally consume. Caffeine is a CNS stimulant and sugar is fuel for the brain, so makes sense to reduce them to an optimal level for one's body.

Having said that , I am happy to know that Lexapro has worked for you nursegirl.

And JS I think I will keep an open mind,I used to have an open mind but the last year I feel like I belong to a sect . So I shall write down your advice about the open mind and read it more often, I like the idea.

Thank you again and have a good day.

[nursegirl6572]

I agree wholeheartedly with JS's post above.  And, a LOT of people feel like you do about the medication thing.  I personally feel like JS does, whereas the SSRI doesn't maybe target the anxiety itself, but rather adds to our overall sense of feeling well, balanced and happy, which in turn decreases our anxiety.  They work wonderfully for many many people (with anxiety)...and not so much for others.  Of course, that is true with any medication, even for BP meds, diabetes meds, etc.  Each of us is very different in how we respond to medications.

Let me ask you this....you said Remeron had worked for you in the past, right?  Is there a reason the doc doesn't want to go back down that road?  I mean, that would make the most sense to me, but there also may be a very legit reason why that medication isn't indicated for you.

Keep talking with your doc, and doing the research you need to do about new meds.  Personally, Lexapro has been VERY effective for me a few different times in my life.  But again....listening to my success story or your sister's horror story isn't going to determine how the med works for YOU.

Best of luck!!!

[JSGeare]

Yeah, the "we don't know how this works" disclaimer is BIG in medication. Well, at least they admit it.

I get what you are saying about the odd offset of treating for depression when anxiety is the issue. But I also believe it is possible -and I've experienced it myself- that when anxiety causes a reduction is enjoyment of life, you can get depressed about that. So, if you can "unring" the depression bell, maybe there is a corollary effect on the anxiety. I get nervous trying to figure this out, don't you?

It is good to see that you favor the therapy, the CBT. And I wonder if a smidgen of analysis would also benefit you -WHY are you like this? I can tell you that when I was able to dig down into what was behind this whole panic and anxiety thing (40+ YEARS of it!) things got way better. And today I have no panic or anxiety and don't expect to ever have it again. Therapy all done (not really, we learn to "do" ourselves). No meds, either. OK, I admit, if I feel TOO good, I have a martini. Or 2.

Keep asking those BIG questions.

And keep an open mind, as well. If its open, the good stuff can drop in, and the bad stuff can fall out.

OK?