To Start or Not to Start Lexapro/ SamE

[Tye31]

I hope you may be able to help me with an upcoming decision. I am considering enrolling in a clinical study involving Lexapro or SamE (or a placebo).  I have been diagnosed (based on an hour-long screen with an MD)  as having major depression. My primary care physician has speculated as well that I may suffer from depression.  I myself cannot be sure, except that my fatigue and anxiety threaten to affect my full-time work demands.  I have read many posts about Lexapro and its side effects, as well as the difficulty of withdrawal. I am not sure that the cure is better than the disease --- unless a person cannot function at all (which I have witnessed in agonizing fullness in my family).
My question: Given that I do "survive" by pushing myself, and am able to "present" myself well to people (driven purely by adreline, I fear), should I submit to drug therapy (or a placebo) now, or wait to see if things get worse?  Thanks so much for any reactions or help you may feel like offering !

[Paxiled]

The only reason Lexapro is specifically approved for social anxiety is because there was nothing left to get specific approval for.  It has nothing to do with whether it works better or worse than any other med.  Whenever a new copycat drug tries to get approval, it has to show it does something other drugs haven't already been approved for.  Thus, since Lexapro is just another ssri, in fact a derivative of Celexa, an earlier ssri that had come off patent, they had to find something to get approval for, so they chose social anxiety since not other ssri had specific approval for that.  Luvox got special approval for OCD, for the same reason.  But all ssris are used interchangeably for the same things, and always have been.  FDA approval is a game, not anything meaningful.  

That being said, I'm glad it's working so well for you.  Let's see how happy you are if you ever try and go off it, but that's another question all together.  I'm on Lexapro, and it didn't work much at all, so now I'm facing the long and difficult road of going off it.  I'm just saying, it's better to try alternative means before medication, since the option of using medication will always be there but once you take that option, it's very difficult to ever function again without it.  Just look at the posts on this website and see how true that is.  Now, personally, therapy didn't work for me, so I did need medication, so I'm no opponent of it.  I just say, caution is best, and medication is never harmless, so why go on it when the person reports he's still functioning fairly well and therefore has time to make this decision and try gentler and safer options first?  Where's the harm?  

[rrfriedman]

I take Lexapro for depression and social anxiety, and it has been amazing. Unlike Prozac, Lexapro is specifically recognized by the FDA as a treatment for social anxiety as well as depression. After just three days of taking it I felt like I'd finally woken up after walking around in a daze for years. I was in therapy at the time (still am) and I have also found that I'm much more able to use the therapy effectively now that I'm no longer depressed and scared all the time. I was able to function without the medication, I had a high GPA at a competitive liberal arts college, but I was not able to enjoy my life or to be proud of my accomplishments. Living is more than going through the motions, and just because other people believe you're okay doesn't mean you are. Don't think you have to chose between therapy and medication either, both work better in conjunction with the other. Just my two cents.

[Paxiled]

Oh, and by the way, if you only have depression and not anxiety, the first ssri you want to try is Prozac, not Lexapro -- fist, Lexapro isn't off patent, so it's pretty expensive, and second, Prozac tends to be easier to quit since it stays longer in the body.

[Paxiled]

I think you answered your own question.  If you don't need meds, don't take them.  They're a last resort.  First thing to try is therapy.  They're going to tell you to go to therapy anyway even if they put you on meds at any given point in time since meds don't cure, they only treat symptoms.  And you can always try SAMe on your own and see if it works, though you're always better off combining natural remedies.  SAMe is a substance the body makes naturally, so even though you won't be taking the body's natural version, the body will recognize it, so no side effects, no withdrawal if you decide to stop taking it.  I'd say combine it at least with 5htp.  I guess my point always is, if you function okay, then therapy is your best bet.  If you can't function anymore or it's just too hard, then it's time to consider meds and all their attendant problems.

[Nightlyrwolf]

I take Lexapro for my anxiety and I love it. It has no symptoms from what I can tell, and the only real one, is the drowsiness, thats why I take it at night, at around 9.. You can feel it dissolve in your mouth, and tastes preety nasty if you let it do that. And It is true, the withdrawel is preety bad.. I forget to take it one day, and I become extremely irratable, and POed, that day. The pill its self is really tiny, so dont worry about it. But It helps me all day, and it does what it does purely. It is MADE FOR getting rid of anxiety with no or few side effects. I go through the day as a Parts Advisor in the dealer ship, anxiety free. Because I have to make phone calls, and talk to people every 10 minutes, that I dont even know. Before Lexapro, I could not do that. I take 25 mg, I love it. This is my opinion, I was sketchy about meds at first, but now I have a girl friend, and I love talking to people. This med changed my life. But remember, this is my opinion, the real dicision is yours. My opinion is to go with the lexapro. Remember, Things will get better, if you at least give things a chance.

Regards,
John