2 questions: Lexapro and also Stress

Hello all,
Does anyone take Lexapro? My doctor is considering putting me on it and I have a friend who says it turned her life around. I wanted to hear from others if possible and if anyone who takes it, has a heart condition (like I do) or peripheral neuropathy? (like I do)

Also, I am new to the Fibro. I have CFS and have for 4 years that I know of, but the Fibro is new. The pain lately has been unbelievable but my stress levels have been too (family problems). I am thinking that the stress definitely makes it worse but would like to hear from others.

thank you to anyone who answers. I appreciate the time you take to do that.
Colleen

[TrudieC]

Hey Colleen.  Stress definitely makes it worse.  I can pretty much be guaranteed a painful flare when my stress levels go up.  I hope and pray that the stress in your life calms down for you soon.  

[EmilyKirsten]

Hi there! What is the reason your doctor is recommending Lexapro? I am just curious. I have had many doctors try to write me off as just being depressed. But I fought back. I do have depression but I KNEW that wasn't causing my other issues.

I have not been diagnosed with CFS or Fibro but I have been dealing with severe fatigue for going-on 10 years. I did just recently get a diagnosis of Neurocardiogenic Syncope.

I was first put on Lexapro probably 8 years ago for depression. I've been off-and-on since (thanks to lack of insurance at times.) It turns out SSRIs (which Lexapro is) help with NCS. I never noticed a correlation, but then again I didn't know to look for one.

My mother has Fibro (working on a CFS diagnosis for her too) and she takes 2 different SSRIs. (Zoloft and Welbutrin) They do help bring stress levels down because they change the way you react to stressors.

Hope this helps!

Emily

[lvfrogs]

Trudie,
Thank you as always, yes, some of the stress has gone away and I already feel a little better, got to get through this week of drama/stress and then will be even better I am sure.

Emily,
How nice of you to respond and to give me so much information. My girlfriend, who suffers so much like I do, is the one who told me about Lexapro. She says it has transformed her life practically and my primary has been wanting me to take an anti-depressant for a while now, due to my Fibro and CFS but I fought it as I didn't think of myself as depressed, but I do realize that people take it for other reasons because it helps. I think I need to be on a low dose so am going to talk to her about it Monday at my appt.

Have your ever been tested for Epstein Barr Virus?
Thank you so much for your help,
Colleen

[EmilyKirsten]

Colleen,

I have reached a point in my life where I find I can manage my depression on my own, but it is SO much easier with Lexapro. I find that it helps me to manage my moods and mood swings. I love it! If you do have a lot of stress in your life, I would definitely give it a try!

And yes I have been tested for Epstein Barr. I actually had Mono 5 years ago so I will always test positive for it. Thanks for the suggestion!

Emily

[vintagechicken]

I was a Lexapro user as well, for what was first thought to be depression, but later the *40* pound weight gain made matters worse!

Not only did I blindly take Lexapro upon my Dr's suggestion, but I didn't bother to do any research on this drug until I was a whopping 40 pounds heavier and even more stressed and in pain.

I think it's great for those that it helps, but it's horrible for those that it doesn't.. ya' know?  As with any drug, research it on your own, don't just take the work of your Dr!

When I later approached my Dr about the weight gain, she just blew me off like I was making a big deal out of nothing.  Uh... excuse me... but gaining 2-6 pounds a WEEK is NOT NOTHING!  

Almost 3 years later, I'm still struggling with losing the weight, but now I'm taking Pristiq along with Savella and I've noticed a huge improvement in my stress and in my pain.  

It's obviously your choice and your decision to make, but I would highly recommend that you do lots of research before you try anything new.

Best of luck to you!

[lvfrogs]

Hello all,
My primary actually put me on Savella as she thought it would be a good combo for not only any depression but the Fibro pain. I just started it, so cannot comment at all on it, but will give it a try. I have gained weight since I started some other new meds, I think it is a side effect of so many medications unfortunately, and hope to work on reducing it on my own.
Thank you for the suggestions and advice. As always, so much appreciated!
Colleen

[dontundertand]

The only thing I wanted to say (and I'm sorry I can't help more than this) is that Lexapro is kinda expensive. At least with my insurance. Once you start to take 7-8 meds a month I can't afford to take any more that are $35. So I addressed this with my doc and he put me on Celexa instead. It is a sister to celexa just not the name brand. I hope this helps, you may want to look into both and research the similarities/differences. Hope you feel better soon!

[EmilyKirsten]

Are you on Citalopram? That's actually what I'm on. It is a generic for Celexa. We switched when it was discovered that the Citalopram would only cost me $10/month. My doctor explained to me that Lexapro and Celexa are almost the same drug but Lexapro is more concentrated. There is no generic for Lexapro at this time.