Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Lexapro dosage
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.
Lexapro dosage
by stas, Oct 03, 2006 12:00AM
Hello,
I started taking Lexapro 10 mg per day for depression and OCD about 3.5 weeks ago.
After initial titration dose of 5 mg/day for 4 days and getting used to some mild side-effects (nausea and fatigue) my dose was increased to 10 mg/day. My (chronic fatigue/apathy) depressed mood got better and I was doing fine for about a week. Then I developed midnight insomnia (wide awake at 2 am and unable to fall back asleep) and loss of libido. I did not want to take any sedatives at night (ie Ambien or benzodiazepines) for fear of addiction and their hangover effect the next day. So, instead, I've been gradually trying to decrease the dose of Lexapro so that the insomnia will hopefully abate. I have been on 2.5 mg/day for about 4 days and still feel less depressed than before treatment although my sleep has not normalized---IS 2.5 MG/DAY OF LEXAPRO AN EFFECTIVE DOSE TO TREAT DEPRESSION OR AM I JUST WASTING MY EFFORT AND MONEY?
Thank you!
I started taking Lexapro 10 mg per day for depression and OCD about 3.5 weeks ago.
After initial titration dose of 5 mg/day for 4 days and getting used to some mild side-effects (nausea and fatigue) my dose was increased to 10 mg/day. My (chronic fatigue/apathy) depressed mood got better and I was doing fine for about a week. Then I developed midnight insomnia (wide awake at 2 am and unable to fall back asleep) and loss of libido. I did not want to take any sedatives at night (ie Ambien or benzodiazepines) for fear of addiction and their hangover effect the next day. So, instead, I've been gradually trying to decrease the dose of Lexapro so that the insomnia will hopefully abate. I have been on 2.5 mg/day for about 4 days and still feel less depressed than before treatment although my sleep has not normalized---IS 2.5 MG/DAY OF LEXAPRO AN EFFECTIVE DOSE TO TREAT DEPRESSION OR AM I JUST WASTING MY EFFORT AND MONEY?
Thank you!
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Oct 06, 2006 12:00AM
, Oct 06, 2006 12:00AM
The effective dose varies with the person and 2.5 might work for you, only experience can tell. You also might take the lexapro in the morning if you are not already doing that. that may help you with the sleep pattern since lexapro seems to have a stimulant effect.
Related discussions
-
Can SSRI's cause violent/sexual obsessions? (5 replies):I have been on Zoloft (4 months) and now Lexapro (9 mont...[more]
-
ups and downs when starting lexapro again (10 replies):I was on lexapro for almost a year when I decided to tak...[more]
-
I've been diagnosed with anxiety and they keep trying di... (8 replies):It started off when I was on vacation and I had to leave...[more]
-
Question about SSRI med (13 replies):I know this may sound ridiculous but what can be the res...[more]
If you do not want to hurt yourself or others, are unable to work or enjoy your life or do simple things such as go out in public or take a shower, or are not diagnosed with clinical depression, DO NOT TAKE ANY SSRI. The FDA has been far too lenient with the pharmaceutical companies due to weak laws passed by politicians taking campaign contributions from special interest pharmaceuticals. This makes it easy for pharmacy representatives to push drugs (and easy for the family doc)that are being prescribed for other conditions for which they haven't been tested. Please make it your last resort behind all other methods of therapy, most importantly, lifestyle changes. These meds haven't been tested for long term use and have been linked to birth defects to unborn children, killing some, also sending many to the ER with crazy side effects. These are very serious medications that should never be prescribed by anyone other than a specialist,(although, I am leary of them also)
Don't take chances with these meds until you've done very much research and investigation. (I took 1 pill of Lexapro (10mg.) and have been unable to work for 3 months!!!!)I have also communicated with 7 others who have had a very similar situation to mine. Don't let the Doctors throw these dangerous medications at you or it may ruin your life. It seems that some or many people may be benefitting from these medications, and I don't claim to know everything abot them. Keep in mind, all the doctors, specialists and pharmacists that I have spoken to, claim to know VERY LITTLE about what these drugs actually do to the brain and nervous system. My point is, once you take these meds, you are on your own. If you have a horrible problem caused by these drugs, you will be alone, noone will want to help you, noone will be able to help you, you will be considered a liability and pushed aside as if your case holds no importance. I am speaking from my experience.I hope this helps at least one person make a better decision and subsequently saves many the grief that I have endured.
Thank you for reading all of this.
Tony