Good Bye Lexapro

monty'smom · Post by **monty'smom** » Wed May 28, 2008 2:22 am

I started on 10mg of lexapro a month ago and it has worked well for me, I am taking it for mild anxiety, but mostly for PMDD (severe PMS). I plan on doing the CBT program along with it.

I feel that if the drugs work for you and make you feel well than they can be a good tool to help you in your recovery and get you on the right path. This drug has given me the calmness in my mind to be able to work on the CBT.

jess23 · Post by **jess23** » Wed May 28, 2008 2:57 am

I have been on lexapro for about 5 yrs. and I just quit cold turkey. No problems at all! Been going on 4 mos. now and feel great.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:55 am

I've been on Lexapro for about 8 months. I have absolutely no persistent side effects. I got tired and had the jitters for a few days after raising the dosage from 10 mg to 20 mg. A couple months ago, I tried to quit because I didn't think it was doing much. I was wrong. The anxiety came back with a vengence. I didn't have any withdrawal though.

Lexapro is a great drug that has really helped me through some tough times.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:03 am

Weened myself off Lexapro over the past 2 months and I've noticed a couple of changes in myself including staying up later & sleeping more, feeling of lethargy, quick temper/anger, more aroused (which isn't a bad thing)& a general feeling of not being very motivated.

I'm doing the program & I can find that it is helping how I view my thoughts/feelings but I'm still having issues in the tiredness & quick to anger dept's.

Hoping this is still a withdrawal process for me.

jess23 · Post by **jess23** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:12 am

Why do many of you feel you need to stop taking your meds?? Are they not helping you?? I take lexapro 10mg for mild anxiety and severe pms, and it has worked wonders, i feel great on it and have no side effects anymore. I will take this forever if it continues to do its job. Sometimes we need these meds to help balance ourselves out, just like a diabetic needs their insulin. This program is just as effect while still taking the meds we need.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:36 am

I stopped taking Lexapro before starting the program. I had gained alot of weight since being on anti-depressants. Also felt like the meds weren't working for me anymore. You have to do what you feel is best for you. I am trying a natural alternative for Zanax, but occasionally have to have the real thing.Do what is right for you, meds or no meds. Good luck!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:55 am

It's a personal choice. Some people are able to cope without meds and some are not.
I personally wanted to avoid long term use of SSRIs so I weaned myself off them pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong, I worked VERY hard developing my CBT skills so that I could handle life on my own without medication.
Yes, I still get anxiety from time to time but now I recognize it for what it is and take corrective measures to calm myself down before it has a chance to get out of hand. The big difference is that now, I know what it is and how to handle it.

I certainly understand if some people feel they need to remain on meds longer. Each person is different and each case it may be more or less severe than another.

There is nothing wrong with taking meds if you really need them. It's just better if a person can use that time (while on meds) to educate themselves about their condition and how to get over it so that they can eventually get off the meds.

That's all I was trying to say. No offense intended to anyone still taking meds. I know people that feel the need to take them forever. That is their personal choice. I just think it would be a good idea to do some research about the long term effects of these meds before deciding to take them forever.
God Bless and Peace be with you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:52 am

Well said, my friend!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:50 am

For me, I felt like a zombie on the Lexapro. It definitely did curb my anxiety urges & anger outbursts but it also curbed those times when I could be excited or happy, which I didn't like at all.

Another thing I noticed was that I was not as sharp as I once was. I used to be able to think of things off the top of my head & since taking the Lexapro, I feel like my short term memory is shot.

Since coming off the Lexapro, I'm not going to lie it's been hard because I'm back to same ol' anxious me again but I want to really give this a try & see if I can do this! Memory still isn't back 100% (perhaps that's just old age though).

Good Luck to all!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:33 am

Hope,
You are going to be fine. Just remember to take positive steps every day to make sure you deal with lifes ups & downs effectively.
Don't just go back to your old ways, otherwise you will likely have the same old problem.

Exercise and Diet, the one-two punch for fighting anxiety and depression.

God Bless and peace be with you.