LexaPro, How long does it last?

Dan_d_Man · Post by **Dan_d_Man** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:27 pm

I've been on LexaPro for 2 years. On May of 2007 my panic attacks started to resurface. On October I went through some hard times with panic and depression. My Doctor raised my dose from 40mg to 50mg a day. Its helped but on some days its hard. Has anybody who is taking LexaPro ever feel like its not working anymore?

pecos · Post by **pecos** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:19 am

It's very common to experience the "ssri poop out". Doctors will either increase the dose, add another medication, or start you on another ssri.

I have been taking Lexapro for a year now and during stressful events it seems like the Lexapro doesn't work anymore. I find that with different types of stress management (diet, exercise, prayer) I am able to function without the need of a dose increase. I only take 10mg and have on more than one occasion considered asking my doctor to increase it to 20mg. I figure I won't do that until I REALLY cannot function. So far so good... Good luck on your new dose!

Celeste

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:07 am

You should probably switch to something else. I was taking Lexapro for 6 months and it never really worked for me. I switched to Pexeva 6 weeks ago and I feel much better.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:10 am

Lexapro (and other meds for that matter) are merely masking the problem, not fixing it. The real purpose of the medication should be to give you 'temporary' relief from your symptoms so you can have time to sort out your issues and change your behavior. That's what CBT is all about. Unfortunately most Doctors don't bother to mention this fact. They just keep feeding you pills and upping your dose. That is so wrong in my opinion.
You must commit yourself to making changes to the way you think about the world around you, yourself and how you allow yourself to (over) react to every situation. That's what the MW Center course is all about. There are also many dozens of good books you can read that offer all kinds of helpful ways to make these changes.
I know that during my most stressful days with GAD, when I didn't know what was happening to me and I thought for SURE I was going to die, I read (actually listened to on audio tape) a book called "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie.
It really helped me get a grip and bring my over blown worry, panic and fear back down to earth, back to normal levels. That’s when I began to realize (as hard to accept as it was) that the problem with inside my own head!
Please seek out more information about CBT. The internet is a wonderful resource for help in this area.
God Bless you and peace be with you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:44 pm

Thanks all for the input.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:49 pm

This year i started on CBT like my Doctor suggested. I'm hoping that this will help tremendously. I understand that I have to unlearn all my negative thought processes which I used for more than 30 years. The road is long.