Lexapro is used in conjunction with other antidepressants to help alleviate sleeplessness and fatigue, which are exacerbated by depression and can incapacitate you if not treated. The medication also helps calm anxiety, mood disorders, and thoughts of suicide.
Lexapro has helped me tremendously, but when taking Lexapro your medication and mental condition must be monitored consistently by a doctor. Side effects seem less common with Lexapro than some other antidepressants, but if you experience side effects they can be very dramatic. Be especially careful when you begin taking the medication or your dosage is changed.
One of the ironic side effects that a small percentage of users experience increased depression, increased suicidal thoughts or attempts, and other mental and emotional mood swings.
In a small percent of the population on Lexapro a severe panic attack can occur as a side effect of the medication. A magnified panic attack is so rare; doctors say it affects less than 1% of the population. Other side effects of which you should be aware are marked hostility, trouble sleeping, irrational impulsiveness, restlessness, and rapid speech that may run the gamut of your thought processes.
The side effects of Lexapro mentioned above are exactly the opposite of what the medication is supposed to do. It should help calm you down, decrease hostility, and help you sleep. If you experience these side effects of Lexapro, it is probably safe to say this is not a good medication for you.
Most users report no sexual side effects. This is a wonder considering most antidepressants tend to suppress libido.
Coming off the medication causes the worst side effects and they can be very dramatic. It is so bad, that if I run out of any medication, it will not be Lexapro. Everyone in the house, friends, and extended family will dash to the pharmacy or call the doctor personally if for some reason I run out. The effects of coming off Lexapro are down-right scary.
Nausea is the least of the side effects of coming off of the medication. The worst and most pronounced is irritability, hostility, and aggression. These symptoms may flare in the most calm, tranquil individuals when they are coming off of Lexapro. Let the world beware.
When I have been off this medication for only one day it is like I turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. It is terribly dramatic, uncontrollable, and always has negative consequences. This is probably my biggest regret about taking Lexapro. I’m afraid I will never be able to come off of it unless I spend about a month on a deserted island away from all humanity. Then, there is no guarantee that some irrational behavior will not overcome me causing me to do something that, in character and normal personality, I never would have done.
I consider that an addictive quality and side effect of Lexapro. Be sure you need it before you begin taking it. It is a near miraculous medication to relieve anxiety, assuage suicidal thoughts, and work in combination with other antidepressants to improve one’s overall outlook. However, once you begin taking it, it is very difficult to come off of Lexapro. In my opinion, that is the worst side effect of all.
According to WebMD, the medication is not supposed to be taken by those who have had epileptic seizures, heart attack, heart disease, liver problem, stomach or other digestive diseases, kidney disease, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, and low blood sodium. Ironically those who are bi-polar, or manic-depressive, or having thoughts of suicide are cautioned against taking the drug, but then those are two of the symptoms Lexapro is designed to treat.
Source:
“Drug Overview: Lexapro Oral,” Web MD: http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-63990-Lexapro+Oral.aspx?drugid=63990&drugname;=Lexapro+Oral&pagenumber;=5
