Many Americans are affected by depression or anxiety disorder these days. When your serotonin levels are off, it affects your mood and impacts your entire life. I have personally been on the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, Lexapro, for the past two years. Lexapro is also known as escitalopram oxalate. Doses generally range from 10mg to 30mg. Less than that is given to patients with milder depression or anxiety and more is given to those with extreme cases of depression or anxiety disorder.
I had been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression in my late teens. I got easily frustrated and angry when the least bit of stress came on. Other prescription drugs had left me feeling drugged or doped up and numb. So I thought that medications were not the answer. After the birth of my first daughter, I experienced depression and anxiety like I had never had. I didn’t have a typical case of baby blues. My doctor gave me some Lexapro to try to see how it worked for me. I felt like I was giving up and just throwing medication at the problem. Within two weeks the medicine was working. I felt normal. I hadn’t felt normal since before I started feeling anxiety as a teen. This medicine changed my life completely. For me this medicine are the perfect fit and the benefits out weigh the side effects.
I have experienced mild side effects. One is increased perspiration. I have adjusted by buying extra strength deodorant, showering more often, using body powder and drinking more water. It was a minor adjustment, which actually makes me healthier. I have noticed other improvements in my body with the increased hydration.
Another side effect that passed within the first few weeks was a bit of nausea. I had a small amount of nausea with no actual vomiting for a few days when I started taking the medicine which I told my doctor about. He gave me some medicine for it and told me to eat a little food before I taking Lexapro for the first week or so. Once your body is used to the hormone change the nausea should pass. It helped me to keep crackers or a small snack nearby.
I also had trouble sleeping the first month I was taking this medication. When your body is not getting the proper amount of serotonin you usually sleep more than you should. This is why sleeping all the time is a sign of depression. When I suddenly started getting more serotonin my body reacted by not letting me sleep and giving me more energy. Once the hormones leveled out in my system, I was sleeping as well as my newborn would let me.
Some people experience drowsiness or increased sleep. I only experienced this when I had an occasional glass of wine. Alcohol and antidepressants are not a good combination. Occasional alcohol use can be OK, but binge drinking and alcohol abuse will seriously impede your treatment.
Some people experience a loss of appetite, which I experienced only until the hormones leveled out. The doctor had told me that most of the side effects would be temporary and some would just be a small nuisance. If they were worse, the drug wouldn’t be the one for me. You have to give it a few weeks.
Coming off of a medication without a doctor’s help is hard and a bad idea. When you come off of this medication, if you don’t step down off of it, you can have severe headaches. You suddenly lose help with getting serotonin, so your depression and anxiety hits you really hard. You can also have blurred vision when stopping this medicine suddenly. This can also happen if you miss a dose, so taking your medicine at the same time everyday is important. If any problem arises with your medication, let your doctor know. You have to find the right medication for you. It is a hard process sometimes, and this drug may not be for you. Medicine is advancing and new medications for these disorders are available for you to benefit from.
