Ive been taking lexapro for a few months and Ive had some unpleasent side-effects including weight gain (although Im not eating more), inablity to reach orgasm, theirs others but those are the most disruptive. Has anyone else had the same experience with this drug? Any solutions?
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I have been on this one, and it is the last one I will ever take! In addition to the side effects that you noted, I had periods when I would have to pull over and rest while driving. These came on me suddenly and were intense. I had vision problems where I would look at something and when looking away the object would stream and streak. My judgment was cloudy, and I would act out. Sometimes by being too aggressive. I would say things that I ordinarily would not have. I had trouble driving my car. My sense of space and time were off considerably. And if your doctor did not tell you, it took me two whole years to get this stuff out of my system and return to normal. I will take the depression. I am afraid of the medications now. The only solution that I know of is to go on another drug. I have taken many of the anti-depressants, they all had side effects,. Some were better than the others but they all stopped working after awhile.
Good luck to you, my heart goes out to you.
I work in a medical office and many patients complain about similar side effects. I know that the doctor either reduces the dose a bit or prescribes something else. However, according to him each patient is different and needs different kind of change. The only thing is that sometimes new medication does not help as much as the old one, so maybe reducing the dose by few ml could do. HOWEVER, you should discuss that with your doctor and let him know what makes you uncomfortable. I'm sure he/she will be able to help.
Excessive yawning, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth delayed ejaculation, and depersonalization are all definitely normal side effects for lexapro (escitalopram) and our found in the patient information sheet that is given to you with the medication. Most of these should subside with time, however you should really weigh up the benefits to the side effects. I wish you the best of luck and hope you are feeling better.
Pretty much all SSRI's have the very side effects you are experiencing. I had the same exact effects several years ago when I was taking Paxil. Unfortunately, my physician had no advice or magic pills to reverse the sexual side effects. I suffered them until I quit taking the med, then everything was fine. You may wanna try investigating some of the "herbal" remedies, like ginseng, etc., to boost your libido. The weight gain I was able to control by careful eating and exercise. I wish you well.
Did you lose weight whilst you were depressed?...If so,then the resolution of your depression will lead to you re-gaining weight...A lot of psychiatric medications can cause weight gain though.Impairment of sexual function,in particular loss of libido and anorgasmia(the inablity to reach orgasm)are common side-effects of this class of drug.
I take lexapro(it's called cipralex in the UK)...The main side-effect I have is headaches.Oddly,it doesn't seem to affect my sexual functioning much-when I stopped it I didn't have any sexual feelings at all.The prevalence of sexual side-effects in SSRI's(of which lexapro is a member)is now estimated to be in the range of 60-70%...that's A LOT!!...Try not to beat yourself up about it-there are many people who have the same side-effects.If it's causing you a lot of distress,then try discussing the matter with your doctor.
Talk with the physician prescribing the medication, and let them know of all of the side effects you are having. they may be able to lower the dose or change to another medicine to treat you. Unfortunately this is the case with many of the mental health drugs so sometimes many different types are tried until the one that is best for you is found. Good luck and God Bless.
I didn't have those side effects but it made me very hyper. I found I couldn't take it. I'm taking Prozac now and am doing much, much better. I went through several medications and the best advise it talk to your doctor about the side effects and to see what might be right for you. Good luck!
It sounds as though this medication may have possibly raised you prolactin levels dude (cause unknown)... You should discuss these side-effects with the prescriber and ask for an alternative - there are many which may not have this effect on you...
Since you are not eating more and have gained weight, I suggest you exercise more. That will raise your metabolism and help you to keep the weight off. There are very few psych meds that will not cause you to gain weight.
unfortunately these are side effects of this drug, talk to ur doc and tell him that the side effects for this drug are not desirable and both of you can sit down and see a different med will work better for you---good luck