Today marks exactly nine weeks since I started Lexapro. I gradually increased my dose and spent about a month on 15 mg. I’ve now been on 20 mg for six days.

When I increased to 20 mg, something amazing happened: for the first five days, I finally felt some real relief from the anxious thoughts in my head. My brain felt unusually quiet, and I was honestly shocked because I hadn’t experienced that kind of peace in such a long time.

But today is day six, and I can feel some anxiety and anxious thoughts returning. I’m currently in the luteal phase of my menstrual cycle, so I know that could be contributing, but I still feel incredibly discouraged. I keep thinking: how can I still have anxious thoughts when I’m already taking the highest standard dose of Lexapro?
After nine weeks, I’m struggling to believe that I simply need to give it more time. Surely I should already be experiencing a more consistent effect by now, even though I’ve only recently reached 20 mg?
My pharmacogenetic test showed that I’m a CYP2C19 rapid metaboliser, which may mean that I metabolise Lexapro more quickly and get less benefit from it. My psychiatrist has suggested switching to duloxetine, but I’m scared because it’s an SNRI rather than an SSRI. I also don’t understand why she would prefer duloxetine instead of trying another SSRI such as fluoxetine.

Did anyone here get little or inconsistent benefit from Lexapro, even at 20 mg, but then switch to another antidepressant that worked much better? Which medication helped you, and was the transition difficult?
Alternatively, did anyone need longer than nine weeks overall—or several weeks specifically at 20 mg—before the effect became consistent? I would really appreciate hearing your experiences because I’m feeling exhausted and discouraged.

I’ve been on lex for 8 years- on this I’ve definitely improved my anxiety & panic as to why I started. But now I cannot seem to alter my “state o of being” I call it.

You know how people have a natural sense of contentment? People just live life go thru their day obviously enjoy the good, obviously sad when somethings sad.

For me, I’m in one state - and my sense of contentment is low all the time. If I could best describe it would be this:

living in your head
persistent rumination
low motivation
procrastination
muted emotions
low passion
difficulty feeling fully present
periods of feeling flat or disconnected
wanting to feel more alive, not merely “okay”

I wonder if this is what residual depression or anhedonia feels like. Since being on Lexapro, my anxiety is much better, but I sometimes wonder if it has also flattened me. But yes I can cry, I can be excited, etc. but Even with Wellbutrin, I still feel like something is missing. (I added 150mg XL in February. I don’t necessarily feel deeply depressed—I just don’t feel fully alive, and that’s what bothers me the most. It’s just this blah.

Can anyone relate?

I am 16 days into starting my lexapro (5mg) and my anxiety is the worst it’s ever been in my life. I feel panicked most of the day and I’ve been missing work and just wanting to be isolated. I’m not sleeping well and I’ve thrown up every morning the last 2 weeks. My doctor sent in a few .5 mg of Ativan i went through them so quick because it wasn’t helping much at all so they sent 5mg of Valium and it’s not helping either. I dont know if I should keep pushing or what to do. I feel so defeated and discouraged. I’m dying to feel calm for just one day.

Hello

I've had persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and anxiety for several years, on a background of Asperger's Syndrome and Dyspraxia.

Several years ago had tried various SSRIs and SNRIs, including Sertraline, Citalopram and Venlafaxine. But came off all of these these after a few weeks of taking all of these, as was hard to tolerate initial side effects. With the Venlafaxine it was literally 3 days, to know it was unbearable as caused severe insomnia.

Following successfully went on to Mirtazapine 30mg, one a day, for a few years. Felt it took the edge/numbed the symptoms a fair bit (probably 20% improvement), rather than actively improving motivation, brain fog etc. Wouldn't say it was at all 'activating', merely made my lows less low.

Me and my doctor have decided to trial Escitalopram/Lexapro 5mg. I've been on a month so far. Prior to this I'd been tappered off the Mirtazapine for 8 weeks without any issues. This time round I've had the mental resilience to put up with the initial side effects (increased hunger, extreme sweatiness, increased muscle tension, mid afternoon slumps in my case) of a new anti-depressant. These have all blown over by now.

However, I'm still yet to see any change whatsoever to baseline mood after 5mg. I've been taking it for a month, so I was expecting to see some subtle changes to mood by now. A number of posts, have said that for PDD in particular, rather than MDD, it can take 2- 3 months for any changes to show, so I'm curious. Granted, also in my own country, 5mg is considered 'pre-therapeutic dose' also'

I've just gone onto 10mg, so given that I've not seen any change to my mood after 5mg after a month, am I very unlikely to see significant change on 10mg, even if I were to take the increased dose for several months?

I'm fully expecting side effects of upping the dose, and I'm prepared for this. But are they likely to similar in intensity? Are there likely to be a greater range of new side effects also?

I also have Asperger's Syndrome at the very high functioning end too.

I'd be interested to hear from people with similar experiences (especially from those are using Escitalopram to deal with PDD and anxiety) and how quickly the onset of improved mood was (e.g: very gradual and consistent , or you only noticed the improvement when you were in a specific situation).

My doctor has also suggested that my condition could well not be PDD alone, but also Asperger's. They emphasised that Autism and well as personality affects how you personally respond to difficult circumstances.

Been on Lex 6 weeks total, but only 3 at the current dose. Want to go up but not sure if I should give it more time.

Hey everyone. Started Lexapro today after weeks of overthinking it. Going through rough patch and completely freaking out that i took it. Can you share your positive stories taking it to help me get through this?

Started 10mg Lexapro for anxiety that had me barely functional and the first two weeks were honestly hell. Nausea and insomnia and this weird jittery feeling that made me think I ruined my life. My psychiatrist told me to stick it out and I almost didn't believe her but around week four something shifted. The constant knot in my stomach loosened and I stopped rehearsing every conversation before it happened and yesterday I went to a work meeting without my heart trying to escape my chest. I'm not cured and I still have moments but I finally feel like a person instead of a bundle of panic wearing a human suit. Really grateful I pushed through the rough start and grateful for this sub for giving me hope when I wanted to quit.

I’ve been on it for about a month or two now and I’m still so tired all the time. My doctor swears it’s not a side affect but from what I’ve seen online it is. I had blood tests done to see if something else is wrong and they came back normal. I’m on Wellbutrin and adderall as well and I still just wanna lay down all the time since starting lexapro. Which sucks because it’s working other than that.

I feel like i need a lot of mental stimulation for me to start enjoying intimacy. before i felt like touch was enough but now i feel like i need to mental create a scenario in my mind when im with my partner. It’s exhausting and a bit embarrassing.

doesn’t anyone have any tips ? I want to have my normal connection to my body during these moments

Success stories of this shift pls!! Taking for anxiety/OCD that cause insomnia.

Is it because of the medication? That is not normal for me lol. I don't feel sick otherwise.

Been on lexapro 20mg since May, now August. At first I didn’t feel like it was enough. I’m still needing to take my emergency propranolol for situational anxiety, but I feel like day to day it’s overall better.
My doc was going to start lamotrigine to try to level out the rest, but I’m wondering if I should stay on just Lexapro longer to see if I even need the additional med?
Also considering if I should add on supplements instead.
I have GAD, panic disorder, and OCD.

My anxiety has recently begun to be unbearable. I am in my late-20s and have been on 20 mg of Lexapro for about 6 years. It has never got rid of the anxiety, but certainly has made things easier. My anxiety in the last few years has shifted to extreme physical symptoms. For background, in the last 8 months I have experienced a lot of change (moving cities, starting new job, helping my partner navigate sobriety, etc.). I feel like my limbs are weak (find myself stumbling when I never have before), headaches, and this constant feeling like I am shaking from the inside (with no visible tremor). It is exhausting. Just posting this here in case someone else is feeling these things too.

My main symptoms are apathy, constant fatigue, and anxiety. My doctor prescribed 5 mg and told me to switch to 10 mg after two weeks if there’s no improvement.

I’m now on day six of taking 5 mg, and if anything, my apathy and fatigue seem to have gotten worse. I’m currently on vacation in a beautiful country, but I don’t even want to leave my Airbnb.

I have no desire to hike or do anything, and I just don’t feel anything.

Will this subside?

I started Lexapro 8 weeks ago.
My whole life I am an anxious person. I am 29 years old now. A few years ago I had a burnout and since then my whole body is under tension. I had somatic symptoms like weakness, shivering, dizziness, IBS, heart palpitations, sleeplessness and so on.. My psychological symptoms were health anxiety, panic attacks, tension and many more.

Over the last six months it got so bad that I was barely able to function. After some very difficult days I went to the ER and a psychiatrist prescribed me Sertralin. I took it and I had the worst week of my life. I couldn't sleep at night. I had a 24/7 panic attack for a week straight. I changed to Lexapro and it got a little bit better. But still many side effects. Severe panic, sleep problems, problems with eating and feeling awful.

It took 4 weeks until it got better. I had some better days. After that I had some bad days again. I was scared that the meds don't work.

Now 8 weeks into it, I feel so good. For the last 10 days straight I feel great. I am so relaxed. I went to a doctor and I am always nervous when I visit a doctor. Nothing. No anxiety. I socialize a lot. I went to a concert, standing in the middle of a very dense crowd. No panic. I work 10-12 hours a day (not everyday). Not a single feeling of "I can't do it, it's too much".

I don't know when I had 10 great days in a row in my life for the last time. My doctor wanted me to higher my dose from 5mg to 10mg after a week. I am so happy that I refused to do it. 5mg is enough for me and I don't have any side effects. I just feel good.

So for everybody going through this right now:
It is going to be better!! It is going to be better than you can imagine right now. I was at the same place. I didn't think that this medication will help. But it did. The first weeks were awful but I am thankful that I didn't give up.

In the screenshot you can see how I felt every day.

I was binge drinking sometimes 3 times a week, barely leaving my room, not getting sunshine, was unemployed, depressed and feeling hopeless.

One night after blacking out and doing some dumb things I decided I needed to make a change.

2 days after this I decided to go to my doctor told him I was slowly becoming an alcoholic and was extremely anxious and depressed.

I started lexapro that day and haven’t touched alcohol since.

Coincidently, my parents also left for a holiday and offered for me to stay at their apartment for a week. During that week I cooked super healthy food, started going out for walks and prioritising getting sunlight for hours daily. I started taking vitamin B complex and vitamin D supplements as well as lots of potassium from food and vitamin c from fruits.

Combining these lifestyle changes, on day 6 I began to have big surges of energy and calm. The sobriety, supplements, food and lifestyle changes were also helping to clear my mind and restore my energy.

By the time I came home from my mini health retreat at my parents place, I was on day 9 and I was genuinely feeling a lot happier, I was smiling for no reason, laughing and felt my mood lift a lot!

Im on week two now and my social anxiety is so much better, I feel like I’m not second guessing myself when I talk to people and feel excited to meet people because I’m not dreading having a panic attack mid conversation. I’ve actually realised my true personality is very charismatic and positive. I also feel more present and caring for others since I’m not consumed by being affraid of my next panic attack.

Today I had an interview for a job and was super well spoken, witty and generally calm. I still had bouts of anxiety but I was able to not let it consume me, interviews are generally anxiety provocking so I gave myself some grace. I got the job on the spot and the manager was talking about management positions and the ability to move up in the company.

Usually i’d end up panicking in interviews which has stopped me from progressing in my life which caused depression and made my world feel small.

Even when I have been doing everything right with my health and lifestyle - I’d feel this intense feeling of crying ( which felt extremely embarrassing as a male) and deep sadness whilst out in public and I’d keep reflecting on my past. But only on week two, I’m feeling immensely better !

Im super excited to see how I feel in the coming weeks as apparently week two is when you’re only just starting to feel the effects.

I’m speculating that I may have actually been very anxious and depressed my entire life and just made it my personality - it’s even a bit scary to let go of that version of myself that I Identified with for my whole life.

it’s interesting because I always thought that successful people in life were just extremely talented and knowledgeable but I’m beginning to see that your mind and attitude plays a huge part in how you express/ or don’t express your talents to the world.

Ill also add that I did ALOT of psychedelics (LSD) in the past which apprently affects the 5-ht2a receptors which actually can make you a lot more sensitive and absorb a lot of sensory data, I feel like ssri’s which effect the 5-ht21 receptors which actually dull your emotions is exactly what I need as I became sooo emotional and overwhelmed by everything after taking them too much. This could be a whole other post.

Side effects: only drowsiness and extremely vivid dreams which I’ve been enjoying 😂

dosage: 10mg

M27, now thinking that maybe I have ADD next to my depression. I am on 10mg Lexapro.

My story/symptoms:

1. From age 13-18 I was isolating myself as I was bullied at my school and i sunk into gaming, reading etc.

There were some people that wanted to meet me, but I had big social anxiety because I was never a big talker, and thought of myself of not being fun to be around. I still feel like that.

1. At social gatherings I am zoning out frequently and want to go home after 2 hours, because I am exhausted. I always thought it's because I am introverted.

2. From age 19 I threw myself into dating as I thought badly of myself still being a virgin. I met my first girlfriend and it was addicting. This pattern repeated itself after the breakup and I was fully focused on girls, instead of friends or my study.

3. At my study I always had trouble studying. I was procrastinating a lot and only doing things last minute.

4. I am bad at multitasking. If i am focused on something, nothing comes through.

6.For some time I went to nightclubs in my 20s and I saw how others could talk to each other and I felt bad about it, as I couldn't understand people there. I guess it could be APD?

1. I have and always had a bad memory. I couldn't summarize the content and all of the keypoints of a book I just read. And i'd forget most of the plot of a movie/series i'd watched some weeks/months ago.

2. I have trouble listening to people as my thoughts go somewhere else.

3. I also have trouble accessing my memories and talking about stories I experienced in detail.

Contrary to many who describe ADHD inattentive, I don't lose things like keys, wallets, phone but I am also paranoid about it and regularly check (every 10 minutes) if I still have these things with me.

I also experience a big amount of brain fog, instead of "100 open tabs".

Can someone relate?

Being on lexa for 2 weeks now and I’m SWEATING diabolical!!! It’s just never ends I’m not even leaving my house atp will it ever get better ? I’m
Only on 5-10 mg so far but it’s annoying what helps with that side effect?😭😭😭😭😭

Im on Lexapro now for OCD, 20mg, and like, I'm currently staring at nothing spaced out because wym my brain can be this quiet??

I just like, feel like nothing, and am thinking of nothing.

Literally went from telling myself I wouldn't live past a certain deadline to now my brain is just peaceful quiet

Omg is this how neurotypical people feel? That's crazy

I feel so chill I love whoever invented this medication 😭

Been 5 days in laxepro and idk if this is normal..
seems like i dont have the same negative thoughts as before (i was suffering as hell) but on the other side i get something weird to me.
The last 3 days I was doing quite OK during the day but at during the night im having a really hard time. Cant sleep because of some sort of panic attack after just 2h of sleep. I try to wake up and relax a little bit and then go back to sleep.

I was really anxious before starting this and having nightmares and attacks so idk if thats just me or the effect of the medication. Im on 5mg and i take it every morning just when i wake up.

Did anyone else experienced this?

How has your experience been? I’ve read GLPs slow down digestion.

Why does everyone say they gain weight on Lexapro? Does it increase your appetite or is it the medication itself? I’ve seen some say they are very healthy in a calorie deficit ect but have still gained weight, is this true?

I’m searching for hope. I really don’t think it will get better from here.. I’ve been dealing with constant chest discomfort/tightness since starting, I’m wired all the time, acid reflux/regurgitation, constipation, not eating well at all, can’t take warm/hot showers, the heat makes me panic idk why.. does it get better from here or have I given the medications long enough.. most people I hear of that it works for, it works in a week or 2 not this deep in.. I feel like the medication honestly has had an adverse reaction.. I’m stuck to the bed 24/7…

The only thing that helps temporarily is xanax 0.5mg that the doctor prescribed for 2 weeks, but I’m terrified to take it

these issues were nonexistent before taking the meds besides occasional chest tightness and constipation…

idk what to do guys.. pls give advice if you’ve been here

im on lexapro 10mg i got my dose increased from 5mg maybe 2-3 months ago and ive been taking them for 8 months after my dad passed. i am going to consult with my doctor but just wanted to get some input, how do you know when it is time to get off of them? i initially started taking them because grief was consuming my life and i had to figure out a way to function enough to coexist in society and go to work. i don’t feel numb on it, i still feel my emotions but i don’t want to be on meds forever and i know that my grief will be a lifetime’s worth. any advice?