Got PSSD from this. I took Cipralex 10 mg/day for 5 weeks. It's been 9 months and I have not regained my sexual function. Feel totally asexual. I believe Escitalopram is very potent. If you take SSRIs you're playing Russian roulette. The probability of me committing suicide increase like 50%.

choo choo! on the SSRI train once again. this time I'm trying Lexapro. starting out on a super low dose, as usual (2.5mg).

it's day two for me, and I'm getting my normal SSRI starting effects, which includes warmth and buzzing in my legs and arms. I also feel extremely tired, which I believe is more common with Lexapro than a lot of other SSRIs.

I've read that beneficial effects for GAD can occur within a week on Lexapro, so we'll see.

I gotta say I do think I agree that SSRI's are like playing Russian Roulette especially lexapro

It seems like by now they would have some idea of the differences between SSRI's.

My experience with Lexapro, was good when I was on 20MG but she Doctor switched me to 10MG too quickly, or the other way around. I began sweating in my sleep, and having horrible vivid nightmares with heavy anxiety that would wake me. I am now on 10MG with Wellbutrin, it's working okay.. I still have bad days. I was supposed to stop Lexapro after a month which I did, but my withdrawals were too severe and I couldn't handle it. The withdrawals included
Night sweats
Vivid nightmares
Heavy anxiety
No sleep
Vertigo
Bad headaches

I'm still on it, and I guess I'll continue it. But that's my experience. The withdrawal is terrible.

Day 3 (Day 1 & 2 I didn't post here)

I've just started on escitalopram (2 days ago) (lexapro) (10mg daily) and it seems to be having some positive effects. It seems a lot more refined than citalopram (I was prescribed this previously but stopped taking it as I felt completely detached).

Major first things ive noticed are yawning, couldn't stop yawning all of the time. I get a light headed feeling with and being a bit clumsy but not really too bad. It doesn't seem to kill actually wanting to feel happy like pure citalopram (celexa/cipramil) so if I laugh I can still feel happy. Whereas citalopram just made me feel numb, null and void.

I'm going to see how this one pans out but I feel positive about it at the moment. I haven't tried sex yet so I don't know how it will effect me from that angle. Pure citalopram was awful from that perspective.

All in all I think this is helping me at the moment, will keep updating you as and when.

EDIT:

I should add that I have had trouble sleeping with it, but then again I have that with my anxiety anyway so not sure if that is actually caused by the escitalopram/lexapro or not.

Day 3 (Night)

OK so It's 3am and I can't sleep (went to bed at 11.30pm).

This is the downside to this one... ! But then again I don't sleep much with anxiety anyway.

Wondering if I can take a herbal sleep pill (Valerian) to help. Will research this tomorrow.

Day 4 of the escitalopram (lexapro) and a quick update.

Last night was terrible. Felt really irritable. I was tired but also really restless at the same time, really hard to describe. I was worried I was developing akathisia as this is one of the side effects of the meds . Luckily this did subside but I had really awful headaches and spent most of last night in my room just sitting/lying on my bed. I've had a few weird things happen, I wouldn't call them hallucinations (I'm sure some people would but I don't want to be that dramatic) i've just tried to ignore them for now (e.g. strange images/thoughts before falling asleep etc).

Still having trouble sleeping although think I got to sleep about 2.30am last night so a slight improvement.

Feel today Day 4 like there is no difference and that I haven't even been taking the meds... the excessive yawning that I had from day 1-3 has stopped altogether.

I do feel a little less anxious (over all of the 4 days) but more depressed unfortunately. However it does say on instructions for the medicine that the anxiety/depression may increase when you are initially starting on the medication.

Still getting really anxious/worked up when my heart race increases e.g. from walking up a set of stairs too quickly, sitting in traffic, people visiting the house or something like this. This tends to feed into my fears about my anxiety starting etc .

Overall I do believe in this medicine as I did feel something a little better even on day 1 and so believe that it will be able to help me. I'm willing to give it at last a months trial anyway.

It feels a LOT better than citalopram/celexa that's for sure even if the two are closely related (citalopram didn't suit me at all and I felt 10x worse).

Something else to add, unexpected but music sounds a lot better on escitalopram/lexapro! Like having a new set of ears...

I've lurked this forum off and on for a few years but never made an account, but I just had to so I could post a review.

Let me say right off the bat, I no longer have a problem with social anxiety and Lexapro was a huge part of that. Before I started Lexapro, I had nothing. No high school degree, no job, no license, no car - absolutely nothing. I sat in my house all day, every day for literally half a decade, crippled by my social anxiety.

Within six months of starting Lexapro, everything changed. I started by getting into college - a difficult task with no high school education, but I did it. Then I got a job. Then I got my license and a car. And somewhere along the way, I lost my social anxiety.

Was it solely the Lexapro though? No, definitely not. I went to a therapist once a week and, pretty early into my college entrance, I forced myself to join the Student Government organization, which in turn forced me to attend regular social events.

To sum this up, I don't believe Lexapro or any drug can 'cure' social anxiety, but it certainly did make it possible for me to begin exposure therapy by forcing myself into social situations, which rapidly resolved my anxiety.

I've been off Lexapro now for a month (terrible withdrawal symptoms by the way - every day for weeks I had incredibly horrifying vivid nightmares) and I have never felt better in my entire life. I'm still socially awkward and uncomfortable at times, but that's just a consequence of years of being socially crippled.

That's my review. I wish you all the best of luck with your social anxiety.

Lexapro didn't do much for me... apart from giving me excruciating headaches and completely destroying my libido. I wish a doctor would prescribe me Nardil but it's near impossible to lay my hands on Nardil where I'm from.

Day 5

Felt super depressed and restless this afternoon. Eyes were watering like crazy and felt like crying but I didn't cry.

Got the tired but restless thing again. Had to have a lie down on my bed because I felt so tired but then I couldn't stop wanting to wring my hands, stretch out, yawn, close my eyes really tightly etc.

Thankfully this has now stopped. The excessive yawning is still happening though. Libido has totally gone too (all SSRI's do this from research).

Also I'd say escitalopram is probably a pretty dangerous drug to give to someone who is depressed/suicidal since i've felt worse since taking it (I'm taking it for GAD/SA (doc isn't sure which at the moment)). This could be a dangerous trigger for someone who can't control their thoughts/actions.

Edit: Forgot to add I did sleep better last night but I did have 1 beer before bed which helped immensely.

Also wanted to add I am still noticing my anxiety decreasing slightly (still not sure if this is placebo at this stage) but willing to continue with this even with the bad side effects as it does seem to be doing some good (not overthinking conversations etc).

I didn't mention this in my above review, but starting out on Lexapro was horrible for me. Constant dizziness for two weeks and, even though I was only mildly depressed before, occasional suicidal when I never had them before. I was started on 20mg, no tapering. If someone started off on Lexapro and already had suicidal thoughts, this drug could destroy them, no doubt about it.

Doctors really need to remember to taper up these drugs. They make 2.5mg Lexapro for a reason.

Yes, I'd definitely recommend anyone starting this drug to be tapered. I've definitely felt dizziness (see my next post) and the suicidal when not before like you experienced. That seems to be passing now though. I believe my doc started me on 10mg straight away as I was kinda spiralling into worse and worse anxiety (not even doing the small amount of limited things I used to do) and in some ways that has been good - it's given me a kick in the *** definitely - but the side effects are pretty awful, so if you're depression/anxiety is mild (I know this is really had to determine, but I'd say e.g. if you're not getting multiple panic attacks a day) then start on a lower dose and taper yourself properly - I really needed the kick in the *** so 10mg has been good.

I will definitely be tapering myself when I get off the drug as I've read a lot of reports about SSRI withdrawal e.g. the brain zaps etc. when I want to stop I'll go 5mg 2.5mg more fractions etc (maybe see if I can get liquid escitalopram/lexapro for this too). Although I have read that withdrawals from Lexapro are not as bad as Paroxetine/Paxil/Seroxat.

Day 6

I'm still getting some side effects like dizziness but today feels more positive overall. I've observed for the first time today that my pupils are not dilated! (Yay) This is the first day where this hasn't occurred. I laughed today without it feeling forced, the first time I can remember doing that maybe since childhood.

The side effects of starting the drug are pretty awful but I feel gradually I'm getting over them. I'm from a scientific background so I'm still very sceptical about the efficacy or drugs like SSRI's over placebo but it does seem to be having a positive effect even at this very early stage. To be modest I'd say I've noticed a 10-20% change at the moment. At only 6 days in that seems quite incredible (placebo?). I'm sure as more of the side effects subside that this will increase, but I'm not expecting miracles either (I don't believe any magic pill will cure SA/GAD completely), but I'm happy with the current levels of 10-20% if that's all this drug will give me. If I get any more benefit that's a bonus. In summary it's a slight boost which I really needed.

Starting this shiz today.

In the past I have tried the following: citalopram, sertraline, fluoxitine, venlafaxine.

I've been on this for a few days and it's already giving me erectile dysfunction.

Escitalopram is ****ing ****.

I've been on this for four days and it has given me erectile dysfunction and sweating. This happened before with other SSRIs so I'm not imagining it.

I'm quitting this drug already. Why take something that will make me worse off? Why can't they give me some benzos already? Why can't they give me the stuff that actually works? I'll take my chances on the silkroad.

I take Escitalopram

At first I was on 5mg
but I wasn't taking properly then he switched to 10mg
I don't know really what happened next but he now me taking 15mg
He'll just keep on raising the doses if I don't take it properly

Stick with it, I had this for a couple of weeks then it wore off. I've been on it 2 months now and feeling better and I don't have any sexual problems any more.