NewMe Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Pdoc decided to add Lexapro to my cocktail today and raise my lamictal to 200mg. He said for me to take 5mg for 2 months and then we will go from there. But he mentioned mania. He said he has decided after 4 months that I am in fact Bipolar1 and that I need this mix. He also upped the klonopin again...now i am at .75mg So here is the question, have you taken lexapro, or this cocktail, and what where your experiences? What should I look out for? Is it effective for sever depression? Side effects?...am I gonna turn in to a frog? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayteana Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I believe Lexapro is often used for depression and anxiety. ~ May Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I found lexapro to be extremely, intolerably, sedating, but that was just some weirdness of mine, and not a common response. I believe it kicks in a bit more quickly than other SSRI's, which is obviously good. The big thing you should watch out for is hypo/mania, as antidepressants can elicit hypo/manic episodes, even in those who are not bipolar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entities Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I'm on 10mgX2 daily. I started taking it with Abilify at the same time so forgive me if I haven't pinned down the right med. To start it took away my depression and anxiety, now when I started taking my combination I was extremely tired. So I swapped my Abilify from morning to night and that was fixed so I don't think it was the Lexapro. Now hunger, well. I have went up about...23kgs. Yeah, this was after I lost a lot of weight that I had gained from Olanzapine. So I was like oh yeah, I'll keep my weight, not that I was happy with it but I was "happier" with how it -was-. So since taking Lex/Abilify I've gained 23kgs. And it's not like Olanzapine, it's sneaky and very very slow. Instead of eating one or two bowls of cereal you maybe have 3 or perhaps even 4. When you have something to eat you think...I know that would fill me but I'm so hungry and then you add just a bit more. So yeah, originally I thought it was Abilify even though it's quite uncommon for Abilify but recently I've actually started to think it's the Lexapro. I've stopped taking both those meds and I'm med-free and have been for about a month? Anyway I'm still 23kgs heavier than I'd want to be. I cannot lose it, it's unbelievable it wasn't this hard with Olanzapine. If I could go back in time to when I was prescribed it I wish I had asked for an SNRI or another SSRI. The reason I talked about weight so much is my sister commented on my weight when I was looking in the mirror. And you know when you have that insight and you think "Oh my God when did I gain this much weight?!" Well I had that. I'm still in-shock actually. Anyway I'm whining now. Goodluck on Lexapro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetle Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I tried lex a long time ago. Didn't work. Gave me anorgasmia but anything that hits serotonin does that to me. Yay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewMe Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Thanks for the responses so far Yeah, the doc mentioned that hypomania could occur so he said it would be best to see how well I do with 5mg instead of the usual 10 he prescribes since I am very sensitive to meds. He said weight gain wasnt a common occurence but can happen. I am just hoping I can become "me" again, and not this lump on the couch. well I have this for 2 months and then a check with a new pdoc, since this guy is leaving and moving to NY. He said to watch for suicidal ideations and thoughts of cutting since I was a SI. I am already feeling that way so, yeah. I wanted Paxil but he said no, and he said topomax he doesnt prescribe usually because of its cognitive effects, he said that with me going to Uni and needing to use my brain he'd rather not put me on it. So we are gonna try this, he said there are some other meds that are there that I could try but he said he'd like to start with something similar to Paxil since that was the most effective but it is less likely to cause seizures for me than the Paxil. Wish me luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
void Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Was on Cipralex (The local name for Lexapro), started up with 10mg worked up to 60mg, made me get shaky and irritable but did nothing else that I could notice, was on other meds at the time. As far as I can remember the other one was Lamictin, and an antipsychotic (Probably Risperdal or Lithium or someotherantipsychoticin) But I kinda land up drugged past my eyeballs before meds work usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dee Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 lexapro...well after being on paxil over 10 years i decided to give lexapro a try because when it first came out they said you have less sexual dysfunction on it. let me say after a week on 10 mg a day i, for the first time in my 45 years of life, found what 'suicidal ideation' actually means. i never experienceed thoughts and a mood like that. i discontinued lexapro and went back to paxil. everything was fine. a few months later i gave it another try-and the same thing happened again. i poured the remaining pills down the sink and never went back on it. my most memorable moment-getting up at 6 am and going over to my sister's house to debate with her why 90 percent of people would possibly want to live. weeeiiiirrrd! the strangest thing is that though at the time i realized my thinking wasn't 'right' i was still compelled to think this thing through out lod with someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kseudonym Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 Good luck with this drug. It is a hypomania/mania risk, definitely, but sounds like you're willing to take the chance. It sent me (Depression NOS) hypomanic with severe anxiety, and another friend of mine (Bipolar I or Schizoaffective, drs haven't decided yet) severely manic, but that's with no mood stabilizer in play. And everyone is different. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyBoy Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 At first Lexapro is stimulating, then it levels off, then I begin feeling extremely sleepy all the time. As for depression and anxiety it works well, when it works. I find it to be somewhat inconsistent though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I was on Lexapro for several years and it worked great for both depression and anxiety. Even the sexual side-effects were positive. But then it just stopped working. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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