Ptolomy Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I started Escitalopram about a month ago and for the past few weeks I've been really depressed. Or at least I think that is the problem, it feels like the part of my brain responsible for ideas and motivation has been scooped out. When I get depressed I usually decide the incapacity is a result of some horrific neurological injury and I'm always really surprised when It subsides. It is really confusing. Anyway I am wondering if this is likely to be a paradoxical reaction to the Escitalopram or if I am just coincidentally depressed and it's not doing enough to help. I also had severe anxiety until recently, which is now completely gone. Anxiety and depression are usually mutually exclusive for me though so I doubt it is just because of the Escitalopram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Or at least I think that is the problem, it feels like the part of my brain responsible for ideas and motivation has been scooped out. That is close to what I feel on citalopram. Citalopram and escitalopram can really increase apathy in some people, and I hate that, but it's the only AD that's had a big effect on my anxiety so I keep it. Abilify helps me to offset some of the apathy though. Anyway I am wondering if this is likely to be a paradoxical reaction to the Escitalopram or if I am just coincidentally depressed and it's not doing enough to help. I'm not sure that anyone can answer that question. I would advise talking to your pdoc. He/She might increase the dose and see if that alleviates it somewhat. But I have to say that a month is really not long enough to know to what degree your current dose will work ... you really need to give it at least six weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scream_phoenix Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I knew that when I was on Lexapro, there was just an unbearable numbing feeling. All ADs cause that to some extent, but for some reason Lexapro for me was the one I could not tolerate. I titrated off of it after a couple of months. I don't know if that was the best idea, but there are other ADs that don't shut down motivation or pleasure that much. Since Lexapro and celexa are 'pure serotonin enhancers' as my pdoc described them, they may mute other things controlled more by dopamine - like motivation and pleasure. That's how I understood it anyway. You may still be depressed, but it just feels more like you described because of the medication. That's my guess, anyways. After blundering about for a long while trying to find an acceptable AD I finally found that celexa worked okay for me. It wasn't the best for my depression, but it didn't make me as numb as Lexapro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffypinkbunny Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I was on Lexapro for a long while before it pooped out on me. It was great for my anxiety but I was super lazy. I'd be dying of thirst and have no motivation to get out of the chair or bed, to get a drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Lexapro made me very dull. Dull and dumb. It made me boring. Which is funny, because Celexa propelled me into a crazytime manic episode that was anything but boring. It was great for my anxiety, but in the end I wanted off it because I couldn't take drifting along from day to day reading book after book I wasn't going to remember, and having no motivation to do anytihng. The sexual side effects were pretty woeful, too. There are other meds you can try for anxiety. I'm having a much better experience with Cymbalta, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iaawal Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I've never been on escitalopram but I was on citalopram. Not sure if it made me more depressed or if that was just my MI running it's course but I was not doing good AT ALL during that time. There's the theory that the wellbutrin is causing some suicidal ideation but pdoc won't prescribe stimulants and I can't go back to staring at the wall for hours, that made my life miserable. Worth telling your doc. Sometimes antidepressants do that, they just like to be funny that way. Jesus it's like falling to the ground and someone coming to pick you up and they just drop you instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks everyone, I'm glad it's not just me. I've taken other SSRIs in the past and they all seemed to make me more agitated. I'll give it another week or two and see what happens and then go and bother my pdoc again. It is nice to be able to sit still without hyperventilating but no amount of anxiety is worse than this. Interestingly everyone seems to think I'm doing much better because I appear calmer, they don't notice that I have nothing to say and have done nothing productive for weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I like to say that citalopram made me apathetic about being apathetic. I could vegetate in front of the TV all day, and I knew it was bad but I just didn't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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