Kvetch » Sex and Health » lexapro?
| Re: lexapro? [message #628327] |
Mon, 10 July 2006 12:29   |
ladyoracle26
Messages: 1160
Registered: August 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts |
Member |
|
|
|
I want to go back on the Pill, but feel a bit apprehensive about taking Celexa and BC at the same time...I feel that my libido might automatically vanish for good, and that freaks me out, and I also have no idea if there might be any other adverse effects from taking both simultaneously...Any thoughts?
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #628915] |
Tue, 11 July 2006 12:41 |
 briarrose
Messages: 37
Registered: December 2005
Location: Chicago |
Member |
|
|
|
I take Lexapro and Seasonale, and I'm not sure if I notice a big difference in libido or not. I do notice, though, from the Lexapro (since I didn't have this side effect when just on the birth control) that I have the hardest time having an orgasm now. Everything else being the same, it takes longer, does not feel as good, and I can't even get there most of the time. So, that could be a combination of the two drugs, or it could just be the Lexapro alone. But, I can get out of the bed in the morning, carry on like a normal person, and take care of myself. So, it seems worth it for now.
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #629161] |
Tue, 11 July 2006 18:49 |
ladyoracle26
Messages: 1160
Registered: August 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts |
Member |
|
|
Thanks for your input, Briarrose...I feel like I might end up with the same issue that you have, but at this point, I am more concerned about my emotional well-being--yes, being able to manage without extreme anxiety seems like a pretty good deal to me right now!
|
|
| |
| Re: lexapro? [message #629661] |
Wed, 12 July 2006 16:11 |
ladyoracle26
Messages: 1160
Registered: August 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts |
Member |
|
|
I completely agree...I've only been on Celexa for a bit over a month, but I was feeling so stressed out and anxious (partly due to being unemployed, then trying a variety of different jobs before finding my current, part-time one and partly due to some eating disorder issues) before I started taking it that I wasn't feeling terribly sexual at times, anyway...I am just lucky to have a partner who is very supportive and doesn't think sex is the most important thing in our relationship, just as I don't.
I'm glad to hear that your extreme exhaustion has subsided on the Lexapro, Briarrose. I found that taking Celexa in the a.m. made me SOOO incredibly tired at work that I had to switch to taking it at night. It's somewhat better now, although I don't think it actually helps me fall asleep, oddly enough.
|
|
| |
| Re: lexapro? [message #630169] |
Thu, 13 July 2006 15:54 |
nonokidding
Messages: 1960
Registered: March 2005
Location: new york, ny |
Member |
|
|
|
briarrose: I've had the EXACT same thing happen, but I didn't realize that was the cause until recently (after reading this board, I think). I've had dreams that aren't just in vivid, Technicolor, but dreams I could touch, smell, taste, etc. Last night I dreamt I grew a huge stalk (?) of strawberries, and they were blood red, and I got dirt on my hands and actually FELT dirty, the dream was that vivid! Those dreams are fine, but the bad dreams are sometimes very hard to shake in the morning.
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #630170] |
Thu, 13 July 2006 15:55 |
ladyoracle26
Messages: 1160
Registered: August 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts |
Member |
|
|
|
I have had some super-vivid dreams myself since I've been on Celexa. Sometimes they're very sexual, which is interesting, since I definitely don't feel as sexual in waking life lately!!
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #630217] |
Thu, 13 July 2006 17:19 |
shadycatwedding
Messages: 534
Registered: December 2005
Location: Brooklyn |
Member |
|
|
I am on 10mgs. no dreams. I mean I alsway had dreams to begin with, no major dream changes...
married
10-14-06
Yippee
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #630230] |
Thu, 13 July 2006 17:33 |
ladyoracle26
Messages: 1160
Registered: August 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts |
Member |
|
|
|
I'm on 10 mgs., too--have been for a little over a month now. How long have you been on the 10 mg. does, Shadycat?
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #630319] |
Thu, 13 July 2006 23:23 |
shadycatwedding
Messages: 534
Registered: December 2005
Location: Brooklyn |
Member |
|
|
not long. hmm let me check my calender...
well I was on 5mg for about 6 week. Started 10 mgs on June 20.. so almost a month. No sex change for me at all either. in fact, so the most part, I would not know I was on anything..except now I can actually leave my apartment.....
married
10-14-06
Yippee
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #630411] |
Fri, 14 July 2006 09:44 |
curlytoes
Messages: 24
Registered: May 2006
|
Member |
|
|
I take 20mg of Lexapro for my non-ulcer dyspepsia. (For years I was certain that I had gastric reflux disease--turns out my stomach discomfort was the result of a serotonin imbalance, which the Lexapro corrects.)
I also suffer with occasional depression and the Lexapro really helped me there. I have social anxiety and generalized anxiety as well, but Lex hasn't affected that as much as the depression. In general my spirits feel more lifted than usual.
Side effects: I got SO SLEEPY on Lexapro! Sleepy enough to actually sleep through my alarm and be late for work a couple of times! I was falling into bed at 9:30pm and could barely get up at 8am. It also killed my sex drive.
However, I recently started Yaz (birth control) and my sex drive has improved a little, as well as the sleepiness. I find that if I take the Lexapro around the middle of the day, I don't get so sleepy in the evenings.
[Updated on: Fri, 14 July 2006 09:45]
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #631645] |
Tue, 18 July 2006 09:59 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
Hey- I'm on the Lexapro/Yasmin combo, too. Switching from a different bcp to Yasmin (while on Lexapro) did improve my sex drive slightly. My doc said that Yasmin has a different type of progestin or something (not just a different level). The main difference I notice is that I have a much faster and better physical response when getting intimate. Before Yasmin it took us forever to get to a point where I could, uh, do it. (Thanks be for KY.) Things are much better in that way now.
I've been on Lexapro for twelve months now. It has gotten me smoothly through the move to the big city, starting a new job, and my first year of life with FH. I still have those moments... little moments of dull, grinding sadness that come out of nowhere. But it's so much easier to shake it off! At the back of my mind I've been guaging how it might be to try to get off the Lexapro. And I think I'd like to stay on it for the time being. We plan to have kids in about three years, and I think that by the time that rolls around, I will be ready. The great thing is that I will have no reservations about taking an SSRI if I experience anything that resembles post-partum depression. (Kiss my ass, Tom Cruise!)
[Updated on: Tue, 18 July 2006 10:05]
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #631651] |
Tue, 18 July 2006 10:04 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
For sleepy people -- are you taking it at night? I take mine first thing in the morning and I have no problems. I can definitely sleep straight through eight hours or more a night no problem, and as long as I get enough sleep I'm not too fatigued in the mornings. (But I require coffee!!) I also have very vivid dreams. And if they're bad dreams, they really suck. (The sex dreams are nice, though.) I think it has to do with changes in the sleep cycle. The deeper the sleep, the longer and more vivid the dreams. I wonder what extra seratonin does to the sleep cycle?
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
| |
| Re: lexapro? [message #634398] |
Tue, 25 July 2006 12:54 |
josephine
Messages: 310
Registered: June 2006
Location: Nashville |
Member |
|
|
Ugh. Doc just upped my dose from 10mg to 20mg to try and help with weight gain. That sounds backwards to me, but he says upping the meds may help me have more energy and make me more likely to work out, etc. So I started the 20mg dose last night and I couldn't sleep! I was restless, woke up at least a dozen times, uncomfortable, hot, etc. I woke up this morning feeling so weird, like shaky and jittery and just...weird. Anyway, has anyone else had their dose increased? What kind of difference does it make? Should I go to 15mg for a week, then 20mg?
http://www.laphotographienashville.com
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #634446] |
Tue, 25 July 2006 14:10 |
poo piercey
Messages: 161
Registered: November 2005
Location: deep south |
Member |
|
|
I can't answer your question about the effects of increasing the lexapro dosage, but when my doctor wanted to up my lexapro dosage, I requested switching to Wellbutrin because I was concerned about weight gain. I switched, did well for a while, and then my doctor had to up my dosage again. Weight gain is no longer a problem for me since I've been on WB.
I'm not saying you should switch. In fact, WB is a different kind of antidepressant altogether (it's not an SSRI) so the effects might be different on different people. But for me, adjusting lexapro dosages always made me woozy so I'm glad I'm off of it.
Just thought I'd throw it out there. Lexapro was really effective for me with depression, but it was hard to control my weight on it.
Good luck.
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #634497] |
Tue, 25 July 2006 15:11 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
I wrote earlier in this thread about adjusting your dosage if you get jittery and have insomnia while upping your prescription. Read the whole thread... this is a common experience on Lexapro.
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #669585] |
Wed, 15 November 2006 08:30 |
shadycatwedding
Messages: 534
Registered: December 2005
Location: Brooklyn |
Member |
|
|
HEy-
Just checking in again. I have been on Lexapro since well April, I think?? It amazing. I am so changed. I am back to my normal self again, and I was really bad before. ( i was basically unable to leave my apartment). I love my lexapro. I am up to 20 mgs, now... my only problem is I am now 17 pounds heavier! It drives me a little insane, but I prefer sanity to being thin, I guess!
married
10-14-06
Yippee
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #669606] |
Wed, 15 November 2006 10:06 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
That's awesome! I'm so happy to hear that it is working for you! I'm still on it... I am on 10mg.
I also gained weight when I started taking it. I gained about twelve pounds that have never been shed since. My weight fluctuates by about five pounds every month or so. I went out this year and bought new summer and winter clothes. (I had to get rid of all my pants and fitted blouses.) And I'm fairly comfortable with the weight gain. I just try to stay healthy by eating right and exercising. [I adjusted some of my eating habits: I try to keep my calorie intake to a minimum during the day (eat lots of protein and fruits and veggies) but I eat a square meal (basically whatever I want) in the evening. I found that it curbed my weight gain. The protein keeps me from being hungry during the day, and at night I can indulge in that plate of pasta.]
I worried about the weight gain a lot in the beginning. But then I considered that before I went on Lexapro, my anxiety and depression were probably a factor in my weight. You use up a lot of energy in those negative mental states! And at certain times, those states actually prevented me from eating normally. I had stomach issues and lots of times I was just too busy wallowing in the panic to concern myself with nourishing my body.
I know that weight gain is a common factor with most anti-depressants. That's why I try really hard to be conscious now of *how* I am eating -- because I am hungry all. the. time. and I seem to have much more desire for food and for the pleasure of eating.
My husband likes that added curvature. Bonus.
I would say not to worry about it too much. Once you are able to replace your wardrobe, and you have some nice things that fit you well, you won't feel so horrified. It hurts to spend the money on all those new clothes. But it is so nice to have an array of dress pants that actually fit and I still feel slim and sexy in them because my new bulges aren't straining the seams!
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
| | |
| Re: lexapro? [message #669677] |
Wed, 15 November 2006 14:04 |
gotthepicture
Messages: 133
Registered: August 2006
Location: NYC |
Member |
|
|
|
BTW shadycatwedding, I was finally able to get past my fear about lexapro after reading this thread. So, thanks for going first and for sharing your experience. I'm so glad it is working out for you. Merrilymerrily, you pointed me here and got me through the side effects of the first week. Thank you for my life back.
[Updated on: Wed, 15 November 2006 14:05]
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #669685] |
Wed, 15 November 2006 14:34 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
| Quote: |
Ladies who gained weight, do you feel that your eating habits changed or that you just put on weight more easily?
|
I'm not really sure, but I think it was a combination of both for me. I can tell you that I just feel hungry more often on Lexapro. Whether it's psychological or chemical, I don't know. But that's why I try to watch my calorie intake.
I had actually *lost* weight a few years before I started taking Lexapro. I lost all of my college weight while in grad school. So I think that the weight gain that happened when I went on the drug was a) because I felt more stimulated to eat and enjoy myself and b) the drug makes it more difficult to shed pounds for some reason, even when you have the same exercise habits.
ETA I understand the student budget issues. If I were you, I would just try to modify your diet little by little. Shop for things that are low in sugar. (Check those labels for corn syrup! it's everywhere!) Keep things whole-grain, eat more protein than carbs (bean burrito and an apple for lunch, instead of noodles or rice) fiber-up, and eat fatty things sparingly. Even if it's good fat - like olive oil and avocado - it is very high in calories.
[Updated on: Wed, 15 November 2006 14:43]
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
| | |
| Re: lexapro? [message #669890] |
Thu, 16 November 2006 09:34 |
merrilymerrily
Messages: 441
Registered: February 2006
Location: Chicago, IL |
Member |
|
|
I was prescribed Lexapro by my OBGYN. But some doctors don't feel comfortable prescribing anti-depressants (mainly because they only know the patient's physical history).
If you are very comfortable speaking about your mental state with your current doctor, then you could try that. If you don't have a close relationship with your doctor, I would go to see a psychiatrist.
My dad is a doctor and he has sent several people to see a psychiatrist when he has suspected that they might benefit from some form of anti-depressant. He's the one that finally got me to try them after years of resisting and thinking that I could manage with my yoga, etc.
The thing is, there is a certain amount of management that you *can* do, and you've probably already learned that through talk therapy. But it sounds like you, too, might benefit from one of the "gentler" antidepressants out there. If I were you, I would make an appointment with a psychiatrist (someone qualified to prescribe medication). It's not scary.
Also, read through this thread to learn about other people's experiences with starting on an antidepressant.
Edited because - for pete's sake - I meant psychiatrist, not psychologist. SDER
[Updated on: Thu, 18 January 2007 15:31]
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."
-George Eliot
|
|
| |
| Re: lexapro? [message #730230] |
Mon, 18 June 2007 16:13 |
ih8u2
Messages: 1
Registered: June 2007
|
Member |
|
|
I loved lexapro, but apparently I loved it so much that I had no lovin left for the bedroom. 
It wiped out my sex drive. I tried all sorts of "cures" but none of them worked for me. Then I went on lamictal and buspar, which is ok but not nearly as good as lexapro. I gathered a lot of remedies for SSRI sexual dysfunction that supposedly work on others, so if you need help check out the link:
http://www.spermalot.com/spermalot/cures_for_sexual_side_eff ects_of_SSRIs.asp
It also made me need a little more sleep, but that's ok because I deprive myself of sleep.
I actually like U2!
|
|
| |
| Re: lexapro? [message #788715] |
Tue, 27 November 2007 16:16 |
E Mac
Messages: 2976
Registered: January 2006
|
Member |
|
|
This came up in another post regarding recent onset of increased depression and suicidal-type thoughts, so I'm posting my response here to make sure its seen (both by the OP in the other thread and by anyone else who may be experiencing similar feelings)
Your post really jumped out at me - I reviewed the patient information sheet and I think you need to contact your doctor ASAP. You should continue to take the lexapro until your doctor says otherwise, but this statement is what concerns me:
Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.
(PLEASE review this site for more information)
Maybe gaining weight has tricked your body into thinking its going through withdrawal from the lexapro (which can cause some serious side effects), maybe the dose just needs to be adjusted, or maybe you need to switch to a different type of antidepressant. Regardless of what we guess at here, your statements and comments about suicidal/"ending" thoughts are really alarming to me - please contact your doctor immediately to get this under control!
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #791693] |
Wed, 05 December 2007 10:43 |
ally2020
Messages: 100
Registered: August 2007
Location: Wisconsin |
Member |
|
|
not sure if you're still checking this thread, nonokidding, but be careful when going off Lexapro. I tapered off without going to a doctor first, but I did so very carefully. The one time I was on Celexa and abruptly stopped, I had awful, awful dizziness and nausea. So, with Lexapro, complete withdrawal took about a month and a half (I was on 10mg).
I did full pills alternating with 1/2 pills for about a week or two, then started with 1/2 pills another week or two. Then 1/2 pills alternating with 1/4 size pills, then 1/4 size pills...you get the idea. Anytime I started feeling really, really dizzy or queasy, I upped the dose slightly.
I know you should check with your doctor first before doing this, but I can't stand going to the doctor, so that's the decision I made.
|
|
|
| Re: lexapro? [message #791986] |
Wed, 05 December 2007 20:09 |
crysalis
Messages: 2
Registered: February 2007
Location: BC, Canada |
Member |
|
|
My doctor recently prescribed cipralex, which from my understanding is just another version of lexapro. It's for anxiety and depression issues that I've stuggled with for quite awhile now. I've never been on any anti-depressants before and I am really nervous about it, especially about the possibility weight gain. I am trying to lose weight, not gain it. It is making me not want to take the pills because I just really do not want to gain weight.
For those who have experienced weight gain, was it very suddenly or over a period of a long time? If I don't change my eating habits should I be okay, or can the drug alone cause weight gain? Also, if I do start to notice weight gain, can I stop the medication and the weight gain will stop or does it continue for awhile after you've stopped taking the pills? Thanks!
|
|
|
Goto Forum:
Current Time: Tue Feb 9 09:06:25 CST 2010
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.79220 seconds |
Members
Search
FAQ
Register
Login
Home
E-mail to friend 
