A little bit of intestinal bleeding isn't so bad, is it?

June 1, 2006 8:14 AM

Lexapro and headaches, tylenol just ain't cutting it. Would it really be so bad if I took aspirin or other NSAIDs?

I was started in Lexapro about a month and a half ago for anxiety, and it seems to have worked wonders. EXCEPT I get headaches all the time, and I was told by the doctor to avoid NSAIDs (Aspirin, ibuprofin, et al). The headaches have always been there, (from my allergies, usually) but before I could take aspirin to clear them up. Now, with tylenol as my only option, they don't go away. Will it be SO horrible to take aspirin or ibuprofin on lexapro? Any other lexapro users experience with this?

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Drug interactions are not something you want to experiment with, and asking here is not going to yield reliable information. If your doctor specifically said not to do it, there's probably a very good reason for not doing it.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:24 AM on June 1, 2006

This really isn't something you should be asking anyone but a doctor. Even if someone else can get away with doing something, it may not be safe for you to try -- people react to medications differently. If your doctor told you to avoid NSAIDs, there was a good reason why.

Go back to your doctor and explain the problem; I'm sure there are other options besides NSAIDs and acetaminophen that you're not aware of.
posted by mcwetboy at 8:25 AM on June 1, 2006

RxList suggests that the issue is an increased risk of bleeding (NSAIDs/aspirin increase likelihood of bleeding, particularly GI bleeding). If you've never had a clotting problem, it probably won't kill you, and the patient information says to continue low-dose aspirin regimens for preventing heart attacks/strokes. IANAD and all that.
posted by Cricket at 8:31 AM on June 1, 2006

Serotonin release by platelets plays an important role in hemostasis. Epidemiological studies of the case-control and cohort design that have demonstrated an association between use of psychotropic drugs that interfere with serotonin reuptake and the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding have also shown that concurrent use of an NSAID or aspirin potentiated the risk of bleeding. Thus, patients should be cautioned about the use of such drugs concurrently with LEXAPRO.

You will also notice that 24% of patients in the study reported headaches. Perhaps it is time to try a different medication. Of course this is the type of medicine you do not stop taking on your own. Discuss this with your doctor.
posted by caddis at 8:32 AM on June 1, 2006

If you don't want to schedule a time to talk to your doctor call your pharmacist. They'll have an answer for you and it won't take you more than 5 minutes.
posted by 517 at 8:33 AM on June 1, 2006

Its possible the headaches are related to lexapro, but I *always* had headaches before, but aspirin (usually) worked, and tylenol rarely did. I doubt its anything new - as I'm very congested and the one I have today feels just like a sinus headache. And per usual, tylenol isn't helping.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 8:41 AM on June 1, 2006

I had a similar problem on Lexapro when I was taking 20mg/day. Changing to 10mg/day made almost all of the side effects go away.
posted by pierow at 8:59 AM on June 1, 2006

Don't chance it. Bad drug interactions are a special kind of Hell reserved for those who have offended both God and Nature. Talk to your doctor about an alternative pain medication or try a Lexapro alternative.

As an aside, both my wife and I are wondering if you know why you're on an SSRI for anxiety rather than a benzodiazepine (ie Klonopin, Valium). SSRIs can be useful for select types of anxiety (I know someone who uses Prozac for treating OCD-based anxiety), but that's not the norm - although doctors will sometimes avoid prescribing benzos because they can be addictive. In any case the final litmus test is always "is it working for you?" and if it isn't there's a shit-ton of SSRIs out there for you to choose from [insert usual anti-Paxil rant here].
posted by Ryvar at 9:20 AM on June 1, 2006

Have you had your headaches checked out? I mention this because many migraines are mistaken for sinus or tension headaches. But if they are migraines, you're lucky aspirin works so well, and it wouldn't be worth it to me giving up aspirin. If you really need to stay on Lexapro, make your doctor give you something else for the headaches. There are a variety of prescription meds for headaches that don't have NSAIDs in em, but they need to know what kind of headaches they are.
posted by overanxious ducksqueezer at 9:27 AM on June 1, 2006

Oh and to confirm what pierow just said - my wife just reminded me that she was also on Lexapro and it gave her headaches too.
posted by Ryvar at 9:28 AM on June 1, 2006

Ryvar, anecdotal: I was on Prozac for general anxiety.
posted by solotoro at 9:59 AM on June 1, 2006

Wow, I've been on and off lexapro for a couple of years and I've been taking aspirin - and ibuprofen - all along. Nobody ever told me anything about any possible issues, and, FWIW, I haven't had any.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:13 AM on June 1, 2006

Yeah I never heard that about ibuprofin either. In fact it was rx'd for me recently for jaw pain by my dentist! Damnit.

Perhaps there is something your doctor can prescribe - Celabrex, Relafin?
posted by radioamy at 11:55 AM on June 1, 2006

I've been on Lexapro for almost two years now, and nobody ever said anything to me about aspirin/ibuprofen at any time, and I've never had problems with taking Advil, Tylenol, etc..
posted by mrbill at 12:08 PM on June 1, 2006