Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lexapro

How to lose weight when meds pack on weight

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:58:40 -0800

I want to lose weight, but the drugs I take to manage my bipolar disease actually add weight. Do you have ideas on how I can lose weight? Details inside. I have been diagnosed with, Bipolar I, moderate to severe Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fibromyalgia, bursitis in both hips, and other lesser problems, and currently trying to lose weight. I weigh 336 pounds and am 40 years old and female.

Three of the drugs I take to manage the bipolarity, Lexapro, Seroquel and Zyprexa are extremely weight positive i.e. they really pack on the pounds. I was obviously overweight before starting these drugs, but now I'm on a down hill slide toward gaining weight and these drugs are pushing me down the hill.

I've been on slightly more weight neutral drugs for the bipolar, but they didn't help as well. It's to the point where my physical doctor is calling the shrink to ask for a different combination of drugs, but the shrink is unwilling to change them, because this particular cocktail works really good for the bipolar and allows treatment for the Dissociative Identity Disorder and all of its peripheral issues.

It's hard for me to walk or go to the gym due to pain, but the pool really works and I enjoy doing that. However, doing exercises in the pool doesn't seem to be enough to slow the psych drugs from throwing on pounds.

My eating is ok, could be better, I've tracked my eating habits, shared them with my doctor and he agrees they aren't a major problem. He did suggest a Lap-Band, which ties off the stomach, but in order to qualify for that, you need to be mentally sound, and being did doesn't qualify one as mentally sound.

1. Do you have any suggestion that would help me maintain weight. ANYTHING, I'm pretty much at a loss on how to do this and still literally remain sane.

2. I've heard that once the body gets over 300lbs, it's harder to lose weight, like the body reaches a plateau of sorts. Is that so?

Switching Anti-Depressants

LittlePumpkin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:51:07 -0800

Is there really no important difference between Lexapro and Celexa, as my pharmacist claims? I have new insurance that might require switching from L to C. I have had very good results with L, but can't pay full price.

BRAINNSSSSSS

ahrara_ — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:21:44 -0800

I feel like a zombie on Lexapro. I have little motivation and the things I used to enjoy doing don't feel as rewarding. On the other hand, it has done wonders for my anxiety. Will this pass? One thing I should add is that I've been on the pill only three days. I know it's supposed to take at least two weeks to kick in, but before I went on Lexapro I was on St. John's Wort, which I read functions like a SSRI -- maybe the lexapro is picking up where the St. John's Wort left off? Or is this just a placebo effect, and is my apathy a symptom of mild depression? I'm sure it plays a role, but the pills have really helped a lot. My anxiety is gone, my thoughts are perfectly clear again, and I'm back to my old charming self. I'm pretty content to be honest. Maybe TOO content. I don't really want to DO anything. I don't want to read, or hang out, or watch movies, or play games. I feel content just lying in bed or pacing around. This bothers me that life feels so boring now.

So in summary, what I hope askmefi can answer for me is:

If I stay on the same dosage -- 10 mg a day -- will this pass?
Will going down to 5 mg or 7.5 mg keep my anxiety in check but help me feel passionate again?
Is this a placebo effect, since I've only been on the drug three days?

Also, I'm aware there's mannyyy other questions on lexapro and other antidepressants, but I couldn't find any that specifically addressed this issue. If I'm mistaken, please let me know. Otherwise, thanks in advance for the answers!

Can't I be happy AND be able to have an orgasm?

The Dutchman — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:57:53 -0800

Argh. So, a while back I was diagnosed with dysthymia (which is a clinical term for long-term moody, irritable, melancholy, anxious...while not quite clinically depressed and not quite having anxiety disorder). I've felt this way forever, and I'm trying to figure out my next step. I was in therapy for at least 10 years and made a lot of progress on a personal level, but it never really translated to a higher happiness baseline or less anxiety. I tried CBT for a while, but didn't find it particularly effective. About 8 months ago, after contemplating it for most of my adult life, I finally decided to try anti-depressants. As far as my mood goes, they were great! They made me feel a lot less down, a lot more like the self I want to be and a lot more in-line with the very good state of my life. They weren't quite as effective with the anxiety, but it was still an improvement -- at least acceptable.

I would still be on them, were it not for the side effects. Zoloft gave me tremors, made me jittery, made it hard to settle down and get to sleep at night, and gave me delayed or non-existent orgasms, so I switched to Lexapro. That was much better with the tremors and the jitteryness, and I was on it for about 6 months. However, I still had the sexual side-effects. My psychiatrist added some Wellbutrin to combat those, but instead they made them much worse. My sexuality is very important to me and, when soon after I started dating my girlfriend, it just became intolerable and kinda gave up on the meds and tapered them off.

That was a couple of months ago. My sexual response has returned (thankfully!), but so has my moody, melancholy, anxious blah blah crappity crap.

So...what now? Go back to trying various meds (I would go to a new psychiatrist as I wasn't thrilled with my previous one)? Or, the naturopathic doctor my friend saw for her post-partum depression and liked a lot? I feel pretty done with talk therapy and pretty confident that this is a chemical/physiological issue.

I would be happy to be on the Zoloft or Lexapro for ever and ever if not for the intolerable sexual side effects.

I guess I'm also feeling a bit discouraged...so if anyone wants to say, "Hey, I had a similar thing and kept working at it and finally triumphed, so keep it up!" I'd appreciate that kinda thing, too.

Thanks!

Lexapro/bupropion: light at the end, or just a really long tunnel?

anthom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:53:17 -0800

Without going into whole life stories/clinical history, I just want to know - does the exaggerated anxiety that appears as a side effect of Wellbutrin subside after a while? My wife was prescribed Wellbutrin (actually, generic bupropion) to augment her current antidepressant (Lexapro) Wednesday. Over the past week, she had been anxious, but able to function. Yesterday, after taking the bupropion, the anxiety became too much, she felt "fidgety" all day, and broke down into several panic attacks. She said she couldn't control her thoughts, or get out of her own way enough to do anything. Today, she's ever so slightly better (no major crying/panic attacks), but the crippling anxiety and fidgety-ness still seem to be there.

She's suffered from depression and anxiety for years, so naturally I'm curious as to why her psychiatrist would prescribe her something that lists anxiety and agitation among its first few side effects, but IANAD, so I'd assume he knows what he's doing. After talking to him yesterday, he also prescribed her some Xanax or something similar in an attempt to take the edge off. Understandably, she only wants to take them as a last resort, since they basically knock her out.

Of course, YA also NAD. That being said, is there reason to believe this will pass (or at least lessen in severity), or do we wait out the weekend and call her psych Monday to say "this isn't working"?

On antidepressants. Need to lose weight. How to get started?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:28:00 -0800

I'm taking SSRIs. I've experienced significant weight gain while on them and am now trying to work it off. How to get started? I need assistance with physical fitness and getting back into optimal shape while on Celexa/SSRIs.

I'm male, 28, 6'3 and currently 255 lbs. I started taking Celexa in June 2007 (started on Lexapro, switched over to Celexa over cost issues) to help treat severe anxiety and regular panic attacks.

On the mental front, the combination of SSRIs and therapy have worked wonders. I feel like a new person. But before I started taking Celexa, I weighed 220 lbs. That means I gained 35 lbs. in a little over six months.

The problem is that, once I started taking SSRIs, I lost interest in working out. While before I'd go running on 3 mile runs at least 4x a week and go to the gym 3x weekly, I simply stopped working out for six months or so. In addition, Celexa really f'd with my head in regard to hunger. I could eat a huge meal - a footlong sub, a few slices of pizza, a Chipotle burrito and be hungry two hours later.
Combine the lack of exercise, the overeating and the metabolic changes that came with going on SSRIs and, bam, I gained a ton of weight.

Now I want to work on losing it and getting back to where I was before (and, hopefully, lose even more weight and build more muscle). I'm consciously eating healthily and forcing myself to work out daily. Accepting my current weight isn't an option; I looked damn good before and don't want to resign myself to looking like a premature John Goodman.

But the big question... has anyone been in this situation and managed to do it successfully? Or if you haven't, if advice can be offered?

Is S-Citadep the same thing as Lexapro?

Gervais Brooke-Hamster — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:40:06 -0800

Is S-Citadep the same thing as Lexapro? I have seen ads online for the drug Escitalopram Oxalate (marketed as S-Citadep) from the Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla. Is this the same thing as Lexapro? It seems to be at about 1/3 the cost of Lexapro, but am curious about the legality of making such a purchase, as well as whether or not it is reliably the same thing as what I'm taking.

How long does Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro or similar depression drugs take to kick in?

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:23:34 -0800

How long does Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro or similar anti-depressants drug take to kick in? After several months of denying it, I'm pretty damn well clinically depressed. I plan on seeking abundant medical help, thanks very much. I'd like to try a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. How long does it typically take for one to feel the effects of a typical course of medication?

How do I get drugs cheaper?

bigmusic — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:01:41 -0800

I need to find a cheaper way to get proscriptions for Lexapro and Ambien filled. Basically there are 3 options A) Drive to Mexico and hope I can get them across the border there B) Try to get it from one of those online Canadian Pharmacies C) Get Another Job and buy them here in the US. I'm asking this for a friend.

The problem with

A) is that I don't know if a pharmacy down there could fill it and if I could bring it back -- if customs took it I'd be out both the prescription, the money and the trip. Ideally I would like to talk to a pharmacy in Nuevo Lardeo before I drove down there and see if their prices are even worth it.

B) Customs and shipping time... I would need it in 48 hrs -- How do you find a reputable online pharamcy in the first place? They all seem to be from the same company.

C) ... Like I have time for this right now.

My university insurance (I'm a student) doesn't cover drug costs, so I have to pay them entirely out of pocket.
Any suggestions?

Do I pick a career by taking my limitations (bipolar II diagnosis) into consideration, or do I just dream of anything that sounds like I would like it when I am not in the throes of suffering?

onepapertiger — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 13:03:57 -0800

Do I pick a career by taking my limitations (bipolar II diagnosis) into consideration, or do I just dream of anything that sounds like I would like it when I am not in the throes of suffering? I have been depressed for my entire life. I have dealt with not being able to concentrate to not getting out of bed, to being able to function well enough to get through without any meds or counseling, to needing all the meds and counseling I can get. I graduated with my master's degree two years ago and landed a good job in account management for a tech firm. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life. I thought about being a benefits or mutual fund analyst would be just the thing for me. I've been diagnosed as bipolar II and currently am on an antidepressant that isn't a mood stabilizer like lithium or depakote or anything.

This is how I ended up on antidepressants: I was fine for the first three months of the job and then I started falling back into feeling depressed, hopeless, scared and unmotivated. I felt like I couldn't move fast, couldn't do anything right and couldn't concentrate. My ambitions about what I would do with my life suddenly seemed unrealistic and impossible, and I felt scared. I asked my general physician to help me until I could get a psychiatrist's appt and he gave me Lexapro, which my psychiatrist thought was a good idea. It really helped. Later, I tried Prozac but it made my head buzz and I couldn't sleep or feel emotions. So we switched back onto Lexapro.

Lexapro's been good to me. However, I recently ran out of it and didn't have it over the weekend. This weekend was a horrible nightmare. I have never felt so depressed, scared and unable to deal as I have (in recent memory at least) this weekend. I crawled into bed, I felt an enormous sensitivity to light, lack of appetite (plus thoughts of death loomed) and I was crying all weekend.

I guess I tripped into that cavernous blackhole without two days of meds, which is incredibly frightening, as in, three days without Lexapro can do this to me? I had to step out of the office to cry today on an adjacent street. I felt like I was hopeless, worthless and didn't have a future. I felt sick over myself. I felt like quitting my job because I felt like I was an imposter. I had my medicine refilled at the pharmacy at lunch, took my daily dosage and as of half an hour ago, I am a lot better. I'm in shock.

I spent all day today reading anecdotal articles about people who suffered from bipolar illness and depression. This last episode has made me think that I really need to take it easy, let go of these enormous ambitions I had and just let my life play out. I had thought of starting a tough graduate course in finance this spring but I'm realizing that perhaps I'm not good for such a career, because I'm bipolar and trying to still get my depression under control. Maybe I should be picking careers based on the level of stress they cause me and the kind of flexibility they would afford me, versus on how challenging and lucrative they would be for me.

How do I pick a career while still taking my limitations into consideration? Should I? And how would I define my limitations as someone who is diagnosed as Bipolar II?

In search of a natural high

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:12:53 -0800

Help me kick the green, sticky stuff. I’m currently in talk therapy and on Lexapro for anxiety and OCD (Pure O). Years before I found the terrific therapist I’m currently with and before I started taking Lexapro, I used marijuana as self-medication for my anxiety and OCD. It made me happy, slowed me down a bit, yadda yadda.

I quit smoking when I got onto Lexapro a little over a year ago. A few months after acclimating to the med, I started smoking again on a smaller scale. I'd like to quit, but I’m finding it hard to give up completely. I think giving it up is key for me to continue to take care of the anxiety and OCD.

No psycho-analysis or fretting about mixing anti-depressants and pot wanted - I’m open with my therapist about all that and we’re working on it. I would like to hear about healthy substitutes for finding relaxation, escape, enjoyment, even "enhancement". (Not that pot has been my only source for those states, of course, just an easy go-to and fallback.) Any tips on how to shake off this unhealthy habit?

From Lexapro to Effexor -> Well?

punkrockrat — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:39:16 -0800

Does anyone on Mefi have anything positive or good to say about the SSRI Effexor?!? Searching through the archives, all I can find are comments about strange dreams and terrible withdrawals. Does anyone have any positive experiences with it?

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

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 08:14:56 -0800

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?

SSRI Tolerance?

punkrockrat — Tue, 23 May 2006 18:59:14 -0800

Can a user develop a tolerance for an SSRI after time? Specific drug is Lexaparo, time of about 9 months, but examples of any SSRI will do.

Why do I get sick so often and what can I do to get sick less often?

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:20:14 -0800

I catch colds with alarming frequency- five or six times a year. If I make any sort of contact with somebody else who is sick, I can expect to have what they have within a day or two. I'm 21, HIV negative (recently tested and long abstinent), a vegetarian with a healthy diet, I excercise frequently and I take vitamins. I'm also currently taking Lexapro for depression. My question is twofold: first, what's wrong with me? Doctors insist that I'm fine. Second, what can I do to keep from getting sick so often in the future?

Does sexual response ever come back when on Lexapro?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 12:12:56 -0800

One month into a three month trial of Lexapro, which is supposedly the mildest of the SSRIs (WRT side effects) currently on the market, and I'm left with a burning question for other women who have been here, done this: do the orgasms really come back?