Cipralex and Anxiety

[shaebear]

I need opinions. I've been on Cipralex (Lexapro) for about a year and a half. Ever since I started taking it I've felt my anxiety slowly getting worse and worse. Originally I was on 20mg and then in the summer my doctor dropped my dose to 10mg. However I still feel off and not myself at all. I've read so many reviews that Lexapro is supposed to be a miracle drug. Is it strange that it's not working for me? I'm weening off of them now but it's causing me anxiety to think that this medication works for everybody except me.
Please share your thoughts I'd love any opinions at all

 

[Husband/Father of 3]

Hi Shaebear,

A year and a half is a long time to try a drug and feel that it is not effective. Usually it takes 4-6 weeks for an antidepressant medication to show its effectiveness. 10-20mg is the therapeutic range for Lexapro, so if you were to notice a difference it probably would have happened.

It helps to have someone else involved to check-in with, a spouse, friend, parent, etc. This will help you gauge if your medication is effective or not.

There are many different drugs you could try, but keep in mind they take time to kick-in, usually 4-6 weeks for a noticeable/significant effect. Best to visit your doctor and discuss. They will likely recommend switching to a different drug. It is pretty common actually to need to switch antidepressants. Sertraline (Zoloft) is also a very popular drug with minimal side effects for most people, that might be worth discussing with your doctor.

There is a genetic test you can take, you can ask your doctor/psychiatrist about, called GeneSight - https://genesight.com/
It helps determine which drugs are most compatible with your individual genome. In my personal experience it has been accurate in predicting which drugs cause me significant side effects. Not necessarily accurate in which drugs will be most effective at relieving my depression and anxiety.

Also keep in mind - even though Lexapro is a miracle drug for some, it may not be for others. Unfortunately, "individual results may vary" is very much the truth with antidepressant drugs.

One last word of advice, when you do find a drug that works for you stick with it and don't stop taking it because you feel better. The reason you'll feel better is because the drug is working and you need to continue to take it in order to maintain feeling better.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

Shaebear, Lexapro doesn't work well for everyone who is on it. So it's not just you.

Also, it's not strange that it's not working for you because everybody's brain chemistry is different. Therefore, Lexapro works for many people, but not everyone.