Worried about Lexapro

TheShizz

Should I be worried if a very close family relation has been put on 10mg of Lexapro?

She has been in therapy for two weeks and after week one the therapist recommended Lexapro. Obviously she is depressed, but is Lexapro for the most extreme case or what?

For obvious reasons I do not want this relation to do anything stupid but I am extremely worried that she might.

I read that there are 300,000 depressed people in Ireland, which has eased my worries a little because it can't be that uncommon in that case. But, in general, what does it mean if she's on lexapro?

Thanks.

ash23

I wouldn't be too worried OP.
I was having bouts of anxiety where I was waking at night worrying about things, had a permanant knot in my stomach and a constant feeling of being on tenterhooks. Kind of like when you get "the fear" after drinking.

But I was functioning normally, going to work, maintaing relationships with my child, family, boyfriend etc. Some were surprised to learn I was suffering anxiety when I told them.

I discussed it with my GP who put me on 5mgs of Lexapro daily for a week and then increased it to 10mg daily. Life is much the same except without the anxiety all the time.

So I wouldn't say Lexapro is for extreme cases at all.

ThatFellaJohn

TheShizz wrote: »

Should I be worried if a very close family relation has been put on 10mg of Lexapro?

She has been in therapy for two weeks and after week one the therapist recommended Lexapro. Obviously she is depressed, but is Lexapro for the most extreme case or what?

For obvious reasons I do not want this relation to do anything stupid but I am extremely worried that she might.

I read that there are 300,000 depressed people in Ireland, which has eased my worries a little because it can't be that uncommon in that case. But, in general, what does it mean if she's on lexapro?

Thanks.

Dont stress it at all.. Doctors nowadays must be working on commission for Lexapro or whoever makes it because they dish it out like candy. I went to my GP just feeling a bit worn out and stressed and they just put me on lexapro and after a week i came off them myself and on further consulting with other doctors they reckoned that there was no need AT ALL for me to be taking them! So dont worry if they have been prescribed as its a common occurrence these days! Hope that helps you a bit

TheShizz

This has eased my worries somewhat.

Thanks guys.

Greenmachine

Agree 10mg is considered a low dose of lexapro. It is also considered first line therapy so is one of the first meds to be considered for depression. Activation is even more important than the medication. Helping your relative to get motivated one small step at a time or offering encourage and simply being there is all you can possibly do.

Chazz Michael Michaels

TheShizz wrote: »

Should I be worried if a very close family relation has been put on 10mg of Lexapro?

She has been in therapy for two weeks and after week one the therapist recommended Lexapro. Obviously she is depressed, but is Lexapro for the most extreme case or what?

For obvious reasons I do not want this relation to do anything stupid but I am extremely worried that she might.

I read that there are 300,000 depressed people in Ireland, which has eased my worries a little because it can't be that uncommon in that case. But, in general, what does it mean if she's on lexapro?

Thanks.

I was on Lexapro once, its grand.

newmug

What does it do to your state of mind? I know 2 close people who were on it.


One seemed to need more and more, then it seemed to me that he began doing stupid things, like answering the radio instead of the phone, and completely getting measurements wrong.


The other seemed zoned out all the time, and the "blondness" factor was also hugely increased. The horrible thing is, both are now off it, but the blondness seems to have stayed. I apologise for being so crude, and I don't mean to offend anybody, but that's my experience of it. Whats going on there?

Graces7

worrying the tendency to dole out meds like this. i was in hospital at the weekend after a fall that broke my wrist. needed surgery - k wires in- . i developed because of the fasting the worst migraine for years and the drs seemed to have no idea of the severity of the pain. was offered xanax for anxiety when the problem was pain. knew enough to refuse it and pressed for serious pain relief then came home fast.
seems the routine now.

scuse no caps...dratted wrist

Graces7

newmug wrote: »

What does it do to your state of mind? I know 2 close people who were on it.


One seemed to need more and more, then it seemed to me that he began doing stupid things, like answering the radio instead of the phone, and completely getting measurements wrong.


The other seemed zoned out all the time, and the "blondness" factor was also hugely increased. The horrible thing is, both are now off it, but the blondness seems to have stayed. I apologise for being so crude, and I don't mean to offend anybody, but that's my experience of it. Whats going on there?

seriously scary stuff. stepford wives maybe. that we are not allowed to have strong emotions etc but everything has to be dumbed down rather than come to terms with.

ash23

Graces7 wrote: »

seriously scary stuff. stepford wives maybe. that we are not allowed to have strong emotions etc but everything has to be dumbed down rather than come to terms with.

I think that's a bit simplistic.

I'm on Lexapro and I still have "strong emotions". What I don't have is the fear and dread that was keeping me up at night, every night.
I was diagnosed with a serious illness and dealt with it for a year but couldn't shake the fear and apprehension it brought. I tried natural remedies, mindfullness courses and various other treatments before going to the GP and asking for help. That was a big step for me. To reach out and ask for help.

The OP has stated that the relative is in counselling. Lord knows what they have tried before medication. It's hard enough for people to ask for help without being made to feel that they are just being weak and not coming to terms with strong emotions that other people can deal with.

You can't tar all GPs and doctors and counsellers with the same brush simply because of one experience you had with being offered xanax. My GP actually steered me away from xanax for my anxiety and towards Lexapro because it's less addictive. I've tried to come off the Lexapro a few times and the anxiety has returned so it does work and I have had no side effects and it hasn't altered my ability to feel "strong emotions". In fact, when I was suffering from anxiety I was unable to feel anything other than anxious. So it's helped me with feeling happy and sad rather than just anxious all the time.

Chazz Michael Michaels

Graces7 wrote: »

seriously scary stuff. stepford wives maybe. that we are not allowed to have strong emotions etc but everything has to be dumbed down rather than come to terms with.

Hi. I have bipolar disorder, which when untreated can result in seriously delusional thoughts and decision making, often with life changing consequences, mainly negative.

Without treatment, or dumbing down as you put it, how do I come to terms with such an illness? I have no emotional issues, and on the face of it, a good life, all considered. But my body cannot regulate my energy levels which affects my mind. How do I reason with it? I'm intrigued.

Graces7

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

Hi. I have bipolar disorder, which when untreated can result in seriously delusional thoughts and decision making, often with life changing consequences, mainly negative.

Without treatment, or dumbing down as you put it, how do I come to terms with such an illness? I have no emotional issues, and on the face of it, a good life, all considered. But my body cannot regulate my energy levels which affects my mind. How do I reason with it? I'm intrigued.

a

as i am sure you really know, that is different, what i and many are referring to is the indiscriminate prescribing of psycho active meds when they are not appropriate...as happened to me in hospital last weekend. it has become a knee jerk reaction, a fast fix. yuor need is different and if you are haapy with that then fine so why woory if others think differently,
i was on wrongly prescribed psych meds for decades because it was the easy fix. will never touch them again and have learned ways to cope

incidentaaly the whole brain chemistry theory big pharma have been using to make their millions has just been exploded; ask google... always knew it was bunkum

Graces7

ash23 wrote: »

I think that's a bit simplistic.

I'm on Lexapro and I still have "strong emotions". What I don't have is the fear and dread that was keeping me up at night, every night.
I was diagnosed with a serious illness and dealt with it for a year but couldn't shake the fear and apprehension it brought. I tried natural remedies, mindfullness courses and various other treatments before going to the GP and asking for help. That was a big step for me. To reach out and ask for help.

The OP has stated that the relative is in counselling. Lord knows what they have tried before medication. It's hard enough for people to ask for help without being made to feel that they are just being weak and not coming to terms with strong emotions that other people can deal with.

You can't tar all GPs and doctors and counsellers with the same brush simply because of one experience you had with being offered xanax. My GP actually steered me away from xanax for my anxiety and towards Lexapro because it's less addictive. I've tried to come off the Lexapro a few times and the anxiety has returned so it does work and I have had no side effects and it hasn't altered my ability to feel "strong emotions". In fact, when I was suffering from anxiety I was unable to feel anything other than anxious. So it's helped me with feeling happy and sad rather than just anxious all the time.

if you are haapy with what you are taking, why does it worry you that others think differently and challenge medics on this .. i lost three decades to precribed junk and will never trust a dr again without making up my own mind and querying and finding other ways. i too have a very serious and disabling illness. i made choices re meds myself and it bothers not that you do differently
but i counsel too and there are always ways without meds. your choice, my choice, freely made. ok? ok!

small point; of course getting off meds is hard as they are all addictive. took me a full year with no medical help....i went through a living hell but came out the other side. it can be done but takes time.

ash23

Graces7 wrote: »

if you are haapy with what you are taking, why does it worry you that others think differently and challenge medics on this .. i lost three decades to precribed junk and will never trust a dr again without making up my own mind and querying and finding other ways. i too have a very serious and disabling illness. i made choices re meds myself and it bothers not that you do differently
but i counsel too and there are always ways without meds. your choice, my choice, freely made. ok? ok!

small point; of course getting off meds is hard as they are all addictive. took me a full year with no medical help....i went through a living hell but came out the other side. it can be done but takes time.

Because you didn't differentiate between your experience and anyone elses. It's fine to question meds and what is prescribed but for someone who might do a search on "lexapro" because they are depressed and prescribed it, to see posts describing it as "dumbing down" or people not being allowed deal with strong emotions - well it's biased and misplaced.

It sounds to me like you've never been on Lexapro so why you feel you have the information necessary to discuss the topic and pass judgement on it is beyond me.

The OP is asking for advice about the med, about people who have been on it. If you have experience with other meds but not Lexapro then you can't really liken your experience of other meds to this particular one really.

I wouldn't comment on a thread asking about a drug I had no experience of simply because I was on another type of drug and I certainly wouldn't dismiss the use of a drug simply based on my experience of a totally different drug. That is why your post bothers me.