Lubemaster (or anyone else)...your experience with Lexapro

[Dueller]

....just curious. I think I may be headed there.

[livi]

Sorry to hear that, Dueller. I have prescribed it several times as well as taken it myself at one point. I donīt believe my personal testimony, doc or not, is worth anything to you however. It can be completely useless or a life saver. Depends on how carefully judged the indication for such medication is done.

Funny how your name came up first hand when having a potential issue with pills, Lube !!

[Dueller]

Thx for your concern, Livi.

About 10 years ago I had a bout with clinical depression and the demon has reared its ugly head again. At that time the medication de rigeur was Zoloft then Celexa. Both were helpful but the doctors I saw seemed to just throw dosages recommended by the pharm rep of the week in the hopes it would help. Wellbutrin did absolutely nothing for me.

If I understand it correctly there have been great strides in SSIR's and Lexapro is an isomer of Celexa. I'm going to see a neuropsychiatrist who takes great strides in coming up with "cocktail" to address specific issues with meds to assure treatment of specific maladies. Her approach is to treat only as agressively as needed and views meds as an interim stopgap as opposed to a lifelong dependency where possible. I'm in tomorrow for a counseling/assessment session...then we'll come up with a gameplan.

Hope I didn't offend you Lubey by asking something so personal.

[M.D. Holloway]

Hmmm. Issue? Not so much (unless you ask TABS). It has been able to reduce my anxiety and leveled out my moodiness. Therefore, I guess it has worked well for me.

It has also allowed me to explore some of the prevailing reasons why I feel the way I do. Much makes sense now - more so than ever.

One thing that has helped me is that I am the type that enjoys understanding how things work, why some things are better than others are and ultimately why things fail - mechanically, intellectually, spiritually - exploring the human condition as well as why a hydraulic pump failed prematurely. I have applied this quest towards my relationships and myself.

Lexapro levels it out. Sometimes my 'energy' would get in the way of understanding myself. Lexapro toned down the amplitude but kept the frequency.

I would strongly suggest talking to a Doc in person.

[Dueller]

Thanks Lube...I have several docs lined up for an assessment. I'm scheduled not only for psych evaluation but a general physical as well to make sure they have the whole picture. Thankfully I have avery suppportive wife and my interaction with her (both positive abd negative) have made me realize I'm experiencing some very distorted perceptions of what exactly is going on around me.

Just wanted to hear some real world experiences...I realize YMMV. 'Appreciate the candor, Lubey.

[livi]

Sorry Mike,

"Issue" was a bad choice of words. I blame my language disabilities. I am in agreement with your opinion on such treatment. Correctly administered in a scrutinizingly chosen patient group I believe they contribute a whole lot in the healing process. Been there myself.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by Dueller
Hope I didn't offend you Lubey by asking something so personal.

Thanks for the concern. It is pretty tough to offend me these days. I have reflected on this and lately I figure that people get upset over actions and words because they feel like they are not being shown the admiration they think they deserve. Consider #4 of Holloway's Axioms of Human Condition - we are ultimately motivated by admiration and/or acknowledgment that is beyond our basic requirements as an animal.

Prehaps the source in your feelings comes from ones of these places?

[david914]

I was on Lexapro for about 6 years until this past Fall. My personal experience (YMMV) was mostly positive until the last couple of years.

As suggested before, I think it's wise to seek the services of a doctor well versed in these types of drugs. It's important to not only have the drug administered properly, but have it monitored on a regular basis as well. In my case, the drug started causing pronounced mood swings the last couple of years I was on it. I would get very sad, very angry, etc.

I will also tell you that if you are on the drug for any length of time and need to cease taking it, you will likely go through withdrawal symptoms. I was weaned off by my doctor, but the fact is that you will go through withdrawal no matter how slow you wean off of it. Do a search on the internet and you'll find lots of info. I suffered from severe mood swings and "brain zaps" for about 6-8 weeks. The experience has convinced me that taking these types of drugs is not a long-term solution.

[Moses]

What a wonderful place we've come to...

Only a few short years ago, depression was rarely talked about. People tended to suffer in silence and loneliness. Brilliant, productive people withdrew and careers and relationships failed. Now people reach out. There are good treatment options and friends tend to be supportive and helpful. We are in a good place.

[HardDrive]

Anyone take xanax?

[bigchillcar]

i'm a poster guy for chronic major depression (15 years) and anxiety triggered by ptsd (last 7 years). until the anxiety, wellbutrin worked best for me. post-anxiety it 'energized' my anxiety even more, making me more anxious in a huge way (blocks re-uptake of dopamine..an 'energizing' neurotransmitter. after klonopin (clonazepam - think a long-acting xanax, yet not fast-acting) and neurontin (an anti-seizure drug but helpful for some with anxiety), my anxiety has come mostly totally under control and i'm able to use wellbutrin again, albeit i use the very minimum dosage. until then, i'd tried THEM ALL. i had a bad experience, personally, with lexapro, as did my brother who suffers similarly (runs in the family). it was one of those that made my anxiety worse..totally unacceptable at the time 4 years ago. it might work today.

at any rate..it's all 'voodoo'. you won't know - and your doctor won't know either - which drug will work for you until you try it. unfortunately the 'science of the mind' is still rather inexact. you just have to be patient and self-monitor carefully for the side-effects and report to your doctor whether or not it's working. best of luck. i feel your pain, brother..

[Dueller]

Thanks, all, for your candor. The reason I asked specifically about Lexapro is that it came up in a phone conference with my psychologist in response to my concern about meds.

I am extremely cautious about psychotropics of any kind and will tread cautiously before making a decision in conjunction with input from more than one MD.

[M.D. Holloway]

Dueller - keep us posted.

[tabs]

Dueller what your doing is very sound and judicious, you are taking the steps that U need to take care of yourself. I have to agree that drugs shouldn't be a life long dependency, however combined with Thearpy they can be of immense value. My hope for U is to be able to solve the riddle of your depression so that you maybe free from it. That is not to say that depression from events in life such as a loss of a loved one, divorce or other life changing event wouldn't be a natural expression for anyone. From that, no one is ever free, to do so would make you less human. I recall an interview with one of the worlds most famous Pianists who didn't perform for 10 years because of depression. Yet he was able to work through his depression and was able to continue his career well into his 80s. Sometimes there is just such a sadness in the human spirit that it is hard to get up, at those times its an act of faith to believe that by putting one foot in front of the other that the blackness can lift. But take it from me that it can be done.

[genrex]

I have read this thread, and similar threads in the past, with great interest. Thanks to all of you for posting. I just want to add that the wikipedia article on Lexapro has a paragraph on withdrawal symptoms, which is worth reading.

[bigchillcar]

tabs: are you speaking of vladimir horowitz? he also had unbelievable stage fright. seems hard to believe knowing he was considered the foremost concert pianist of his generation, yet it's true. he knew perfection was always expected of him and the strain of trying to always maintain such a high standard was sometimes too much.

[tabs]

Yep it was Horowitz. I didn't quiet recall the name for a bit there, but the interview really stood out in my memory.

[Dueller]

Had a 2+ hour assessment with the psychiatrist today...

diagnosis is chronic major depression

meds: Effexor

we'll see how it goes.

Thanks, everyone for your concern

[nostatic]

Originally posted by HardDrive
Anyone take xanax?

yup

[M.D. Holloway]

Effexor - sounds like a good cure for a first wife!

Whats the dealio on that drug?