Posted by Luziluna on April 19, 2003, at 18:44:58
In reply to Re: My experiences with Lexapro and Celexa » Luziluna, posted by lil' jimi on April 16, 2003, at 14:18:34
Thanks Jimi,
I am so glad I found this site, people have been very supportive- it is helpful to hear other peoples' experiences with SSRI's as the Lexapro is really my first real attempt.
I am on my third day of 5 mgs and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Still have interest in sex ( thank goodness), no hair loss (? I really hope that doesn't happen!!) dry skin seems to be calming down. Still slightly flushed, but nothing that a little makeup can't cover, so that's OK. I do feel a bit cloudy at times, but my hubbie has definitely noticed a difference in me, says I am calmer and not half as anxious as I was. I have a little easier time letting go of obsessive thoughts ( although had a bit of a relapse yesterday, but was able to get it under control quicker than usual)
I so hope that the Lexapro will continue to help me, I have suffered with anxiety and obsessive thoughts, depression, for sooooo long. I just want some relief!! Therapy does help though..I will surely continue with that.Thanks for letting me share.... Have a wonderful day all!!
> LuziLuna wrote:
> > Thanks for this post Matt.
> >
> > I just started on Lexapro and have been reading the posts about this drug. I am currently only on 2.5 mgs, and will ease up to 5 mgs some time this week. I don't plan on going above 5 mgs, as even 2.5 has been sedating to me.
> >
> > I too have experienced no sexual side effects on 2.5, and actually have had a slight increase in libido!!
> >
> > One side effect I have noticed is dry skin, and slight flushing, though not as bad as I had with Paxil- I had severe flushing with Paxil!
> >
> > Anyone else had the dry skin thing?
> >
> > Anyway, I hope to stay on Lexapro at a low dose- Anyone else out there had success with lower doses of SSRI's? My doctor wants me to eventually go to 10 mgs, but my thinking is that if I have already felt effects on 2.5, why push it too much? What do you all think?
> >
> > Thanks for letting me share
>
> replying to Matt's post:
>
> > > I've been on Celexa up to 70mg and experienced definite alopecia (happened to me on Zoloft and Prozac). I recently tried Lexapro and now am on both. I titrated up to 10mg Lexapro. I experienced an increase in libido (which is strange for me on SSRIs--the increase, that is), and hardly any sexual side effects. Then I went to 15mg Lexapro. Libido dropped and sexual side effects appeared to a moderate extent. But there was a definite difference in side effects between 10 and 15mg. I found 10mg quite sedating, and 15mg even worse. I added 10mg Celexa and found an improvement in mood and a slight increase in sexual side effects. When I went to 20mg Celexa, there was a large increase in sexual side effects.
> > >
> > > In overall comparison (and this is to be taken with an extra grain of salt, since all these drugs are being taking together)--I had very few sexual side effects at 10mg Lexapro. At 15mg L there was a definite increase--the sexual side effect profile was more like 10mg Celexa. 20mg Celexa showed the most dramatic sexual side effects.
> > >
> > > Strangely, I've gained weight since starting Lexapro (7-8 pounds in 6 weeks). Usually I (and most) lose weight at first when starting an SSRI. I did (do) so with Celexa.
> > >
> > > Right now I'm looking at 5mg Lexapro and 10mg Celexa--we'll see what hapens.
> > >
> > > My p-doc says that in his experience Lexapro tends to be less effective than hyped, and 40mg Celexa almost always gives more improvement than 10mg Lexapro.
> > > Best,
> > > Matt
>
> hi luziluna (love your moniker! "light and moon"?)
>
> i've been on lexapro since march 6 and i was at 5mg until one week ago and now i'm taking 10mg.
>
> i'm impressed that matt's taking celexa and lexapro at the same time ... good luck to matt, especially with trying to find your best combo ... lex is the only AD i've ever taken, for which i remain grateful ... although my gp was considering switching me to effexor (Comments welcome!)
>
> i have not noticed any more than normal hair loss, though ...and i have not experinced any noticeable skin dryness, However, my scalp has been unusually itchy lately, hmmmmm ... and the only sexual SEs i've experienced are temporary (about a week) anorgasmia, when i first started lex and when my doseage increased ... followed by a more than full recovery, i'd say, to be gentile about it.
>
> i am impressed also with your libido increases ... i have inquired more than once for reports of beneficial sexual SEs from lexapro.
>
> i have experienced zero weight gain ... my doc had me weighed when i started and she weighed again last week: .. no change... however my experience of my appetite and taste and food and drink in general, all seems to be much more acute tha before i took lexapro.
>
> i think your plan to try for the lowest effective dose Only makes prudent sense ... good luck to you there, too.
>
> i thank you for sharing ... good luck to you... and to matt also ... i always appreciate our posters because i benefit from their sharing their experiences ... best to you all.
>
> TAKE CARE!!!!! (w/ a tip of the hat to blkvettes!)
> ~ ... jim
poster:Luziluna
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/220727.html