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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nemo2 on February 4, 2004, at 21:30:27
Hey everybody, I'm on Lexapro for about a month now and I've clearly noticed a reduced ability to concentrate and study facts. This is true whether I'm reading or listening to someone's conversation with me. I have a razor sharp manager working for me and I used to enjoy the rapid fire and very intelligent conversations we had on business issues. Since starting Lexapro, I'm having trouble keeping up with her expression of thoughts and ideas. She has great eye contact and I get concerned that she can tell I'm only understanding about 60% of what she's telling me. Anybody have a story to tell on this se? Does your brain clear up after a few months on 10mg dosage? Thanks to all.
Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 5, 2004, at 8:24:11
In reply to Ability to concentrate?, posted by Nemo2 on February 4, 2004, at 21:30:27
I wish I could suggest a remedy, but this is why I'm avoiding SSRIs even though they are helpful for my anxiety and depression. I have inattentive ADD, and it is significantly worse when I'm on an SSRI. I too have always enjoyed quick-witted intellectual conversations, and felt that my intellect and vocabulary were dulled. YMMV.
Posted by Bill LL on February 5, 2004, at 9:30:04
In reply to Ability to concentrate?, posted by Nemo2 on February 4, 2004, at 21:30:27
I had the exact same problem as you. I told the doctor 2 months a go and he gave me Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin is an ADD drug as well as an antidepressant. It helps a lot with concentration. I only take 100 mg once a day, in the morning, and it helps all day. It also augments the antidepressant effect of Lexapro.
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 5, 2004, at 9:55:34
In reply to Re: Ability to concentrate?, posted by Bill LL on February 5, 2004, at 9:30:04
> I had the exact same problem as you. I told the doctor 2 months a go and he gave me Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin is an ADD drug as well as an antidepressant. It helps a lot with concentration. I only take 100 mg once a day, in the morning, and it helps all day. It also augments the antidepressant effect of Lexapro.
----------I'm in your camp. SSRIs were usually fairly effective at ending a depression, and there's about a 3 week window where I feel happy and on top of my game. After that, however, I tend to become more neutral and spacey, like I'm on cold medicine. Wellbutrin, though not as robust a mood elevator for me, keeps me awake and mentally sharp (and doesn't dampen sexual response).
Augmented with Remeron, I'm doing pretty good.
Posted by KathrynLex on February 5, 2004, at 11:09:51
In reply to Ability to concentrate?, posted by Nemo2 on February 4, 2004, at 21:30:27
Hi Nemo,
During the first month that I took lex I too noticed an inability to concerntrate. This went away between weeks 5 and 6. Now that I've increased my dose my level of concentration has decreased again. I think once your body adjusts to the lexapro you will be able to follow conversations and study facts again.
K.
Posted by Nemo2 on February 5, 2004, at 11:17:51
In reply to Re: Ability to concentrate? » Nemo2, posted by KathrynLex on February 5, 2004, at 11:09:51
Thanks K,
I just saw my pdoc and she said the same thing. Let's see what happens when I get to week 7. I had some great feedback on Wellbutrin from other posters, too. Good to know what's in the arsenal and working for others. Thanks to all. NEMO
Posted by scott-d-o on February 5, 2004, at 14:22:25
In reply to Re: Ability to concentrate?, posted by Chairman_MAO on February 5, 2004, at 8:24:11
> I wish I could suggest a remedy, but this is why I'm avoiding SSRIs even though they are helpful for my anxiety and depression. I have inattentive ADD, and it is significantly worse when I'm on an SSRI. I too have always enjoyed quick-witted intellectual conversations, and felt that my intellect and vocabulary were dulled. YMMV.
I have inattentive ADD also.. Does adding a psychostimulant to the SSRI help? I had the same problem the first time around on a SSRI, but now I take 20mg Adderall XR as well and have not had this problem as of yet.. I was sharp on just the Adderall, but always negative, irritable and my temper would cause me to go off on people for no reason. I feel much more balanced now augmenting with the SSRI.
scott
Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 5, 2004, at 18:03:08
In reply to Re: Ability to concentrate? » Chairman_MAO, posted by scott-d-o on February 5, 2004, at 14:22:25
I still had some residual apathy even on 40mg Adderall XR, but my concentration was vastly improved--of course, I was taking 375mg Effexor XR and then 80mg of Celexa at that time, so that might of been why. I've had some bouts with drug abuse, so now I have no chance of ever getting benzos or stimulants. Lately I've been debating whether or not I want to go on an SSRI again, but I think I'm going to ask to start with 5mg of lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin XL and titrate each up slowly. It'll be a hellish month, but the results will probably be nice. I doubt I'd like my (overly agitated) personality on the wellbutrin alone.
I wish I'd never abused the drugs that helped me so much. I feel like such a fool.
Posted by utopizen on February 7, 2004, at 22:27:52
In reply to Re: Ability to concentrate? » scott-d-o, posted by Chairman_MAO on February 5, 2004, at 18:03:08
Don't you hate that feeling you get and can't discern whether you'll have some sort of permament apathy/dementia, and never be the same quick-witted kid you use to be?
I've had a few rough circumstances lately, mostly I think due to the fact that I've been brooding since the holidays over a couple of incompletes I have for my courses, and have yet to start my papers to finish them! Anxiety+ADD+narcolepsy=no fun. I also have soc. anx.
I'm not sure whether I've gotten more sleepy or not than a year ago from today, but I went from being a kid who would get up at the crack of dawn at 7:30 every weekday last school year in college to not going to classes now...
sort of a combo of my random housing-assigned roommate waking at noon everyday and me not having any structure to model after.
Anyway, feeling incredibly depressed over things, can't manage to do work for classes or make up work it seems. Even when I feel alert with my Desoxyn, I can't really read anything unless it's for a paper that I have convinced myself I can start at midnight and finish at 8AM and hand in at 9AM. Of course, this can not be healthy for one's brain.
I use to be happy! I hope I can sleep off my current day, had insomnia the night before yet again and 5 hrs. last night. Super anxious from Xyrem, which I am not taking anymore now. Will ask doc. for Ambien, but I recall it didn't work until I used 20mg, and that may be hard to get.
And with the Xyrem, um, I see several docs for my narcolepsy, trust me, it took ME months just to get it and then a couple of months with the dosing to realize I don't want it now. AM anxiety, increased blood pressure (I'm 20 and am skinny!)... intense, I can't explain how so. More intense when you take it and can't sleep.
FYI, it's not the best drug for insomnia. If you take a dose and that dose doesn't work out, you can't just take another dose and go to sleep. Any further dosing within 4 hours of that dose will just make you feel more terrible, and keep you more awake, with more racing thoughts.
And if you DON'T sleep on it, you go from having really healthy 8 hours of sleep to a 2-4 hour (if you got any) sleep that leaves you feeling like hell and having blackness underneath your eyes you wouldn't see if you did an all-nighter.
This is the end of the thread.
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