So I started SSRIs at 17 and have been on a variety over the years. I was on citalopram, sertraline, venlafaxine and then escitalopram (Lexapro) until march this year. I would never say I was 100% happy but I never really had panic attacks or anything and still got anxious but it took the edge off.

I then decided to come off in march and weened off (admittedly probably to quickly) over a bout a month after 10 years on SSRIs (was always fairly lose doses). This was all going well until in and around June I started having crazy insomnia and night time panic attacks. I then started taking 37.5 venlafaxine again out of desperation for a month and then 75mg for one month. I found this caused horrible physical side effects and depersonalisation the whole time so my gp has switched me back to escitalopram.

I have been on 10mg lexapro for the last 7 weeks and I’m still feeling this horrible physical sensations of thick head, grogginess, nausea and dizziness limbs feeling, light and floaty, derealisation and horrible health anxiety.

My doctor has recommend I go up to 15mg and see if this helps. I guess I’m just confused as I’ve taken medication for so long and switched about and never had any physical symptoms for more than a few days after switching. Is it just due to the 3 months break and then the chop and change since then?

The health anxiety is completely new and not something I’ve had before and the doctors have run ecgs and xrays etc with no bad findings but I still convince myself something must be wrong and it can’t still be effects from the medication.

Advice welcomed please!!

Ich nehme seit 5 Monaten 5mg Lexapro. Zuvor hatte ich extreme Angstzustände und körperliche Symptome. Ich konnte kaum mehr das Haus verlassen und selbst zuhause hatte ich die ganze Zeit Angst und hatte viele körperliche Symptome.

4 Wochen nach dem Start mit 5mg wurde es viel besser. Mein Leben drehte sich quasi um 180 Grad und ich hab mich endlich wieder wie ich selber gefühlt. Seitdem keine einzige Panikattacke und die innere extreme Anspannung ist viel besser geworden. Sie kam nur in Wellen wieder zurück aber ging dann auch wieder nach ein paar Tagen.

Seit ein paar Wochen kommt diese Anspannung jedoch wieder zurück und auch mein Stresslevel ist plötzlich wieder viel höher. Ich wache wieder öfter mit Herzrasen auf und habe Albträume.

Hat jemand ähnliche Erfahrungen? Ich habe Angst, dass das Medikament nicht mehr wirkt. Ich habe Angst, dass ich zwar meine Dosis erhöhen kann aber diese Erhöhung ja dann auch wieder nach 4 Monaten aufhört zu wirken.

i’ve been taking lexapro 1.25mg for 5 weeks and honestly i don’t feel comfortable taking antidepressants anymore. i want to try to take a more natural route to help my anxiety and depression with supplements.

is it safe to just completely stop taking or should i taper off by cutting the pills in half? what side effects should i expect to experience once stopping this dosage?

been on lex since march and recently had teeth clenching come back as a side effect. it’s been causing me headaches and migraines. has anyone else been on lexapro for this long and also had a similar issue?

I’ve been on 5mg lexapro for about 6 weeks now and I can officially say that this is a placebo dose (joking). But, In the past 6 weeks i’ve been on this i genuinely feel as if there’s been no change to my life.. Like i feel normal not happy, not sad, just normal. I thought this was gonna change my life and im lowkey regretting not asking my psychiatrist to up my dose last week. 😭😭

I just started lexapro 5 mg 3 days ago for GAD and anxiety related dizziness. I literally feel like i’m on molly since then! Is it normal?

I stopped taking Lexapro after 10 years a few months ago. I had a lot of withdrawal side effects, mainly really bad vertigo for weeks. But it’s better now. I feel normal, emotional but better.

But I’ve had a terrible side effect since getting off the pill. And it’s food aversion! I’m disgusted and gag at foods I loved.

I’ve never been a picky eater, I’ve always enjoyed all kinds of food. But now even thinking about something as simple as celery or chicken makes me gag. I have tried to work around it with my favourite foods and that works. But I want to go back to being me, not being nauseated by everything. At the moment I cannot stand Italian food, like pasta or meat sauce or anything. My husband loves Italian. I love Italian! It’s so hard.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

im sick and got some cold meds i didn’t take my dose of lexapro last night bc i forgot and i took the nighttime capsules, today a few hours ago i took daytime meds and i just took my lexapro dose (5mg) but im super scared of serotonin syndrome and wanna know if i should stop taking them completely or if it’s safe?

im sick and got some cold meds i didn’t take my dose of lexapro last night bc i forgot and i took the nighttime capsules today a few hours ago i took daytime meds and i just took my lexapro dose (5mg) but im super scared of serotonin syndrome and wanna know if i should stop taking them completely or if it’s safe?

On 5mg. Second try (stopped to extreme sweating but all other meds weren’t working as well) each time I feel great for a month then notice I’m getting frustrated easily which has lead to a FAST mood swing. Like so fast I’m not even aware I’m getting irritated before I become grumpy and say things I don’t mean. Is this anyone else’s experience? Otherwise it’s helping my anxiety significantly.

Hi everyone! I’m 26 years old and only ever dealt with generalized anxiety. Nothing bad. I moved out of my parents house and into a townhouse with my boyfriend (he’s great!!) I started to spiral bad about 1000 different things. I think it was the move that triggered this. It got so bad that even therapy wasn’t helpful. I saw a psychiatric nurse who prescribed me Zoloft at 25mg. I took this for 11 days. The 11 days were bearable but by the end I was having increased anxiety and insomnia. She told me to try to increase to 50mg which I did for 5 days. This is when things got really bad. HORRIBLE anxiety, nausea, loss of appetite (I’ve lost 13 pounds in under 3 weeks), irritable, weak, etc. after those 5 days I’ve been 3 days at 25mg again and still feeling horrible. A lot of people say to stick it out but this has become debilitating and so much worse than before. I’m thinking of making a switch to lexapro. Any advice or insight would be so appreciated and helpful. Thank you!

Hi, I started lexapro about five weeks ago - 2 weeks on 5mg, three weeks now on 10mg. I have PTSD, ADHD, and OCD. Severity is in that order.

My first week or two on my starter dose, I felt "spooky". Kind of detached and weird. Once I was about a full week in, addictive thoughts and compulsions started coming back for me in full force. On one or two days it was all-consuming.

It's more manageable now, and I didn't relapse, but it is on my mind a lot more on a daily basis than it has been since I first got sober in late 2022. To the point where I'm considering meetings which I have never felt particularly drawn to.

My question is, has anyone else with addiction issues experienced this? Does it go away?

Part of me thinks it's freeze-brain lifting and addiction does live within me underneath that. Like being out of survival mode enough to even feel those feelings again.

Or, possibly an ADHD impulse/sensory-seeking thing. Or, of course, both!

What are your thoughts/experiences?

(I am seeing my prescriber soon and I'm also in therapy so I feel okay, just concerned and curious with these resurfacing feelings.)

I am sleeping an average of 7 hours a night and I am having wild dreams almost every day. I never feel fully energetic or rested anymore and I’m wondering if that’s why. Anyone else?

I’ve been on Lex for 3 years. My life has been extremely improved. However, the classic weight gain has been a problem. I was fine with it at first, but I eventually gained so much that some of my issues were being written off as “just from being overweight.” And to be fair, I had moved from athletic, muscular, and healthy overweight to a full-on, apple-shaped body and trouble breathing if I lie down a certain way overweight.

Doc switched me to Viibryd, and we started the cross taper with Lexapro and Viibryd. It took me about 4 or 5 months to get on a therapeutic dose of Viibryd (20mg) and down to 5mg of Lexapro. But I felt miserable: angry, anxious, horrible insomnia (not weight related, like a wide awake mania) and even a month later, I was still having issues.

I told my doc and he sat silent for a long time, thinking over options. Finally, I just said, what if I just go off everything except this last bit of Lexapro? And he said, let’s try it because there isn’t another medication I can think of to put you on that won’t cause weight gain/mania.

So now I’m tapering off Viibryd. I feel so much better. I’m a little worried that this could go sideways. But, what if it doesn’t? Has anyone gone off SSRI’s or stayed on a low dose of Lexapro and found a benefit?

hi, 19F and i've struggled with anxiety for years and just got prescribed lexapro. i've never been on any medications in my life believe it or not and i'm terrified about the side effects. many of my biggest anxieties are health related- i have emetephobia so nausea feels like life or death, i have a weak stomach and often get stomach aches and bathroom issues which are the bane of my existence, etc. also, i'm away at college and don't have the physical support of my mom nor the emotional support- she doesn't know i'm starting this medication. she doesn't really believe in mental health and i know she'd dislike the idea of me starting this. i feel so guilty for it but i know i'm an adult and i need to take charge of my own life. it's just terrifying because i won't have her to lean on if things backfire. i know side effects are different for everyone but i'm just so afraid of something bad happening that it's preventing me from starting even if i know it's probably gonna be great for me. it also doesn't help that i'm in the peak busiest time of the fall semester. i can start this weekend when i have fall break for about 5 days or so and no classes or anything so if i do have my side effects i can rest up, but the downside is i'll be alone as my roommate and all my friends are going home (i'm staying on campus). or, i can start next week after the break, but then i am worried about having to skip all my classes and club meetings because what if the side effects are so unbearable and leave me not being able to function properly? i think overall i feel a ton of shame because while i'm very anxious, i've always tried my best to manage it without medication and i keep telling myself i'll be fine without it. but i do think that it's something i have to try because maybe i could be living a 10x easier life with it. i'm just so overwhelmed with having to make this huge deicison on my own. if anyone has advice it would be so appreciated.

Tentei lexapro para a minha TAG, comecei em gotas e não tolerei quando cheguei a 3 semana devido a ataques de ansiedade intensos e ansiedade intensa causados pelo lexapro, neste momento estou a tentar paroxetina e esta a correr bem, o meu medico pretende “tentar” depois fazer a transição de novo para o lexapro, se alguém passou por alguma coisa parecida agradecia feedback!

Hey guys, I’ve completed my second week on Lexapro. I feel that the heightened anxiety and brain fog that I experienced in the last few days have somewhat subsided. However, it’s also possible that I actually got some sleep the last couple of days. I have a severe sleep anxiety issue, and my OCD has made it a significant concern in my daily life. I’m also attending therapy, but it’s only my third session today.
I will keep posting with updates and thoughts. Just want to thank everyone on here for their valuable input and support. You guys have made this journey significantly better.

I started Lexapro 2ish weeks ago. 10mg for 1 week while on my other antidepressant and 20mg 1 week while only on Lexapro. I feel fine overall but I’ve been dealing with the feeling of not being real or in reality when I go places.

Does this feeling go away?

I need to hear of people not gaining weight. If I continue to eat healthy and workout will I most likely maintain my weight? I’ve lived with severe anxiety my entire life, I just started lexapro a week ago. I’ve had 3 kids and work hard for my figure. This may not be the medication for me if it changes my body.

I been on lexapro 10mg for a couple months now. Ever since i started ive noticed i am extremely tired. Im usually the type of person where i can survive the day if i get like 4 hours of sleep at night, but ever since starting lexapro i literally cannot wake up and get out of bed. Does anyone else also experience this? Is this normal or should i tell my doctor about it

Ich nehme seit letztes Jahr im September 15mg Escitalopram. Es hat super gewirkt - Zwangsgedanken kaum mehr vorhanden , keine Panikattacken und Angstzustände mehr. Nun seit 2 Wochen bemerke ich wieder vermehrt Antriebslosigkeit sowie innere Unruhe und vermehrt unschöne Gedanken. 2 Freunden von mir geht es aktuell auch so - wir sind am überlegen ob dies am Wetterumschwung liegen könnte..... Ich habe Angst dass mein Medikament nicht mehr wirkt wie es soll . Habt ihr Erfahrungen damit. Einen Termin bei meinem Arzt habe ich in 3 Wochen

Hi! So Ive been on 10mg for 2 months now and last night I had THE WORST sleep. Worse than usual. My baseline side effects have been having vivid dreams and sweating a lot but today I feel sluggish a bit and somehow clearheaded yet goldfish memory. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi everyone!
I was prescribed Lexapro 20 mg from 2022 until January 2025. During that time, my liver enzymes became dangerously elevated, and despite multiple tests, my doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing it.

Fast forward to December 2025, when I was prescribed Lexapro again. Unfortunately, my liver enzymes are now significantly elevated again, and my doctor suspects that Lexapro may be the cause.

They’re now recommending that I stop taking it because they believe my body may not be tolerating the medication well.

I’m curious if anyone else has experienced elevated liver enzymes or liver issues while taking Lexapro. I’d really love to hear about your experiences.

I’m on day 8 of Lexapro 5mg and for a couple of days I felt ok and now I feel jittery, shaky, anxious, and dealing with increased GI symptoms including reflux and gas. I know I should keep going but I’m struggling with the thought of continuing to feel like this. Has anyone else experienced these side effects and when did they get better for you?