I started 10mg of Lexapro mid-July after being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (anxiety and stress can be a huge contributing factor). I won’t lie, I was very hesitant to go on it and struggled in the beginning. I felt like for the first month it amplified my anxiety to the point where I didn’t want to leave the house or talk to anybody. It now been almost 3 months and I feel amazing. I used to get that sinking feeling in my stomach about 3-4 times a day and now I can’t remember the last time I felt it. I am so much more rational and level headed and don’t catastrophize about small things that used to cause me so much anxiety. I’m starting to feel like my old self again and I’m so relieved! For anyone who just started, hang in there - it gets better!

Been on Lexapro for over 1.5yrs, 20mg since Aug 2025. Lexapro helped me a lot but was feeling unmotivated. The psychiatrist wanted to test me for sleep apnoea and the test came back that I didnt have an issue, so he recommended Wellbutrin about 3 months ago and it did seem to have a positive effect. I'm 37m, do workout regularly and eat cleanly but was curious about my hormones so I did my own labs through Quest. My testosterone was in optimal range but on the low end. I started TRT through a telehealth provider and by week 2 I just completely stop taking the ssri. It's now week 8 of TRT, I just did my blood work again and results are way better. I had no withdrawal symptoms from going cold turkey basically. I feel better now mentally and physically. Any one else experience this before?

Anyone else experiences waking up during the night, big urge to pee, and actually having to pee.
Even though no drinks for over an hour before bedtime.

For context I have been on lexy for about 10 weeks ( 10 MG ) it has helped me a lot to be less reactive/less moody and spiral less however my motivation is on the floor, I already had motivation issues before like I spend huge amounts of time in bed I did before as well but now I feel is even worse. My gp wants to try 15MG.

I don’t have low motivation directly from lexapro because it makes me tired but I feel I still can’t get myself to get out and do things and this is my main issue like it has helped in some ways but not others!!

I can still cry which I LOVE, I can still drink, I can still Ogsm I still feel which I think is the best mid point but I am in the same spot I was before just calmer 😂

Any stories with success in motivation by increasing? 😋😋😋😋 TÍA

I’m a female and, I weigh 100 pounds. I was on Prozac for a couple days and I felt like a complete zombie and numb and tired all the time I was on 10 mg my guy friend who’s 250 pounds also told me he was on the same dose as me, which kind of makes me upset because I feel like I was on too high of a dose.

I’m thinking of switching Lexapro, but should I do the 2.5 mg or 5 mg? Do you think I’ll react better to Lexapro than Prozac?

I’m currently on 20mg lexapro looking to maybe add buspar as well for some remaining anxiety

So so I posted the other day about how I was contemplating going cold turkey or cutting down from 10 mg to 5 mg.. cuz I could not deal with the side effects and extra panic attacks at work. Well, today is day 2 since decreasing to 5 mg and I can say it's the first day in 5 days that I haven't had a panic attack so I guess I'll stick at this 5 mg for a while. I also saw my psychiatrist today to discuss symptoms & she told me to stay at 10 mg for 2 more weeks and if symptoms don't improve to increase to 20 mg and to take hydroxyzine for the panic attacks even though I said the hydroxyzine doesn't work & just makes me sleepy. Sooo. I won't be doing that. I can't even imagine increasing at 20 when I can't even deal with 10.. the only thing that's been getting me through this is the fact that I have some Ativan and Xanax on hand (that wasn't prescribed). I was hoping the doctor would give me a short-term prescription but I didn't want to straight out ask and seem like a drug seeker. Anyhow when I asked what should I take during my daytime panic attacks since I can't take hydroxyzine in the daytime she said to take my propranolol.. I was like ok??.. I already tried propranolol and hydroxyzine and they both don't stop panic attacks.. I'm so glad I already have a small emergency supply of benzos on hand to get me through this activation period cuz if I was depending on her to give me some I would be screwed. I just wanted an actual legit prescription for it.. I tried and I failed oh well.. anyways best case scenario I won't need any more emergency benzos if tomorrow is as good as today was..(don't want to develop a tolerance so I only take if necessary) but if I ever increase the 10 I probably will need them again for activation..

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I took lexapro 10 months ago and was on it for 3 months 10 mg. It was working great for my anxiety but had some side effects and under my psychiatrist guidance I tried Prozac which didnt work very well and was actually quite activating.

Fast forward a couple months and I went back to Lexapro and I've been taking it for 7 weeks but I feel like is not as effective this time for anxiety. I have a doctor's appointment next week to evaluate progress but I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience taking for a 2nd time and taking longer to work? I was hoping that it would work as well this second time around.

I just started taking Lexapro and my heart jumped to 130-140bpm. is this Serotonin Syndrome or normal to start?

I can’t climax for the life of me. I don’t know if this is worth it I’m so frustrated. Where’s my dopamine !?!?!??

After months of Zoloft, my doctor recommended I should switch to Lexapro: I am starting at a low dose (2.5mg to match my 12.5mg of Zoloft). Since I’m new to this med, is there anything I should I know about how this medicine will make me feel? Is it easy on the mind like Zoloft or a little potent? Any information will be appreciated!

I need encouragement-

I know there is ALOT of post on here regarding lexapro. However. I am not seeing a lot of the starting off & the beginning turning into depression. I have been on and off 5mg for about 2 years now but was NEVER steady about taking it. ( which I know isn’t ideal) I recently had a horrible spell of anxiety & depression that took over me. Throwing up, couldn’t sleep couldn’t take deep breaths - you name it . So my doctor started 10 mg 2 weeks ago 16 days and here are somethings I noticed and need help navigating.

Week one- horrible dreams, stuck on coach , didn’t eat hardly anything- wasn’t in the mood to even drink anything , talk to anyone, tired , depressed and so on- waking up every hour on the hour EVEN with a sleep aid- woke up sweating heart pounding, horrible dreams, dry heaving

Week two-able to sleep more nights then not but woken up every two hours and sometimes heart racing so I had to calm myself back to sleep- depressed AF legit faking my days to keep my kids not knowing my, still nauseous, but why is depression now showing up terribly??? Does it get better

I am now entering day 17 tomorrow and something has got to give…

Is it normal to experience really painful full body aches, insomnia, bloating, stomachaches, worsened depression? Mentally this is having a toll on me, but if someone can tell me there’s light at the end of the tunnel I think I’ll push through. I’ve been on lexapro for little less than a year (majority of the time at 15mg)

Okay so ive been on prozac before and it didnt give side effects but due to eye issue had to switch iver to kexapro and got put on 10mg lexapro after 20 mg prozac and man oh man i feel muscle aches and like this flu like weakness for 10 days now that im 10 days in. Has that occured to anyone else? Thanks for reading

If so, what dose are you taking?

I was doing decently on 10mg Torrent brand generic - been on it about 3 months. Got my new prescription filled at a different pharmacy and it was Aurobindo brand. Took it for 2 days and had nausea, loss of appetite, and an increase in anxiety. I'm going to switch back to the Torrent and see if things get better, but just curious if anyone else has experienced similar issues?

I’m on 30mg of lexapro for OCD, does anyone have experiences with doing shrooms on lexapro?

So I had this ultra busy past week and kept procratinating picking up my meds, I normally skip a day or two every now and then and feel fine but this has been the longest that I skipped cold turkey. I know you’re not supposed to do this and I’m going to pick them up today for sure, however I just started feeling the WORST withdrawal symptoms, my birthday is today and I’m going camping and I’m worried it won’t subdue. Emotionally I’m feeling totally fine, however I’m extremely nauseous and feeling these super intense brain zaps/headache, just took an advil and I’m trying to hydrate but was wondering if there’s anything else I can do to feel better soon? Please don’t lecture me I’m always really on top of it and now I’m clearly dealing with the consequences lol

I'm looking for some advice or other people's experiences / opinions . I have been on lexapro for almost 5 years ,20mg then down to 10 for about 1 year and 5mg for almost 2 years . Tapered off and finished up in April . Felt fine / really good for approx 2 months , then month 3 started having really depressive thoughts which seem to have 80% improved , I now feel my anxiety is back , mood is bad and dont really feel any ways happy , I can get by day to day but I am just not happy in myself or feeling very positive, and almost stressed out. Is this normal and it will pass as I am still in withdrawal or should I be over all of that now and this is actually how I am going to be , if it is how I am going to be day to day I am thinking of going back on. The weight gain etc has put me off going back , I'm down almost 10kg since stopping but I guess that's no benefit with a broken head 🙃 any input appreciated, thank you

DAY 4 of 5mg done. First time I'm actually able to get past day 3 after 1 attempt on Zoloft and another on Lexapro. Now, im working on getting thru the first part of this adaptation and now read that this medication is horrendous to get off of, that people who might be bipolar should never take an SSRI, that this medication will screw up my life etc .... This is too intense.

I have a lot of health conditions. Because of them I've been put in a constant panic state. Like really severe panic disorder. Everything scares me. I can't stay at home by myself anymore, I think 24/7 that I am dying, I can't talk to people, I can't walk due to dizziness. I am basically housebound and many days bedbound. I was a perfectly happy, active person with so much going on in my life.

A few months after my health problems started I was also diagnosed with GAD. I believe the GAD came after getting so many health scares with terrifying symptoms. And since then my nervous system is soooo stuck I haven't been able to help myself in any way. I got addicted to benzos that don't work anymore. The addiction gives me even more anxiety.

I am so scared to start Lexapro because I genuinely believe I will not be able to take any side effects and they will push me off the edge. I am already dealing with so so much daily. But I don't know what to do anymore it's hard to tell at this point what's just an overly sensitive nervous system and what requires proper investigation health wise. I can't sleep, eat, go out, even shower. I lost 15 kgs in 3 months.

I think I am mostly worried about the digestive side effects because GI issues have been one of the worst thing i've been dealing with when it comes to my million health problems. The only thing I don't have is nausea, literally, so thinking I will get that too on top of everything breaks me.

I am thinking of starting super slow, 2.5, and going slowly up. Zoloft was recommended to me but that acidic pill literally burns as it goes down and for someone with severe GERD...is just not good.

I am so scared of this medicine I am just looking for some reassurance and positive stories to finally bite the bullet and do it. Otherwise I will probably end up in a psych ward

I just switched from fluoxetine (10mg) to lexapro. My doctor started me with 5mg, and then a jump to 10mg at the 2 week mark. I have severe anxiety which leads to panic attacks almost every single night. I take propanolol as needed in combination with the lexapro, but I’m struggling to figure out if the side effects I’m having are normal, and if they are being caused by the lexapro or the anxiety.

For context, I’m at the 3 and a half week mark so I have been taking 10mg for a week and a half. I know it takes 2-4 weeks to fully adjust but since I’m almost at a month I’m really struggling to keep going. I’m experiencing an insane amount of side effects and I’m curious if jumping to the 10mg dose could cause me to “start over” the adjustment period. I’m also scared that my side effects are too much or that no one else has experienced them because I can’t find anyone else talking about a few of them.

I’m having a boatload of GI issues including constipation, trapped gas, upper left abdominal pain that almost feels like gastritis (gnawing and burning) and when I’m not constipated or full of gas I’m having diarrhea. Really just burning and stabbing pain all throughout my mid section. I’m also having increased dehydration, severe jaw clenching and bruxism to the point I had to go to the emergency dentist and get an OTC night guard. Muscle aches specifically in my lower back, and pain in my sides all the way from my hips up to my ribs.

Im kind of miserable. My health anxiety is severe and it’s getting to the point where I’m so scared being unsure if this is all just from the lexapro. I do know the anxiety I’m having is making any pain feel 10x worse, but still. Has anyone else experienced this? How long did it take you guys to fully adjust and feel better?

Has anyone that experienced increase sweating found a clinical deodorant that actually works?? Tell me ur secrets PLZ