3 ms·

Been taking Lexapro for over two years now. Started at five, moved up to 7.5 and ultimately been settled at ten for the last year and a half. Have not seen side

Been taking Lexapro for over two years now. Started at five, moved up to 7.5 and ultimately been settled at ten for the last year and a half. Have not seen side effects (I was deathly afraid of something like ED but if anything my sex drive is enhanced thanks to no longer being depressed). It has been one hundred percent effective. If I miss a day, I know (and so does everyone else). We (psychiatrist and I) tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off. Didn't work, so I'm back at ten, probably for life. That's fine, there's way worse medications to be dependent on!

Franciscouzo 9y ago
Are you sure the symptoms you got by tapering off were because you not longer have the drug you need in your system, or because of discontinuation syndrome?
- Blackthorn 9y ago
  My psychiatrist determined it was the former.
DanBC 9y ago
> tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off A small point, but the "discontinuation effects" for these meds can be severe, and they can make people think they still need to take the meds. This keeps people taking meds for very long amounts of time. Some people are okay with the side effects, and they've made an informed choice about the risks of taking these meds long term. The Guardian newspaper has been running a couple of stories about long term use. I think they're a little bit alarmist, but the personal experiences are useful. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-user-antidepressants-tell-experiences https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-us... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-britain-a-nation-hooked-on-antidepressants https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-brit... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-who-am-antidepressant-long-term-use https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-wh...

Franciscouzo 9y ago

Are you sure the symptoms you got by tapering off were because you not longer have the drug you need in your system, or because of discontinuation syndrome?

Blackthorn 9y ago
My psychiatrist determined it was the former.

DanBC 9y ago

> tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off A small point, but the "discontinuation effects" for these meds can be severe, and they can make people think they still need to take the meds. This keeps people taking meds for very long amounts of time. Some people are okay with the side effects, and they've made an informed choice about the risks of taking these meds long term. The Guardian newspaper has been running a couple of stories about long term use. I think they're a little bit alarmist, but the personal experiences are useful. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-user-antidepressants-tell-experiences https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-us... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-britain-a-nation-hooked-on-antidepressants https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-brit... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-who-am-antidepressant-long-term-use https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-wh...