First Time Lexapro User
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Hey all. 31 male here. Prescribed Lexapro about four months ago for depression and PTSD. 5mg for a week, then 10mg for three weeks, now 20mg and sitting pretty. Here's the run down on what I've experienced:

At first the obvious side effects included immediate 'fogginess' of vision and a strong sedative effect. If anyone's ever taken Molly it sort of feels like the come-on of that (with no peak obviously). That was the first few days. I also noticed an almost immediate drop in libido that has progressively gotten worse. Normally I'm a 'once a day' guy at least. Now I'm more like once a fortnight, and when I do get friendly with the girls, it can take up to an hour to climax (if I don't give up). The foggy vision and drowsiness has since cleared, but the libido thing has stuck fast. Sux.

Next came sweaty palms. This lasted about three weeks. Weird sweaty hands for no reason, lasting hours. I became a hand washing pro.

Strange bowel movements soon followed and are still present. I go to the toilet 10 times a day needed to drop the kids at the pool, but there are no kids to speak of. I sit there, and nothing, despite feeling like I need to give birth to a dolphin. In other, less regular cases I get a sudden urge from nowhere to go, and I poo in a way that shouldn't be shared with any other humans. I've also never been a big farter, but now I am. I could challenge 50 year old blokes at the bar to a fart-off and win, no problems. And I'm talking long, 30 second legendary farts, and many of them. It's quite impressive, really. I feel manly.

Finally, the latest side effect is insomnia. I drop my brain medicine at about 6.00pm each evening and by about 10.00pm the druginess really begins to kick in, where I would usually fall into a medicine coma and sleep 10 hours. How, that drug grogginess still kicks in, but I lay in bed, stupefied, eyes barely able to stay open, but I don't sleep until about 4.00am, which kills me for work the next day.

I'm also discovering now an insatiable appetite side effect. I can eat dinner, then 30 minutes later eat another dinner, then snack until I fall asleep, only to wake up starving for breakfast. I'm trying to watch my food intake so I don't end up a 400kg thunder lizard. I've never been a big eater.

The positives are that I'm slowly coming out of whatever depression I had. I've noticed small changes like socialising more and taking up a new hobby. I also seem to be venturing outside more and am more friendly, where before, I stopped taking to people because they annoyed me.

I don't know how this is going yet. They say (they always do) that you need to stick this one out for a minimum of 12-24 months. I hope to off them sooner than that.

The one piece of advice I have to offer is that the side effects, good and bad, seem to be a dynamic experience. One weeks it's this, next week it's that, one week you feel good, the next week you feel less good. I expected to be hit with some sort of plateau effect that I could get used to and work with, but it's ever changing, and each week is different so far.

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I am getting ready to start lexapro and I am scared to take the medication. I have anxiety & panic attacks really bad and I worry a lot but I want so bad to try this yet I am scared and when I take meds I think too much about it.

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Hello, Zappy Brainy! How are you doing? I'm sorry about the problems that you're having, but I must admit that the way you related them was very humorous.

It could be that this just isn't the right medication for you, not every drug agrees with every person that tries it. Since you're experiencing both the libido problems and such severe GI issues, it would be best to talk to your doctor about it. There are a few other alternatives that have also been proven effective, but don't cause them as often.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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