fyi,

my doc gave a prescription for this for syncopy, heart related, and it is also good for add he said.

[supposed to regulate fainting]

Paul :)

Lexapro? Yes, I take it...it's an SSRI.

what's an "it's an SSRI." ?

thanks.

paul :)

My doctor put me on Lexapro after I had my son for post partum and for my ADD. BUT, I hate the way the med makes me feel. I feel exhausted all the time and just a little slow. I have found that while on the med I cannot think on my feet as fast as before. I stopped taking it without telling my husband or anyone else including my doctor and if you can tell by a lot of post's I slumped big time into another depressive episode. So, I have had to start it back up and have found once again I'm tired all the time and I cannot think on my feet which is imperative to my job.

I feel exhausted all the time and just a little slow
====================================
after 3 days, i feel kinda tired.
but, they said to give it three weeks til it kicks in.
he gave it to me for syncopy, a heart related thing as i said above.

i feel i can think on my feet ...just want to take a nap.

think i will give it thru the weekend and see how my vitals are doing.

we have a home blood pressure monitor which we check each night and morning.

i have to add more sodium to my diet too.

hope this does the trick for the heart, but the add as well,..

Paul :)

thanks for the details futs. :) Paul

ps. oh, by the way, ...i try to do more running outside or on treadmill to speed up my system...if you know what i mean, :) seems to make me feel better.

SSRI --- selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor....an anti-depressant.

Seratonin...the "happy" neurotransmitter. An SSRI keeps more seratonin in your system, thus helping to reduce depression, anxiety, and whatever else may accompany these symptoms.

:D I love my lexapro and my lexapro loves me! :D

Lexapro is a known to be very good for side effects - fewer and not as bad as other SSRIs. Excellent for depression and anxiety, it's often used to treat ADD. Never heard of it being used for a heart condition - you learn something new every day!
A lot of people complain that SSRIs cause them to feel lethargic. When I was taking SSRIs (never tired Lexapro tho') I felt that they took away some of my "drive" or ambition.
They did help my depression and anxiety however!
The side effects should wane over time - my Dr said that the body takes 4-5 weeks to get used to most psychotropic drugs.
Good luck,
Greg

I was on it for 3 month's and it just never seemed to go away. I'm hoping this time is different since I'm not recovering from a C-section or mastitis. Maybe, my body was wore down anyway's. We'll see in about 3 weeks lol.

thanks for the input guys. :)

i do a combination of things to make the day upbeat with lexapro:
music in the car on the way to work, rock or dance music, run on treadmill or outside, take vitamins [organic], and aim to keep a proacive positive attititude.

so maybe these things are my foundation for the heart and add in me,

hey, i am all heart.

you guys are too!

PAul :) thanks again!

1 more ques! :)

do you take more thqan 10mg of lexapro btw? :)

NOPE

hmm,

thanks.

PAul :)

I am currently taking 10 mg of Lexapro for Depression and Anxiety. I have to say, it has *really* helped my anxiety! I think I've only taken 1 Xanax since I've been on this med for the last 3 months!

I was on Celexa 20 mg but hated the side effects. Yawning and tired all the time and the benefits didn't seem to outway the drawbacks.

I think part of my depression problem is the fact that I'm ADD (only very recently diagnosed) and I'm waiting to see the psychiatrist for meds for that in 3 weeks (been waiting 3 weeks already!).

But I guess to really answer your question . . . you really need to give it several weeks before your body adjusts. For me, the Lexapro is very doable. Been on it for 3 months and tiredness has pretty much subsided. But then again, it could be because the Lexapro doesn't make me as tired as the Celexa that, in comparison, I'm not tired at all! :rolleyes:

I took Lexapro back in (january??) for aobut a week adn a half (10mg) - and it made me feel exactly what your'e describing... slow and unable to think on my feet... lethargic... It was like my adreniline was gone and I didnt' really worry or care if i was going to be late for class, or that I had homework due in a couple of hours. everything just ... well... i dunno!!

I finally decided that it was working TOO well to take away anxiety (which is why I had been taking it) - and that I had been using anxiety as a coping technique in a way. Like, that was how I'd motivated myself - though anxiety... and when that was gone there was no reason to move quickly.

That was my theory anyway, but I could have just been plain old side effects.

I take it with a Stimulant.

so i guess i am not alone then. :)

good to hear others are taking lexapro.

thanks guys again. :) paul

Tara, how is that working for you? does it help with concentration at all, or more mood? I'm REALLY curious since I basically have the choice b/w [SSRI + a stimulant], wellbutrin, or strattera, and I have no idea which to go for. I've tried both adderall and lexipro on their own, but not together. neither worked, but I think together they might....

I REALLY want to work on concentration. but also motivation/mood. Of course, I talk to my doctor thursday morning, so by the time you see this I'll probalby have tried somthing =)

Christiana,
My experience with all SSRI is that they make one feel a bit sluggish, especially during the first week or two of treatment.
I've just started Wellbutrin XL 150mg/daily for both ADD & depression.
My doc. suggested Wellbutrin alone instead of the SSRI + stimulant combination, as he is concerned of the possible addictive qualities of stimulants.
Im hoping that the 1 med. will do the job of two,.
It would be nice...I'll let you know how things go.

I really want to try a combination of an antidepressant and a stimulant myself - (but the wheels of the medical profession move slowly!) I think I need the antidepressant for anxiety and dysthymia, but being short on dopamine, without the anxiety to get me off my ***, I get nothing done. I need the stimulant for the dopamine!
I suspect the best treatment for a lot of us ADDer's is an antidepressant plus a stimulant, especially if you're anxious or depressed. Pesonally I don't think Wellbutrin would work for me because I am a bit of an insomniac and it's a stimulating drug with a long half life, so I suspect I would not be able to sleep at all if I took it. Stimulants have a short half life - from 1 to 6 hrs for regular release - so I'm not as worried they'll hurt my sleep patterns if I'm careful when I take them.
Regards,
Greg

Thanks gusy (greg and runner) - I'm talking to my doctor tommorrow morngin about which thing to try. I'm still not sure. She doens't want to start me on both an SSRI AND a stimulant at the same time... just the SSRI and then "evaluate" if the stimulant is needed. I'm like - NO - I KNOW that the SSRI without a stimulant is going to make me sluggish and unmotivated (b/c the lack of dopamine, like you said) even if it's only for a few days, I still dotn' even want to do that since I have finals starting in exactly one week.

Plus I hated the way lexapro on it's own made me feell (sluggish) and i really dont' want to do that agian. but then again... I suppose that it will take a few days to even take effect anyway so maybe it's not that bad.

I dunno. Maybe wellbutrin would be better. or maybe strattera...

so many doors to TRY!! I wish I could open them all quickly to see which one is right. (if any of them...) too bad it's not like that.