Lexapro? What do you know?

[shortbun]

My girlfriend's 15yo son has beene prescribed this drug and the side effects she is reading about are scaring her. I told her, "the DIS knows"

 

[dakcp2001]

The mayoclinicdotcom site is good for looking up anything like a new prescription or condition. With all medications there is going to be a list of scary side effects, they dont affect everyone. Most people only have mild sife effects. ( I was horrified when I read the anti malaria pills when I went out of the country)

The Dr who prescribed it should be able to tell the mom what the more common side effects are and which ones are more rare. That kind of medication takes a couple of weeks to start working, should never be stopped abruptly.

 

[Deon.Newmankgyxc]

i dont know yet

 

[DAISY DUCK FAN!]

For me, Lexapro makes me tired. I take it at night right before bed.

Absolutely have your friend check with her son's doctor. And as previously mentioned, stopping this medication abruptly is not wise.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My 14yodd has been on it for about almost 2 yrs. She is taking 5 mg. No side effects whatsoever.......She does take it at night before bed.


My 19 is also going to be switching over to Lexapro after being on Prozac for several yrs over this Thanksgiving. She is in the dorms and both of us feel more comfortable making the switch at home.

Good point about the tired thing. I will have to remember to tell dd to take it at bedtime.

 

[lsyorke]

There are FDA black box warnings for teens and young adults for increased suicide risk. Regardless of how low that risk is, parents should be aware.

Another aspect to realize is that there is a withdrawal scenario with all of the ssri's. Something to be cognizant of prior to starting Lexapro. It can take considerable time to discontinue the drug in the future.

I would try all other avenues of treatment prior to putting any teen on an ssri.

 

[136368]

From my archives:

Escitalopram

Brand names: Cipralex®, Emovit®, Lexapro®, Seroplex®, Sipralexa®, Vivalan®, Vivarint®, Vicilan®
Formula: C20H21N2FO
Half life: ~ 30 hours
Single unit dose: 5mg per day
Recommended outpatient dose: 10mg per day [Verified]
Maximum outpatient dose: 20mg per day [Verified]
No. 2 most prescribed antidepressant, 2005
No. 1 most prescribed antidepressant in USA, 2006

Escitalopram is a derivative of the drug citalopram, an antidepressant of the same family, whose main advantage over the parent drug is in tolerability. The drug entered patent as citalopram left its own, prompting cynicism and speculation that the drug company was in fact marketing a near identical drug at a higher price.

This drug is the most selective SSRI antidepressant available and has proven its worth in clinical trials; it still sports the typical side effects that SSRIs tend to have, including those in withdrawal. Interestingly, this drug kicks in exceptionally quickly when compared to other mainstream antidepressans - sometimes as soon as under a week of therapy.

Hope that helps!

 

[136368]

Some background on SSRIs:

SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor

Please note: Dosage equivalents are provided for certain drugs below and are denoted as unit equivalents, i.e. one unit of drug x is roughly the equivalent as one unit of drug y, where the dosage equal to one unit varies.

A relatively new type of antidepressant, this drug family rocketed into the public eye, fuelled by the phenomenally successful medication fluoxetine. They act selectively on the monoamine neurotransmitter serotonin, inhibiting its reuptake and therefore increasing the amount available to neurons to soak in, as the name suggests.

In theory, serotonin should be the most effective monoamine neurotransmitter to target as it is believed to metabolise stress hormones; indeed, SSRI antidepressants are effective in the treatment of anxiety based disorders. However, with the advent of the SSRE antidepressant tianeptine this particular theory has been called into doubt, as SSRE antidepressants tend to accelerate or enhance the reuptake of serotonin and at the same time exerts a notable antidepressant and anxiolytic effect, typically with less side effects.

Typically, these drugs cause less side effects than tricyclic antidepressants and are safer in the event of an overdose. They should not typically be taken in conjunction with RIMA or MAOI antidepressants and a "cooling out" period is suggested in order to minimise the chance of a potentially serious condition known as serotonin syndrome; however, combinations are not totally out of the question. Effective combinations with NARI, SNaDRI and SDRI antidepressants can typically be made without serious consequences.

"In the 1980s a new type of antidepressant called a serotonin reuptake inhibitor proved markedly successful. Called fluoxetine, it apparently achieves its therapeutic effect by interfering solely with the reabsorption of serotonin within the brain, thus allowing that neurotransmitter to accumulate there." - Encyclopædia Britannica

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

Make sure they talk about any changes in mood and if any suicidal thoughts happen. Not saying it will happen, but that is a huge warning for younger people. Personally I love the medicine and like that it helps with my PMS induced anxiety and mood swings, but it does make me a little tired and need to take it at night also.

 

[shortbun]

Thanks guys! We have read the 'official' info on the drug and it's category. We are looking for some anecdotal information if you have it. The doc pretty much echoes the written info. I think she said the doc told her to give it to him in the morning; interesting that most folks take it at night.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks guys! We have read the 'official' info on the drug and it's category. We are looking for some anecdotal information if you have it. The doc pretty much echoes the written info. I think she said the doc told her to give it to him in the morning; interesting that most folks take it at night.

My 14yodd started with the morning however it made her a bit dizzy so we switched it to night.

We kind of played around with it and night seems to be what did the trick for her.

I do not know about my older dd, she already has tired issues, which is why she is switching. She is on many mgs., of Prozac and it is just not working for her anxiety. She has been having panic attacks at school.

So rather than bump up her Prozac she is going to switch meds.

When my kids started the meds believe me, I checked out their mental health daily on a serious note since these meds can have bad side effects. You just don't know.

 

[Pigeon]

Not a teen (not even close!), but here's my experience.

I was on it for a bit while I was getting cancer treatment. I had no side effects at all and it was immensely helpful. I'm the sort of person who rarely takes even an aspirin, but I joke that if they put this in the water supply, we could achieve world peace.

I stopped taking it when treatment was done and had no withdrawal problems at all.

 

[Donaldswife]

I was on it for 3 years, just recently stopped. I always took it in the morning and I was fine. However, I was on it for anxiety, not depression.

Each person will be affected differently, they will have to find to what works for them. I would encourage your friend to talk over the medication with your doctor, there is an increased risk for suicide for teens on any SSRI drug, and your friend needs to be vigilant in looking for mood changes or any other indications of this issue.

I had to stop taking an SSRI drug a couple of months ago after I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This class of drug can cause gastro issues (diarrhea, nausea, etc.) so she should watch her child for that as well. I had to stop it in order to get my other issues under control and am now using a different class of drugs.

SSRI's can be lifesavers (they were for me!) but they do come with risks and possible side effects. Your friend will have to weigh the risks and benefits and continuously monitor her child. I was on them for YEARS (first Prozac, then Paxil, then Zoloft, then Lexapro-which was the one that worked best for me of all of them) when I began having side effects, so they can happen at any time. Like with any maintenance medication, open communication with the doctor and monitoring for side effects is key!

I hope they do well with Lexapro, and that it helps with the issue with minimal to no side effects for them.

 

[rszdtrvl]

My younger brother was prescribed Lexapro, but it just made him nauseous and he couldn't sleep.

I told my mom to have him put on Zoloft instead. Practically the entire family is on Zoloft, and none of us have issues with it.

My younger brother tried taking it with food, before bed, in the morning, and pretty much tried everything before realizing it didn't agree with his system.

 

[dreambig1]

there are always alternative treatments that are not harmfull - search the web for alternatives or homeopathic. safe and natural!!

 

[C.Ann]

My sister is taking this now - but she isn't taking it the way she should, so obviously it's not working.. LOL

I've known some who have taken it with success - others not so much.. But they were all adults.. When it comes to kids, I think it gets a little trickier..

Hope your friend can figure out what's best for her child..

 

[shortbun]

Well, I just saw 'Colored Girls' with my girlfriend and she's a social worker so I asked her.
She takes it and has lots of clients who do. She says it's one of the best and since this young man is starting with 5mg, even if he has side effects it won't be too bad. She said it has a short 'shelf life' and only stays in the body about a day so if he doesn't like it, he can stop and be done with the bad effects fast. (How's that for a run on sentence?)

 

[Princess_Pris85]

deleted

 

[Prose]

I took it for a few days right after my cancer diagnosis...I felt fine overall, but it gave me insomnia. My anxiety was just mild, so I just stopped taking it after a few days and went back to regular sleep patterns. I probably did not take it long enough to have concerns about dependency.

 

[SaraJayne]

I took it for a few days right after my cancer diagnosis...I felt fine overall, but it gave me insomnia. My anxiety was just mild, so I just stopped taking it after a few days and went back to regular sleep patterns. I probably did not take it long enough to have concerns about dependency.

Same here. I took it for about six weeks five years ago and in those six weeks, I probably only slept a couple hours a night.

I stopped taking it cold turkey after six weeks and finally got some sleep!