i*m on 20 mg. daily..is it ok to break it in half? i*ve gained so much weight but i can*t stand myself if i don*t take them.. i*m very irritable if i don*t take it.. anything i can take that won*t put weight on me? thanks! :)
Answer:
NO it's not ok. Lexapro has worked wonders for me but I was terrified about the weight gain. I take 30mg/day and instead of gaining weight, I lost about 10 lbs. For me, it's made me more active and I actually lost a bit of my appetite. My doctor said that it's obvious that all antidepressants have totally different side effects for each person. Sounds like you should be taking your meds since they make you feel better so getting off them completely isn't the answer now. Don't mess with your dosage without talking to your doctor about it and tell him/her EXACTLY WHY you want to go down to 10mg. What happens if you go down to 10mg and start to feel like crap but don't lose any weight? It's not worth it to try to figure this out by yourself. There are plenty of other meds out there that may work just as well for you or even better and NOT make you gain weight. PLUS, you have to remember there are also different reasons why people gain weight on certain antidepressants. Sometimes you are actually eating more and become less active because the pill may make you feel hungry or tired. Other times, you may just gain weight for no reason even if you hardly eat at all. There may be another way to deal with the weight gain other than getting off Lexapro. Talk to the doctor before you do anything!!
BTW, I've also been taking a benzodiazepine (first Ativan, then Klonopin) with my Lexapro for my severe panic attacks/anxiety. I wonder if that has anything to do with my weight loss or lack of weight gain from Lexapro...
If you are not happy on any medication and want to change the dose you should never do this without consulting your GP who put you on them.
Dont think anyone has the right to advise you on changing medication. I am qualified in medication but as I do not know you I would not be happy advising you on wether you should chnage it.
Please see your GP to discuss your concerns.
Sorry that not more helpful
If you are taking lexapro for depression ? I was taken once and made me very sick - I swiched to Wellbutrin XL - ask your doctor to swtich you because Wellbutrin its really good for your mood and will help you loose the weight .
Good luck
I would talk to your doctor and see if there is an alternative med to take.
I'm having the same problem taking Depakote .Try to exercise that helps the mood.
If I were taking Lexapro..and by the way, I think it is a very beneficial antidepressant...I would stay on the 20 mg. dose until I talked with my Dr. He may advice you to lower to 10 mg.,or not... however,you do want his opinion.
Depression is multi- faceted...and so are the things you can do to fight it. It isn't just about taking a pill-although that is important too. Taking a walk,lowering your intake of carbs,journaling,being with friends and family who love you, enjoying time with your pet.Finding a support group can be a big help too.
M.A. R.N.
ive been taking lexapro for over a year now only problems ive had was once ran out and tryed to quit taking it to see how id feel for a few days with out and i got real sick dr said it was withdraw ,it was real bad,if ya wanta get off of it and switch to something else hun go to dr if its not working for ya ,you can really have bad reactions when just suddendly changing or stoping meds.goodluck
I'm on Lexapro, and I know exactly what you mean about the weight thing. I think its because we feel like we finally have our lives back and are happy-causing us to finally eat normally and feel much more hungrier. Myself, I'm on 10mg and that helps me, but don't change your dose without talking to your doctor. 10mg might still keep you gaining weight. I guess we just have to learn to control it. I like to snack a lot, but I've found that if I feel like snacking, I'll just go get a glass of cold ice water and that will curb my snack-craving. I've been exercising too-lost 2 pounds last week. I've also heard that 100% Hoodia can help you keep your weight or help you loose weight. I haven't tried it myself, but I would like to. I'm kind of afraid to take anything besides Tylenol. I had to break myself to take this Lexapro. I had bad panic attacks. So anyways, please talk to your doctor. A small dose may or may not help, but if the medicine is working for you, don't switch. Once you start switching medications, and you don't find one that works as well, when you try to go back to Lexapro, it may not work as well. So, good luck.
It is not OK to reduce your dose without medical advice for two reasons.
1. reducing your dose needs to occur slowly and with supervision. It is a shock to your body to suddenly reduce the amount of serotonin (feel good chemical) available (this is what Lexapro does) and you may end up with some very unpleasant side effects and a type of serotonin syndrome (this happened to me when I ran out of meds and didnt have a script and thought I would wait 3 days til I saw the doctor - it felt terrible (headaches, nausea, dizziness, electric shock type feelings in my head)
It may be more benficial to reduce your dose by less than the 10mg initially and then stay on this for a period of time. Your doctor will be able to tell what the best way to do this
2. reducing your SSRI antidepressant may result in throwing you into a nasty deep depression. Your doctor may feel it is better off changing meds.
I take 15mg of lexapro and dont have issues with weight gain with it. I have found of all the SSRI's lexapro has been by far the most effective. I have taken a variety of other SSRI's and never really noticed they had any effect until Lexapro.
It would be a shame to stop if it is keeping your depression at bay.
Have a chat to your doctor - I am sure they would be understanding and maybe have a trial of a lower dose.
20mg is a significnt dose.
Goodluck
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