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Lexapro for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

Lexapro has an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from a total of 113 reviews for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. 48% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 27% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Lexapro

  • Steve...
  • June 19, 2015

"With a rough family life, it's hard to know if this drug is working to its full potential. I've been taking lexepro for almost three months now, and I can hardly tell a difference. I don't really think of suicide anymore, but happy? Is anyone truly happy? Maybe it's just my situation at the moment that brings out my pessimistic side, but I don't feel much different at all."

7 / 10
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  • Hello...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • September 16, 2019

"Hi all. I do not recommend this drug. I am tolerant to it - when I say that what I mean is I can’t stop taking it - the withdrawal is so so so bad that my doctor has said ‘you may have to be on this for life’. The withdrawal is debilitating, aggression, irritability, votatile unpredictable mood swings, uncontrollably crying, vomiting etc. The drugs work fine and as described. But the come down is traumatic. And I felt worse coming down than before the meds. I have also gained about 11 kilos 20 pounds approx in 1 year. Size 8 - 14. Flabby gut. I work out 6 days a week, don’t drink, don’t eat sugar and I am bloated like prednisone patient. Do not take this unless you are prepared to deal with ALL the horrible side effects. My only option is to go on another drug. Disgusting. I wish I had never started it in the first place. Absolutely disgusted by the doctors too who ‘don’t really know why it’s making me gain weight, just try another one’. Awful 0/10."

1 / 10
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19 Report
  • orang...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • June 7, 2017

"For posterity, I'm currently also taking Wellbutrin, Trazodone, and I'll be starting Vyvanse soon. Past SSRI's include Prozac and Zoloft; Prozac worked great but then pooped out and Zoloft didn't do much of anything. My depression and anxiety have easily tripled over the past couple due to being sexually assaulted and the deaths of two very close friends. As a result, I get agitated extremely easily at work and feel extremely low and hopeless at home. I'm currently taking 20 mg Lexapro and I believe I just felt it kick in? It's like a warm hug for the brain. I'm not feeling irritable, I'm fairly relaxed, and I'm excited for the rest of my day. I feel like it's only going to get better from here."

8 / 10
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25 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Bethkk
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • October 22, 2014

"Was on Lexapro for over 5 years for depression. I could definitely notice a difference for the better. Was no longer suicidal and could work and function on a daily basis again. But still think I could have been happier than I was. The only side effect was loss of libido."

6 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • April 26, 2023

"I've been taking lexapro for a little over 3 months. After the first month or so, I could see a huge difference with my depression and even my anxiety. For the last few weeks or so, my anxiety has been out of control and my depression is back full force. I take my medication every night, pretty close to the same time. I don't know what to do. This is affecting my home life and work life. I have heard so many good things about Lexapro, but apparently it isn't for me."

4 / 10
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6 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • August 10, 2021

"Hey guys, so I started Lexapro after my divorce about a year ago. I was having major depression, anxiety and panic attacks. After seeing a psychologist and therapist they decided to start me on 10mg of Lexapro. During the first month, I started having extreme dry mouth, but by month 2 that went away. I started seeing results after about a month or so. I was no longer having intrusive thoughts, my anxiety decreased substantially and was no longer having panic attacks. It also helped with depressive episodes. I was sooo nervous about starting a new medication, but honestly Lexapro saved my life. A year later, I am so much more stable and able to make clear decisions. My head isn't so foggy, and my emotions are in control. I am truly thankful."

10 / 10
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  • Corri
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 17, 2017

"I was hospitalized back in June as a result of my depression and anxiety. Lexapro was the first medication they put me on, followed by hydroxyzine. The first thing I noticed was the minimal side effects. I didn't experience drowsiness or stomach pains or anything that I had expected to experience. Like all depression medication, lexapro is one that needs to stay in your bloodstream for several weeks before you'll actually feel it working. It's not to say that it completely cured my depression, as there is no definitive "cure" for depression, but half of my days were euphoric and the other half I was only feeling a bit down. That is a huge step up from feeling hopeless all the time. I would recommend for both depression and anxiety."

9 / 10
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23 Report

More FAQ

  • Jcano
  • November 25, 2021

"Well. I was not able to sleep for 10 days. Benadryl, advil p.ms and seroquel did nothing for me. Insomnia, no sleep, restless to the point of exhaustion. Begin to hear my brain sounding like white noise, more depressed and suicidal thoughts. In bed all day. Horrible experience i had no libido, unable to have orgasm. Doing better after 10 days off this. Not worth it."

1 / 10
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11 Report
  • Linds
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • October 18, 2019

"I’ve had good and bad experience with Lexapro. I suffer from MDD and CPTSD and starting the medication was good. It picked me up and made me feel human again. When I started Lexapro I was also going through therapy. When I stopped therapy I felt a decline in my mood again. Not where I started, but I was still having a hard time keeping up with my life. Currently I still take it and it’s good for most of the day. When I near the end of my day I have a crash. I wish the Lexapro would last all day. I think it’s a good medication to pick you up, but I also recommend therapy to go hand in hand with your healing process"

7 / 10
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  • Shawn...
  • May 4, 2016

"After the death of my father I was thrown into an extremely depressive state and it only got worse as time went on. I was unable to get out of bed in the morning, go to school and could not carry out my normal life due to the constant feelings of hopelessness, sadness, etc. I had lost interest in everything and everyone and also began self harming. Ive been on Lexapro (20 mg) for about four months and it has helped me a large amount with my depression but it makes me feel like a bit of a zombie. The side effects were not the best but it has given me the energy and hope to get out of bed in the morning. Lexapro helped me a immense amount and I would recommend that you try it."

8 / 10
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  • Dani
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • November 30, 2022

"I didn’t see side effects when I first started Lexapro. Once I started getting my dosage increased, I experienced nausea and disorientation. I tried up to 25mg. This was too much for me. When it was too much medication, I had a constant headache, I was nauseous, eating less, and had suicidal ideations."

6 / 10
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7 Report
  • Drew
  • March 24, 2016

"I'm on my 5th day taking Lexapro 10mg and the side effects have been horrible! The most I can put into my stomach is a breakfast essential shake in a whole day, I get heavy head aches, the back of my eyes hurt like hell, I wake up drenched in sweat, my whole body aches to the point where I can barely walk, I get very cold easily, and I sleep throughout the day.. I was told the side effects will stop after a week but will the loss of appetite stop too?"

1 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • August 10, 2021

"I've been on 10 MG of Lexapro for 5 months now for MDD and GA, I woke up this morning feeling great no bad headache absolutely wonderful. Everyone says 6-8 weeks for me it was the anxiety it helped after that time frame depression took til today to lift and completely get out of the headache foggy state, so please give this med quite some time for full therapy soul hugs Jill"

10 / 10
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  • James
  • June 9, 2017

"My experience with lexapro has been overall well, I suffer from a severe depression ever since I smoked a very potent strains of cannabis which triggered me to get severely depressed and anxious, I didn't take lexapro until about 6 months of it sitting in my drawer after manning up and growing the courage to take half of 10mg for a week until the side effects subsided and raised it to 10mg, I felt less anxious at first then after 2 weeks I raised it to 20mg and felt less depressed and that's what I'm currently on. I'm waiting till week 8 too see if it gets better to know if I should keep taking it."

10 / 10
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22 Report
  • Tia...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • April 13, 2016

"I've been on many medications through the years, and this is the first one I've been on a medication that didn't make me drowsy, and had side effects I could tolerate. Having Major Depressive Disorder, PTSD, and Anxiety, but also having issues with psych medication side effects; I've been quite happy with this medication. It takes the edge off my negative moods, and at times renders me ambivalent-- which is better than before considering my PTSD anxiety was driving me to suicidal inclinations. However, if you aren't dealing with severe depression and anxiety, I'd suggest something less intense. Also, my medicaid covered this medication, but many insurance companies wont, and the original price is naught to scoff at."

8 / 10
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24 Report
  • North...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • February 4, 2022

"I was a little bummed about the duration of time it took to experience the full benefits, I was full blown meth head before a devastating crash and rehabilitation landed me at the mercy of a treatment center the mental condition I was in was extremely empty. I'm at 20mg the max dose, it has been 120 days so far clean and working a solid program. I feel blessed happy and my family got their son back I'm back in college. I actually scored pretty high on my placement test where prerequisites weren't even required I have an awesome job and I'm pretty thrilled about life now, this medication has absolutely saved my life."

10 / 10
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9 Report
  • Katie
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • January 6, 2023

"I take Lexapro 5 mg with 150 mg of Wellbutrin and it has worked wonders for me. I didn’t like taking too high a dosage of Lexapro. I felt lazy and sluggish. The combination of both really helped me with major depression and since the Lexapro is not high in dosage I don’t worry about gaining weight. I definitely would recommend Lexapro but in smaller dosages"

8 / 10
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  • abigail
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • November 17, 2021

"I was prescribed lexapro for anxiety and depression, also OCD. Side effects of terrible dry mouth, headaches. It did however, help my insomnia. Months in, my anxiety had slightly subsided and my depression was noticeably gone. But I wasn’t happy either, honestly I felt numb. Doctor upped my dose to 20mg about 4/5 months in. Again, awful dry mouth and headaches and now nausea and heart palpitations. Terrible nausea and headaches and had crippling nihilism and suicidal thoughts worse than when I wasn’t being treated. My anxiety came back full swing. I slowly stopped taking it. The withdrawal is almost as bad as the side effects. I’ve been off of it for a week now and the withdrawal sucks but I’m glad I quit."

2 / 10
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  • Lilly
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 25, 2021

"I was prescribed Lexapro for severe long term anxiety and depression. Even though it didn't work on my depression after 5 months of use, I wanted to leave it a positive review, since these drugs have the power to save peoples lives. Initially I experienced basically every side effect possible. Nausea, loss of appetite, night sweats, bad vivid dreams, changes to taste, dizzy, short term memory loss, inability to orgasm, blurred vision in the morning, heart palpitations, headaches, extreme moments of anxiety to the point of throwing up, extreme depression to the point of having to sleep all day. But you know what - this list of side effects sounds horrible, but they are worth it if you start to feel even a little bit like yourself again. After about a month the side effects decreased in severity, my anxiety was gone, but still left me with the inability to orgasm and had no impact on my depression. I've now moved to Cymbalta (SNRI) and will review that in a few months."

8 / 10
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  • RlovesH
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • May 4, 2019

"On Lexapro 40 mg everyday since 2017 for MDD and anxiety and it works. With MDD I used to have severe feelings of worthlessness and suicidal ideations. That’s lessened from 10 to 4. With GAD I had severe crippling anxiety to where I couldn’t be around lots of people and had insomnia from nonstop racing thoughts. Lessened from 10 to 5, no more crippling anxiety but small daily bouts of being uncomfortable."

7 / 10
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  • Janelle
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 22, 2021

"Lexapro has definitely helped me. I don't dread or worry as much. I'm not a numb vessel coasting through life anymore. I actually enjoy my life - the good and the not-so-good! I'm on a low dose and take it once in the morning. No profound side effects EXCEPT I have trouble initiating an orgasm; however I still feel pleasure during sex so it's not end of the world."

8 / 10
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  • Jojo
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • February 27, 2020

"First half year was great except first 2 month of sickness and feeling that I will vomit but pressure inside was smaller. From 5mg dose I went up to 20mg. After about 6 month it just stopped working at all - rivers of tears, flashbacks, insomnia, low energy. But I am strongly concern now that it's not depression I have but PTSD untreated so maybe its not working for PTSD."

2 / 10
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  • gabri...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • August 5, 2019

"was on Lexapro for 8 months. It didn't work at all. It seems it accentuated the depression even more. I was sleeping too much and eating too much. I couldn't socialize. After I got off of it, I had an euphoric episode."

2 / 10
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14 Report
  • Grimace...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • January 16, 2017

"This is a wonder drug. If you suffer from any type of anxiety, especially PTSD, and depression, especially major depression, this drug will ease your symptoms to a minimal. This is a "clean" feeling drugs and works great. Now the bad side: this drug has way too many side effects to recommend to anyone that is not retired or hospitalized. Without adjunctive therapy with an atypical antipsychotic this drug will make you numb and turn you into the walking dead. Cloudy, foggy, and lethargic with memory issues are the main side effects associated with this drug. Further side effects include but are not limited to erectile dysfunction and the libido of a 90 year old man. Aside from these effects this is a super SSRI!"

6 / 10
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  • Momof
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • August 10, 2019

"Lexapro didn't fully resolve my depression. It took the edge off but my doctor had to add Wellbutrin because alone it wasn't doing enough even on 20mgs. I discontinued Lexapro because I was gaining too much weight from increased appetite and lethargy. It also messed with my libido and made it difficult to orgasm as well as made me super forgetful and flighty. After taking a gene sight test I found that Lexapro was in moderate category so it never would have worked for me anyway."

3 / 10
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13 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.

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