Comparing Lexapro vs Rexulti

For Anxiety After months of cbt with my psychologist for severe anxiety and panic disorder i decided to seek help from a psychiatrist. I was perscribed 5mg then 10mg of lexapro to start and it gradually incresed to 20mg. In the first few days i had never felt worse. More frequant and severe panic attacks and my general anxiety went through the roof and i had the most extreme feeling of hopelessness. I was a mess and calling my drs telling them i needed to stop taking it. They reassured me these side affects would go away within weeks, and they did. I continued with the cbt, mindfullness, lifestyle changes and stayed on the lexapro and within months i felt i was back to my normal self. Post like these kept me going. Hang in there, you're not alone!

For Anxiety I am 23 and have had extreme anxiety/panic since around 20. I am super sensitive to meds/ side effects. I have tried so many AD and none have worked. Recently I have tried Remeron but had to switch due to drowsiness- I have hypersomnia. Lexapro by far has taken away my worrying mind more than anything which is amazing. The first month was pretty horrid besides that though. Constant nausea, yawning, worsened anxiety at first, headaches. I still have some nausea and now I have noticed extreme drowsiness again. I really love how it helps my anxiety, but (like always) the side effects really bother me. Try it out, get thru the 1st month. If you don't have bad side effects its the best anxiety med I have ever had. Good luck!

For Major Depressive Disorder I have been on Rexulti for a little over a month now and it has basically been a godsend. The first week or two I cried nonstop at almost anything. Happy things. Sad things. Funny things. It was more of a delusional cry than a depressive/sad cry. It was really annoying but went away after about 1-2 weeks. I have not gained any weight, which I’m super thankful for. The only side effect I've really had is the fatigue. I’m so tired every single day that I’ve started taking naps. I never take naps. I’ve also started drinking coffee in the mornings to keep myself awake. I’ve also never been a coffee drinker. These two things are starting to worry me a bit because it’s almost interfering with my schoolwork and daily function. But I love this medication otherwise and don’t want to consider anything else if it’s really helping me.

For Major Depressive Disorder I have been diagnosed over the years, in turn, as having (1) atypical anxiety; (2) PTSD; (3) bipolar 2; (4) MDD. I have been on many drugs over the years and most recently, Zoloft (stopped due to severe insomnia); Cymbalta (stopped due to sexual side effects); Latuda (stopped due to insomnia) and most recently, Rexulti. My mood and depression have greatly improved over the course of a week being on this drug, but the insomnia it engenders is very difficult. I wake every 2 hours and have to really work, with relaxation tapes, to get back to sleep, or I occasionally take .5 mg Klonopin. I have an extremely demanding work life and the lack of sleep is a big issue. If it resolves, I will say I'm very satisfied with this drug.