Comparing Lexapro vs Zoloft

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 have been smoking marijuana for almost 10 years until recently when I knew that was causing me more anxiety and depression. So I broke down to my doctor and told her my head isn’t right, that I messed with it for too many years. The first week of Lexapro I felt the affects right away. What a difference honestly I felt normal and could take on anything. I do believe in lifestyle change: I started 3 months ago to lose weight and I have lost 10 lbs so far. That’s because I pushed myself but was still miserable. It really is reprogramming your mind, but with the THC withdrawals Lexapro definitely saved me. Eventually I would like to get off it but it’s saving me a lot of trouble with suffering. Plus, it’s giving me so much confidence and NO more social anxiety. It’s hard to say if I really do have generalized anxiety because I abused THC for a decade but right now, this medication really does help with everything else I’m doing to change my life. I’m on a low dosage of 5 mg which I feel is enough.

For Depression I saw my doctor after the anxiety I'd been having the last year hit an all time high in the last six months. I would wake up wondering "Why? What am I even here for? what am I working for?" I suffered severe muscle tension in my shoulders and lower back, extreme irritability/mood swings & panic attacks..my heart would be POUNDING as if I'd run a 5k when really I was just lying in bed. It is day two of taking Zoloft...I'm singing (still terribly) to songs again. I feel I have gained the sense of "normal" that my life has always lacked. I am more clear-headed and find rational thinking easier. My depression and anxiety was destroying my relationships. I'm beginning to see this "light at the end of the tunnel" people speak of. 50mg a day.

For Depression I’ve suffered from longstanding low-level depression ever since I can remember, and have often pondered with the idea of trying an antidepressant even though I stay away from medication as much as I can. Everything has worsened over the last year since my youngest, fittest sister died prematurely of breast cancer with extensive liver metastasis (or whichever came first)…I was with her for the 7 weeks after diagnosis and watched her take her last 2 breaths; this pain has become more intense lately and I would find myself crying like a baby over my little sister… My demented elderly father got a prescription for Zoloft (he must also be depressed because of my sister’s death), but since no one at his home was giving it to him I decided to give it a try! I’ve been taking 25mg (elixir) for 2 weeks and have seen a huge difference in my crying spells; I still think about my little sister, but don’t feel that overwhelming sadness as much… The first week I took the Zoloft at bedtime, but started to notice difficulty falling asleep, so now I take it in the morning…I felt no other side effects! I’m far from being a peppy, energetic person, but at least some of my suffering has been alleviated, and that’s what living is about; who needs to be in constant emotional pain!? Good luck to all!