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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sedona on July 29, 2004, at 2:11:40
I have a previos post "Stimulants as Antidepressant" in which I described my problems with SSRI's. I have tried a few and still come home and go directly to the couch and have no interest in doing anything with anyone. I also take Klonopin to give me more help with anxiety and Ritalin to get me out of bed. My main complaints of Lexapro, as with the other SSRI's I have taken, are lack of interest/motivation, weight gain, and lack of energy. I am not really sure if these are side-effects from Lexapro or mild depression. I started at 10 mg then my doctor raised my dose to 20 mg to help with severe anxiety. Now I am starting to wonder if a low dose such as 5 mg would actually be better. Has anyone else out there had more success with a low dose of Lexapro after having been on higher doses?
Posted by holymama on July 29, 2004, at 8:11:24
In reply to Low dose Lexapro, posted by sedona on July 29, 2004, at 2:11:40
Dear Sedona,
I too have been very lethargic and not motivated on 10-15 mg lexapro (and 20 mg makes me manic!!). Lowering my dose to 5 mg makes me terribly depressed. But two recent changes I have made have helped with my lethargy:
1.added a small dose of Welbutrin (150 mg). I have had SO much more energy with this small dose. I had forgotten what it was like to get things done!!
2.more recently I have lowered my lexapro dose to 10 mg and added 5 mg paxil. This brought me out of a depression and gave me back my energy. The original plan was to get rid of lexapro and replace it with a higher dose of paxil, but this 10 mg lexapro/5 mg paxil cocktail is working so well that I hope we can keep it there. I am still on 150 Welbutrin and also take 300 mg lithium.
Best of luck! ~Autumn~~
Posted by Bill LL on July 29, 2004, at 9:57:36
In reply to Low dose Lexapro, posted by sedona on July 29, 2004, at 2:11:40
I don't know about the weight gain. Most peple don't gain weight on Lexapro, but some do.
As for lack of energy and motivation, it's complicated. Untreated depressed people often have a lack of energy and motivation. Then they take drugs such as SSRI's. Usually they feel better after starting SSRI's, then feel lack of motivation again.
In my own experience with Lexapro, each time I felt bad, I raised the dose and then felt good again with more energy and more motivation. I now take 40 mg Lexapro along with Strattera (ADD drug).
If I were you, I would not lower the Lexapro to 5 right now. I would probably increase the dose of Ritalin, and take the long acting form of it. Ritalin is good for both energy and depression.
Otherwise, increase Lexapro to 30 mg and see how that works out. I would experiment with increasing the dose first before decreasing it.
> I have a previos post "Stimulants as Antidepressant" in which I described my problems with SSRI's. I have tried a few and still come home and go directly to the couch and have no interest in doing anything with anyone. I also take Klonopin to give me more help with anxiety and Ritalin to get me out of bed. My main complaints of Lexapro, as with the other SSRI's I have taken, are lack of interest/motivation, weight gain, and lack of energy. I am not really sure if these are side-effects from Lexapro or mild depression. I started at 10 mg then my doctor raised my dose to 20 mg to help with severe anxiety. Now I am starting to wonder if a low dose such as 5 mg would actually be better. Has anyone else out there had more success with a low dose of Lexapro after having been on higher doses?
Posted by Mariposa on July 30, 2004, at 9:18:12
In reply to Re: Low dose Lexapro, posted by Bill LL on July 29, 2004, at 9:57:36
> I don't know about the weight gain. Most peple don't gain weight on Lexapro, but some do.
>
> As for lack of energy and motivation, it's complicated. Untreated depressed people often have a lack of energy and motivation. Then they take drugs such as SSRI's. Usually they feel better after starting SSRI's, then feel lack of motivation again.
>
> In my own experience with Lexapro, each time I felt bad, I raised the dose and then felt good again with more energy and more motivation. I now take 40 mg Lexapro along with Strattera (ADD drug).
>
> If I were you, I would not lower the Lexapro to 5 right now. I would probably increase the dose of Ritalin, and take the long acting form of it. Ritalin is good for both energy and depression.
>
> Otherwise, increase Lexapro to 30 mg and see how that works out. I would experiment with increasing the dose first before decreasing it.
>
> > I have a previos post "Stimulants as Antidepressant" in which I described my problems with SSRI's. I have tried a few and still come home and go directly to the couch and have no interest in doing anything with anyone. I also take Klonopin to give me more help with anxiety and Ritalin to get me out of bed. My main complaints of Lexapro, as with the other SSRI's I have taken, are lack of interest/motivation, weight gain, and lack of energy. I am not really sure if these are side-effects from Lexapro or mild depression. I started at 10 mg then my doctor raised my dose to 20 mg to help with severe anxiety. Now I am starting to wonder if a low dose such as 5 mg would actually be better. Has anyone else out there had more success with a low dose of Lexapro after having been on higher doses?
>
>I agree w/BillLL......I have found that a lower dose brings on uncomfortable se's like migraine, bitchyness, and other withdrawal-type effects. I too have felt relief from increasing dose, currently at 30mg. For me the lethargy is a *mental* problem not physical....the brain says I'm tired I want to go back to bed, but the body is ready willing and ABLE to function normally, I have to ignore the brain, drink some coffee, distract brain by making it get involved w/project, and soon it quits complaining and I'm back to a normal day at work. DON'T LET BRAIN FOOL YOU, it's just being LAZY!!!~8|8
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