Lexapro is prescribed long-term, allowing it to create neuroadaptation in the CNS, brain, and body. Long-term effects of Lexapro may develop making continuing treatment untenable. Lexapro is not a cure.
And luckily, as long as the benefits of the medication outweigh the potential side effects, there's no strong evidence that long-term use of SSRIs poses any major problems.
How long can you take Lexapro? If this is your first episode of depression, your doctor may prescribe Lexapro for a set period, for example, 6 months to a year. Some people with persistent depression may need to take it for many years. There are no known problems when Lexapro is taken long-term.
Lexapro is meant to be used as a long-term treatment. If you and your doctor determine that Lexapro is safe and effective for you, you'll likely take it long term to manage your mental health condition. Continuing Lexapro treatment after your symptoms ease can help prevent them from returning.
For people with chronic or severe depression, medication may be needed on a long-term basis. In these cases, antidepressants are often taken indefinitely. That is, in part, because depression is not an illness that can be cured.
Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that antidepressants are used as 'maintenance' treatment for up to 2 years to prevent their depression returning (relapse). It also recommends cognitive-behavioural therapy to change habits of thought and behaviour.
The researchers found that, once pre-existing risk factors had been taken into account, long-term antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and from any cause.
There are several reasons why people decide to stop taking SSRIs like Lexapro. Some people may find the medication does not work, they experience unwanted side effects or they become immune to the medication.
Common side effects of Lexapro include nausea, sexual side effects, and insomnia. For some people, these go away as your body gets used to the medication. More serious side effects of Lexapro are rare. These include suicidal thoughts or behaviors, abnormal bleeding, and serotonin syndrome.
Antidepressants such as Lexapro lose their effectiveness when overused. Many complain of its ineffectiveness after consumption for an extended period (after continuous use for more than six months). A licensed mental health expert should treat such cases.
Treatment with escitalopram improved affective and cognitive symptoms significantly. Furthermore, escitalopram treatment improved memory for negative facial stimuli. Control subjects confirmed the well- established memory bias favouring recognition of identities acquired with happy expressions.
Share on Pinterest Doctors advise against drinking alcohol while taking Lexapro. Doctors usually do not recommend drinking alcohol while taking Lexapro or any other antidepressant. This guidance is because alcohol can make depression worse and can counteract the benefits of a person taking antidepressants.
Escitalopram is used to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines work by increasing the activity of the chemical serotonin in the brain.
Lexapro may cause weight gain because it blocks the serotonin transporter, which increases levels of serotonin in the brain, but also increases appetite and decreases metabolism.
Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of drug-induced liver injury associated with escitalopram use, when initiating depressed patients on antidepressant treatment.
The primary therapeutic advantage of Lexapro is that it can help resolve the symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to Dr. Munir. Lexapro can help manage the following symptoms of depression: Sadness, emptiness and/or hopelessness.
Another important point to remember is that not everyone who takes Lexapro will gain weight and some even lose weight while taking this antidepressant – especially those who take it for short periods [11].
Doctors believe that it helps stabilize mood and causes happiness and a sense of well-being. Doctors prescribe Lexapro to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
If you've decided, with your doctor to come off your medication, the quitting process can be difficult. Common symptoms of withdrawal include dizziness, muscle tension, chills, crying, and brain fog.
Overall, citalopram appears to be the best-tolerated SSRI, followed by fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, and fluvoxamine. The latter 2 drugs are associated with the most side effects and the highest discontinuation rates because of side effects in clinical trials.
It's usually recommended that a course of antidepressants continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition recurring when you stop. Some people with recurrent illness are advised to carry on taking medicine indefinitely.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. They can ease symptoms of moderate to severe depression, are relatively safe and typically cause fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants do.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
Antidepressants can cause changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain function; however, these changes are typically reversible once the medication is stopped.