Official answer. Lexapro is usually taken once a day and you can take it either in the morning or at night. If you get night sweats from Lexapro – try taking it in the morning. Although this may cause sweats during the day, some people find these more manageable.
You can take it with or without food. You can take escitalopram at any time of day, as long as you stick to the same time every day. If you have trouble sleeping, it's best to take it in the morning.
Adults and children 12 years of age and older—10 milligrams (mg) once a day, taken either in the morning or evening. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 20 mg per day. Older adults—10 mg once a day, taken either in the morning or evening.
You can take Lexapro at any time of day. It's typically taken once per day. If you start taking Lexapro and find that you're having trouble sleeping, try taking it in the morning. This may make it less likely that you'll have trouble falling asleep.
There is no specific time that is best to take it. However, a person experiencing insomnia may want to schedule Lexapro for the morning. Lexapro, the brand name for the antidepressant escitalopram, is a daily medication. Taking Lexapro every day is more important than the specific timing.
While some people may find that it keeps them up at night (and therefore that taking it in the morning is better for them), other people may experience sleepiness, which is another common side effect of Lexapro. If that is the case, it may be better to take the medication in the evening instead of the morning.
This medicine may cause some people to become drowsy, have trouble with thinking or controlling body movements. Make sure you know how you react to escitalopram before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not alert or well-coordinated.
Each person will experience slightly different side effects, but the most common side effects are drowsiness, headache, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting. These effects may emerge during the first weeks of starting Lexapro. If the starting dose of Lexapro is too high, these side effects may be even worse.
In fact, you may even feel worse initially. When you start taking Lexapro, you may find that your anxiety symptoms get worse before getting better. You may experience increased jitteriness and an increase in your anxiety for the first two weeks on Lexapro treatment.
Official answer. Even though it takes Lexapro only a few hours to increase serotonin levels within the brain, it may take several weeks to start working. Signs that Lexapro has started working include an improvement in your sleep, energy, or appetite. In some, this may happen in as little as 1 to 2 weeks.
You may experience side effects during your first week on Lexapro, including anxiety, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, headaches, and nausea. These effects usually dissipate as your body adjusts to your medication.
The length of time it takes for Lexapro treatment to start working can vary. It's common for some symptoms — like improved energy, sleep, and appetite — to improve within a week or two.
The half-life of Lexapro is estimated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be 27-32 hours. This means that if you take a dose of 10 mg of Lexapro, only 5 mg will remain in your bloodstream after 27-32 hours. After 54-64 hours, only 2.5 mg will stay in your bloodstream.
Do not use escitalopram with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), tryptophan, St. John's wort, amphetamines, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).
Many antidepressants, including Lexapro, can take around 2 to 6 weeks to start having an impact on anxiety symptoms. The time it will take for anyone to feel improvement in their symptoms will vary based on their health history, the symptoms they are experiencing, and the way the medication makes them feel.
Although some antidepressants are associated with sleep difficulties, the data on Lexapro and insomnia is mixed. While some Lexapro users report insomnia, there's also research showing that Lexapro may actually make it easier to fall asleep.
Can you feel the effects of Lexapro immediately? Most people report feeling the effects of their Lexapro within 4 weeks. It can take some people as little as a day or as long as 6 weeks to feel the effects of their treatment. This is because different people notice the influence of medication at different times.
Escitalopram should help you feel calm and relaxed. It could take some time for escitalopram to have its full effect. This effect should reduce your behaviour problem. For example, it may… • help you control your temper • help you stop hurting yourself • help you stop breaking things.
SSRIs are thought to improve mood by boosting serotonin activity in the brain. But serotonin is not always a bed of roses. In the early days of treatment, it can increase levels of fear and anxiety and even suicidal thinking in some younger people. As a result, patients may stop using the treatment after a few weeks.
The good news is because escitalopram has been shown to help improve sleep disorders,⁴ your initial insomnia or increased fatigue should not last long.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine (Paxil), and fluoxetine (Prozac), taken for depression or anxiety, can make you feel sleepy.
More than 10% of patients reported insomnia while on Lexapro, according to the FDA, making it one of the most common side effects of the medication. Many antidepressants, especially SSRIs, can cause insomnia due to their effect on the serotonergic system responsible for certain bodily functions, including sleep.
“Many SSRIs, including Lexapro, can cause a temporary decrease in appetite that lasts only for a short time,” says Dr. Anderson. Because weight fluctuations are a possibility, this is the time to take stock of your eating and exercise habits.