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Follow These Tips to Get Off to a Good Start on Lexapro Therapy:
Taking Lexapro
- Take Lexapro once every day as directed by your healthcare professional.
- Lexapro may be taken with or without food, in the morning or
evening.
- You can take Lexapro along with most other commonly prescribed
medications.*
- Remember to fill prescriptions ahead of time to avoid missing
a dose.
- As with many other medications, you should avoid drinking alcoholic
beverages while being treated with Lexapro.
- If you become pregnant or intend to become pregnant while taking
Lexapro, or are breastfeeding an infant, tell your doctor.
- If you forget to take your dose of Lexapro, take the missed dose
that same day as soon as you remember, then call your healthcare
professional for more information. The next day, go back to your
regular dosing schedule. Do not double your daily dose to make up
for a missed dose. Talk to your healthcare professional if you have
any questions about dosing.
What to Expect
- In clinical studies, many patients treated with Lexapro began
to feel better within 1 or 2 weeks, although the full effect may
take 4 to 6 weeks.1,2 You should follow up with your healthcare
professional and report your progress.
- Continue to take Lexapro as long as your healthcare professional
advises, even if you start feeling better. If you stop, your symptoms
could return or worsen. Your healthcare professional may ask you
to keep taking Lexapro even if you are feeling better.
- Follow your healthcare provider's recommendations regarding lifestyle
changes and other nonmedical therapies to get the full benefit
of treatment
Side Effects
- Lexapro is well tolerated by most people. The most commonly reported
side effects of Lexapro are nausea, insomnia, problems with ejaculation,
somnolence, increased sweating, fatigue, decreased libido, and anorgasmia.3,4
Most of the side effects experienced by patients taking Lexapro
are mild to moderate and go away with continued treatment.
- Studies show that patients do not usually stop taking Lexapro
due to side effects.1-3
Important: If you ever experience side effects that make you want
to stop taking Lexapro, be sure to talk to your healthcare professional.
Always talk to your doctor before you stop taking any prescription
medicine.
* The most common adverse events reported with Lexapro vs placebo
(approximately 5% or greater and approximately 2X placebo) were nausea,
insomnia, ejaculation disorder, somnolence, increased sweating, fatigue,
decreased libido, and anorgasmia. Lexapro is contraindicated in patients
taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or in patients with a
hypersensitivity to escitalopram oxalate or any of the ingredients
in Lexapro. Lexapro is contraindicated in patients taking pimozide
(see DRUG INTERACTIONS - Pimozide and Celexa).
As with other SSRIs, caution is indicated in the coadministration
of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with Lexapro. As with other psychotropic
drugs that interfere with serotonin reuptake, patients should be cautioned
regarding the risk of bleeding associated with the concomitant use
of Lexapro with NSAIDs, aspirin, or other drugs that affect coagulation.
Patients with major depressive disorder, both adult and pediatric,
may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence
of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality), whether or not they
are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until
significant remission occurs. Although no causal role for antidepressants
in inducing such behaviors has been established, patients being treated
with antidepressants should be observed closely for clinical worsening
and suicidality, especially at the beginning of a course of drug therapy,
or at the time of dose changes, either increases or decreases.
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