Lexpro questions

[Honeysmom]

My MIL asked if I know anyone who is taking Lexpro b/c she just stared it and I said I didn't know. Is anyone? She was taking Zoloft and couldn't sleep so they had her cutting them in half. Then they switched her to Lexpro last week. She just started it and does not really know any of the side effects. Has anyone had luck or any big problems with it?

She did discover last night that drinking with it is not a good idea...unless you want to go to bed at 7:30 and have your Daughter-in-law really angry at you for your behavior at her house. But that is all she knows. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks...Becky

BTW, she is taking it for depression due to a tough year.

[sierra]

Li'l Sprout took Lexapro last year. He was having anxiety issues and it made a world of difference. The psych thought he probably had a little depression going on too. ADHD and LDs in the upper elementary grades can make a kid feel pretty worthless.

He took it for several months and then we discontinued it after school ended and his spirits seemed better. He didn't have problems with sleepiness. But he's a little young to be drinking . I was told to switch him to taking it at night if it did seem to make him sleepy. He was taking a tiny dose. 10 mg I think.

Experiences with kids and adults can be real different though. I don't know if Li'l Sprout's reaction to the drug is much of an indicator for your MIL.

[swmom]

honey -

My husband takes Lexapro and really likes it. No side effects. He was on Paxil and hated it.

[Amsmom]

I take Lexapro and find it to be very effective with no side effects. Don't mean to preach, but please tell your MIL that she cant drink with any anti-depressants!!!

[swmom]

My husband drinks on Lexapro. Is he not supposed to?

[Honeysmom]

Swmom, I am not totally sure about this, but I think you aren't supposed to drink b/c alcohol is a depressant so it has an opposite effect.

Thanks for the info. I will let her know that there were good results.

I should also add that my In-laws own a tavern. Her doc has not idea how much she actually drinks, and she is telling the doc that her drinking under control, but it is not. Unfortunatly she is a person who has no idea, or refuses to face, how much she actually has in a day. The doc told her that he wanted to start he on something before he drinking got out of control, like her hubby's.

[ChicagoRedwing2b]

I take Lexapro 40mgs once a day with Concerta for my ADHD.

Lexapro seems to even out the mood swings, but does nothing for my sudden impusivness at times.

Times to avoid problem arguments and fighting are right when they awake and right before bed time as meds are not in the system or waring off.

Males do have one positive side effect with Lexapro, and it seems to be pretty consistent among all men, and that has to do with staying power during intimate times. Thats all I will say but you will get the idea.

Drinking is seriously not a good idea, not even 2 beers is good as it seriously messes with you and the meds.

Heavy drinking can lead to increased haziness, hylucinations, and several other bad side effects, as well as sleeping for a very long time afterwards and a not so cool head the next day.

[geewiznit]

My son (19) takes Lexapro for social anxiety disorder. It's been helpful, with no bad side effects except for very vivid dreams for the first few weeks. He was previously on Paxil, but found it made him too jittery. On the other hand, Paxil is the only thing that helps my daughter's OCD--- Celexa didn't work (closely related to Lexapro) and made her feel awful. I don't think you can generalize about any of these SSRI's. They each work differently depending on the person and the disorder, and it's often trial and error to find the best one.

[Honeysmom]

Well, my MIL is here right now. She's in bed, but she is lucky I didn't haul her off to a hotel. She had to much to drink again and was awful. Tomorrow I am telling her either she stops it or she can't visit.

I have nothing against drinking, but she is going to far and I can tell the Lexpro is making her mean. She used to (about 2 or 3 weeks ago)be a sad drinker and cry, or she would just fall sleep. Now she is rude and mean. She sent my DH to bed! He was dozing on the couch and she yelled at him an sent him to bed at 7:30 and said "don't whine." He was groggy and just followed her commands.

This is not her at all, usually she is very caring (although annoying ) even when she drinks, but now she is just mean. She was trying to yell at the kids, which she never does so I put them in the tub until she went to bed. Big time mood swings, I don't know if this is just the drinking or the meds or both. Probably some of both so I am going to give her a choice tomorrow and if she keeps taking the Lexpro and drinking she can't visit. My kids don't need this garbage!

Thanks for all of the good info.