6packofun Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Is it possible that after 5 weeks my ds23 could still be feeling MORE tired on Lexapro? I told him he needs to get his face away from screens for at least an hour before bed, but even though he's getting a full 8 hours of sleep, he is *dragging* every day lately. He had a CBC done before going on the medication for anxiety issues and feels that the meds are helping but he's SO tired all the time. :( He doesn't get any exercise other than working at the grocery store (stocking, unloading trucks, etc.) Just curious if I should advise ds to wait a little longer before heading back to the dr. to maybe try something else? He does NOT have too busy of a life to be this tired, IMO. (He doesn't seem depressed, either, just tired.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 I take Lexapro (10mg) - I haven't had any side effects, but I tried Celexa first and it was a disaster for me. I constantly felt like I had horrible morning sickness and was exhausted all the time as well. My Dr. had me switch and the side effects immediately went away. She said that some people react to one and are totally fine with the other, so it may be worth a call to the Dr. to see if they want him to switch. I take it before bed, so I'm not sure if that keeps tiredness away? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Lexapro can be very sedating. Sometimes a smaller dose, or taking before bedtime (or both), can help. Sometimes taking a day off or weekend off can help. All this should be okayed by doctor first. Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is a stimulant antidepressant which may be better but that depends on other factors. I assume all the normal labs were run, like thyroid, anemia, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 ETA- I think the wait is long enough to have gotten used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 Yeah, I think so, too, displace. He is taking it before bed as well so I figured he should be over the acclimation stage by now for sure. Hmm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Is it possible that after 5 weeks my ds23 could still be feeling MORE tired on Lexapro? I told him he needs to get his face away from screens for at least an hour before bed, but even though he's getting a full 8 hours of sleep, he is *dragging* every day lately. He had a CBC done before going on the medication for anxiety issues and feels that the meds are helping but he's SO tired all the time. :( He doesn't get any exercise other than working at the grocery store (stocking, unloading trucks, etc.) Just curious if I should advise ds to wait a little longer before heading back to the dr. to maybe try something else? He does NOT have too busy of a life to be this tired, IMO. (He doesn't seem depressed, either, just tired.) I don't know who came up with the number 8, but studies show that humans sleep best in intervals of 90 min. Better to get 9 hours of sleep or I guess 7.5. I don't know if this is applicable to his situation, just a thought. I have recently started taking Lexapro. I don't know if it makes me more sleepy or not, but it hasn't helped with my issue of waking up once a night. The dr said that might stop happening. I guess time will tell. Isn't the dr supposed to check on him at about 4-6 weeks of usage anyway? I think that's what my office said. They scheduled an appt. to check on me at like 6 weeks (so I would think it makes sense to check in soon if your ds is around 5 weeks in) and will determine if they should change medicine or dosage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Yes, a lot of people do need more sleep than the average. But for him to have (supposedly) the same amount of sleep but increase sleepiness after starting a new medicine, I'd blame the medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 I've been on Lexapro twice and I never noticed that it made me tired or sleepy. It did make me yawn a lot. Both times I took it I felt like I was adjusted to it after about two weeks. So I would certainly think he's been on it long enough. Maybe a different medicine or a lower dosage would be better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Yes, a lot of people do need more sleep than the average. But for him to have (supposedly) the same amount of sleep but increase sleepiness after starting a new medicine, I'd blame the medicine. Yeah I would blame the medicine too if I didn't know something else was different around the same time. Like is this stocking job new? Did anything change at work or elsewhere? I am not sure if he started the job and medicine around the same time or not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Lexapro made me more energetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Lethargy is a common side effect with SSRIs, especially with Lexapro for some people. I was on it for months and while it worked well for my OCD, I finally couldn't take feeling sleepy all the time and went on something else. After five weeks, he's probably starting to get the full effect of the med, and while that means it'll treat his illness better, it also means it's increasingly likely that the lethargy is one of those side effects that's going to stick around for him. It does go away for a lot of people, but not everyone. There are quite a few SSRIs out there. There's no reason for him to feel this tired all the time when another med might get the job done with fewer side effects. I'd go to the doctor and ask to try something else. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted April 19, 2017 Author Share Posted April 19, 2017 Yeah I would blame the medicine too if I didn't know something else was different around the same time. Like is this stocking job new? Did anything change at work or elsewhere? I am not sure if he started the job and medicine around the same time or not. No, he's been a stocker for 4 years. lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 No, he's been a stocker for 4 years. lol oh ok Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Lexapro was dropped here because of its sedative effects. It was taken at bedtime. Try another Med. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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