Lexapro how long to work

If you feel unusually elated or you become very terse with your spouse, feel noticeably more irritable, or have an uncharacteristic bout of road rage, you probably need to change your antidepressant, he advises. You may experience some depressive symptoms when discontinuing antidepressants, but this does not mean the depression is returning. Unfortunately, some people stay on their antidepressants longer than needed because the symptoms of discontinuing SSRIs can be mistaken for signs of returning depression.

Work with your doctor to distinguish between the two. You may need to go even slower than a few weeks when tapering off your antidepressant to prevent these withdrawal symptoms.

While taking an antidepressant can be very helpful for managing depression, you might not find the right one for you on the first try. And be on the lookout for any worrisome symptoms while you're taking any antidepressant, Lim advises. Manic episodes, serotonin syndrome, and seizures, for example, need to be evaluated by a doctor ASAP. Additional reporting by Michelle Pugle. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: August 6, Medically Reviewed. For guidance on this, check out our page on getting support with your medication.

You can feel tired in the first few days of taking escitalopram. However, this should get better after the first week or two. You can continue to drink alcohol in moderation while taking escitalopram. However, the two together might make you feel very sleepy, especially when you first start taking the medication. During the first few weeks of treatment, it might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you.

Cannabis and other drugs may have their own side effects on your mental health, like anxiety or psychosis. For more information, have a look at our drugs and alcohol page. Methadone can make drowsiness worse with escitalopram.

The escitalopram could increase the concentration of methadone in your body. Taking escitalopram with cocaine, ecstasy or amfetamines could bring on serotonin syndrome. You need to go to hospital if this happens, taking your escitalopram with you. Escitalopram does not mix well with some other medicines and drugs. Do not take escitalopram if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant MAOI like moclobemide, phenelzine, isocarboxazid or tranylcypromine in the last 14 days.

Before you start taking escitalopram, tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications including things you have bought over the counter for common illnesses like colds and flu or topical applications that you put on your skin.

Taking escitalopram may affect your ability to do things like driving a car, riding a bike, or anything else that needs a lot of focus or balance. It can make you tremble, or feel dizzy or restless. It might be best to stop doing things like driving or riding a bike for the first few days, until you know how it affects you. Risks with escitalopram in pregnancy are low but women who are trying to get pregnant should talk about it with their doctor.

If you do become pregnant while you are on escitalopram, you should carry on taking the medicine and go back to your doctor as soon as possible to discuss your options. If you decide to carry on taking escitalopram, you should tell your midwife that you are taking it before you give birth.

If escitalopram is taken in the last five months of a pregnancy, it can cause a serious condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the new-born PPHN.

This can make the baby breathe faster and look a bit blue in colour. This compares with a rate of two in 1, among babies born to mums who do not take SSRIs. PPHN appears in the first 24 hours after birth. You will need help from the midwife and doctors, so it is better if they are looking out for symptoms. There are some other symptoms that can occur in newborn babies if escitalopram is taken in the last three months of pregnancy, so do look out for these and get help if they happen:.

Please talk to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist if you want to breastfeed while taking escitalopram. The good effects of escitalopram may, after a while, have a positive effect on your sex life as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again. Taking escitalopram may affect doing things like riding a bike, competitive gymnastics, or anything else that needs a lot of focus and balance.

Taking escitalopram may affect your sleep and make you feel restless, which might interfere with your preparation for exams. You might decide together to delay starting it until you have done them. If they are more than a month away, however, you might find that it is better to start escitalopram to lift your mood and improve your motivation to study. You need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment with escitalopram if you have any of the following:.

Most people take escitalopram for at least six months after they feel well again. This is to help guard against symptoms returning. You and your doctor should discuss how long you might expect to continue this medication before you start taking it. To get the best effect from escitalopram, take it once a day, every day. You can take it every morning, when you have breakfast or brush your teeth. Make sure that you know your dose. If it is not written on the label, check with your pharmacist or doctor.

You can take it before or after food. Swallow the tablets with a drink of water - if you chew them, they taste bitter. If you forget to take it for a few days, you may start getting withdrawal symptoms. If you do, see your doctor as soon as possible. If you want to stop taking escitalopram, please speak to your doctor first.

This does not mean you are addicted to the medicine - just that your brain has become accustomed to new levels of serotonin. Withdrawal symptoms should stop within two weeks.

If they do not, or they are preventing you from getting on with your life, speak to your doctor. If you have taken more escitalopram than the dosage recommended by the doctor who prescribed it to you, you must get medical help immediately — even if you do not feel any different. As part of depression , some people think about hurting themselves or taking their own lives.

Taking an antidepressant may not stop this. You must get some urgent help if you are having these sorts of thoughts. Speak to someone who is looking after you or go straight to hospital with your tablets. Escitalopram can cause serious side effects like allergic reactions difficulty breathing, swelling of your face or throat, itching skin lumps. Go to a hospital if you get any of these symptoms, taking your medicine with you.

Young people under 25 have an increased risk of trying to take their own lives, thinking about taking their own lives, and hostility mostly aggression, oppositional behaviour and anger when they take escitalopram. Therefore, it is not licensed for people under 18 years. If you are under 18, you may still be prescribed escitalopram if you and your doctor have decided that the benefits outweigh the risks for you. Make sure that you have planned what to do if you experience any side effects from taking escitalopram and ask family and friends to support you during your treatment.

Do not stop taking escitalopram after a week or two just because you feel it's not helping your symptoms. Antidepressants like escitalopram help to jump start your mood so you feel better. You may notice that you sleep better and get on with people more easily because you're less anxious. You will hopefully take little things that used to worry you in your stride. Escitalopram won't change your personality or make you feel euphorically happy. It'll simply help you feel like yourself again.

Don't expect to feel better overnight though. Some people feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before they begin to feel better. Once you're feeling better it's likely that you'll continue to take escitalopram for several more months to prevent the symptoms returning. You'll need to discuss with your doctor the pros and cons of continuing to take escitalopram for longer than a few months.

The decision will depend on the type and severity of your symptoms, whether it's a one-off problem or one that keeps coming back, how well escitalopram works for you, and whether you have had any bad side effects. If you have been feeling better for 6 months or more, your doctor may suggest coming off escitalopram. Your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually over several weeks, or longer if you have been taking escitalopram for a long time.

This is to help prevent any extra side effects you might get as a reaction to coming off the medicine. Do not stop taking escitalopram suddenly or without talking to your doctor first. A few people may get sexual side effects, such as problems getting an erection or a lower sex drive.

In some cases these can continue even after stopping the medicine. Speak to your doctor if you are worried. But sometimes people respond better to one antidepressant than to another. Escitalopram and citalopram are both medicines used to treat depression. Escitalopram can make you feel less hungry, so you may lose weight when you first start taking it. If you start to have problems with your weight while taking escitalopram, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Some people find they can't concentrate properly while they're taking escitalopram. It might be best to stop driving and cycling for the first few days of treatment until you know how this medicine makes you feel. Escitalopram will not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception. There's some evidence that escitalopram can reduce the quality of sperm, but it's not known whether this reduces male fertility.

The effect should reverse once you stop taking the medicine. Speak to your doctor if you're concerned. For women, there's no firm evidence to suggest that taking escitalopram will reduce your fertility. But speak to a pharmacist or doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment. The good effects of escitalopram may, after a while, improve your sex life as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again. Sexual side effects usually pass after the first couple of weeks.

However, very rarely, they can be long lasting and may not get better even after stopping the medicine. If these happen and are a problem for you, go back to your doctor to see if there's another treatment you can try. You can drink alcohol while taking escitalopram, but it may make you feel sleepy. It might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine makes you feel.

Antidepressants, including escitalopram, are just one of several approaches to treating depression or anxiety. If you're interested in any of these treatments, talk to your doctor. Cannabis can also make drowsiness worse with escitalopram, especially in people who have just started taking it.

Methadone can increase the risk of side effects in people taking escitalopram. Talk to your doctor if you think you might use recreational drugs while taking escitalopram. Page last reviewed: 14 December Next review due: 14 December Escitalopram On this page About escitalopram Key facts Who can and cannot take escitalopram How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About escitalopram Escitalopram is a type of antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today?

It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for escitalopram to work. Side effects such as feeling sick nausea and headache are common. They're usually mild and go away after a couple of weeks. If you and your doctor decide to take you off escitalopram, your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually to help prevent extra side effects. Escitalopram is also called by the brand name Cipralex. Escitalopram can be taken by adults over the age of Check with your doctor before starting to take escitalopram if you: have had an allergic reaction to escitalopram or any other medicines in the past have epilepsy or are having electroconvulsive treatment - escitalopram may increase your risk of having a seizure have a heart problem - escitalopram can speed up or change your heartbeat have a low heart rate, plus you have had severe diarrhoea and vomiting for a long time or take tablets that make you pee more diuretics have ever taken any other medicines for depression - some rarely used antidepressants can interact with escitalopram to cause very high blood pressure even when they have been stopped for a few weeks are trying to become pregnant, already pregnant or breastfeeding have an eye problem called glaucoma - escitalopram can increase the pressure in your eye If you have diabetes , escitalopram can make it more difficult to keep your blood sugar stable.

Take escitalopram once a day.