Anxious about Starting Lexapro for Anxiety
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I hope it works for your daughter. I have been on it and didn't have many adverse side effects once my body got used to the new medication. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks. Just remember it can sometimes can take time and trial and error to find a medication that works for an individual, but having experienced the benefit of one I can say it's so worth it. And as PPs have pointed out it can just provide a reset and she doesn't need to be on it for the rest of her life. That was the case for me. I know several people who have been on SSRI's and I don't know of anyone who has had lasting issues with personality changes except for the better, because when it worked it made them more outgoing, more comfortable in their own skin, etc. |
Anonymous
| OP: have your daughter tried non-ssri anti-anxiety meds such as buspirone? They have mild/little side effects. Might not work for everyone but worth a try. As with everything under the sun, there is a subreddit dedicated to it if your daughter wants to read the discussions/experiences first. |
Anonymous
| Here’s a teenager’s perspective from a student newspaper: https://theblackandwhite.net/76633/opinion/is-this-what-it-feels-like-to-go-insane-my-excruciating-journey-on-antidepressants/ |
Anonymous
Re Metabolic Mind Those diets probably help the physical health of people with schizophrenic and allow let to handle their illness better but in no way is it a substitute for medication. And then he lists about 15 other serious illnesses that can go in “remission” from a diet. Wishful thinking. It’s true that not all symptoms of anxiety are because of a mental illness. But the ones that are part of the mental health system need to be treated by a doctor. A psychiatrist described it like a “flight or fight” reaction in the body. As humans we haven’t needed that reaction since animals were chasing us. He said that some families lines have been slow to get rid of this, it’s like an assault on the body. My family has a lot of members with generalized anxiety and Zoloft has been helping with no side effects. I has miserable panic attacks with this chemo treatment I was on. Klonopin saved me and the attacks went away when the treatment was over. |
Anonymous
DD (16) has been on an SSRI for a few months and it’s helping a lot. I’d say it’s helping more than therapy. |
Anonymous
| My daughter took Prozac and I have been on many SSRIs over the years, with no discernible side effects. It hugely improved the quality of our lives. There is a chemical imbalance in her brain and she needs help with that. You don’t have to take it forever. My guess is that if you try it, you will wish you had done so long ago. I’m not aware of any kind of addiction issues with SSRIs. They are safe. She may need to try more than one to get a good fit. Please, just try. |
Anonymous
|
My son was on Zoloft (another SSRI similar to Lexapro) for 9 to 10 months while he was participated in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Without medication therapy wasn't working. Once the therapy started working and his mood really improved he was able start exercising and using the techniques. It then took 6 to 8 weeks to taper. So the whole process took a year.
I did not want him on a SSRI for over a year because the sexual dysfunction side effects of SSRI's are usually not discussed with teens. It's awkward and most teens do not want to discuss this with their medical provider especially if a parent is in the room so it is hard to study. From one article: Adults taking SSRIs may experience sexual side effects more than half the time, some studies estimate, and it's possible that rates of sexual side effects would be similar in teens, Levine said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-antidepressants-teens-side-effectsidUSKBN0MJ24C20150323/ When I hear of so many teens saying they are non-binary and/or asexual I really wonder if some of them are on SSRI's. I think it was really worth my son taking a SSRI because he was in a pretty bad place, and if he hadn't been able to substantially improve we would have wanted him to stay on the medication. I just wanted to mention it because the sexual dysfunction side effect really needs known particularly as teens are going through puberty and starting to try out relationships with others. |
Anonymous
|
My DD started fluoxitine (Prozac) when she was 14. She'd been working with a counselor but it just wasn't enough. The SSRI has made a huge difference. She's now 19 and has taken the occasional break (she's on a lower dose so she doesn't need to titrate off) but has mostly stayed on it. It doesn't remove the anxiety but softens it enough so it's manageable.
FWIW adjusting to BCP was harder for her. She started taking them for hormone related migraines. Took a little while to find the right one. Interestingly, that what you usually have to do with SSRIs - find one that works and with fewer side effects. |
Anonymous
The sexual issues increase with age in every single study, so they can't assume teens are the same. There hasn't been any studies to show it directly in teens. And all note that depression tends to decrease all of these issues already and anxiety can sometimes sharpenly increase them for them worse (more masturbation /sexually active) So it is very hard to decipher the role they SRRI's play in teens and sexual side effects. That said, no one should avoid trying them for a potential fear of this and no one should be on them if they can't discuss side effects with their parents or doctor. |
Anonymous
| I just want to say not to pressure your daughter into making this decision. My mother basically forced me onto SSRIs when I was 14 because I was "making her life hell". I was a straight A student with a job who never caused any trouble but I was moody and anxious and hated my school. I've been on and off these drugs all my life and I wonder if something got rewired by starting them so young. It should be her decision. |
Anonymous
Doesn’t it seem at least as likely that (1) mental health issues run on your family bc your mom clearly had them and/or (2) your upbringing caused your mental health problems? Blaming the SSRIs doesn’t seem logically sound - you’re blaming a symptom, not the cause(s). |
Anonymous
Absolutely right and I am so sorry you had that experience. My mom was the opposite -- my depression went untreated until my mid-20s because my mom viewed it as me "being dramatic" and refused to let me talk to a doctor or therapist about it. And then she got it into my head that the way I felt was my fault and I just needed to will myself to feel better, which didn't help either. It took me a long time to find treatments that work for me and to start feeling like my mental health was something I had some power over. But it sounds like OP's DD actually wants to take an SSRI and has refused other treatments like exercise or changing her diet that could help. In this case it sounds like a low dose SSRI carefully supervised by a doctor who knows how to treat anxiety in teens is a good idea, even if only for 6-12 months until she can engage with other solutions like CBT, journaling, exercise, etc. |
Anonymous
That's not what PP is saying. It's okay to urge caution in giving SSRIs to kids, and also to make sure it's something the child is on board for. Consent is always important, but it's extra important when it comes to mental health issues because unless OP's DD has agency and ownership of the treatment, it's going to be hard to get a positive result. I get that people have all kinds of opinions on these issues, but please be thoughtful about invalidating or questioning someone else's personal experiences. If the PP feels she went on SSRIs too young, against her will, and that it's had negative impacts in adulthood, that's what happened. She's the only one who could possibly know. |
Anonymous
|
Go find Dr. Amen online. He gives a lot of alternative options
That said, she is a junior in high school and is in crisis mode. Start the meds NOW to get her back to a baseline because even the meds take a few weeks to kick in. And then therapy and alternative options can work and then wean her off of the meds in June and see how she does in the summer Also echoing the Magnesium Glycinate that someone mentioned. It's a game changer for anxiety and that actually works quicker than SRRI's. So does Ashwa. So if you are really against the meds, try them. And get her light therapy and send her to yoga |
Anonymous
What magnesium and Ashwa meds do you use? I’m anti meds and want to try them for my anxious daughter. |