Just started taking Lexapro...

[kbrown488]

..and I'm very concerned about weight gain. I've been on the medication for 7 days today. I feel great but the only side effect I'm having is that I'm drowsy. I weighed myself yesterday and I was at 210 I'm trying to get down to at least 190.

One of the sites that discusses these types of medications said that taking upwards from 3 - 6 EFAs a day can drasticaly improve weight loss/management. It recommended gradually going from 1 per day for a week then increasing it by one each week up to 3 and staying there. It didn't talk about taking more than 3 but they said that one user had claimed to have gotten results by taking up to 6 a day. Is it very dangerous to take this many EFAs?

It also said to limit carbs from your diet.

**Do not cut all carbs out of your diet. We recommend some of the Atkins diet products but PLEASE DO NOT DO THE ATKINS DIET.**

**The first week – remove all breads, pasta and milk from your diet. This includes skim milk and wheat breads. You can use half and half in your coffee.**

If they're saying not to cut out all carbs but they basically say remove them from your diet for the first week and then don't really explain it for the following weeks.

Any advice on a diet that I should follow that is fairly low in carbs would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jenabena]

i just starting taking it as well, haven't heard much on the point of weight gain, but i will let you know and you do the same.

 

[bigstve12]

The diet you outlined above is for weight loss in general. If on meds or not, so i dont see why it wouldnt work. As far as side effects, I think you should be good to go. Dont give it too much thought. Good luck

 

[buffut1]

hmm.. 20mg a day is the highest recommended dose, so if you are taking 30mg, then yes, you are taking to much. The pills are 10mg, and should be taken a minimal of 2 weeks before increasing the dose, so if you are up to 30 after 7 days, you have a couple of reasons to be sleepy.

Another suggestion is to take it at night before you go to bed, should help with the drowsiness.

 

[jenabena]

lexapro is an anti depressent, never heard of it for weight loss???

 

[buffut1]

lexapro is an anti depressent, never heard of it for weight loss???

Never heard of it for weight loss. It is mostly used for anxiety and depression. However one of the side effects of SSRI's are loss of appetite.

 

[juve]

First of all I would like to ask where you are getting your dietary information from?

Generally, including EFA's into a diet is not only conducive to weight-loss, but also overall well-being. I presume you are talking about fish oil - take the amount that would provide you with 2-4g's EPA/DHA - these ligands are primed with fish oil's most body recomposition effects/physiological changes. There are really no adverse effects to taking high amounts of EFA's, unless the amount is exorbitant and most of the effects you will not be able to experience directly.

Escitalopram/Lexapro is a potent and very selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor - as such commonly the effects you would experience are fatigue/lack of stamina/endurance, decreased appetite, headaches, weight fluctuations as body adapts to serotonergic effects.

The rationale is that omega-3 EFA's preclude or attenuate Free Fatty Acid release during excercise which diminishes tryptophan release and hence augment physical performance by alleviating mental fatigue - but it doesn't work that way

So, eat fish oil and monounsaturated acids - they will only augment your well-being (including weight loss)!

 

[VascularRock]

The dosages for Lexapro vary widely depending on who you talk to. I have been on as little as 2.5mg (1/4 of a 10mg. tablet) up to 20 mgs. My doctor said it has not been uncommon for patients to require up to 30 mgs.. He did mention that those doages were inconsistent with the manufacturers orginal recommendations and were under review.

The problem I had was drowseyness. I tried taking it a night, morning, splitting the dosage and still could not handle falling a sleep anywhere and everywhere. It was the one medication that worked best for the depression (for me). Never gained any weight. The main thing I found with the Lexapro dosage is ramp up very slowly and ramp down very slowly. The nightmares and mood swings were wicked.

 

[powerlifterchick]

I took Lexapro 10mg/day for about 5 mos. It did help w/the depression & I did not experience any weight gain. But I was having wicked nightmares & mood swings too! I didn't even think it was due to the meds (I blamed it completely on my high stress job) but after reading the previous post, I think it may have been due to the Lexapro. My SO started on 10mg/day and then moved up to 20mg/day. It worked wonderful for him. Good luck!

 

[georgie24]

damn my girlfreind is prescribed 40mg a day...that says alot