Lexapro® (escitalopram oxalate) is well tolerated by most adults.
In fact, patients in clinical
trialsA controlled study designed to test the
safety and efficacy of medicine in a set population of patients who
have a specific illness. who took 10-mg of Lexapro experienced overall rates of
side effects comparable to patients who took a placebo (sugar pill).2,4
If you think you are experiencing side effects, you should talk with
your healthcare professional about your concerns. A simple adjustment
in dose may be all that is required.
The most frequent side effects reported with Lexapro are nausea,
insomnia, problems with ejaculation, somnolenceProlonged drowsiness or sleepiness.,
increased sweating, fatigue, decreased libido, and anorgasmiaThis is the inability of a person to ever achieve an orgasm while
having sexual intercourse..2,4
Patients taking Lexapro typically have mild to moderate side effects
which tend to go away with continued treatment. One study of patients
taking 10-mg of Lexapro showed that these side effects usually do
not cause patients to stop taking Lexapro. In that study, only 4%
of patients stopped taking Lexapro due to side effects, compared with
3% of the patients taking placebo.2,4
Side Effects of Lexapro in Studies of Depression
In a study of patients with depression receiving either Lexapro
or another antidepressant, Effexor®
XREFFEXOR is used to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder,
and social anxiety disorder. It is an SNRI (serotonin and norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitor) and is believed to help treat depression and the
associated symptoms of anxiety by affecting the level of two chemicals
in the brain—serotonin and norepinephrine. (venlafaxine HCl), Lexapro was found to be not only as effective,
but also better tolerated. In this study, fewer Lexapro patients stopped
taking their medicine because of side effects (4% for Lexapro vs 16%
for Effexor XR).5
In general, people taking Lexapro do not suffer from agitation, nervousness,
or anxiety any more than people not taking Lexapro. Additionally,
in controlled
studiesA study in which a test treatment is compared with a treatment that
has known effects. The control group may receive no treatment, standard
treatment (which may be another medicine or another approach to care),
or placebo (sugar pill.), clinically important changes in body weight were similar
for patients treated with Lexapro and those treated with placebo.4
Side effects of Lexapro in studies of generalized anxiety disorder
(GAD)
In clinical studies of people taking 10-mg a day of Lexapro
for GAD, the number of people who stopped taking Lexapro due to side
effects was low.3,6*†
A head-to-head trial was conducted to compare Lexapro and Paxil®PAXIL is a medicine used to treat depression, panic disorder, social
anxiety disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Paxil is a
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that treats the symptoms
of these conditions by restoring the balance of serotonin in the brain.
(paroxetine HCL) in the treatment of GAD. In this trial, patients
taking Lexapro and patients taking Paxil® experienced improvement
of their GAD symptoms. However, fewer patients stopped taking Lexapro
due to side effects as compared to patients taking Paxil® (7%
for Lexapro vs 23% for Paxil®).7
In addition, in this trial, clinically significant weight gain occurred
less often in patients treated with Lexapro over 24 weeks (8% for
Lexapro vs 18% for Paxil®).7
*Full antidepressant/anxiolytic effect may take 4 to 6 weeks.
† 8% for Lexapro vs 4% for placebo in the comprehensive GAD
safety database.
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