Is this all in my head?!


Question: I have been on Lexapro for 4 years now. I tried to get off 3 times, which only lasted from 2 to 16 weeks at a time. I started the medication again because i was so moody and sad at times. I love the way i am when i am taking the meds. I am happy, easy going, friendly, alert, i guess what every person should feel like. I am not sure what the future hold for me as far as taking this medication. Do people stay on these kinds of meds for the rest of theyre lives? I am afrain to get off of the medication. I dont want to go to that dark life anymore. But then again i do not want to be a weak person who has to rely on medication to be happy. I think that i am embarressed that i take this medication. My husband supports me totally but sometime will ask if i am going to try and get off because he feels its not healthy to be on meds like that.
Please help me, what do you think?


Answers: I have been on Lexapro for 4 years now. I tried to get off 3 times, which only lasted from 2 to 16 weeks at a time. I started the medication again because i was so moody and sad at times. I love the way i am when i am taking the meds. I am happy, easy going, friendly, alert, i guess what every person should feel like. I am not sure what the future hold for me as far as taking this medication. Do people stay on these kinds of meds for the rest of theyre lives? I am afrain to get off of the medication. I dont want to go to that dark life anymore. But then again i do not want to be a weak person who has to rely on medication to be happy. I think that i am embarressed that i take this medication. My husband supports me totally but sometime will ask if i am going to try and get off because he feels its not healthy to be on meds like that.
Please help me, what do you think?

I've been on Lexapro for about 3 years now. I had been on several other meds prior to this one since about the age of 20 (I'm 28 now).
If you are ever going to stop taking it, please do so under the direction of a doctor. You will need to wean yourself off slowly.
As for being on it the rest of your life...so what? That does not make you a weak person anymore than the person that has to take medication for their blood pressure. People tend to treat mental health illness as something that's not real or less important than physical illnesses. Depression is a very serious illness. The medication isn't a magic "happy pill"...it corrects chemical imbalances in your brain to help you feel better. It has a purpose. Your husband needs to understand that it is more healthy for you to take the medication than to not be on it. If he were taking medication for, say, a heart condition...would he let you tell him you don't think it's healthy to take the drugs? Of course not! Why are anti-depressants any different?
I have worked with plenty of patients with mental illnesses throughout my tenure as a nurse. Believe me, if taking a few pills everday keeps you feeling normal...you're way better off than ending up like some of these people.
Don't be ashamed...it's not like you're wearing a sign on your forehead that broadcasts "I take Lexapro!!!" I'm a nurse and a single mom...and I take Lexapro everyday. You'd be surprised...more people than you even realize take something! Depression and anxiety are higher now than ever and people are starting to recognize it and seek help.
In the end, you're the only one who can decide how you feel and the best road to take. Good luck!

It is all in your head, but it's not your fault. Imbalances like that play tricks on your mind. I've been through something similar.

Birth control makes me crazy. I get irrational, jealous, depressed, etc. I almost ended up in the psych ward because of it. That sucked.

I also have a thyroid condition. I have to take a pill every single day for the rest of my life to feel normal. This is healthy. I go to two different doctors. One is my endocrinologist who is also a holistic medical doctor. And I go to a general practicioner. Both of which agree that I need my meds every single day. When I don't take my thyroid meds, I am tired, lethargic, foggy, sort of depressed and definitely "off."

Take your meds. If they work, just continue them. Your husband is not a doctor.

My mom's friend has a mental disorder (she's kinda nuts) and has to be on lithium for the rest of her life. If she's not on it, then she DOES end up in the psych ward. In the last 5 years, she has gone off her meds (and the deep end) seven times. The last time she went off her meds she almost went to jail! She's learned her lesson.

Take your meds.

I think sometimes the benefit outweighs the risk of medicines and it sounds like you are the kind of person who is truly benefiting from your meds and if your Dr. thinks you should be taking them than you should. Do not ever stop taking this type of medicine without first consulting with your Dr. Sometimes even if their is a slight risk of future problems from a medicine it is still well worth taking it if it is greatly improving your quality of life. I know that I have Multiple Sclerosis and the first medicine I was on made me so sick all the time that I decided I would rather have quality of life than quantity if that was my only choice. I would rather not take the meds and not feel like I got ran over by a truck constantly. Fortunately there were other shots that I was able to take that allowed me to have both. Anyways if it reduces your quality of life when you are not taking it I would rather take it. Hope this makes sense.

are you just thinking that you really do need them.. that if you come off them you will go bk to your past dark life.. if you lrt that happen it will... try not to think negative.. negative thoughs .. negative life..
positive thoughts happy life...
getting off them should be done gradually not in an instant.. i.e reduce your millgrams.. take them every other day..etc etc etc..
why be embarresd about takeing medication.. your ill.. and people who or have suffered from depresion really no were your comeing from..
take care and good luck..xx





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