What is Lexapro?

In this article we will get to know that what is Lexapro and what will be the best time to use Lexapro for anxiety and depression etc. Lexapro is the name of a medicine and is used for the treatment of depression, anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) etc. It contains an active ingredient of drugs which makes a medicine and that is called “Escitalopram Oxalate”. So, it is a brand name for the prescription medicine Escitalopram. It belongs to Selective Serotonin Reputation Inhibitors (SSRI) that is a class of drugs which helps by restoring balance of a certain natural substances(serotonin) in the brain.

How to use it

You must take Lexapro according to your doctor’s advice and you must ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is any question before taking it. So we can say the best time to take Lexapro for anxiety, depression etc. will be as prescribed by doctor.

Dosage

Must take the dosage as prescribed by your doctor or pharmacist either you take it with food or without food. Normally the best time to take Lexapro for anxiety is in the morning or in the evening but only once. You must be very careful while you are taking it in liquid form as you must make sure that you have taken proper measurements. Also, you should take it regularly and at the same time every day. Remember to take it daily on regular basis even if you are feeling better and don’t stop taking it withoutproper consultation with your doctor. Normally it takes 7-14 days to make you get better feelings and 20-30 days to have full benefit from it. You must consult your doctor if you are not feeling any improvements or your condition is becoming worsens. At start you should take in low quantity and gradually increase its quantity as advised by your doctor or physician. You must follow your doctor’s instructions carefully and don’t increase the quantity of dose ore than prescribed. Remember your condition will not improve except there will be an increase of side effects by increasing dose. Below is commonly used dosage of Lexapro but remember you must take it as prescribed by your doctor/consultant/pharmacist.

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Strengths

It is available is three strengths

• 5 mg
• 10 mg
• 20 mg

Lexapro comes as a tablet that we swallow. Its quantity for medication will also depend on several other factors like liver diseases, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder(MDD) etc. Normally dosage for GAD is 10 mg once a day and maximum are 20 mg. Also, it is same for MDD. Remember if you miss your dose then you should take as soon as you can but if there is time for next dose then never take it with the other dose as taking both dose at a same time can cause other side effects. Normally if you forget to take one dose and its time to take the other one then you should skip first dose and be careful to take both doses from the next day regularly and at their proper time. It is also saying that it should not be given to anyone below age of 12. Also, you should not take it if youare having allergic to Escitalopram or citalopram.

Side Effects

Like other drugs there can be a lot of side effects by using it like nausea, dry mouth, trouble sleeping etc. There can also be constipation, tiredness, drowsiness, dizziness. Remember this medication is suggested because benefits of it are more than that of its side effects. Any how if someone does not feel better by using it then he/she should consult doctor. If there are any serious side effects like easy bleeding/brushing, decrease in sex desire, black stool, vomit just like light green, fast/irregular heartbeat, seizures, eye pain, vision changes, blurred vision etc. you should act rapidly. The risks are more if you take it with other drugs that increases serotonin. Get medical help right away if you fell any symptom like fast/irregular heartbeat, severe dizziness, severe nausea, skin rash, swelling of your face, unexplained fever. These are just a few examples of side effects but might be more other than these, so you should be very careful and have proper consultation with your advisor.

Pregnancy

Any woman having pregnancy must consult her doctor before taking Lexapro. You should not start orstop taking Lexapro without consultation with your doctor. Any intake or stop of Lexapro during pregnancy may cause serious complications in the baby. Lexapro can cause serious life-threatening lung problems in newborn babies whose mothers take it during pregnancy. So, you must be very careful in this case.

BreastFeeding

Lexapro can pass into breast milk and may harm a feeding baby. Women must consult doctor while breastfeeding if they are noticing any drowsiness, agitation, feeding problems, tiredness, baby weight loss or poor weight gain etc. But do not stop it without consultation with your doctor.

Storage

• Keep Lexapro out of the reach of children
• Keep it at 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C)
• Keep Lexapro bottle close tight

Warning

There are a number of risk warnings while you are using Escitalopram Oxalate

• In young people there can be an increase in suicidal thoughts. So we should keep an eye onthem particularly people under age of 24. The risk might be greater in first few months so make sure to have proper consultation with your doctor.
• Stopping Lexapro can also cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, irritability etc.
• There can also be a greater risk of bleeding, so be careful
• People having already heart problems, lung problems, liver problems or having family history regarding these problems must be conscious while taking Lexapro and he/she must consult theirdoctors while taking this medicine. There can be high risk of irregular or high heart rhythm.

Drug Interactions

Lexapro is used for anxiety and depression. It can be taken at any time of the day but the best time to take Lexapro for anxiety is in the morning if there is any sleeping problem. If someone having nausea then the best time to take Lexapro can be at anytime but it should be with the food. Like all other medications it also has side affects and drug interactions. You must make sure that you pharmacist or doctor knows well about all other drugs that you use so they can let you know or check about drug interactions.

Conclusion

Lexapro dosing at an optimal time and frequency is vital in order to maximize its efficacy in managing anxiety effectively. Although there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, working closely with healthcare providers as well as self-observation can help determine the ideal timing and amount for each individual user, in order to successfully reduce anxiety symptoms while limiting potential side effects. Effective anxiety management must include open communication between providers in order to achieve successful results using Lexapro.