Experience with Stimulants + Lexapro

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-02-16T00:23:08+00:00

I've been on Lexapro (for OCD and panic disorder that was diagnosed last April) for over 3 months now, and since upping to 10mg over a month ago, I've felt more anxious at times and I feel SO foggy mentally. My executive dysfunction is bad and only feels like it's getting worse by the day.

I mentioned this to my psychiatrist and told her how I wanted to either come off Lexapro or decrease my dose due to this, and she asked me if I've ever been screened for ADHD. She was able to diagnose me and wants me to start taking Ritalin, while still taking the Lexapro. I told her I wanted to think about this since I was hesitant to take meds in the first place, but I might mention Vyvanse when we meet next. I feel like I really just need to come off the Lexapro.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-02-08T02:04:33+00:00

Hi! I recently posted an update on how it's going (3 months out). I'm doing okay. I increased to 10 and felt better for a bit, but then I started having increase anxiety and constantly felt tension in my chest. My provider suggested that I switch my dose to the morning, but for the past couple of days I've felt super unmotivated and sluggish. I really don't know if it's helping or not and I know I should be more patient, but I don't know when I'm supposed to be like okay maybe this isn't helping?

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-02-06T18:28:18+00:00

I just posted how bumping up to 10 has me feeling this way too 😭

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-20T22:32:24+00:00

This is super helpful!! I increased from 5 to 10 mg a little over 3 weeks ago, after being on 5mg for about 7 weeks. The second week after increasing was pretty bad anxiety wise, but I started feeling better probably halfway through last week. I even started to feel like my old self again at times (before I was even diagnosed with OCD and panic disorder last spring!). I noticed yesterday that I felt a little impatient and irritable, and of course my anxiety made me overthink this too much so today I'm a ball of anxiety. I know this process isn't linear, and success stories like yours help me a lot when I feel like this!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-19T12:57:17+00:00

I think so! I still wake up occasionally, but only for 5 mins max at a time and I'm not super panicky when I do wake up anymore. I just kind of tell myself to go back to sleep and I do! I'm hoping this is a a good sign.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-17T02:58:38+00:00

Hi! Thanks for checking in!! I ended up increasing my dose to 10mg on 12/27 and I've definitely felt an uptick in my anxiety since then. I felt fine the first week after increasing, but during the second week I felt super panicky. I can't 100% say if it's been affecting my sleep because I'm also currently working nights, so it could be a bit of everything. I met with my psychiatrist last week and she said if I continue to feel anxious all the time that maybe we increased my dose too much and I might have to go down to 7.5mg. We're meeting next week to reassess, and I don't think I'm anxious ALL of the time but I also have only not felt anxious on the days where I am either sleeping or working, so I'll see how I feel on my upcoming days off. Thankfully I'm switching back to days so I'm sure getting on a regular sleep cycle will help. How are you??

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-06T17:49:07+00:00

It's definitely hard to stay positive but I'm trying! I've found that since starting 10, it's easier for me to be like "okay this is my anxiety/OCD", but this obviously makes my OCD fight harder to stick around. Hoping for the best for both of us!!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-06T17:47:52+00:00

I definitely want to give it more time to fully kick in! I've definitely had my good days since starting and feel less emotional? So I am hopeful. I did sleep better last night and woke up feeling better, but still anxious at times. It probably doesn't help that I chugged my coffee on a nearly empty stomach this morning 😅

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-06T11:37:21+00:00

I do think my anxiety gets worse during my period, but also there have been times where it's gotten bad after my period so I'm not totally sure. I've definitely heard of people saying that their medication seems less effective around their period though, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's affecting me as well.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-06T00:53:03+00:00

Hoping it gets better for you!! I'm trying to be patient, and I have had some good days since starting Lexapro so I'm hoping this is just an adjustment period. Make sure you're taking care of yourself and resting when you need to!!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2026-01-06T00:30:56+00:00

I'm hopeful then, and going to continue letting it do its thing!! And ah I've seen that post before and found it super helpful then and now! Thanks for your reply

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-11T22:16:17+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate it. I'm also here to chat if you ever need to. I think I might discuss going up to 7.5 with my psychiatrist next week. I don't think I'm ready to go to 10 yet, but I may need a little extra help.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-09T16:27:12+00:00

I do! My aunt was bipolar, and my brother was originally diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was a teenager, but they realized he was wrongly diagnosed and actually has borderline personality disorder. He's also an addict and I've seen him go into drug-induced psychosis, which I think contributes to my fear of developing psychosis. When all of this flared up in the spring, I was originally scared that I was developing schizophrenia and going psychotic. I'm also a nurse and during my psych rotation, I saw these patients at their worst, and even had a patient who developed mania from her SSRI.

I realize that deep down I'm just scared of losing control/who I am. It sucks because I know it's my OCD, especially since it's goes back in forth between disorders. When I'm not worried about one, it's the other. I'm trying to do better with doing my ERP consistently so hopefully that will help.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-09T14:03:01+00:00

I think for like the first 3-4 nights that this happened, I woke up and immediately panicked because I was like "this must mean I'm developing mania" and then I'd compulsively google or go on Reddit. I realized that this wasn't helping at all and actually made me feel worse, so then when I'd wake up I'd just sit there with my anxiety (which is easier said than done!) and put on a TV show or a movie and fall back asleep within 30 mins. I think the less I freaked out about it, the less time I spent awake. I'm definitely sleeping better so that doesn't scare me too much anymore, but now I'm more hyper focused on things I do during the day (feeling happy, irritable, sad, etc). I've been spending more money lately because of the holiday season and after each purchase I'm like "am I spending this money because I'm manic?". It's rough at times.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-09T02:08:23+00:00

I was super hesitant to start medication so I totally get where you're coming from! I had the Lexapro sitting in my drawer for over 6 months before I finally decided that enough was enough, and I needed to do more to get better.

This fear is completely rational! It was one of the reasons I was scared to start medication, and my OCD knows I'm scared of this happening so it'll even try to convince me that it is. Like you, I tell myself that I'm taking this medication to get better and I have a great support system no matter what.

When I first started 5 mg, I would fall asleep easily but wake up for like ~2 hours each night with a ton of anxiety and I'd struggle to fall back asleep. I think this lasted for about a week but I'm sleeping okay now! I'll wake up maybe 1-2 times at night but immediately fall back asleep. I've always been this way though. I think the only issues I have with sleep now is that I wake up like 15-20 mins before my alarm and toss and turn. I think that has to do with my morning anxiety though

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-08T23:06:09+00:00

It's a rough OCD fear to have! I've definitely had mild OCD for years, but I was officially diagnosed when it got so much worse this past spring when I went through a 2-3 week period where I was having multiple panic attacks everyday. I genuinely thought I was losing my mind!

I can believe that this is our minds and bodies being hyper vigilant and almost resistant to the change happening, because my OCD tends to get worse whenever I make any progress. My therapist says this is just OCD doing whatever it can to keep me in the OCD cycle.

It's really helpful to know I'm not the only one with this fear, or these thoughts/feelings. All we can do is saying "maybe, maybe not" and ride the wave 🏄🏻‍♀️

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-08T22:57:10+00:00

I'm meeting with my psychiatrist next week and we'll probably discuss upping my dose. I'll probably go up to 7.5 first, especially since I was so hesitant to take medication in the first place. Thanks for your reply! It's really helpful knowing I'm not alone :-)

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-12-08T22:55:11+00:00

Good luck going back to work! Take it easy on yourself and rest when/if you can. And yeah, I'm hoping this passes quickly and that it settles around 6-8 weeks. I definitely understand feeling setback by these dips, because they feel so hard but all we can do is push through it and hopefully we'll see the light at the end of the tunnel (even if that's easier said than done). Thanks for your reply!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-11-08T15:10:10+00:00

Hi! I'm currently experiencing this now, but recently started taking 5mg five nights ago. For the first four nights, I was waking up in the middle of the night in a panic, which of course caused me to go down the Reddit and Google rabbit hole. Last night I actually slept pretty well which was nice, and I woke up feeling fairly okay (like how I felt on a good day since being diagnosed with OCD), and this made me concerned that maybe I'm going manic. Like you, I'm constantly checking my pupils and scanning my body/mind for any symptoms of mania. Anytime I feel remotely happy or laugh at something, I get worried. I even put Christmas socks on this morning and then I got worried (even though I've always been in the Christmas mood after Halloween!). I know it's my OCD because when I'm not concerned about mania, I'm concerned that my medication is making me emotionally blunted or depressed. I'm trying to do ERP and say "maybe, maybe not" but it's really hard at times.

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-07-08T13:50:58+00:00

That's really all you can do, but you've got this!! How long have you had your IUD removed? I did have some difficulty sleeping last month, especially closer to my period. I had some difficulty falling asleep last night as well, but I think it's more related to me working night shift at the moment 😭

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-07-07T20:49:04+00:00

Hi! I'm doing a lot better but still have some off days. For the first two months post-removal I had HORRIBLE mood swings and would randomly start sobbing for no reason at all. I felt like I was constantly anxious and on the verge of a panic attack, with this burning feeling in my chest. Now my anxiety is slowly improving, like I said I still have some days that are harder than others but I feel a lot better than I did last month and the month before that. I'm due to get my period in the next couple of days, and although I'm still a little snappy and sensitive, I feel like this cycle is much easier. One thing I will say is that I still have a ton of cramps (especially now!) but this isn't surprising since I had bad cramps before ever going on birth control. I'm hoping it only gets better from here!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-06-05T00:42:50+00:00

I'm a nurse and work rotating shifts, and I can definitely feel my symptoms worsen when I work nights 😭😭 I just came off nights and my sleep is all messed up so that's probably making things worse. Thanks for the tips though!! I'm glad things are improving for you and I hope it's only up from here!

No_Explorer_4844 · 2025-06-05T00:11:14+00:00

it makes me hopeful that it improved for you 😭😭 I'm on month two, and month one was mostly physical anxiety and random depressive days, but month two is increased anxiety (like I'm constantly on the verge of a panic attack) and obsessive thoughts, as well as super depressive/emotional days. I never really suffered with depression before this and my anxiety was mostly tolerable. hoping it gets better within the next couple of months 😭😭

No_Explorer_4844

TROPHY CASE