Lexapro (Escitalopram) - Know Your Drug

In this week's episode of Know Your Drug, Bryan Kudlawiec and J.J. Leffler discuss the medication Lexapro. Lexapro is commonly prescribed to treat depression. We highlight some of the important points of this disease state and risks involved with it. Discussion on how Lexapro works to help treat depression and other important information such as side effects, monitoring parameters, and common usage. This information is general guidelines and is not meant to replace physician orders. Patients using Lexapro should use this medication according to their prescriber!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Know Your Drug
• Lexapro
• escitalopram
• SSRI
• serotonin
• depression
• treatment
• pharmacy
• phi delta chi
• beta gamma
• drug
• side effects
• disease
• duquesne
• mylan school of pharmacy

[victimizedsociety]

is it dangerous if its expired lexapro?

[KnowYourDrug]

Taking an expired medication is never a good idea. Due to stability of medications, the expired medication may not contain the same amount of the active drug as it once did.

[Nanumir]

could taking lexapro cause a need for anxiety prescription and beta blocker prescription to be written for me by a doctor? I take xanax and lexapro and my doctor said I have side effects that need to be treated with blood pressure beta blockers

[KnowYourDrug]

Many people are treated with an SSRI and a benzodiazepine such as xanax. Even though Lexapro is indicated for generalized anxiety disorder, many patients still need additional medications, such as benzodiazepines, to lower anxiety levels. As far as the add-on of a beta Blocker (ex. metoprolol), I could not see lexapro causing a need for it. Beta Blockers lower blood pressure by blocking epinephine (i.e. adrenaline) from binding and forcing the heart to work harder. Is your blood pressure high?

[omgitsmenoway]

Could taking ibuprofen result in Serotonin Syndrome or was it only Triptan's and MAOI's?

nice vid. btw

[KnowYourDrug]

Ibuprofen use with SSRI's would not result in serotonin syndrome. Drugs that work on serotonin pathways used with SSRI's are what pose the greatest risk of Serotonin syndrome. Ibuprofen doesnt work on that pathway. Thanks for the question and comment.

[darkchakra123]

good info! i am considering this drug. gonna see my doctor soon

[jazzflea]

I started taking escitalopram 2 weeks ago along with cognitive therapy and xanax but from 3 xanax a day I went down to 1-2 max sometimes none!! Not sure if its the escitalopram or the cognitive therapy but I am getting better! Changed my way of thinking about stuff and taken 3 months off of work. I do heaps of fun activities, before I was in my room checking my blood pressure every 30minutes. Xanax is great but very addictive though! Today I had none! I also take beta blockers for hypertension!

[tomkkkkk]

i have been on 10mg lexapro for roughly 2.5 weeks now and I dont feel my self yet... I have noticed my stomach getting abit rough and have had runny bowel movements. =( is this drug dangerous or will do damage to my kidneys?

[hobo31009]

thanks for your vid guys! i was diagnosed with depresion and have been taking 20mg of these for about 8 years. doc wanted to reduce to 15mg. but after about 2 months i went a bit nuts so back to 20 thank you v much! is it ok to be on these long term? and i think i must have bipolar becauseget massive highs that last for weeks!

[somename1235465]

My pharmacist said that it was okay to take ibuprophen on it...

[300sooks]

i did when i was on lexapro because it made me tachycardic, then again no SSRI did me any good because i wasn't depressed to begin with