Lexapro and tummy problems
#183741 - 06/05/05 03:58 PM
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Tinkerbelle
Reged: 04/17/05
Posts: 231
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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I'm taking 5 mg of Lexapro- very small dose. I feel that maybe my digestive problems have gotten worse since being on it. Could that occur with such a small dose? It's so confusing because maybe the tummy problems mean I need a bigger dose? SO hard to know!
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If you are suffering from IBS-D I would seriously reconsider the type of antidepressant you are on. I know that Lexapro is an SSRI type of AD that can certainly cause stomach upset and D as it works with increasing your seratonin which increases gastrointestinal motility as a side effect. This is why I can not take this type of antidep. I have tried a couple of SSRI's (zoloft and Lexapro) and immediately became ill. Tricyclic antdepressants such as Elavil actually have constipation as a side effect. You may want to discuss this with your health care provider. Even people that do not have IBS suffer D as a side effect with SSRI's. When I was having really bad D attacks, my doc prescribed Elavil and it actually constipated me, which was a nice change from the constant D. It also works with your nerves and helps to reduce pain sensation. It's worth a shot.
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Dana
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I keep reading that people are taking Tricyclic antdepressants and I don't know what they are. What is the difference between them and SSRIs? Are there more or less side effects? I suffer more from anxiety than depression, but all of the IBS symptoms have made me also very depressed!
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Tricyclics are an older type of anti-depressant. They still work on anxiety and depression just like the SSRI type. My doctor told me that there wasn't much difference in the 2, but that tricyclics cause constipation and SSRI's diarrhea. That and of course the SSRIs work on the seratonin while tricyclics conquer depression by working on some other hormone or neurotransmitter (not sure which). All I know is the tricyclic constipated me as I am an A and tend to sway from D to C. If I had straight D, I probably would have been able to remain on the tricyclic.
Hope this helped!!
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Dana
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