lexapro and ssri's are addictive

I wouldn't recommend anyone to take lexapro or any other SSRI's unless its an absolute emergency. And even then please take the lowest dose possible. SSRI's are addicting, contrary to what the doctors have been trying to tell us for years. They are misinformed. This has been my personal experience since I was first perscribe Prozac in 1988. I was young and blindly followed the other "sheep" only to have my life turn to shambles--in large part due to the effects of the drug. It is now known that when a person such as myself tries to quit the ssri's the depression and other problems come back with a vengeance...worse than what started out to be. They say to wean off lexapro very slowly and even then, your brain has to make up for the damage done, so expect it to take a while but I for one have vowed to end this insanity because I'm crazier now from taking ssri's than I ever was in the first place.
Thank you
Ally

Research shows that SSRI's react differently with different people. There is a broad range of this type of medication because of our different make ups. It took me three attempts to get one that has helped with the "Craziness" but more importantly being able to enjoy moments in my life was worth the long struggle to find the right SSRI for me. It's hard to stop anything in your life that makes you feel better I guess that's why you find them addictive, if your not ready to come off them then perhaps it's not time, even if it has been 20 years. There are plenty of professionals that can help you to come off any drug so people should not give up if you have been diagnosed with a problem.

Guest wrote:

Research shows that SSRI's react differently with different people. There is a broad range of this type of medication because of our different make ups. It took me three attempts to get one that has helped with the "Craziness" but more importantly being able to enjoy moments in my life was worth the long struggle to find the right SSRI for me. It's hard to stop anything in your life that makes you feel better I guess that's why you find them addictive, if your not ready to come off them then perhaps it's not time, even if it has been 20 years. There are plenty of professionals that can help you to come off any drug so people should not give up if you have been diagnosed with a problem.

ssri are helpful for some people but i for one would never touch thepoison again,i got very sick from paxil and i had to come off cold turkey,well its 5wks off and its been a night mare,praying i will get my mind body and spirit back soon.

I took Paxil years ago and had no problem on it, or getting off it. I now take Lexapro, and when I missed several doses I went crazy. I had an unbelievable headache, cried all the time, and, frankly, wanted to die. I'm still on it because I'm afraid to get off. A psychiatrist told me she thinks that Lexapro is addictive, because you can't stop taking it. She told me you have to ease off, cut your dosage little by little, but I am afraid to now, because I suffer from depression and anxiety, and when I went off it was SO BAD.

First of all you should NEVER discontinue use of a medication, psychiatric or otherwise, without the supervision of a Dr. You need to taper off of most psych meds, it is never advised to abrubtly stop taking them. I have never heard of SSRI's being addictive, thought it is possible. I would ventrue to guess of the reasons people think ssri's are addictive could be due to the fact that one is depressed and has a chemical imbalance so needs something to correct that imbalance, thus, obviously when you go off the med your depression will return. Iam NOT saying that SSRI's are meant and useful for everyone...in fact there are many different coping skills one can learn to effectively deal with their symtoms that may not include the use of medication at all. And yes some psych meds do include undesireable side effects thats why it is so important to work closely with a licensed psychiatrist so together you can find the best treatment.

I thank god every day for lexapro. I had terrible panic attacks which left me devestated. I have been on lexapro for over 4 years now and am living my life happy and content. It sounds to me like you never needed the drugs if you were able to come off of them without getting the panic attacks and depression back. Just because you dont' need the medicine it doesn't mean that it is bad for eveyone else.