I've been off lexapro since March 1 2017, 3 months later and my acne is getting worse. I never had bad skin to begin with but within a month of coming off the antidepressant, my skin just went crazy. I've tried every face wash except the prescription ones as I'm scared they will make the acne worse as now my skin is sensitive also.
It's really depressing. It ranges across my whole forehead, down both sides of my eyes, both cheeks (to ear and nose) and chin.
Hoping it will go away soon. Never thought it would be ongoing for more than 3 months though.
It's really depressing. It ranges across my whole forehead, down both sides of my eyes, both cheeks (to ear and nose) and chin.
Hoping it will go away soon. Never thought it would be ongoing for more than 3 months though.
so happy someone knows what I'm talking about
Been off lexapro for my fourth week now! It made me gain 60 pounds but as soon as I went off it, weight started coming off. But an unfortunate withdrawal symptom is also my acne! Pimples, deep rooted ones, which is unusual for me. Nothing seems to help. Lexapro really messed my body up - I think it even affected my period
I am 99% sure my cystic acne was caused by Lexapro. I had the clearest skin before I started taking it. I was also a very healthy size 10 but have since gained at least 10 kgs. Is there anything I can do to reserve this? I've been off it for 2 years..
Hi all
So glad I came across this site. I have been on Citalopram for around 20 years on and off. Started on 10mg and have been on 40mg for the past year. Decided to come off it a month ago, weaned off just over 2 weeks. Would not advise this I have been verging on the psychopathic! Anyhow I'm sticking it out. I have never had bad skin in n my life, since coming off the citalopram I have had severe acne on the chin area, boils not spots, horrendous! The only thing that has been working for me is Sudocrem, I cleanse my face at night then apply it liberally on the acne. It drys them up quickly and eases the pain. Might not work for everyone but its worth a try. I hope this has been helpful
Four months into taking 5mg of Lexapro, I began to notice large pimples appearing on my forehead/cheek area. I was unable to find the cause of the breakouts, because up until then, my skin was completely clear, thanks to birth control. When i finally realized it was the Lexapro's doing, I quit cold turkey. Since then, my face has erupted horribly. Before, the 5mg only produced about 1/2 pimples. When i was on 10 mg, I constantly had about 2/3 pimples on my face. Now that I am off Lexapro completely, my face has been breaking out uncontrollably. I have tiny little bumps everywhere, and the occasional large, cyst. I have been enduring this withdrawal acne for about 2 months now, along with heat rashes I keep getting from the night sweats. I am praying that this won't continue much longer. I believe my body is taking a few months to normalize without the lexapro, much like it did when being introduced to the drug. I am so upset all the time, but find hope in knowing that other have gotten pass this stage.
It's been 18 days I'm completely off citalopram. I'm struggling, very emotional today, can't stop crying. Feels like everything is against me. I have a 5yr old daughter, I'm a stay at home Mum. I feel I can't cope with anything. My partner is not supportive at all. But then he has a marijuana addiction and that's all he cares about . I know some might think I'm crazy for going off the citalopram but I've been on it that long it has been having an adverse effect on me. I hope I sleep well tonight, im exhausted.
My cystic acne started a few weeks after stopping lexapro. Everyone is different but my acne is worse than ever and I stopped taking it a year and a half ago! I'm on accutane now because it won't go away by itself. So frustrating
I know this is an old thread but I couldn’t resist commenting because it feels so amazing to hear other similar stories and know that I’m not alone. I was on lexapro for depression for about 4.5 years until I tapered off of it about a month ago.
I’ve had relatively clear skin my whole life— excluding the odd pimples and blackheads here and there— but in the last month my face has exploded. I have blackheads and clogged pores everywhere in addition to new white heads every single day and cystic pimples that hurt so badly they feel like bruises. Makeup seems to make it worse, so I’ve been barefaced, which is really hard because I feel like I don’t even look like myself anymore.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you have been through this, share what worked for you; even if it didn’t get rid of it completely, what helped you manage the inflammation? How did you keep from getting scars?
And how long did it take before it got better?? Is there any hope at all for change?
I’ve had relatively clear skin my whole life— excluding the odd pimples and blackheads here and there— but in the last month my face has exploded. I have blackheads and clogged pores everywhere in addition to new white heads every single day and cystic pimples that hurt so badly they feel like bruises. Makeup seems to make it worse, so I’ve been barefaced, which is really hard because I feel like I don’t even look like myself anymore.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you have been through this, share what worked for you; even if it didn’t get rid of it completely, what helped you manage the inflammation? How did you keep from getting scars?
And how long did it take before it got better?? Is there any hope at all for change?
I am having the same reaction. I could not figure out why. Glad I found this sight. How do you stop it.
can u tell me when does this acne stop...coz m too on SSRI but another one not Lexapro ....hearing about this m afraid to quit medicine
I am 68 years old and trying to get off of Lexapro. I am down from 20mg of the generic form, to 10mg now. I am taking it very slow. But, for the FIRST time in my life I am breaking out in cystic acne! I have become more fatigued detoxing from this Lexapro than when I started it, 7 years ago. My body started to react to it after taking it for too long. I started having vivid night mares every single sleep cycle for two years. My doctor told me that it was probably because I had PTSD from situations (that I am no longer in). My research indicates that the REM sleep becomes suppressed with use of Lexapro, and this causes the vivid night mares. When this happens the restorative sleep is totally disrupted and the Lexapro patient wakes up more tired that when they went to sleep. This is my case. Since doctors spend about 10 minutes or less with a drug salesman to learn about what THEY say to push their meds, how can they know much about them for their patients! A good pharmacist will know much more about drugs and interactions because that is all they do, and is their intense study. Doctors have a short course in medications, and then try out what the drug reps tell them to try. Oh, please! I have been on this planet for 68 years, and I am an accomplished professional person but have overcome many difficult situations. I would tell young people to NOT TAKE LEXAPRO. There may be another SSRI that does not have these horrible effects.
I'm 21 years old and I was taking citalopram 20mg for about a year. I was depressed and it really did help get my mind to a better place. When I was finally feeling like myself again, I realized how much weight I had gained from the drug. I gained nearly 20 pounds. I started to stop taking the medication in January, I started to take less and less, and now its been just over 2 months that I've been completely without it. Almost immediately as I started weaning off, I broke out with cystic acne on my forehead and whiteheads on my chin. I went to a dermatologist and was prescribed onexton, which is a benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin gel that is used for the whole face. The onexton really dried everything up, but I still have scarring and pimples that come up every other day or so. I've found a face wash and cream that has really been helping as well from First Aid Beauty. For the scarring I am going to start using a derma roller (purchasing from amazon) to see if I get any results. 2 months later though and I have better control over my skin. Still haven't lost the weight, in fact I gained an extra 10 pounds when I stopped taking it. LOL It'll get better though. Stay positive everyone!!
The Lexapro has to get TOTALLY out of your system before your cysts clear up. I am 64 years old and have been off Lexapro since mid-January 2018 and my face has finally cleared up at the end of April. Although I did miss the daily calmness of the Lexapro, it is a POISON. I have found that if I take a low dose (50mg) of 5-HTP, I can maintain my calm without having my face break out. Do your research first, though, before taking it- I ran it past my doctor before trying it and it has helped.
You can't just quit your meds cold turkey. You need to gradually wean off of them over a period of a few months. Discuss with your doctor first-you may be able to cut your pills in half, then quarters, then every other day, until you're off entirely. And don't be too surprised if you get really mean and angry and unhappy as your body tries to figure out what just happened. My doctor knew I was weaning myself off the Lexapro because my face was a total mess. But when I had been taking a quarter pill for two weeks, she indicated that I could "probably stop". Was she ever WRONG!!! I went thru a really ugly period where I was so nasty to everyone, and felt like crying for no reason. Took me about another two weeks until I felt "better". I did some research on supplements and found 5-HTP /Tryptophan could help boost serotonin levels, so I asked my doctor if it was okay to take, and she said yes. I started 36 days ago with a 100mg time release pill that I took at breakfast. I noticed a calming effect within the first two days, although I did have a few nights where I couldn't fall asleep, so I took 3 mg. of Melatonin, which also helped. According to some websites that discuss the side effects, etc. 5-HTP shouldn't be taken for long periods of time. and it's important that you do the research to see if your own health issues might be affected. I forgot to take a pill the other day, and I still felt good, so I went to the store and bought the 5-HTP in a 50mg. dosage to take the next day. I am thinking of taking a lesser dosage every couple of days and see if I still have positive results. At any rate, the acne issue is internal, and your body needs time to cleanse itself of the toxin you have been taking. Eventually, the bumps do go away. (like after a few months). Good Luck!!