[jayinsf]

Anyone have any experience with Lexapro in low doses for insomnia? My problem is that I just can't sleep through the night. I fall asleep fine and sleep OK for 4, 5 or 6 hours without a sleeping pill (a little longer with a sleeping pill, Flurazepam, which I can only take a few nights a week). I have tried CBT methods and have been seeing a sleep specialist periodically. He is recommending trying Lexapro. I am getting tired of feeling tired and groggy all the time, and it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to push past this barrier, so I'm thinking about trying it. He says it will take about 6 weeks to know if it's working for me. Any thoughts?

[Martin Reed]

That's interesting as apparently a link has been found between escitalopram (Lexapro) and insomnia. Here's the blog post:

http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/this-antidepressant-may-be-the-cause-of-your-insomnia/

Hopefully some other members will chime in on this one. If not, I'll send your post out in the next insomniac bulletin.

—

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[jayinsf]

Thanks…that does seem odd. I've found mixed reports about it in doing a Google search…

[xdunlapx]

I take a very high dose of Lexapro for my anxiety disorder (40mg which is twice the high dosage recommended). I did some research on Lexapro and found mixed results, too… But I started taking my Lexapro in the morning instead of at night to see if it would help my insomnia. It hasn't. Oh well, at least I tried. It may be in my system all day/night so maybe that's why I still have insomnia if that is what is causing it. But I can't go off of it (tried once) because I get awful suicidal and have the worst rage. So I'm stuck with it.

[annie t]

'jayinsf' wrote on '24:

Anyone have any experience with Lexapro in low doses for insomnia? My problem is that I just can't sleep through the night. I fall asleep fine and sleep OK for 4, 5 or 6 hours without a sleeping pill (a little longer with a sleeping pill, Flurazepam, which I can only take a few nights a week). I have tried CBT methods and have been seeing a sleep specialist periodically. He is recommending trying Lexapro. I am getting tired of feeling tired and groggy all the time, and it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to push past this barrier, so I'm thinking about trying it. He says it will take about 6 weeks to know if it's working for me. Any thoughts?

Hey Jay I am slow to keep up with insomnia land topics but I saw yours and wanted to respond. I have been on Lexapro on and off for about 2 years now. I started at 10 mg then went up to 20 mg a few months ago after my insomnia reared its ugly head again. I think it really helps you initially (after you get thru the first 4 to 6 weeks for it to get in your system) but I question its effectiveness after you have been on it for awhile. It seems like just when I think I have got my sleep issues under control, they pop up for no reasons. Then I have to take something at night to help my fall asleep (lunesta or xanax or seroquel). So with that being said, I still think overall the lexapro is helpful b/c it does seem to help my stay calm when I suffer from a bad night of not sleeping well. But it is not the perfect cure for people like us. Good luck and I hope your sleep improves somehow!

[jayinsf]

Thanks Annie – my main issue is waking up too early. I had been having bouts of not falling asleep at all or waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back to sleep, but now things have settled down some in my life and I'm back to my usual waking up too early. I am getting around 6 hours fairly regularly (sometimes less) but I'd like to break through that barrier as it's not enough and I feel groggy all the time… Haven't decided whether to give the Lexapro yet but I'll let you know… Thanks!

J

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