Terrible flare on Lexapro

[Buckwheat]

Lexapro caused the worst flare..extreme pain and burning. Paxil did the same thing. Has anyone else had this experience on Lexapro or Paxil?

[ICLori]

All the antidepressants do this to me, even the tricyclic ones. I had to just kind of learn to live without them :(

Sorry this happened to you too. Hope you feel better soon.

Blessings, Lori

[emilyrose197377]

Why do dr's prescribe antidepressants for Ic ? You don't have Ic because you are depressed.

[ICLori]

Hi, Emily Rose! Many of the antidepressants, most especially the tricyclics in low doses (too low to have an antidepressant effect) interfere with pain signals being transmitted, so they have the effect in some IC'ers of greatly lessening the pain of IC. So you can see how many doctors would turn to these as a tool for helping us. It's a beneficial side effect that these medicines have.

For me, I react strangely and adversely to the tricyclics and other antidepressants, so I can't take them. But the tricyclics (Elavil, etc.) do help about 60% of IC'ers who try them, so it's one of the most effective medicines for IC that we have in our arsenal. Again, docs prescribe at extremely low doses - you would have to take something like 10 times the prescribed dose before you would get an antidepressant effect from the tricyclics. So they are not being prescribed (the tricyclics I mean) for depression in IC'ers - they are being prescribed to help try to stop the pain.

Blessings, Lori

[Dianne]

Never got past the first pill with Lexapro. Caused immediate increase in pain.

[shirley47]

My doctor was determined to put me on Lexapro,always telling me that I"m not giving the medicine a chance to work,But what she does"nt know is,it brings on the worse kind of pain imagineable,with my ic.I guess when I go back to her in June,she"ll chew me out,well she will just have to,because I refuse to take something that is"nt helping me.Elivil did"nt help me at all either.It really is tough to find the right medicine that may work for me but not for others

[vm]

I've been on Lexapro for 2 years and it has actually helped my bladder. It was my missing puzzle piece in terms of treatments. We are all so different and people have different reactions to so many meds.

[mallenajolie]

hi:

I take a very low dose of lexapro 10mg, and it does help with the pain. I have gone without it and notice a differnence after being off it for about a week. Being on it for a couple of years now.

[yorkiemom]

My doctor told me to start with 1/4 tab lexapro and work my way up over a period of a couple of weeks to see whether I could tolerate it. Never made it past 3/4 tab. Killed my bladder. All the tricyclics do.

[DanaF]

I have been on Lexapro for 5 months for anxiety and depression. Unfortunately after 3 months I started to get a flare up which I have not had in quite some time. I don't know if it's the medicine or the stress in my life. Do you think I would've felt it sooner if it was from the lexapro?

[DanaF]

Also, when you get burning, where do you get it? I get it in the private parts - is that normal or do you get it actually in your bladder?