i have been through alot of lexapro. i know about weight gain and asexuality but there are ways an endocrinologist can help you with that while you stay on lexapro. i also know how lexapro makes alcoholic beverages stronger and how you feel tired from it the next day.
never ever go cold turkey from lexapro or other antidepressants. it is the kind of bad idea that can get you killed. ultimately you are the judge of what you put in your body and if you don't want lexapro no one will make you take it forever. use your doctor's knowledge when you want to quit a med. he may not like what you are doing over the short run but he has an ethical obligation to see that you are not endangered.
it sounds like you are in danger. please tell your doctor. two or three days in the hospital is not terrible and it could save you from yourself.
the interesting problem antidepressants represent is that they give a depressed person back enough energy to kill himself before it takes away the motivation to do so. i once had to fight suicide and anxiety for a series of months. it was harrowing. i should have gotten some seroquel if i was smart and slept it off. the doctors didn't know about the hormonal problems that were effecting me seriously. the psychologists laid it all on the depression and thought that i could control it behaviorally. that was living hell. learn to bug your doctors when you have a serious problem. their shoulders are stronger than yours for that kind of burden.
i hope you get your sex drive back. ask your doctor to check your prolactin level in your blood. lexapro can raise your prolactin level to the point where your body produces very little testosterone and you cant get a hardon and that contributes to the depression. lexapro can slow your metabolism and you gain weight. i am taking thyroid meds for that.
if i can leave you wih one thought it is better to respect your body than to fight it. please hang on and be candid with your pdoc.
lexapro might not be your cup of tea but it works well for me. i take a very high dose. i hope you find the med that helps you.
-pi