[Simply_Orange]

Hi I have bipolar & I'm in a bit of a depressed mood so I started lexapro. I'm having some insomnia sleeping for 5 or6hrs then awake& can't get back to sleep. I was wondering does anyone have suggestions for the insomnia? Or does anyone have any experiences with lexapro? It's not helpful yet, have only been on it for 2 weeks. So I'm exhausted&depressed still

[PiperLeigh]

Are you taking it in the morning or night? I was thinking switch the time of day you take it and see if when it peaks in efficacy (sp?) might help with when the insomnia hits. Maybe try a natural sleep aid like melatonin before going to sleep?

I had the opposite problem on Lexapro. My p-doc said I was one of the handful of patients she'd had on Lexapro that turned into Rip van Winkle. I couldn't stay awake more than two hours (really!) and was sleeping 15-18 hours a day. I had to switch to Zoloft which has been a better fit. But I know Lexapro does work for many people. My mom has taken it for many years. She told me it generally takes about 4 weeks to settle in with it. I hope it works out for you soon and that you can get sleep soon.

[Simply_Orange]

Thanks for replying. I take it in morning. Yes I have a melatonin sleep aid I can take usually sleep for a few hours with that. And an rx too but I didn't have enough time to take it when having to get up early. I was finally able to get some good sleep over the weekend when no early hours for work.

Wow that is a lot of sleep!! Glad you found something that works for you. That's good info thanks again. Hope you have a happy new year!

[Bobbarita]

I'm a retired Psych RN (!) and I was dx'd BP1 after delusional manic episode. Before that I was dx'd Major Depressive Disorder and took a gamut of SSRI's at one time or another (including Lexapro). Per my Pdoc at the time of the mania, and subsequent Pdocs, SSRI's are not a good choice for BP's. Perhaps that depends on whether its 1,2, etc. I've never inquired, however they won't prescribe SSRI's for me...

[Simply_Orange]

Wow was that hard going from treating people to being a patient? Ssris work for some people& not others. I've been on different ones before& they did not cause mania for me.

[usbusi]

When I meditate, which isn't as often as I'd like, if it is at night, I'll get very relaxed and almost sleepy. Maybe that will help if you meditate for 15 minutes right before going to bed.

[rossiv46]

I took Lexapro for about 2 months. I went into mania and my dr changed some medication around and decided to take me off of it and switched it.

[Simply_Orange]

Thanks for the suggestion of meditation. If can relax enough &focus it can help. Also everyone thanks for the replies. I take trazadone now for sleeping it helps some.

[~Christina]

Lexapro flipped me right into an ugly Mania.. All Ad's will do this to me.

[dmarie93]

Originally Posted by Simply_Orange

Hi I have bipolar & I'm in a bit of a depressed mood so I started lexapro. I'm having some insomnia sleeping for 5 or6hrs then awake& can't get back to sleep. I was wondering does anyone have suggestions for the insomnia? Or does anyone have any experiences with lexapro? It's not helpful yet, have only been on it for 2 weeks. So I'm exhausted&depressed still

I'm on lexapro, it makes me want to sleep tho, went off of it for a couple months, until I was crawlin outa my skin...just wanted to be me for awhile. When I was off of it I could go on 4 hours of sleep, it was wonderful, and now I'm on it, wanna sleep all the time..so in the last week or so I decided to start taking it at night instead of morning, that seems to have helped, also when I absolutely know its gonna be one of the nights my mind isn't gonna shut down, I take melatonin, u can get it in the herbal vitamin section at drug stores, I usually take two once oi decide its gonna be sleepless night

[Odee]

I was placed on Lexapro during my first bout of depression. I never felt improved and it made me sleepy and....fat. Gained a lot of weight. Egh.

Are you on a mood stabilizer as well? I have never heard of Lexapro being stimulating over than that being an unusual response.

[birdcrazy]

I was given lexapro for anxiety. What happened was surprisingly noticeable. I had to go to the doctor the next day, I didn't look up anything about it, but I said to my doctor "does this medicine kill your sex drive?" She gave me a paper and sure enough it can do that. She actually wanted me to continue taking it, but my husband especially was having problems with me taking it and later i insisted on getting rid of it and she finally did.