Lexapro not working anymore/Need your help

Hi Gals & Guys, O.K. Here is the deal I have been extremly depressed lately I have been taking Lexapro for months & apparently it is not working anymore. My Work sucks, My life pretty ,much does too!! All I want to do is sleep, I go to work because I have too, but even that is getting harder to do everyday. What is up, I have been doing really well tell recently. I have gained about 10 lbs lately which I have lost 2 of, but All I want to do when I am not sleeping is Eat. My local Doc is on Medical leave for 4 - 6 weeks due to a knee replacement & I can't get to her to find what is going on. I think it is my hormones kicking in to cause the depression, but I am not sure. I you all have any advised how to kick this Funk, would be most appreciated. Thanks for listening to me !@#%^& for awhile, Sure don't have anyone else to talk to. I should be feeling really good as I am by myself & loving that part, just everything else sucks right now. Love you all, Marilyn, the Bearlady

Marilyn, Sorry to hear about your problems !! I can relate to you , because I have gained, too. I also take lexapro, and I don't think it helps much. I started walking with some friends last week and I think this is helping me more than anything else. I have thought about going to a psychiatrist and see if they could help me to understand why I'm eating like a crazy person. I'll keep you in my prayers. Judy

Hi Marilyn; I'm sorry that you are having difficulties. I was under treatment for depression a few years ago and I know that I still have regular bouts of depression these days although I am not currently under treatment or on medication. I'm quite sure that obesity and depression go hand in hand in many cases. I too am eating more than I should, but I seem to be holding steady in my weight because of my exercise. While its not the total answer, I find that exercise also helps with the depression. I get a lot more down about life in general when I miss my exercise for more than a few days. It won't solve all of your problems, but maybe it will help a little. Take care and stay in touch. Mike

Gosh, Marilyn, I can SO relate to this. I was on prozac for many years, although I had stopped taking it a year or so before my surgery. I am trying to force myself to feel better. I also sleep alot and work alot...and when I'm not doing that I'm running around like a crazy person. Part of me thinks I'd feel better if I had time to go to a gym, but with my hours, it's just impossible. I'm thinking that exercise would be the answer for me...and maybe for you...I'm not sure. I hope you feel better soon....Joanie

Marilyn -- and Judy and Mike and all of anyone else who needs this right no (and I have before and will again, I'm certain of it) -- I'm hurting from the surgery and need to go lay down so I only have time for a quick reply -- which is dangerous...I want to make sure I convey this in a positive, supportive way while at the same time being absolutely constructive. If you are being sucked in or overwhelmed by feelings of depression or sadness to the extent it is making you eat to soothe...you must take a drastic measure immediately to stop, or at least put a brake on, the cycle. In other words, get out of your head. You are trapping yourself in a very little box and once snug and safely inside, your level of comfort allows you to continue self-destruction. Let's face it, it's a whole lot easier to eat badly than to eat wisely. Bad food choices tastes good; bad food choices cause a chemical reaction in our systems that numb or dull the emotional pain that's causing us to eat in the first place. So, you simply have to get out of your box. I can't tell you how to do that, nobody can. The only ladder out is YOU. The quickest way to find your way out of your head, however, is to involve your head in somebody else's troubles. Go give yourself to a shelter or a hospital or a library for a half-day. Take a kid in trouble shopping. Get out of your own way by getting into someone else's space. As much as I deeply care about everyone on this board, I can't wave a magic wand. I can offer words of encouragement and support to get you moving toward your own self-help and recovery. The way we live our lives is very simply the product of our choices. We are none of the things we are unless we first choose to be those things: pretty, smart, funny, sad, angry, blah, blah, blah. These are choices; and our life is the sum of those choices. We are what we chose to be. Isn't that exciting? Isn't that powerful? To know that we have that kind of power to determine the outcome (to a large extent) of our lives and thereby influencing in the most meaningful, special, wonderful ways possible the lives of others? There is great power and joy in that knowledge. I leave you with that. You had the courage to pursue this surgery. It will only take a fraction of that courage for you to climb out of your box - get out of your head - make a different choice. Love to you, Reenie

Dear Marilyn: I'm so sorry that you are depressed and that the medication is not working for you. There are several different types of anti depressant meds and you need to find the one that works for you. I know that depression can keep you from taking action about lots of things but the first thing to do is see a doctor who can get you the right meds. Once you do that then you'll be better able to change the things in your life that "sucks right now". I hope you feel better soon. Pat/Louise

Marilyn, I can't add anymore to the great advice you've already gotten here, but just wanted to tell you that I'm thinking of you and am praying that the clouds will part soon and you'll get a little sunshine your way. I mean that figuratively. Weatherwise, I'm hoping for big ol' clouds and lots of rain to break up some of this heat we're having. Hugs, Connie