Posted by collegeguy on April 16, 2004, at 22:23:24
In reply to Re: Lex and Diarrhea/Stomach problems?, posted by KathrynLex on April 16, 2004, at 17:39:24
Glad to hear the Lexapro is working for your GAD, and sorry about the side effects, they can be quite frustrating, especially when the last.
However, gastrointestinal side effects of SSRIs tend to be temporary (and related to the dosage level you are at) and usually go away with time. If yours do not go away, you should talk to your doctor about perhaps altering your dosage (though 10 mg is a pretty standard Lex. dose) or the possibility of a stomach virus. (You might be interested to know, Lexapro often has a therapeutic effect on the bowel system and is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome in some circumstances).
In your case though, wait and see (though don't hesitate to call your doctor if you feel uncomfortable) for a bit. Zantac 75 (loratadine hcl) is quite effective at treating medication related stomach upset (at least for me and those I've talked to), and things like Tums or even altering your diet slightly (do a google search on diets for IBS/diarrhea issues).
Once thing though, be careful to avoid the antacid/heartburn reducer Tagamet HB (cimetidine hcl), as it can cause blood levels of lexapro (as well as many other antidepressants) to be significantly raised for longer periods of time. While the clinical significance of this is unknown, it is probably best to avoid medicines that so explicitly interact if you can.
Good luck!
poster:collegeguy
thread:336981
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/337054.html