My 88yo mother recently became depressed, unwilling to bathe or change her clothes for the past few weeks. No interest in reading or watching TV. She has memory issues which became more substantial after a fall and brain bleed 5 years ago. I asked her MD if we could try an antidepressant and he has prescribed Lexapro. I know it’s impossible to predict how any med will react with any individual. But does anyone have any experience with this drug? I take SSRIs myself but I know they can have different effects in children and the elderly. This has been such a stressful change in behavior. At least she still takes pleasure in interacting with our dog!
Tricyclics are taken at night, as you note, they ARE for sleep.
Read up on this, or better yet, talk to your pharmacist. I have found them to be MUCH more able to tell you about drugs than our overworked PCPs!
Any thoughts from anyone on whether it’s best to take the Lexapro in the morning or evening? Mom sleeps OK (other than sleeping too much sometimes). Because she gets disoriented sometimes when she wakes up at night or after a nap, I thought I might start out giving it to her in the morning so that I would be better able to see adverse effects. I’d hate for her to wake up during the night and hallucinate or something like that. In my own experience, I take a trycyclic at night (because I sleep better with it) and my SSRI in the morning because it doesn’t seem to make me drowsy, seems to make me sharper, actually. But I’m 55 and that’s a world away from 88 with cognitive decline. Though some days I sure feel like my mind is running away from me! ;)
Just keep an eye in her for the first few weeks as you taper up to a therapeutic dosage. Don't expect a miraculous overnight cure, it's a slow process.
Also--get mom out into the sunshine everyday if possible. I must be solar powered--a 2 mile walk in the cold Utah sunshine has lifted my moods today more than anything!