Lexapro: Is This Anti-Depressant Right for Your Life?

Know the Facts

When I became anxious after the birth of my second child, I decided to turn to a medicine to help. I have been a nervous and anxious person all my life, and no amount of relaxation techniques or anything had so far done much good. So I talked to my doctor about trying something to "take the edge off".He prescribed Lexapro for me.

What is Lexapro? Well, lexapro is a "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor", otherwise known as an SSRI. It works by restoring the brains chemical balance and increasing the right levels of serotonin, which is the substance in your brain that deals with your mood levels.

Lexapro has been tested for years. It has been proven to be an effective and well-tolerated prescription medication that helps many people enjoy their lives again. Depression affects over a million Americans a year. Believed to be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in our brain, depression can cause many people to live their lives in anxious fear, unable to function on a normal, everyday basis. Lexapro has been prescribed to over 15 million patients in the United States alone. It has also become one of the fastest growing medicine of its type.

Some people think that depression and anxiety is a part of every day life. For most people, it can be. But mild to severe depression will not always go away on its own. Sometimes a persons genes will also cause them to be more susceptible to depression and anxiety, or a tragic event will cause them to fall into a depression. Either way, it is OK to look for a doctor for help. Depression will not go away on its own, as some people like to think. Sometimes, everyone needs a little help. Counseling can be a very effective way to deal with depression, but sometimes a jump-start with an antidepressant can go a long way towards recovery.