Re: Lexapro causing attention problems or OCD itself?

October 7, 2011

Debbie, the SSRI medications can cause that loss of focus. But, then, so can

OCD. Since you said this has happened since she started the meds, I would think

it is the medication causing it.

Our son complained of his Celexa causing him to have trouble focusing too. We

HAD to lower his medication in the last year and he seemed to somewhat come out

of a fog. Is she on a high dose?

He also experienced weight gain from the meds. I've heard 20 pounds is common,

but he gained a lot more than that. Partly due to his inability to be able to

decipher when he'd had enough food. My husband behaved the same on SSRI

antidepressants. I noticed it made them both less inhibited and less likely to

gauge parameters.

Has she been able to do any ERP concerning her fears of comet? Our son had

fears of Windex, and was able to completely overcome it with ERP.

I understand your not wanting to mess with her medication. Sometimes, you have

to choose what to live with. The meds aren't perfect, but in many cases the

side effects are better than out of control OCD.

Is that the only medication (Lexapro) that she has tried?

BJ

>

> Hi,

> I'm hoping someone else has had this experience and can offer some

suggestions. My daughter is on Lexapro for her OCD. If I had to put a

percentage of effectiveness, I'd give it about an 85-90%. She still has a fear

of Comet, the powdered cleanser, and a powerful fear of the idea of death, but

overall she is maintaining well and handling life. So what's my concern?

> Well, besides the weight gain the Lexapro caused, since she's been on it, she

has been completely scatterbrained and unable to focus for long periods of time

on things. If you talk to her directly, you can literally see how you lose her

after just a few sentences. She used to be very responsible, kept her room

really, really neat, and just seemed more " together " . She loves computer

fashion games, movies geared for younger children (like Barbie, Disney movies,

Disney channel shows, etc.) and can focus on them forever (maybe because they

don't require a give-and-take?)

> So is this just a by-product of OCD or the medicine? We had her evaluated the

summer she was 15 but the report came back with all sorts of dire predictions,

an incredibly low IQ (she gets A's and B's in school), and no clear answers.

I've entertained the thought of Asperger's given her social awkwardness, but I'm

really stumped at this point.

> The Lexapro is responsible for getting her back to " normal " enough to do

school well and that's our first priority, so I'm very reluctant to mess with

medications.

> Any thoughts on this or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

> Debbie

>

October 7, 2011

I worked briefly as a temp at a community mental health facility and was told by

a patient there that Lexapro made her so forgetful that she had to switch to

something else. When she told me that, I immediately recalled how my son

complained of how his memory has worsened. So now I make a visual list of things

for him to remember in certain situations and it seems to help.

Dawn