Lexapro
Ranked 4 of 11 antidepressants by recommenders
People credit it with easing anxiety and depression, often at low doses. Most common caveat: unpleasant effects when stopping or changing the dose.
People credit it with easing anxiety and depression, often at low doses. Most common caveat: unpleasant effects when stopping or changing the dose.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Life-changing benefit for many
“it was life changing (in a good way) for me”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “literally life changing for me”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “For me it is a miracle drug.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” Eases anxiety, depression and mood
“Taking a small dosage of Lexapro had zero side effects for me and helped me deal with not just the anxiety and depression I was experiencing”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” “Taking Lexipro has made a massive improvement on my emotional bandwidth.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” Works well at low dose
“Taking a small dosage of Lexapro had zero side effects for me and helped me deal with not just the anxiety and depression I was experiencing”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” “For her a fairly low dose of lexapro enables her to live her life like a normal person.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Withdrawal-like symptoms after stopping
“Lexapro made me feel like I was randomly being dropped down an elevator shaft for 6 months after I stopped taking it.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” “No change in my mindset, just the unpleasant side effects when we changed or discontinued my medications.”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “My stages of learning to be a socially normal person” Unpleasant side effects on change or stop
“I had worse brain zaps in the past from Lexapro, that was bad enough I'd lose focus on whatever task I was doing.”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “Exercise can be nearly as effective as therapy for depression” “No change in my mindset, just the unpleasant side effects when we changed or discontinued my medications.”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “My stages of learning to be a socially normal person”
Other antidepressants people recommend
The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine | 12 | 5 | 71% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Prozac | 12 | 28 | 30% | 4 | 15 yrs3 owners | — |
| Bupropion | 12 | 3 | 80% | 4 | 3 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| LexaproThis page | 8 | 4 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| Fluoxetine | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it was life changing (in a good way) for me”
“literally life changing for me”
“Mounjaro, TRT, Lexapro, statins if you need them, and much less alcohol.”
“Walgreens bumped the price to $200 a bottle, and unless I paid another doctor there was no way to keep taking the medication”
“For her a fairly low dose of lexapro enables her to live her life like a normal person.”
“Taking a small dosage of Lexapro had zero side effects for me and helped me deal with not just the anxiety and depression I was experiencing”
“Lexapro made me feel like I was randomly being dropped down an elevator shaft for 6 months after I stopped taking it.”
“For me it is a miracle drug.”
“Taking Lexipro has made a massive improvement on my emotional bandwidth.”
“I had worse brain zaps in the past from Lexapro, that was bad enough I'd lose focus on whatever task I was doing.”
“No change in my mindset, just the unpleasant side effects when we changed or discontinued my medications.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.