gabzi
Enthusiast
Reged: 02/04/02
Posts: 210
Loc: florida
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My father was just given samples of this new med any feed back or info would be greatly helpful. He is 74 and he has many problems including being a dibetic he has servere pain in his back and loss of appetite.The doctor want's him to try this I don't know if there is a site to go too ,to see about side affects,He has been on ativan for his anxeity and muscle burning and cramping in his back.Seems they want him to change.He is 74 years old I don't think they should be giving him a new med that does not seem to have to much info about.
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lovepink_new
Goddess
Reged: 11/24/03
Posts: 47
Loc: NYC Metro Area
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Lexapro is a relatively new antidepressant. If you check Rxlist or Drugs.com you'll be able to find patient labeling information broken down into dosage, indications, clinical pharmacology, side effects, drug interactions, etc.
Good Luck.
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1172
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Hi gabzi,
Was your father prescribed Lexapro for neuropathy or for depression? The drug may actually help both conditions if that is an issue.
Lexapro is very similar to Celexa, which you might be familar with. If you grabbed the Celexa molecule and help it up to a mirror, split the mirror image in half, then put that new molecule in pill form, you'd have Lexapro. The reason we have both of them is that Lexapro seems to have less side effects for most people. The reason they came out with Celexa first was so they would have a "new and improved" product to sell after Celexa had its run...but that doesn't make it a bad drug. That is a very common practice amongst drug companies.
I am not aware of any problem that any SSRI causes amongst diabetics in regards to their blood sugar. I imagine weight gain is probably not the best thing though, but I don't know if that happens as much amongst the elderly.
I don't know much about diabetics and SSRI's, but here are some questions you might want to ask the doctor:
1) Will the Lexapro affect his blood sugar in any way?
2) Is a diabetic man his age likely to gain weight on the Lexapro? If so, how will that impact his diabetes?
3) As a diabetic, are his kidneys in good shape? Will that have any effect on the Lexapro?
4) Is the drug being used to treat diabetic neuropathy? If so, might there be another drug with less side effects that could do the job better? If he does not agree with the Lexapro, could he go back on the Ativan and be given another drug for the neuropathy?
It sounds like you play an important role in your father's continued health. It is absolutely acceptable to ask your father's doctors (his endocrinologist, if he has one) any questions or voice any concerns you may have to ensure he gets the best care possible.
Good luck to you and your father.
-yawkaw
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gabzi
Enthusiast
Reged: 02/04/02
Posts: 210
Loc: florida
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thankyou both for all your helpful info I will research it further and post the results,both what i found and also how he is doing on it. Thankyou again
gabzi
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