Lexapro Addiction? Withdrawal Syndrome Has Serious Consequences

Although not considered a Lexapro addiction, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant use does have an associated risk of SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome. SSRI anti-depressants are not technically physically addictive, but discontinuation of these medications can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms including dizziness, irritability and paresthesia (brain shivers).

Another important consideration of taking any medication is the possibility of developing a psychological addiction – a belief that one cannot function normally without a daily (or more frequent) dosage. All of these issues are of interest to addiction researchers.

Recent innovative technology has tapped into a new source of addiction data. Search frequency research allows addiction specialists to study the popularity of phrases related to various drugs, such as Lexapro addictions. The graphs on this page represent summaries for a one-year period.

Zoloft vs Lexapro / Paxil vs Lexapro / Lexapro vs Prozac – Extensive Comparisons

Throughout Graph 1, there are numerous comparisons between Lexapro and other SSRI anti-depressants.

• “Zoloft vs Lexapro” and an additional five related phrases total 58,764 annual queries
• there are nine “Paxil vs Lexapro” occurrences, totalling 77,767 searches
• nine other references to “Lexapro vs Prozac” (46,698) round out this theme

The two most prominent searches in this study are “alcohol and Lexapro” and “Lexapro and alcohol” (72,388). Unlike benzodiazepine anti-depressants and alcohol, SSRI anti-depressants do not increase the effects of alcohol, although alcohol may deepen the depression. It is not recommended to combine alcohol and Lexapro.

Lexapro Addictions Research - Prevalent Search Topics - Graph 1

(Continued on Graph 3 at the bottom of this page)

Top 30 two and three word combinations

	estimated searches/year across all search engines
	0		41,000
alcohol and lexapro	39530
lexapro and alcohol	32858
paxil vs lexapro	25915
lexapro alcohol	23177
zoloft vs lexapro	22630
lexapro prozac	20665
lexapro vs paxil	18980
lexapro paxil	17307
lexapro vs prozac	16792
lexapro zoloft	15364
lexapro vs zoloft	12483
lexapro versus zoloft	5840
anti depressant	4416
lexapro versus paxil	4236
paxil to lexapro	3435
prozac vs lexapro	3288
lexapro anti depressant	3285
lexapro and paxil	2924
lexapro paxil vs	1971
paxil and lexapro	1828
from prozac to lexapro	1682
lexapro prozac vs	1533
prozac or lexapro	1472
prozac lexapro	1460
zoloft lexapro	1351
lexapro versus prozac	1278
lexapro and marijuana	1241
paxil or lexapro	1171
zoloft versus lexapro	1096
switching from prozac	1095
anti depressant lexapro	1095
	0		41,000

Lexapro Addictions – Any Mention in Search Phrases?

In Graph 2, a listing of the single most popular online word searches related to Lexapro, “addiction” is noted only 12 times, and the word “withdrawal” appears a mere 9 times. It seems that a fear of addiction to SSRI anti-depressants is not prevalent, or at least not demonstrated in this study. A negative Lexapro search worth mentioning involves the phrase “Lexapro Ambien and suicide” in Graph 3, which makes reference to the connection between SSRI anti-depressants and suicide rates.

Lexapro - Prevalent Words and Concepts Study - Graph 2

Top 100 words used in Lexapro searches
(Top 1000 can be found at Top 100 Lexapro exact phrases and top 1,000 concepts/words. - Graph 5)

	estimated searches/year across all search engines
	0		110,000
vs	103605
alcohol	96031
paxil	76391
zoloft	70280
prozac	47274
from	15359
switching	14247
versus	13001
anti	4489
depressant	4452
adderall	2375
marijuana	1533
xanax	1236
ambien	1196
switch	1105
cocaine	1096
phentermine	1040
vicodin	955
difference	833
take	820
taking	543
how	515
interaction	503
side	450
mixing	445
effexor	365
taken	310
similar	293
ultram	278
it	220
depressants	183
abuse	182
compare	156
shop	152
qoclick	152
ritalin	149
suicide	146
boards	136
drug	134
verses	122
syndrome	112
weight	111
gain	111
seratonin	110
celexa	110
cns	110
tramadol	92
what	90
anxiety	87
hydrocodone	75
information	75
time	74
relaxant	73
reaction	55
mdma	50
medication	36
medicine	36
titrating	36
comparisons	36
umaxppc	24
differences	24
drink	16
comparison	13
stories	12
addiction	12
ativan	12
methadone	9
withdrawal	9
consumption	8
30mg	6
interactions	6
200mg	6
symptoms	6
head	6
better	5
wellbutrin	4
valium	4
safe	4
combine	4
lawsuit	4
concerta	3
dosages	3
taper	3
compared	3
action	3
10mg	3
depression	3
mg	3
class	3
mixed	2
cold	2
drinking	2
caffeine	2
changing	2
avoid	2
serotonin	2
sideeffects	2
turkey	2
treatment	2
amphetamines	2
	0		110,000

Addictions Research – Montreal Drug and Alcohol Rehab Generous Sponsorship

Clear Haven Center, a prominent drug and alcohol rehab center 45 minutes from majestic Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has spearheaded the inclusion of search frequency investigations into the dynamic field of addictions research. Quantified internet queries can identify many significant trends and developments among a great number of substance abuse issues. Please read more interesting studies throughout this site.

Lexapro - Prevalent Search Topics, Continued - Graph 3

Top 31 - 100 two and three word combinations
(Top 30 are in Graph 1 above)

	estimated searches/year across all search engines
	0		1100
adderall and lexapro	1022
lexapro and adderall	842
phentermine and lexapro	803
xanax and lexapro	745
zoloft and lexapro	741
lexapro and ambien	734
lexapro and vicodin	732
cocaine and lexapro	730
paxil versus lexapro	548
alcohol lexapro	446
lexapro with xanax	442
adderall alcohol	438
mixing lexapro with xanax	438
adderall alcohol lexapro	438
lexapro and cocaine	365
effexor paxil vs	365
effexor paxil vs lexapro	365
effexor paxil	365
marijuana interaction	292
ambien lexapro	292
lexapro and marijuana interaction	292
vicodin lexapro	223
take vicodin	220
taking ultram	220
phentermine taken with lexapro	219
taking ultram and lexapro	219
marijuana and lexapro	219
lexapro alcohol abuse	182
alcohol abuse	182
lexapro ambien	154
compare zoloft	146
taking adderall	146
lexapro with ritalin	146
compare zoloft to lexapro	146
ambien and suicide	146
lexapro ambien and suicide	146
prozac boards	128
lexapro verses zoloft	122
prozac and lexapro	112
cns depressants lexapro	110
cns depressants	110
lexapro v prozac	110
zoloft weight	110
zoloft weight gain	110
zoloft with lexapro	110
adderall seratonin	110
tramadol and lexapro	76
hydrocodone and lexapro	73
lexapro vs zoloft anxiety	73
anti depressants	73
zoloft anxiety	73
taking prozac	73
taking tramadol	73
information on phentermine	73
lexapro and ultram	57
lexapro mdma	49
lexapro marijuana	49
depressant medication	36
lexapro depressant medicine	36
prozac and lexapro comparisons	36
titrating zoloft lexapro	36
lexapro and xanax	36
anti depressant medication	36
anti depressant medication lexapro	36
lexapro to paxil	25
differences lexapro zoloft	24
lexapro v zoloft	24
marijuana lexapro interaction	24
lexapro and zoloft	17
drink alcohol	16
	0		1100