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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
If you’re one of the 40 million American adults living with an anxiety disorder, or one of the 16 million Americans with major depressive disorder (MDD), your doctor may prescribe you Lexapro, a brand name version of a medication called escitalopram oxalate.If you’re been taking Lexapro and are interested in switching medications or considering stopping the drug, you should only do so according to your doctor’s instructions. Stopping abruptly, or without a doctor’s guidance, may lead to withdrawal symptoms. Still, you may want to know how long Lexapro takes to leave your system. Being aware will help you avoid using certain drugs that interact with Lexapro. It will also help you understand how to taper off the medication safely in order to avoid experiencing withdrawal symptoms.In this article, I’ll discuss how Lexapro works, the factors influencing how long it stays in your system, and some potential withdrawal symptoms to look out for.How Does Lexapro Work?Lexapro is a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. Serotonin is a brain messenger molecule that affects sleep, mood, emotions, appetite, and other bodily functions. Usually, after it has delivered its message, serotonin is reabsorbed by the brain. Lexapro works by preventing serotonin reabsorption, increasing the amount of serotonin present in the brain. This is thought to ease the symptoms of depression.Although they are not free of side effects, SSRIs tend to have fewer side effects than many other antidepressants and are effective for a lot of people, so they’re considered a first-line treatment for depression.What is the Half-Life of Lexapro? The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of the drug in your body to decrease by half. The half-life of Lexapro is estimated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be 27-32 hours. This means that if you take a dose of 10 mg of Lexapro, only 5 mg will remain in your bloodstream after 27-32 hours.After 54-64 hours, only 2.5 mg will stay in your bloodstream. It continues like this until there is no significant amount left in your bloodstream. For patients over age 65, the half-life of Lexapro is up to 50% longer. How Long Does Lexapro Stay in Your System?Many drugs clear out of the bloodstream by the fifth half-life. While there is no clinically significant amount left by this time, they can often still be detected in urine
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