Starting an antidepressant can bring questions about how you will feel during the day. You may be concerned about staying alert at work, driving safely, or having enough energy for your usual activities.

Does Lexapro make you tired? Yes, Lexapro can cause fatigue or sleepiness in some people. The FDA lists fatigue and somnolence, which means drowsiness, among the medication’s common adverse reactions. In adult depression trials, fatigue occurred in 5% of people taking Lexapro, compared with 2% taking a placebo. Somnolence occurred in 6%, compared with 2%. Rates differed in studies involving generalized anxiety disorder.

Why Does Lexapro Make You Tired?

Lexapro is the brand name for escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. It is prescribed for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. It affects serotonin, a chemical involved in mood regulation.

The reason one person feels tired while another does not may be difficult to identify. Lexapro can cause sleepiness, but it can also cause insomnia or restless sleep. Changes in sleep quality may leave some people feeling less alert the following day. Your response may also depend on your dosage, other medications, and the symptoms of the condition being treated.

How Long Does Lexapro Tiredness Last?

For many people, tiredness is most noticeable when they first start Lexapro or after their dosage changes. Most escitalopram side effects should improve after a couple of weeks as the body adjusts, although some effects can last longer.

Contact your healthcare provider if the fatigue is severe, keeps getting worse, interferes with normal activities, or does not begin to improve. Persistent tiredness can have causes unrelated to Lexapro, so your provider may review your sleep, health conditions, medications, and recent laboratory results.

Tips for Managing Lexapro Sleepiness

Lexapro can be taken once daily in the morning or evening, with or without food. If it consistently makes you sleepy, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether taking it in the evening would be appropriate. Do not change your dose or medication schedule without professional guidance.

Keep a brief record of when you take Lexapro, when fatigue begins, how you slept, and whether the symptom changed after a dosage adjustment. This information can help your healthcare provider identify patterns.

Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how Lexapro affects your alertness, judgment, and coordination. Alcohol may make escitalopram side effects worse, so discuss alcohol use with your healthcare provider.

Ask a pharmacist to review your prescription drugs, over-the-counter sleep aids, antihistamines, and other products. More than one medication may contribute to drowsiness.

When Should You Speak With a Healthcare Provider?

Schedule a medication review when tiredness prevents you from completing daily tasks or continues beyond the first few weeks. Your provider can help determine whether the symptom may improve with time or whether your treatment plan needs to be reconsidered.

Do not stop Lexapro suddenly. Abrupt discontinuation can cause symptoms such as dizziness, anxiety, mood changes, sleep problems, and tiredness. Healthcare providers generally reduce the dosage gradually when treatment is discontinued.

Seek urgent help for thoughts of self-harm, severe confusion or agitation, fainting, seizures, trouble breathing, or fever accompanied by sweating, shaking, or a rapid heartbeat. These symptoms require prompt medical attention.

Lexapro-related tiredness often improves, but you do not need to manage a disruptive side effect alone. Speak with a licensed healthcare professional before changing when or how you take your medication. Patients with a valid prescription can review brand-name Lexapro and generic escitalopram options through Canada Drugs Direct. The product page lists 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg strengths and states that a prescription is required.

This article is for general educational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice.

Does Lexapro make you sleepy during the day?

It can. Sleepiness and fatigue are recognized Lexapro side effects, although not everyone experiences them. Avoid driving until you know how the medication affects you.

Should I take Lexapro at night if it makes me tired?

Lexapro may be taken in the morning or evening. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before changing your routine, particularly if you take other medications at a specific time.

Can Lexapro cause insomnia instead of tiredness?

Yes. Lexapro can affect people differently, and both insomnia and somnolence were reported in clinical studies. Sleep disruption may also contribute to daytime fatigue.

Should I stop taking Lexapro if I feel exhausted?

Do not stop it suddenly. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss the severity and duration of your fatigue. A gradual dosage reduction is generally recommended when Lexapro is discontinued.

Can alcohol make Lexapro sleepiness worse?

Alcohol can worsen escitalopram side effects and may further affect alertness or judgment. Discuss alcohol use with your healthcare provider.