The prescription drug escitalopram, available as the brand Lexapro, is intended to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder. It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SSRI, the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant. Lexapro works by raising serotonin levels in the brain, which lightens mood. SSRIs usually cause fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants, according to MayoClinic.com. Weight loss is uncommon with Lexapro use.
Lexapro Versus Placebo
In clinical trials with Lexapro, those taking the drug and those taking a placebo did not differ in regard to significant changes in body weight, advises DailyMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Weight loss occurred in less than 1 percent of participants taking Lexapro and also in those taking a placebo, according to eMedTV. Thus, for those who take Lexapro and lose weight, it is unclear whether the drug causes the weight loss or whether some other factor is involved.
Patient Reports
Outside of clinical trials, some patients taking Lexapro have reported weight loss as a side effect, notes DailyMed. Again, it is impossible to confirm that Lexapro caused the weight loss or to estimate reliably how often this happens. It's possible that more people lose weight while taking Lexapro but do not report it to the drug manufacturer or to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Pediatric Uses
DailyMed does not provide data on whether children and adolescents experience weight loss while taking Lexapro. Research has not established the safety and effectiveness of this medication in children under 12 years old with major depressive disorder or for those under 18 years old with generalized anxiety disorder, according to DailyMed. However, because decreased appetite and weight loss have been connected to SSRI use, if your child takes Lexapro, his doctor should monitor his weight and growth rate.
Lexapro Considerations
Aside from weight loss, Lexapro is associated with many other more likely side effects. You could experience nausea, diarrhea or constipation, heartburn, abdominal pain, drowsiness, dizziness, sweating, flulike symptoms or changes in sex drive. Some of these effects tend to dissipate over time. The FDA requires a black box warning on Lexapro, as it does on other SSRIs, because a small number of patients younger than age 25 have developed suicidal thoughts and behavior while taking medications similar to escitalopram. The warning states that this effect is possible in adults age 25 and older as well.
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