What No One Tells You About The First Two Weeks on Lexapro (Cipralex): My Real Experience

Two Weeks on Lexapro: What I Expected, What Surprised Me, and What’s Actually Shifting

*Disclaimer: this article describes my personal experience, thoughts and insights and by no means intended as a medical or professional recommendation.

Starting a new antidepressant is like stepping into a fog without a map. You’ve read the pamphlet, you’ve Googled the side effects, but nothing prepares you for how it will actually feel in your body, your mind, and your daily life.

It’s now been two weeks since I started taking Cipralex (aka Lexapro), an SSRI I was prescribed to help manage my anxiety. I wanted to document this early stage—not just for myself, but for anyone else out there wondering: What does this actually feel like?

The short answer? More nuanced than I expected. The long answer? Keep reading.

How I Started: Easing In

My doctor suggested a half-dose for the first week to monitor for sensitivity, especially the common tummy issues (nausea, dizziness, headaches). I took it with food and, aside from a couple of mild headaches and some initial nausea, my body tolerated it fairly well. She also warned me that the first 4-6 weeks might feel like things are getting worse. Especially the anxiety symptoms. So I was prepared for a rocky start to this journey. By day 7, I moved up to the full 10mg dose.

That’s when things got… real.

The Side Effects I Felt

Let’s start with the one I dreaded most: weight gain.

I’ve already noticed a 1kg increase, which may partly be due to Passover week, but still felt notable. I’ve since shifted my focus to hitting a daily protein goal instead of trying to force intermittent fasting, which is harder to maintain now that I’m taking meds in the morning and feeling hungrier later at night.

The biggest emotional side effect was unexpected: Not anxiety—but depression.

A thick, foggy, slow-motion kind of depression that hit especially hard around day 2 of the full dose. Everything felt slower, heavier, more sensitive. A glass of wine made it worse. Sounds and touch overwhelmed me. I just wanted to get out of my skin.

Next followed the lack of motivation. I felt apathic, heavy, and tired. I felt so stuck in my own body it became so hard to get myself to go to my desk, to the gym, to see friends…

And then, there was the sexual side effect.

Lower drive is one thing. But it wasn’t just that—I felt disconnected from that part of myself. The physical response was dulled. I didn’t expect how quickly that would show up, or how much it would impact my sense of aliveness.

And Then Something Shifted

Around day 5 of the full dose, something started to soften.

I wasn’t suddenly joyful or motivated. But I wasn’t drowning either.

The biggest surprise?

I didn’t feel crushed by my to-do list anymore.

I still wasn’t doing a lot of what I wanted to accomplish, but I also wasn’t punishing myself for it.

That post-lunch overwhelm that used to derail my afternoons? It became less sharp.

My brain still resisted focus, but the guilt wasn’t screaming anymore.

I also started noticing physical sensations I usually ignored—like the cool breeze on my walk or the softness of my sheets in the morning.

There was a calmness in my body that hadn’t been there in years.

What I’m Learning About Myself

Here’s the part that caught me off guard:

So much of my productivity was driven by anxiety.

Anxiety has been my motivator since I was a kid. The driver behind the doing.

So now, as the anxiety quiets, I’m left re-learning how to move through a day without that whip behind me.

I still find it hard to move from the couch to my desk.

But when I do get something done, it comes from a different place—not panic, but peace.

I even had a day where I did a bunch of house chores—like the dishwasher, laundry, dinner, kid’s routine—without it wiping me out emotionally. That felt huge.

And the biggest gift?

My morning and evening routines with my daughter are finally… easier.

Not rushed. Not heavy. Not something I dread. Just… life.

Not perfect, but light enough.

The New Kind of Progress

It’s tempting to measure these two weeks by productivity, output, or how “on track” I feel.

But that’s not the real metric right now.

The real progress is in the pauses.

In making a green shake and folding laundry without feeling like the world’s on fire.

In thinking through my business structure in bed without spiraling into stress.

In giving myself permission to have a few quiet, slow weeks—and not feeling like I’m failing because of it.

I don’t know how this journey will unfold.

I’m still adjusting. Still watching how my cycle, my moods, and my motivation shift over time.

But I do know this:

These early days are teaching me something I didn’t expect to learn—how to live without being led by anxiety.

And that lesson alone might be worth the side effects.

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If you’re starting SSRIs or thinking about it, know this:

Your experience will be yours alone. But it doesn’t have to be a mystery.

I’ll keep documenting my journey—honestly, gently, imperfectly.

Because if you’re walking through the fog too, I want you to know:

You’re not the only one.