PlainPill

Escitalopram

People mainly take Escitalopram for mood, anxiety, energy. Based on 20 first-hand reports and 219 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #413 of 1,974 overall.

29
User score
Mixed
30% positive10% mixed20% negative40% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 50% are positive.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
219
meta-analyses
659
RCTs
4,039
papers

What Escitalopram does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Lancet · 2018 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: All antidepressants were more efficacious than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder. Smaller differences between active drugs were found when placebo-controlled trials were included in the analysis, whereas there was more variability in efficacy and acceptability in head-to-head trials. These results should serve evidence-based practice and inform patients, physicians, guideline developers, and policy makers on the relative merits of the different antidepressants.

PubMed 29477251 ↗
Lancet · 2019 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest contemporary review of pharmacological agents for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder by use of network analysis. There are several effective treatment choices for generalised anxiety disorder across classes of medication. The failure of initial pharmacological therapy might not be a reason to abandon a pharmacological treatment strategy.

PubMed 30712879 ↗
Mol Psychiatry · 2023 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Antidepressants for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder in the maintenance phase: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: Compared to placebo, venlafaxine was associated with a lower incidence of dizziness, while desvenlafaxine, sertraline, and vortioxetine were associated with a higher incidence of nausea/vomiting. In conclusion, desvenlafaxine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine had reasonable efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability in the treatment of adults with stable MDD.

PubMed 36253442 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

10 mgdaily
12 monthsas reported
dailyas reported
nightlyas reported
5 mgdaily
10 mgas reported

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

emotional blunting ×2insomnia ×1stomach issues ×1hypomania ×1sexual dysfunction ×1apathy ×1withdrawal ×1

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“I've had a positive outcome, have no more anxiety, and these personality changes are welcomed.”
Source discussion ↗
“I would suggest running Escitalopram for 12 months”
Source discussion ↗
“I had immediate and total disruption of my digestive system AND unable to sleep a wink for days on end. Helped the depression ... did not help the anxiety much. Quit cold turkey”
Source discussion ↗
“I'll stick to my Lexapro”
Source discussion ↗
“Escitalopram at 5mg a day (after taking it for around 6 weeks)”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Other options for mood

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate