Does Lexapro Make You Tired? How Long It Lasts and What Helps
Lexapro can make you tired, mostly in the first weeks, and for many people it eases as the body adjusts. Here is what the label says, what people on r/lexapro report and what helps.
By withClaro Editorial · 2026-10-23 · 5 min read
Medical review pending. Written by the Claro editorial team from the FDA label and published studies.
Key takeaways Lexapro can make you tired: in the FDA trials, 6% of adults with depression and 13% with anxiety felt sleepy, against 2% and 7% on placebo. In 100 r/lexapro threads about tiredness, people whose tiredness faded usually said it took about 5 weeks. Tiredness is more common at 20 mg than at 10 mg: in fixed-dose trials, sleepiness affected 9% against 4%. Tell your prescriber if tiredness lasts beyond the first weeks or comes with low motivation. On this page
What 301 people on r/lexapro said about tiredness How common is tiredness on Lexapro? Why does Lexapro make you tired? How long does tiredness from Lexapro last? What helps with tiredness on Lexapro? Is it safe to drive if Lexapro makes you sleepy? What should you tell your prescriber about tiredness? Lexapro (escitalopram) can make you tired, especially in the first few weeks. Sleepiness and fatigue are both among its most common side effects on the FDA label. For some people it fades within about a month; for others it lasts much longer, and the time of your dose can make a difference.
What 301 people on r/lexapro said about tiredness
We read 100 recent threads about tiredness and energy on r/lexapro, comments included, and 301 of the 312 people who described their own experience said Lexapro left them tired. These threads were picked because people posted about tiredness, so they show what it looks like when it happens, not how often; people without a problem rarely post.
Of the 301, 139 said how their tiredness went over time: 60 said it faded while they stayed on Lexapro and 79 were still tired when they wrote. Of the 111 who said what helped, one person can be in more than one row:
What they said helped Of 111 people Waiting it out 25 Taking the dose in the evening 22 Exercise, routine or caffeine (counted together) 22 A lower dose 9 Switching to another medication 9 Something else 35
One person on r/lexapro wrote:
It took several weeks for the tiredness to fade for me. It was brutal.
For others it lasted longer:
100 days now on 5 mg. And Soo tired all day.
How common is tiredness on Lexapro?
It is one of the side effects seen most often in the trials behind the label. In the depression trials, 6% of adults on Lexapro felt sleepy, against 2% on placebo, and 5% felt fatigued, against 2%. In the anxiety trials the rates were higher: 13% felt sleepy, against 7% on placebo, and 8% felt fatigued, against 2%.
In the depression trials, the label counts sleepiness and fatigue among the effects seen at least twice as often as on placebo. Dose matters: in two fixed-dose depression trials, sleepiness affected 4% on 10 mg and 9% on 20 mg, and fatigue 2% and 6%. Some people get the opposite. Insomnia affected 9% of adults in the depression trials and 12% in the anxiety trials, and in the two fixed-dose trials it doubled with the dose, from 7% on 10 mg to 14% on 20 mg. Those trials also found no greater benefit at 20 mg than at 10 mg, while 10% stopped because of side effects on 20 mg against 4% on 10 mg.
Why does Lexapro make you tired?
Part of the answer is sleep itself. Escitalopram acts on the serotonin system from the first dose, and serotonin helps regulate sleep. In a 2010 sleep-lab study, one evening dose of 10 mg in healthy men suppressed dream (REM) sleep and broke up sleep more, though it didn't make them sleepier the next day. That was one dose in healthy volunteers, but it fits tiredness that comes through worse nights rather than through sedation. In the trials, sleepiness was among the most common reactions, about three times as often as on placebo in depression, and the NHS lists feeling sleepy among the common side effects. Why it hits one person and not another isn't known.
Depression and anxiety can also drain energy on their own, and poor sleep adds to it. That is why tiredness that lasts is worth raising rather than putting down to the pill.
How long does tiredness from Lexapro last?
On r/lexapro, the 24 people whose tiredness faded and who gave a time most often said about 5 weeks; half said between 3 and 8 weeks. Of the 139 who said how it went, more were still tired (79) than had seen it fade (60). It can also come back after a dose increase, since tiredness is more common at 20 mg than at 10 mg. The NHS says most side effects of escitalopram ease after a couple of weeks as the body gets used to it. Tiredness that has faded is different from tiredness you have got used to: if you are still napping or cutting back on things, it hasn't really gone.
If tiredness is still strong after a month, or appears after a dose increase, tell your prescriber.
How the first weeks usually go is covered in how long Lexapro takes to work .
What helps with tiredness on Lexapro? Clinical section: medical review pending
Moving the dose to the evening was one of the two changes people on Reddit named most after waiting. Lexapro can be taken in the morning or the evening, so if it makes you drowsy, ask your prescriber whether an evening dose suits you. The clinical view:
When it lasts, it can come from the medication, from depression itself or from poor sleep.
What can help:
regular sleep, daylight and light activity, rather than extra caffeine being careful about driving until you know how the medication affects you Tiredness that comes with feeling flat, unmotivated or low is not something to save for the next visit. Contact your prescriber sooner, and if low mood turns into thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or find a crisis line . What fits next depends on you and your dose, and it is a choice to make together.
How to move your dose time is covered in the best time to take Lexapro .
Is it safe to drive if Lexapro makes you sleepy?
Not while you feel sleepy. The label advises caution with driving and machinery until you know how Lexapro affects you, and the NHS says not to drive or ride a bike while you feel dizzy or sleepy.
Alcohol makes the drowsiness stronger. The Lexapro Medication Guide says not to drink alcohol during treatment, and the NHS says it's best not to. More on that in Lexapro and alcohol .
What should you tell your prescriber about tiredness?
Tell your prescriber when the tiredness started, how strong it is and whether it is getting better. That helps them tell a passing side effect from one worth changing the dose or medication for. It helps to tell them:
When you started Lexapro, your dose and any recent dose change. When in the day you feel tired, and whether you take your dose in the morning or evening. How you sleep at night, and whether you nap. Whether you also feel flat, unmotivated or low. Any other medications, caffeine or alcohol you use. Download on the App Store Tiredness on Lexapro rises and fades over weeks, so a day-to-day record shows the pattern better than memory. The withClaro app lets you log energy, sleep, mood and side effects each day, linked to your dose, and turns it into a report for your prescriber.
Frequently asked questions Does Lexapro make you tired at first? Often, yes, and for some people it lasts longer than the first weeks. If it lasts beyond a month, tell your prescriber.
Does a higher dose of Lexapro make you more tired? It can. In two fixed-dose trials, sleepiness affected 4% on 10 mg and 9% on 20 mg, and fatigue 2% and 6%. Note when it started relative to the increase and tell your prescriber.
Can Lexapro cause insomnia instead? Yes. In the depression trials, insomnia was more common than sleepiness: 9% against 6%. If an evening dose keeps you awake, ask your prescriber about a morning dose.
Is Lexapro or Zoloft more likely to make you tired? Both can, and their labels can't be compared directly: the figures come from different trials, conditions and placebo groups, and the labels say so. If tiredness is the side effect you most want to avoid, raise it when your prescriber chooses a medication.
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Sources LEXAPRO (escitalopram) prescribing information, US Food and Drug Administration via DailyMed, revised April 2024 NHS: Escitalopram MedlinePlus: Escitalopram ZOLOFT (sertraline) prescribing information, US Food and Drug Administration via DailyMed, revised August 2023 r/lexapro: On day 5 of Lexapro, when did you stop feeling exhausted? r/lexapro: Does the exhaustion ever go away?? r/lexapro: I'm tired as hell on Escitalopram r/lexapro: Has anyone else experienced severe fatigue on escitalopram? r/lexapro: Anyone else feel exhausted all the time on Lexapro? r/lexapro: Anyone stop Lexapro due to the fatigue? Doerr JP, et al. Impact of escitalopram on nocturnal sleep, day-time sleepiness and performance compared to amitriptyline. Pharmacopsychiatry, 2010 Claro articles are for self-monitoring and educational purposes only. They are not a medical device, therapist, or diagnostic tool, and do not replace care from your prescribing clinician. If you are in crisis, contact your care team, emergency services, the Samaritans (UK: 116 123), or the Crisis Text Line (US: text HOME to 741741).