I recently trialled Lexapro for two weeks to try and help my memory. The trial was not long but I will present a summary below, the main receptor that Lexapro acts on is 5-HT1A
Cons
My memory for most things was awful - I felt really stupid like a dizzy sociable blonde!
Zero sexual desire - I felt like a robot
Music was completely flat and unappealing
Apathy - I didn't care about anything
Weight gain - I gained a lot of weight
Acne - My skin was oily and my acne flared up bad
Pros
Absolutely crushed my social anxiety, even more than Piracetam did, I was looking people in the eye I was really warm and smiling, girls were noticing me a lot and I got hit on a few times in the same day by two very gorgeous girls. I went out of my way to talk to people and when I was sitting alone I felt the intense desire to find someone to talk to normally I can sit alone for days and weeks without getting lonely.
Cognition - Huge improvement in my ability to recall certain information
Organisation - Not sure if this was a pro or con but I became obsessed with tidying and organising everything.
Searching Wikipedia I found the following action of
"Activation of 5-HT1A receptors has been demonstrated to impair certain aspects of memory (affecting declarative and non-declarative memory functions) and learning (due to interference with memory-encoding mechanisms), by inhibiting the release of glutamate and acetylcholine in various areas of the brain.5-HT1A activation are known to improve cognitive functions associated with the prefrontal cortex, possibly via inducing prefrontal cortex dopamine and acetylcholine release.Conversely, 5-HT1A receptor antagonists such as lecozotan have been shown to facilitate certain types of learning and memory in rodents, and as a result, are being developed as novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease."
Other effects of 5-HT1A activation that have been observed in scientific research include:
Decreased aggression
Increased sociability
Decreased impulsivity
Inhibition of drug-seeking behavior
Facilitation of sex drive and arousal
Inhibition of penile erection
Diminished food intake]
Prolongation of REM sleep latency
Reversal of opioid-induced respiratory depression
Edited by metabrain, 02 October 2015 - 03:34 PM.
