Lexapro and Optic neuritis - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Optic neuritis is reported as a side effect among people who take Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), especially for people who are female, 30-39 old, have been taking the drug for < 1 month also take Rebif, and have Multiple sclerosis.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Optic neuritis when taking Lexapro. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 82,231 people who have side effects when taking Lexapro from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Lexapro?

Lexapro has active ingredients of escitalopram oxalate. It is often used in depression. eHealthMe is studying from 91,464 Lexapro users. Check the latest studies of Lexapro.

What is Optic neuritis?

Optic neuritis (optic nerve inflammation) is found to be associated with 648 drugs and 811 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Optic neuritis.

On Jul, 14, 2026

82,231 people reported to have side effects when taking Lexapro.
Among them, 83 people (0.1%) have Optic neuritis.

Among these 83 people:

How long have people been on Lexapro when they have Optic neuritis? *

What is the gender of people who have Optic neuritis when taking Lexapro? *

female: 67.07 %
male: 32.93 %

What is the age of people who have Optic neuritis when taking Lexapro? *

What are other drugs people take besides Lexapro? *

What are other side effects people have besides Optic neuritis? *

Fatigue (feeling of tiredness): 21 people, 25.30%
Weakness: 20 people, 24.10%
Headache (pain in head): 19 people, 22.89%
Blindness Unilateral: 16 people, 19.28%
Multiple Sclerosis Relapse (reoccurrence of a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. it damages the myelin sheath): 16 people, 19.28%
Eye Pain: 14 people, 16.87%
Migraine (headache): 13 people, 15.66%
Memory Loss: 11 people, 13.25%
High Blood Pressure: 10 people, 12.05%
Central Nervous System Lesion (an abnormality in tissue of brain or spinal cord): 10 people, 12.05%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Multiple Sclerosis (a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. it damages the myelin sheath): 43 people, 51.81%
Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (reoccurrence of an inflammatory disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged): 15 people, 18.07%
Fatigue (feeling of tiredness): 6 people, 7.23%
Ovarian Cysts (fluid filled sacs of the ovary): 5 people, 6.02%
Sleep Disorder: 5 people, 6.02%
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (primary progressive inflammatory disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged): 5 people, 6.02%
Pelvic Pain: 5 people, 6.02%
Mood Swings (an extreme or rapid change in mood): 4 people, 4.82%
Hypothyroidism (abnormally low activity of the thyroid gland, resulting in retardation of growth and mental development): 3 people, 3.61%
Gait Disturbance: 3 people, 3.61%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Lexapro and have Optic neuritis?

- Check whether Optic neuritis is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Lexapro:

Lexapro (91,464 reports)

Optic neuritis treatments and more:

Optic neuritis (11,743 reports)

Browse all side effects of Lexapro:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Optic neuritis:

Optic neuritis (648 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Optic neuritis:

Optic neuritis (811 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

O’Brien FE, O’Connor RM, Clarke G, Donovan MD, Dinan TG, Griffin BT, Cryan JF, "The P-glycoprotein inhibitor cyclosporin A differentially influences behavioural and neurochemical responses to the antidepressant escitalopram", Behavioural brain research, 2014 Mar .
O’Brien FE, O’Connor RM, Clarke G, Donovan MD, Dinan TG, Griffin BT, Cryan JF, "The P-glycoprotein inhibitor cyclosporin A differentially influences behavioural and neurochemical responses to the antidepressant escitalopram", Behavioural brain research, 2014 Mar .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on escitalopram oxalate (the active ingredients of Lexapro) and Lexapro (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.