Does Lexapro Cause Sweating? | Why It Happens

Yes, sweating can happen with escitalopram, and it often starts after you begin treatment or after the dose goes up.

Lexapro is the brand name for escitalopram, an SSRI used for depression and anxiety. If you started waking up damp, sweating through a shirt, or feeling clammy after starting it, that link is plausible. Sweating is a known side effect, and it appears in the official trial data.

Still, not every sweaty spell comes from Lexapro. Heat, exercise, caffeine, alcohol, illness, hormone shifts, and other medicines can all push sweat output higher. The best clue is the pattern: when it started, when it hits, and what shows up with it.

Does Lexapro Cause Sweating? What The Data Shows

Yes. In the FDA prescribing information for Lexapro, “sweating increased” appears in adult trials for both depression and generalized anxiety disorder. In depression trials, increased sweating was reported in 5% of Lexapro users versus 2% of people taking placebo. In anxiety trials, the rate was 4% with Lexapro versus 1% with placebo.

The same FDA label also points to a dose effect. In one fixed-dose set of depression trials, increased sweating was listed in fewer than 1% of placebo users, 3% of people taking 10 mg daily, and 8% of people taking 20 mg daily. That doesn’t mean a higher dose will make every person sweat more, but it does show the odds can rise as the dose rises.

The NHS side effects page for escitalopram also lists “sweating a lot” as a common side effect and says some common side effects ease as the body adjusts. So the broad answer is simple: yes, Lexapro can make you sweat more, and it often shows up early.

Why Lexapro Can Make You Sweat More

SSRIs change serotonin signaling. Serotonin helps shape mood, but it also ties into temperature control and sweat gland activity. When that signaling shifts, some people seem to run warmer or sweat more with triggers that never used to bother them.

That’s why the problem can feel spotty. The medicine may raise your tendency to sweat, then coffee, a brisk walk, a warm room, stress, or a glass of wine makes it stand out.

Lexapro Sweating Side Effects And Timing

Timing tells you a lot. Many people notice sweating in the first days or weeks after starting escitalopram. It can also show up after a dose increase. The MedlinePlus drug page for escitalopram notes that the first months of treatment and dose changes are periods when people should watch closely for side effects and other changes.

If sweating begins months after your dose has stayed the same, widen the search. Another medicine, a new supplement, a fever, blood sugar shifts, or hormone changes may fit better than Lexapro alone.

• Early start: often in the first week or two.
• After a dose jump: a pattern that fits the trial data.
• Night sweats: common enough that many people notice the problem in bed first.
• Trigger-linked sweating: heat, exercise, caffeine, and alcohol can make it louder.

Pattern	What It May Point To	Next Move
Started in the first 1 to 2 weeks	A common early SSRI side effect	Track it for a short stretch if it stays mild
Began right after a dose increase	The dose may be pushing sweat output higher	Note the date and tell your prescriber
Shows up mostly at night	Night sweating can happen with escitalopram	Check bedding, room heat, and dose timing
Hits during exercise or in hot weather	Lexapro may shrink your comfort margin for heat	Use fluids, lighter layers, and slower ramp-ups
Gets worse with coffee, alcohol, or spicy meals	More than one trigger may be piling on	Trim one trigger at a time and compare
Comes with fever, confusion, shaking, or diarrhea	Not a routine sweat side effect	Get urgent medical help now
Arrives with weight loss, cough, or new illness	Another medical issue may be in play	Book a prompt medical visit
Stays strong after several weeks	The effect may not be settling on its own	Ask about dose timing, a lower dose, or a switch

How To Tell If Lexapro Is The Likely Cause

A short log can make the pattern much easier to read. Write down when the sweating started, whether the dose changed, what time the sweating hits, and what was going on around it. That gives you something better than guesswork.

1. Write the date you started Lexapro or changed the dose.
2. Mark whether the sweating happens in the day, at night, or both.
3. Note coffee, alcohol, workouts, spicy meals, and hot rooms.
4. List any new medicine, supplement, or nicotine use.
5. Check for fever, stomach upset, shaking, fast heartbeat, or confusion.

This kind of log helps your prescriber sort out whether the pattern fits Lexapro, another medicine, or a separate medical issue.

Ways To Ease Sweating Day To Day

If the sweating is mild, simple changes may cut the hassle while you wait to see whether your body settles in.

• Wear light, breathable layers.
• Keep cold water nearby during walks or workouts.
• Use a strong antiperspirant on dry skin at night if underarm sweating is the main problem.
• Cut back on coffee, energy drinks, alcohol, and spicy meals for a few days and compare.
• Keep the bedroom cooler if night sweats are the main issue.
• Take Lexapro at the same time each day unless your prescriber tells you to change it.

Don’t stop Lexapro on your own just because sweating is annoying. If the side effect is pushing you toward quitting, call the clinician who prescribed it and ask for a step-by-step plan.

Symptom Set	How Fast To Act	Why
Mild sweating only, no other new symptoms	Routine message or visit	Often fits a common side effect pattern
Sweating that starts after a dose increase and disrupts sleep	Call within a few days	A dose tweak or medicine change may help
Drenching sweats with cough, fever, or weight loss	Prompt medical visit	That pattern can point away from Lexapro alone
Sweating with rash, swelling, chest pain, or fainting	Urgent care now	Those signs need quick medical attention
Sweating with agitation, confusion, diarrhea, muscle twitching, or high fever	Emergency care now	Those signs can fit serotonin syndrome

When Sweating Means You Should Call Soon

Sweating by itself is usually an annoyance, not a danger sign. But sweating plus other symptoms can be a different story. The NHS warns that a high temperature, agitation or confusion, trembling, and twitching can be signs of serotonin syndrome. The FDA label also lists sweating among the symptoms that can show up when serotonin activity gets too high.

You should also reach out soon if the sweating is drenching, keeps waking you up, makes you lightheaded, or shows up with weight loss, cough, or a racing heartbeat. At that point, the goal is to rule out something else and make the medicine plan easier to live with.

What Your Prescriber May Change

If Lexapro is helping your mood or anxiety but the sweating is miserable, there are still options. Your prescriber may review the dose, the timing, the pace of dose increases, and the rest of your medicine list. Sometimes a lower dose is enough. Sometimes a switch to another antidepressant fits better.

What you should not do is stop cold turkey. The FDA label says Lexapro should usually be tapered instead of stopped all at once. A sudden stop can bring on dizziness, mood swings, and sleep trouble, which can leave you with two problems instead of one.

What Most People Need To Know

Lexapro can cause sweating, and the official data backs that up. If it started soon after you began the medicine or soon after a dose increase, Lexapro moves high on the suspect list. If it is mild, track it, trim common triggers, and share a clean timeline with your prescriber.

If it is drenching, persistent, or paired with fever, confusion, twitching, chest symptoms, rash, or fainting, get medical help right away. That is the line between an annoying side effect and something that needs faster action.