I don’t think Lexapro did anything to me other than reduce my anxiety. Certainly no side effects in the first few weeks. I started at the lowest possible dose though.
I was also told that the effects only trigger after 2-3 weeks, so to not stop during the first.
Same here. I was on Lexapro for quite some time, and Prozac a few years later. Both (alongside therapy) reduced my anxiety, and helped greatly with my depression. I've since moved off both, and I've been in a quite good place mentally for over a year now.
Neither helped with attention and focus though. I still get distracted by the next thing easily. Although I've never had a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD, I've suspected it for a while now, as it had been suggested off-handedly by a former therapist back in college. This article might be the push I need to get some confirmation.
It hasn't impacted my professional life, but my hobbies have certainly fallen by the wayside because of my difficulties with attention.
I was also told that the effects only trigger after 2-3 weeks, so to not stop during the first.