Last Updated on November 27, 2023 by
Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD
Lexapro Alternatives Therapies
Please remember — DO NOT ABRUPTLY STOP TAKING LEXAPRO OR ANY OTHER SSRI MEDICATION.
Alternatives can help transition in a gradual and gentle way to reduce medication over time. Diet is a cornerstone of both physical and mental wellness. The importance of a diet that provides the micro-nutrients for the billions of functions inside a healthy body and functioning central nervous system cannot be overstated. Creating successful Lexapro® alternatives in a treatment plan may be exponentially enhanced by utilizing more than one therapy. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy in combination with upgrading the diet could be even more effective.
Eliminating things that contribute to depression is also a good place to start, such as getting ample sleep every night, eating a healthy and balanced diet, being physically active, and avoiding drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, processed foods, and other sources of toxins. Even certain foods and food allergies can contribute to depression and other unwanted symptoms. Nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to depression.
Other Lexapro substitutes include holistic and alternative medicine. There are some powerful natural remedies for depression that may provide workable alternatives to pharmaceutical prescription medications as preventative measures. For transitioning from medication, the use of herbal remedies must be well-monitored by medical professionals who are familiar with drug discontinuation and understand the mechanics involved during gentle and relapse-free recovery. Start with the basics. Upgrade the diet. Improve sleep. Eliminate negative food choices and any recreational use of drugs and alcohol. Test for nutritional deficiencies and correct them. Get your body moving. Have fun with hobbies and learn some new skills or hone some you may have abandoned. Do volunteer work — it’s highly therapeutic! Stop watching the news. Detox (prune) your social contacts and improve the relationships that you treasure. There is so much potential joy in life and so many ways for you to re-discover your love and passion. The following are evidence-based items that can be discussed with your physician or caregiver that may help speed up your journey back to vibrant wellness and energy. More information is given on each point below this short summary.
Natural Alternatives for Lexapro Include:
- Counseling
- Cleansing
- Microbiome support
- Herbal supplements
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Amino acids
- Vitamins and minerals
- Testing for hormonal imbalances and allergies
- Exercise
- Sunlight exposure
- Improve the diet
Counseling
CBT and other forms of counseling can be as effective as medication, with results that are longer-lasting, without adverse effects, and less subject to relapse.13
Cleansing
Over a lifetime of exposure to chemicals in food, water, and air, the body can become a toxic wasteland. This can be remedied, and cleansing the body has been shown as highly therapeutic in relieving symptoms that are commonly associated with exposure to toxins. Alternative to Meds Center offers clients a number of methods for deep and thorough neurotoxin removal.42
Microbiome Support
A healthy microbiome is absolutely essential for mental and physical wellness.41
Herbal Remedies
St John’s Wort and Kava have been found better than placebo and equally good as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and insomnia, without cardiac or other reactions associated with pharmaceuticals.
Valerian is another herbal remedy that has shown significant efficacy for depression as well as lessened insomnia and anxiety symptoms.30
These plant extracts may help prevent depression and avoid beginning psychiatric medication, but herb-drug interactions are under-studied, and taking herbals simultaneously with pharmaceutical drugs is not generally recommended.
Other herbal products such as Passiflora, Piper methysticum, and Ginkgo biloba, have shown efficacy for depression, anxiety, and insomnia, but trials are limited — though promising. Some herbal remedies in moderation may be useful to gradually transition away from medication, but caution is advised since serotonin upregulation and other synergistic effects may occur if overused, and the process of coming off a drug should always be carefully monitored within a framework of competent medical oversight to avoid such interactions.16,43,44,47
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids can be added to the diet through foods rich in this nutrient (salmon, mackerel, walnuts, flax seeds, eggs from flax-fed chickens) and supplements that are easily obtained at health food stores. Studies showed that a daily dose of 1.5-2g of EPA contained in Omega-3 supplements proved highly efficient at raising depressed mood.16,48,54
Amino Acids*
Amino acids are naturally produced and food-sourced elements that are important for mental health, and important in the natural production and distribution of mood-regulating neurotransmitters. Choose fruits and vegetables, raw and organic where possible, including squash, spinach, peas, beans, root vegetables, bananas, oranges, apples, leafy greens, and meat and other animal-sourced foods for a rich and vibrant diet full of raw materials for a healthy and robust neurotransmitter system.15,54
SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) available in supplement form, is a substance produced naturally in the body from the amino acid methionine that can help with depression. Food sources of methionine include meat, meat products, milk, and milk products.16,50-52
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a precursor to serotonin and as such, may help with depressive symptoms that are related to low serotonin. Can be obtained in supplement form or from foods like turkey, chicken, pumpkin, turnips, leafy greens, etc. 29,31,40,46,49
*Studies such as those from Kofler et al. have shown evidence that amino acids play an important role in both treating and preventing depression.
Vitamins and Minerals
Test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, for example, vitamin D, B vitamins including B6, magnesium, and others that can be therapeutic for depression. Research studies by Lakhan et al showed that 125-300mg of magnesium with each meal and again at bedtime relieved major depressive symptoms within 7 days. Folic acid or folate (.8mg daily) and B12 (.4mg daily) showed excellent relief from depression where these were deficient in patients.32,33,35,45,54
Testing for Hormonal Imbalances and Food Allergies
Testing can reveal dysfunctional thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamus, or other hormonal issues that might be addressed through diet, nutrition, or other holistic treatments.33
Food allergies can induce symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and mood dysfunction. Lab testing can effectively determine if such factors are at play.34,39
Exercise
Exercise even of a mild nature can have life-changing positive effects on mood, energy, sleep, and overall well-being. Sports, Tai Chi, Qigong, walking, swimming, and bicycling, are all excellent and dependable options to consider for improved mental and physical health.34,53
Forest bathing (walking in treed areas) and mindfulness — studies show a significant positive correlation with physiological and psychological well-being that is long-lasting and without harmful effects.37
Sunlight Exposure
Exposure to sunlight has been found to be somewhat dose-related. More sunlight can mean brighter cognitive function and mood. Get out and SHINE! 36
Improve the Diet
Revamping the diet to omit fast foods, cakes, sweets, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods. Instead, include fish, chicken, fresh fruits, and vegetables, which showed a 41% decrease in depression in research studies.9,38
Other Therapies as Alternatives to Lexapro
Acupuncture, massage therapies, meditation, and yoga, are shown in studies to alleviate depressive symptoms and improve overall mood.4,17-21
Please continue reading about other alternatives to Lexapro that are discussed in more detail below, including information on specific types of psychotherapy and other therapies that have been shown truly helpful in the treatment of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and others.
Lexapro is classed as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and is prescribed to treat depression (major depression or clinical depression) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).10 Natural Lexapro alternatives are often sought after when drug adverse effects become too bothersome or if the medication is not adequately controlling the symptoms it is being used to treat.11 Among the alternatives to Lexapro are many therapies and alternative treatments. Other medications may be recommended as traditional Lexapro antidepressant alternatives whether antidepressants or antipsychotic medications but substitute drugs are very likely to cause any or all of the same problems as Lexapro.12
Counseling, psychotherapy, talk therapy, life coaching, and other forms of therapy greatly help people with depression or GAD who are seeking natural Lexapro alternatives.13 Therapy can be all that it takes to alleviate depression for some people, especially acute treatment of mild to moderate depression. Various forms of psychotherapy including short-term therapy (10-20 weeks) allow patients to gain insight and resolve their depression through a verbal exchange. The therapist will often assign homework to work on between sessions. Behavioral therapists focus on helping patients to learn how they can obtain more satisfaction from their own actions and how they can unlearn behavioral patterns that are contributing to or resulting from their depression.
Therapeutic Interventions
Individuals are often given Lexapro and other antidepressants prior to any investigation into why they are suffering from depression.6 The low-serotonin theory has limited diagnostic value and has never been substantiated, according to research published in the Journal of World Psychiatry.23 There are many other factors contributing to depression that could have been checked, and probably were not investigated. What about looking for environmental neurotoxins that destroy energy metabolism? 5 What about food allergies in which internal swelling and inflammation may cause a slow metabolism? 24 Were these tested? Thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, and other hormonal issues may also be well worth investigating.25 And so on. Even in the common instance of an individual not ever being low serotonin in the first place, the medication itself can cause downregulation to develop.26
When a person stops taking Lexapro they may encounter 
