Lexapro belongs to a class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Other SSRIs you may have heard of include sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram and fluoxetine.

The mechanism of antidepressant action of escitalopram, the S-enantiomer of racemic citalopram, is presumed to be linked to potentiation of serotonergic activity in the CNS resulting from its ...