Celexa?

[yogiPhi]

I'm on Celexa but know that you have to be careful when you go off it, at least that's what my GP said. About 2 months ago I ended up in the hospital on a completely unrelated thing, but didn't take the Celexa for about a week and it gave me all the symptoms that you talk about.

You should very slowly reduce the dosage that you are taking. And you should probably discuss with your GP how to ween yourself off it.

Good Luck!!!

I was on Celexa about a year ago... and actually had a lot of the same symptoms as you when I was taken off of it (under the supervision of my GP/PCP

I'm on Lexapro now, which as someone said has the same active ingredient as Celexa without some of the "filler". I'm having a lot better luck with that... I have a new doctor now (both PCP and psychiatrist, actually) and they think that some people have bad reactions to the "filler" stuff in Celexa.

Good luck, whatever happens. I'll second, third, fourth the recommendations not to do ANYTHING until you talk to some kind of practiscioner. (sp?).

Are you still in school? I know that at least when I was, I got my meds through the student health center. The appointments were free, and the doctors and nurses there usually kept me stocked with samples so that I wouldn't have to pay OTC prices. Something to look into.....

[AchtungBaby80]

Thanks for the responses--you all listen a lot better than my doctor! Since I'm no longer in school, my insurance cuts off at the end of the year and that's why I was looking at quitting Celexa, besides the fact that I hate feeling dependent on a drug to function properly. My doctor (who's just a GP) seems to think that it's OK to go off it cold turkey, but I know that's malarkey because I did that last year and I was depressed for the entire 3 months I was off it. I didn't have mood swings, though...I just felt like Eeyore from "Winnie the Pooh" all the time. I'm weaning myself (i.e. decreasing the dosage systematically) because that's how I started it...I started taking 5 mg a day and worked up to 20, because my psychiatrist didn't know how I would react to it. I just want rid of these mood swings...I mean, getting excited when the weekly newspaper comes is weird, and so is staying sad for days over piddly little things.

[James]

Some links on tapering from Celexa . . .


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...q=celexa+taper

[shadokat]

Any drug like Celexa should honestly be weaned only with your doctor's guidance. Withdrawal is pretty bad from most SSRI's if done quickly. You may want to ask your dr. for something else (xanax, etc.) to take the edge off while you go off.

[juniorgrrl]

Yeah, I stopped my Lexapro cold turkey and was unable to get out of bed for 3 days... it was awful.

Anyone feel "different" coming off the stuff? My brain oesn't feel as sharp as it used to be - and I was on meds for less than 6 months!

[James]

It can take awhile to feel "normal" when coming off any type of drug that affects the mind. Especially after long-term chronic use.

No different than recreational drugs really.

You also might have a "new normal" where you are just different than you used to be, but you might not notice lol.

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
Yeah, I stopped my Lexapro cold turkey and was unable to get out of bed for 3 days... it was awful.

Anyone feel "different" coming off the stuff? My brain oesn't feel as sharp as it used to be - and I was on meds for less than 6 months!

[cashmoney]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
Does anyone know anything about or have any experiences with this drug? I've been on it for about four years now and I'm trying to wean myself off of it, but I've been having awful mood swings...some days I'm so happy I could dance down the road and other times the tiniest thing will make me sad for days. I talked to the doctor and he didn't sound too concerned, but I read somewhere that seratonin-inhibitor drugs (or whatever they're called) like this can mess you up, so now I'm scared.

Mess you up in what way? I doubt it very much. That is a seratonin-inhibitor drug. That means it doesn't deplete your seratonin levels to where you get depressed. My guess is that there may have been a few days where you didn't take the same amount each time, that would explain the dancing freely days and the I'm so sad I could cry days. Or it could be explained by what you did the night before, did you drink alcohol? Don't worry about a thing, you'll be alright. Those mood swings are explainable.

[cashmoney]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
My brain oesn't feel as sharp as it used to be - and I was on meds for less than 6 months!

I've been saying this to myself for awhile now.

[cashmoney]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
I just want rid of these mood swings...I mean, getting excited when the weekly newspaper comes is weird, and so is staying sad for days over piddly little things.

Seriously? You get excited about when the paper comes in? Do you like to read the classifieds or something?

[twhrider13]

AchtungBaby, I was wondering if you have ever taken Zoloft? I've heard that it is a good alternative for people who have not had good luck with Prozac. Incidentally, there are many people (my mother included) for whom neither Celexa nor Paxil (have you tried that one?) have done much good. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think Zoloft is a pretty good alternative. Just a starving psychology student's two cents.

Edited because I can't spell!

[Lady Pi Phi]

There are so many drugs out there. Other than Paxil, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor, blah, blah, blah.
If medication is what you need, work with your doctor to find the right one for you.
I don't think medication alone really works all that well. I'm a huge believer in the combination of talk therapy and medication.

[aggieAXO]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
I was taking Lexapro, a concentrated form of Celexa for about 4 months. I gained 15 lbs in that time and was tired all the time. I had scarily vivid dreams (a proven side effect of the drug). When I went off it, I was unable to get out of bed for 3 days from the effects of the withdrawal.

No matter how miserable I am now, I think about how bad the meds made me feel, especially when I tried to get off them.

Just remember: the drug companies don't make them to help you; they make them to make lots and lots of money. And, if you're getting this drug from a GP, chances are they only know what the drug rep tells them. My doctor told me there were no side effects to this drug because its so concentrated.

I've been off mine for a month and a half now, and I still feel really wonky - lots of mood swings, etc. Hope you feel better!

IMO it is part of the Drs. job to know side effects of all meds people are taking. Of course drug companies and reps are there to make money, I have delt with many drug reps in animal and human medicine and they have always been forthcoming with side effects, it is up to the Dr. to pass this info. along to the patient. When I get my prescription filled there is a handout that goes along with it and this lists the side effects as well plus the pharmacist goes over the meds.

Lady Pi Phi, i too think therpay is an essential part of the treatment. I was in therapy for about a year and this helped tremendously.

I was on Zoloft a few years ago and weaned myself off over about 2-3 months and had no residual effects. I think it just depends on the individual. Zoloft did not work for me the second time around so now I am on effexor which makes me sleepy but at least I am not depressed!!

Just like there are crappy veterinarians there are crappy doctors and for a doctor to tell a person that he or she does not need to be weaned off this type of medication makes me question what type of dr. they are.

[MereMere21]

Go to your doctor and tell him/her you want to wean - don't do it by yourself! At least call them -

~If you are 20 mg tabs, then for 7 days take one every day
~then cut the tabs in 1/2 (10 mg) and take one of those for 7 days
~then cut those in 1/2 (5 mg) and take that for 7 days
~the final week take one 5 mg tab (1/4 of your 20 mg tabs) every other day for 7 days.

Thats the jist of what he or she will tell you to do. They need to know you are weaning though in case you do have some withdrawel symptoms and need medical attention.

I was on Lexapro for 6 months before I weaned off - like others on here I hated feeling dependant on medication. I didn't have any withdrawels what-so-ever. My advice though with any selective seretonin reuptake inhibitor to be careful. Bluntly speaking when you start messing around with the chemicals in your brain it gets really confusing and should only be done with the supervision of a licensed health professional Good luck

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by aggieAXO
Just like there are crappy veterinarians there are crappy doctors and for a doctor to tell a person that he or she does not need to be weaned off this type of medication makes me question what type of dr. they are.

Wow, guys, you all are smart! Or at least you know a lot about prescription drugs.

OK, I'm starting to feel better...it's been a little while, and the mood swings aren't so bad. However, I was prescribed Celexa in the first place to treat anxiety and panic attacks, and I'm really worried that those are gonna come back. If they do, it's back on the drugs. I was never depressed until I had taken Celexa for a while and then went off it for a couple months...it was strange, because I had never felt that way before and now I really feel for those people I know who say they've been depressed all their lives.

I won't call my doctor crappy because I'm trying to be nice (even quacks deserve a break sometimes), but I don't think he really knows as much as he ought to about Celexa and other similar drugs. I had to explain to him how they worked. Either he's dumb or he just doesn't care, but he's practically the only doctor in town so what can you do?

twhrider, no, I've never taken Zoloft. I haven't heard anything bad about it, though, so that's good! One I don't think I would try is Paxil, however, because I know a lot of people (including some family members) who've had less-than-satisfactory experiences with it.