Member Medication Review: Celexa

By Merely Me Tuesday, December 22, 2009

- A
- A
- A

Hi guys and gals!

It is Tuesday so I thought we should resume our weekly medication review. I hope there are people out there to participate.

The medication I hope to discuss today is Celexa (citalopram).

Has anyone taken this medication or is anyone currently taking this for their depression? I have some questions for you.

1. How long did you have to take Celexa before it "kicked in" and you could feel it making a difference?

2. Did you experience any side effects and what were they?

3. Did it help you? And if so how?

4. If you stopped taking Celexa did you experience any withdrawal symptoms? How long did they last?

Remember that everyone is different when it comes to whether or not a particular antidepressant will work for you. But it does help to know how other people experience taking medication so we can get a general picture of what we might expect.

Thank you to all who participate! And we will soon be including supplements as well to our review.

Member Medication Review: Lexapro

Comments (21) | Add comment

Kelly Jo

12/22/09 4:54pm

I've been taking Celexa for about 8 months, and my doctor started me at 20 mgs. Well, my heart started racing so bad after the first week of taking it that she cut me down to 10 mgs. daily. I don't feel any different with the less dose and I felt about the same with the full dose. I feel like this medicine is NOT working for me like I had wanted and will need to go back to my doctor to get a different one. I would never take this medicine again because I have had some side effects, like the heart racing fast, and not being able to sleep thru the night and also my left shoulder tingles somewhat, its strange, I know, but when I mentioned this to the doctor, she didn't know what was up.

Hope everybody has a Happy Holiday!

jpw2008

12/22/09 6:06pm

I'm still stuck on those cute cute cats who thought it was their birthday

Celexa yeah i'm on it

I guess it works

My nerves are shot

Heartburn all the time

I woke up from a dream this morning because I was physically sick

my dream was about being sick

Jon

Kelly Jo

12/22/09 8:16pm

I forgot about the heartburn all the time. Can't figure out why I forgot, but my doctor says to take Tagamet, which has worked for me, but maybe not for everyone. I take 1 pill a day with my medicine. You hang in there, ok? We're with you all the way.

Frosty

12/22/09 10:30pm

Hi there, I'm a 32 year old woman and have major depression, OCD, anxiety and a rich history of night terrors! I've been taking Celexa for about 9 months and so far so good. I started at 10mg., then moved up to 20mg. about 2 weeks later. It's the first antidepressant I've ever taken, and I'm actually really surprised at how well it has been working for me. I was truly expecting to have an awful time trying to find the right medications or combination of medications, or the right dosage. I was fully expecting it to take months or even a year or two to get my depression under control. But I started feeling better within the first week (probably a combination of the placebo effect and increased exercise and time outside). But it has continued to work well ever since. I'm thinking more clearly, my energy level is better, and while I may get a little down sometimes, it's nowhere near what it was before the medication. My anxiety level is much lower, up to this point I have not had any more night terrors, and even my OCD has improved a bit.

Any side effects I've had have been pretty minimal. The first night I took the medication was when I had the most trouble -- dry mouth and eyes, insomnia, a little bit of panic and some nausea -- but since then, the only things I have continued to experience only every once in awhile is the dry mouth, and that isn't too bad at all, and a little bit of occasional insomnia (which I can usually manage by just getting into bed early). A funny thing is while my interest in sexual activity has increased since starting the medication (!), I've had just a little bit of trouble achieving orgasms sometimes. But since my interest has increased, my intimate life is generally much much better and more satisfying. It's a work in progress!

I do know that even though I'm on the medication, I must remain vigilant and keep a close eye on my moods, not let myself get into a rut, eat healthy food, continue ANY form of exercise I can, and make sure I get enough sleep. I look at the medication as a stepping stool -- it has enabled me to have the energy to do the real work on myself. To do the deep work in therapy, to really explore myself and build up my resilience. And it has given me the energy to really take care of myself. I know that there's the possibility that this medication won't work forever, but I am deeply grateful and thankful it has worked as long as it has so far. Even if it stopped working tomorrow, at least I've had these last nine months.

jpw2008

12/23/09 7:45am

Hi frosty

I'm glad you mentioned being grateful

I don't think I'm grateful enough

Jon

Elle

6/ 3/10 3:24pm

I had awful side effects the first few weeks, it made my depression even worse. I didnt feel anything until the 3rd month!!! Its been almost 5 months now and I'm doing a lot better. I still get depressed and have bad days sometimes but I have more good days than bad now :) It's reallllllly hard to get past the initial side effects but I think it's worth it if you can handle them.

Mary Rose-Sellers

7/22/10 8:20pm

I just started taking celexa 3 days ago. I was diagnosed with estrogen related breast cancer in February of 2009. I had lumpectomy, went through radiation, and chemo. My mother passed away while I was going through chemo. I made it through the year without any anti depressantants, till I started taking femara August 2, 2009. Now a year later and my depression has worsened. Initially it felt like PMS, but for the past month it hasn't gone away. I feel down, tired, no ambition to do anything. So the doctor prescribed celexa. It's been 3 days now that I am taking, and want to get off it. I haven't seen any improvement, and it feels as if I'm more depressed than before.

I am hoping, from what I read in these postings, that will eventually help. I just don't want to get the anxiety attacks that I had in the past. Those went away, and was happy about it. I am confused and I am not sure if I should continue taking it. My oncologist said to try it for a week and see how it goes.

Anyone out there with the same problems? And how long did you have to wait till you felt any better?

Thanks.

pinkprincess

10/20/12 2:20am

how did the anxiety go away and do you know why you had that??? I have suffered with anxiety but still do not know why, even though they say part is the asthma.. I would love to know if you remember how the anxiety went away.... im taking celexa but it gives me more anxiety at times but the dr. highered the dosage to 40mg was taking 20mg before. I have been taking it for about 8 months but at times im fine other days all i do is sleep all day and night for the fatigue, tireness, weakness i feel... i wish this feeling to NO ONE... sometimes i've noticed i feel stressed and anxiety when im with people that stress me and dont really care for me... or how sick i can be at times.

Connie

8/10/10 6:40pm

I had to have my thyroid level rechecked after recent blood draw in March, 2010 revealed levels were low. In May, I asked my Dr. if low levels of thyroid could cause depression. He said no, and called a prescription in for Citalpram, I took one pill in the afternoon the same day. I woke up the next morning with flu like symtoms, heaviness and burning sensation in my chest. I did not take anymore pills, and suffered extreme fatigue, flue like symptoms, that seemed to go away by afternoon only to return the next day. Muscle weakness, weird feeling in my head, chills, hot flashes, loss of appetite, crying spells, a feeling of being totally out of control a couple of times, dizzy. I saw a Dr. who says that one pill could not have caused withdrawal symptoms and wanted to put me on another antidrepressant. I had these symptoms for several weeks. I am gradually gaining my strength back, but still have some muscle weakness. I just noticed this week that I am getting my appetite back, some days are better than others. Oh, I did not take the advice of the dr. who wanted to put me back on a different antidepressant. I have done research on this drug and feel like it is a dangerous drug and should be investigated. No, one pill should not have affected me that way, so what is really in that pill? One pill has disrupted my life for almost 2 months, but others have been affected by withdrawal for more than 3-4 months and longer. I have suffered the effect of this pill just because I asked if low thyroid level could cause depression, and by the way, research on this matter reveals, yes it can. I don't have much faith in dr.'s. How do I know it was that one pill? Because I was fine until I took that one pill! If you choose to take this drug, do yourself a favor and research it or any other mind altering drug.

Jerry

10/ 9/10 7:22pm

I am a 38 year old male who got sick last March '10... went to the Dr. concerned with flu like symptoms. I was so lost and began to feel so frustrated since I was not "feeling well".. even felt that my Dr. was not listening... must say, he did every test you can imagine.. saw him 4 times.. (once every week) and he said to me over and over.. you dont have anything wrong with you... I didn't feel well.. so I thought that there had to be something wrong with me.. so I fell in a deep depression... He prescribed me with Celexa.. 20 mg. took it for 3.5 months... experienced some side affects.. and made the decision of taking myself out of it 2 months ago.. the withdrawals have been worse than the initial problems, the side affects and now I just have to wait and deal with it.. I have never been so miserable in my life.. the symptoms that I am experiencing now where never there prior to me stopping the medication. I do recognize one huge mistake.. I stopped cold turkey... should have never done that. .but I was not going to nor will I ever get back on that med.

cuteii101

11/11/10 7:32am

hi im rachel and im 16 and to me this so called celexa isnt working headaches and lightheadedness and to me i have shorter nerves to where im blowing up on every other person i was at church and my friends he was joking with me and i had the idea of hitting him...thats not my natural i told my dad but in a way i feel like he blew me off i dont know what to do im at a dead end and it hasnt been 12 weeks and from what i can tell im supposed to have regular appointments but i dont...also i hhave shorter breaths i mean i know im not in shape but iive been playing tennis and because of celexa i literally almost passed out and thats really not normal for me...should i switch or should i stop it cold turkey? because it has made no difference

tnmd

11/18/10 1:22pm

Hi, my doctor put me on the lowest dose of citalopram and i noticed a difference that very night. Initially, I couldn't stop smiling and i remember my husband saying 'wow, that dimple is getting deeper and deeper'. i had some post partum depression after the birth of my second child and didn't catch it till she was about 15 months. I mean, i knew something was wrong, but didn't put the two together. I really like cital and it's helped me cope...and well for me, it's been a miracle. My doc said that at some point i would just have to try to go off it in terms of 'will i need this forever?' question. I have tried on my own without consulting her, and have noticed that i'm getting a little rough, but nothing compared to what i was feeling prior to beginning the pill. As for symptoms, i feel incredibly sleepy, have a hard time waking up, often i wake up simply because it's 11 in the morning! I feel at times a little dizzy if i move quickly, have headaches, and dry heave at least once a day. I would compare it to having a hang over. I am a little more sensitive than I was while being on it, in terms of arugements or disareements my spouse and i have, more quick to cry. Not sob and carry on, but a few tears. Moods have changed dramatically, happily, not involving the children, but poor husband, there are days where i cannot stand him, can't stand to look at him, can't stand his stupid smile. His smile isn't really stupid, but that's how i feel. Then the next day, i like him again. Perhaps it's not the pill, but really just him! If I do start to have issues in terms of parenting, I will without hesitation go back on this pill. Overall, I was very happy with it, and the symptoms of abrutply stopping have not been so overwhelmingly bad that i regret using it.

GiGi

2/ 1/11 7:41am

I have a 20 year history of Bipolar II so there have been many med changes. I recently started on a dose of 40 mg and by the third day the low grade suicidal thoughts were gone. I found myself laughing far more at comical things on television and functioning better to a degree. Some headaches that could be relieved with an over the counter remedy. Enough positives to ride out the side effects to see how this would work.

Things got a little too odd and my dosage was lowered to 20 mg. It's been a definite improvement but my sleep is still unpredicatable. It's been six weeks and I've improved quite a bit. It's not perfect yet but it's a vast improvement over the other meds. How it holds up after three to six months remains to be seen.

Debbydif

2/ 9/11 9:19am

I am a 56 year old woman, was giving Citalopran to assist in easing migraines. I have taken one pill and feel awful! Dizzy, sick, sleepy into the next day. I have to work and drive out of town on occasion. I am not sure I want to continue? Does it get better???

robmoosejr

2/22/11 11:35pm

Today, 2/22/11, I took my first Celexa pill. In fact, I only took half of one, so it's only 10 mg that I took. I have weird reactions to most meds. This is one of a very few that I take that has made me extremely tired.

I have NO INTENTIONS of taking this medication again. I just don't like how it's making me feel. I know you'll think I haven't taken it long enough, but I've had similar results with only 1 or 2 Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac. I took ONE Prozac years ago, and won't go near it.

I do take 1.5 mg to 2.0 mg of Xanax a day, and have for 20 years. I keeps everything on an even keel.

But this Celexa? NO WAY!

Kristin

3/25/11 1:34pm

I was on Citalopram for 1 year and 4 months. I am 33 year old female. Before I started Citalopram, I was at the lowest healthy weight for my height. I was a size 4 or 6 and very heavily involved in ballet. The first two weeks on this drug-I had completely lost my appetite. In fact, I passed out because I hadn't eaten in two days. It made me lose 5 pounds. Two months after that, I packed on 20 pounds faster than you can possibly imagine. I don't eat a lot-in fact I was eating LESS than I ever did before. Within another few months, that weight gain number increased to 60 pounds. I am now very overweight for my height. I tried to increase my exercise amount in spite of the constant extreme fatigue the drug made me feel. It didn't cause weight loss but slowed further weight gain. I had a hard time maintaining any kind of muscular strength. It was as if someone had pureed my muscle and replaced it with the most cellulite laden fat you can possibly fathom! This was a nightmare for me and I had to stop dancing. The drug also made me apathetic to everything. After hearing how co-workers noticed my extreme weight gain and not being able to wear any of my old clothes I weaned myself off of Citalopram. After halfing my initial dose I immediately noticed a change in energy. I wasn't tired all of the time anymore. During the withdrawal, I had this constant feeling of motion-kind of like that feeling you get while on an elevator. At the two week mark of 0mg-I started feeling very nauseas and eventually spent an entire Sunday puking. I had no other general symptoms of illness, so I assume the vomiting was due to withdrawal. I have upped my exercise and have reduced my caloric intake and 2 months later (after stopping), I have very little weight loss to show for it. I wish that they would edit the drug’s warning label to show that when weight gain happens-it is extreme and RAPID. This drug ruined my physicality, ruined my body and robbed me of ballet. After stopping, I realized how sick Citalopram made me feel. It made me high in my head but sick elsewhere. Without the drug, I have energy again…my strength is slowly coming back…sleep is actually RESTFUL again. I have since read articles about how Citalopram reduces time spent in REM sleep…increases cortisol levels in blood..causes oxidative damage to organs such as the liver, kidneys and heart. I have even read that it can cause insulin resistance. I scour medical journals…so this info isn’t just from the general public opinion. Overall, it wasn’t worth it and it will possibly take a long time to get this weight off. The weight gain has made me isolate myself. I am mortified by it. I wish I could sue the manufacturer.

Kristin

3/25/11 1:36pm

I don't know why it added all of that extra odd stuff to my post above! Sorry!

Dee

4/11/11 3:31pm

I've been on 10 mg Celexa for 3 weeks now (for depression) and I hate the way I feel. Stiff neck, headaches, can't seem to focus or concentrate, and I haven't smiled since starting it. I plan to talk to my Dr. to try something else, this is not working.

jen

5/24/11 11:49am

Was started on this med last week 5/17 after dealing with depression for several months since being treated for a parasitic intestinal infection i think i contracted from traveling abroad. Never had issues with depression until acquiring that (giardia) and losing wt rapidly due to nutrient absorption issues that go with it. The first day taking citalopram was uneventful, but the next 2-3 days I felt like i could not get out of bed-extreme tiredness, no appetite, felt worse than ever. Late on that 4th day i got up and forced myself to function just doing household stuff and began to feel good/slept good that night. Then the 5th day, I felt the change- i had energy, mood great, and have gotten more done the past few days than i have in months. it is a week now and i am very happy about the results. i know depression meds affect people very differently, but it has worked for me and hope it continues. noting some difficulty falling asleep at night, but i eventuall doze off. as far as wt, i could stand to gain some now as i lost 17 lbs rather fast with the illness and have not been able to put back on-i'm only 100lbs now! as a wife, mother of 2, and RN, i can tell you it is not a healthy wt for me.

1234567

9/ 2/11 12:34pm

I am 18 years old, female. I just started taking this medication a few days ago. I feel just awful. My stomach has been bothering me nonstop, and I feel so weird. But, I do notice a change in my mood. I'm really hoping these side effects go away soon, they're really bothering me. I've been staying in bed the past few days because of how weird I feel.

Sweetmia

10/ 3/11 6:54pm

1. How long did you have to take Celexa before it "kicked in" and you could feel it making a difference?

I was already on Lexapro when my doctor switched me to Celexa and Wellbutrin.

My depression increased about a year ago so he increased my dosage from 20 to 40mg. That took about 3 or 4 weeks.

2. Did you experience any side effects and what were they? Weight gain only.

3. Did it help you? And if so how? Yes but I hate the weight gain. I have gained 30 pounds in three years. My feet hurt and I feel bad about myself.

4. If you stopped taking Celexa did you experience any withdrawal symptoms? How long did they last? I am currently going off of Celexa (will continue with Wellbutrin) I was at 40mg, then took 20mg for two weeks and just started today with 10mg which I will take for about two weeks. My heart races sometimes for no reason. It is not a panic or anxiety attack by any means but just a physical sensation. I got brain zaps and sweat the second week I was on 20mg. I also feel tired.

Member Medication Review: Celexa

Ask a Question