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6693906 tn?1388804285

Celexa and Ativan

Hello!  I am 16 years old and i have been on Celexa for one year.  first i was on 10mg, then my doctor tried to up it to 30mg, but that did not help, it only made me worse.  He brought be back down to 10mg and put me on Ativan as well.  it is a very low dose, but from what i understand it is very easy to abuse, so my mother dispenses it for me.  I have continued this amount of medication for around 6 months and finally went to see the doctor again.  He has decided to gradually up the Celexa again and ween me off the Ativan.  this is 3 days later and i am home from school with dizziness and nausea.  From what I read that is normal withdrawal, and i'm certain it will pass.  However, my question is if the Celexa was bad to bring up the first time, will it necessarily have the same result months later?  If anyone has any information on this medication please help me, i'm a little worried!
Best Answer
480448 tn?1426948538
Hello and welcome!  I'm sorry you're having a tough time!

How long have you been taking the Ativan, and how were you taking it ...ie..every day, and how many times a day, or just "as needed" when anxiety was peaking?  What dose of the Ativan were you on?  When did you start the taper off the Ativan?  Can you describe what you tapered down to, and in what time frame?  That info will be very helpful in advising you if we think the Ativan may be causing your symptoms.

I think the doctor's plan to try to increase the Celexa is a good one and makes sense.  It's not uncommon to occasionally require a dosage increase with antidepressants to maintain the same level of effectiveness.  

I think where your doc went wrong was that he tried to bump you up too drastically, hence why you didn't tolerate the increase.  If he increased the dosage more gradually, you may have done better.  I think as long as the doc tapers the Celexa slowly and gradually, you should tolerate it fairly well.  I would make sure you express to him that you want to taper up slowly, in small increments.  That may be the key.

Hang in there..I'll look for your replies about the Ativan.
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480448 tn?1426948538
Yes, definitely make finding a psychiatrist priority one, especially with your age, it's important that you be working with a doc who specializes in these kinds of disorders and medications.  If you were taking the Xanax regularly (every day, or close to that) for six months, you absolutely should have been tapered off, not told to abruptly decrease the frequency.  

I hope you're able to find a doc soon, keep us posted, okay?  Hang in there, try to enjoy your w/e!
Helpful - 0
6693906 tn?1388804285
He did not wean me, he told me only to take it when absolutely necessary.  I am taking 15mg of Celexa now, he wants to take me up to 20mg but i'm a little scared at this point.  At the most I was at 30mg but that was absolutely a train wreck and made me much worse.  I had tried Paxel, but that gave me more panic attacks and he quickly took me off.  i was younger and tried some other meds that I don't remember the name of, i was younger and have been taking medicine my whole life except for in between the ages of 13-15, I was doing better and med-free.  

Then, I delveloped a sort of dream like state that occurs in panic attacks even though it was constantly dragging with me.  I looked it up and I suppose it is a normal thing for anxiety ridden people such as myself, but I decided that doesn't mean I have to suffer with it!

My mother and doctor are working hard to try to find me a psychiatrist, but to no avail.  They are still looking and I am praying they find someone, but for right now it is only my doctor.  

I've decided to talk to my doctor about the concerns for the Celexa and going higher on the meds.  As for my symptoms, Yesterday when I made the question, it was because I was experiencing withdrawal from the Ativan, as well as side effects of the increase of the Celexa.  I was very dizzy, I could not stand up or get out of bed.  I was extremely nauseous and couldn't fall back asleep when my mom told me she would call me in from school.  I'm feeling better today, but with just a light headache lingering all day.  

Thank you for the help you are giving me!  I promise I will tell the doctor all my concerns and how I have been feeling when I see him soon.  I will also let you know if we find a Psychiatrist.  
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
Paxiled makes a great point, you should be seeing a psychiatrist to manage these meds.  Make sure the psychiatrist is a pediatric/adolescent psychiatrist, as treating younger people with medications is VERY different from treating adults.  There are a lot more considerations.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would add, there are other meds.  Is celexa the first one you've tried?  Your Celexa dose, by the way, is quite small, but again, you're quite young for these drugs.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Questions:  Are you doing this with an experienced psychiatrist, or your regular doctor?  And did anyone send you to therapy, particularly CBT therapy, before they tried medication on you, as you're quite young?  My own experience with Lexapro, a kissing cousin to Celexa, was quite similar, by the way -- more was worse.
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
Did your doctor wean you down off the Ativan?  Even though you weren't taking it very long, and at a low dose, if you were taking it regularly (every day), then you would have developed a dependency which would require a medically supervised taper.

If your doc didn't do a reasonable taper (which IMO would be more than a few days), I would ask him to recommend a slower, more gradual taper to help minimize the symptoms of w/ds.  What kinds of symptoms are you having exactly?  What dose of the Celexa are you on now?  

The problem with adjusting more than one med at a time (ie, coming off the Ativan, and increasing the Celexa), is that it's difficult to determine which is the cause of any symptoms you may experience.  Most of these meds share similar symptoms so it can be hard to nail down what is causing what.

I hope you get to feeling better soon sweetie.  I commend you for being so proactive about this and seeking out info.  At your age, that's not too common.  I have a daughter who will be 16 in June and I couldn't see her putting forth the effort you have.  Good for you!
Helpful - 0
6693906 tn?1388804285
About six months ive been taking the Ativan, I tried to use it only once a day but I was allowed to have two sometimes, just not within a span closer than 8 hours.  He put me on a very low dose of it, its a very small pill, 0.5mg i believe, but I am very small and it may be taking a toll on me. its been 3 days and i have not taken one, but I didn't think it would be to bad considering the small amount (I realize now that it was probably a mistake).  I'm only 16, I don't know very much but I really am trying to educate myself and your help is much appreciated!
Helpful - 0
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