Reactions to Celexa?

I just started taking celexa two days ago and have been feeling worse than ever. Yesterday I had some sort of sudden severe episode where my whole inside felt hot and it moved it's way up to the bottom of my mouth (can't really describe the feeling in my mouth-kind of fuzzy, slighlty tingly). I felt "not right" and was certain I was about to pass out. It was more terrifying than any panic attack I had.  I also felt like I was slowly rocking and swaying.  I'm wondering if I took my meds to close together(first pill friday @ 6pm and the next on saturday at 8am).  It's now sunday 1pm and I haven't taken any more pills but am still getting weird sensations all over and feeling really anxious. Have decided maybe these pills aren't for me and am not taking any more. Anyone else having trouble with celexa?  Thanks

[sick]

Depending on the dose that you are taking, I would say that your friday and saturday dose where to close together.  You need to stick to a set time of day to take the meds.  When ever I have bad side effects to a med I take a day or two break and then restart the med to see if the side effect comes back.  One thing that I have learned is that if you read the side effects you can make yourself have them.

[Lizamum]

Thanks.  I think it was the doses being too close together. I also think you might be right about reading side effects too - I tend to imagine things, although this reaction was quite real.

[carisa]

I have taken celexa for eight years and it has been a life saver! I take if for depression and have felt great for years now. I would give it a little longer to see if it helps you out. I never had any side effects from it, and from what i have heard, it is one of the meds that has less side effects than others. Good luck, maybe it was an anxiety attack from worrying about side effects? I don't know, but that is something I would do.

[swfl_guy]

Yeah I think you may have just thought you were having side effects and threw yourself into a bad panic attack. How long did it last? If it was the meds the bad feeling would last for a while and if it was just a panic attack the real bad feelings will subside rather quickly and you will still feel a little strange after. copy and paste this link it tells you all the side effects of panic and anxiety. Good luck!!

[swfl_guy]

link
http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml

[Lizamum]

Wow, thanks for all the answers so quickly.  It's nice to know that someone else is having luck with celexa.  I think I just need to give it a few days and then try again (and make sure I take them 24 hours apart!). From looking at the symptoms on the anxiety centre website, I think I may have had a reaction to taking pills too close together and then thrown myself into a panic attack (by far the worst I've ever had).  Scary how many physical symptoms anxiety can have!! Anyhow, although I started out not wanting to take pills, I think I'll give them another shot, hoping I can get back to the way I was before this all came on a couple years ago.  It's frustrating to say the least....Thanks for all your help!

[carisa]

I know what you mean, I didn't want to be "stuck" on pills either to feel normal. There should be no shame in needing medication. Some people need it to feel good and there is nothing wrong with it. It took me about three years of convincing before I finally agreed to try something. I'm so glad I did. Good luck!

[casturn68]

I have been taking Celexa for about 5 weeks. I was experancing insomnia.  Went to the Dr. who ran a battery of tests and said I was suffering from Depression because all other tests came back fine. I am only taking 10 miligrams.  I tried twice to move up to 20 miligrams but both times I had horrible side effects. So bad in fact, that I was afraid to try it again but my dr. suggested that I only take 1/2 a dose.  The first week of taking 10 mil. I had strange side effects.  I had muscle twitching, jerking, hot flashes, night sweats and my mood was erractic.  I would be happy one day an down the next.  After the second week I noticed some improvment.  My sleep still isn't great but I do sleep some now.  My appetite came back and most of the side effects have disappered.  I am still debating on when to move up to 20.  My dr. said as long as I was getting benefit from 10 not to worry about it.  I would urge you to try it again.  You may just need to lower your dosage.  if that doesn't work you may need to ask for another SSRI.

[fearfactor]

Has anyone had weight gain on Celexa?  

[Lizamum]

Thanks for all your help.  I've still not been taking my celexa (haven't been back to the doctor) but I've been testing out how I feel when I cut out all coffee and alcohol. I really have noticed a positive difference. Today I had a coffee for the first time in a week and a half and could feel some of the "anxiety sensations" coming back.  Nice to know though that I can control it on my own to a degree (my problems just started a couple years ago - anxiety, no depression) as I've been a little frustrated with this! I'm sure we all are! Thanks again.  

[Jen_24]

I've been taking Celexa for about 2 months now.  When I first took it ..for the first few days within' 10 minutes of taking it..my vision was off. It was like I couldn't focus on things.  I guess you could say blurry.  It was really weird..like I could see...but detail was hard to concentrate on.  I started to feel anxiety so I upped it.  The side effects were muscle twitching...and that seemed it.  Now I've been on the 20m for a couple of weeks now and my vision seems to be getting worse as the days go on.  I feel like I can't focus..vision wise.  I'll be looking at my baby, but don't feel like I'm taking it all in.  Looking distance is blurry.  I feel almost dizzy because I can't focus properly.  I'm staying in today because I don't feel stable enough to take my daughter for a walk.  I don't know what to do.  Maybe I should lower my dose and see if it goes away...or maybe I should try another SSRI.  

1) Has anyone had this vision thing?
2) How do you ween off an SSRI to another one??  Maybe lowering it to half my dose won't be that bad of a withdrawl (withdrawal) 'cause I've only been on the higher does for 2weeks.


I'm worried ALL the time 'cause of this.  If this would be solved..I'm sure I'd be ok.  I started taking Celexa 'cause I was getting depersonalization feeling...  the feeling like you aren't all there but you're doing stuff....that seems to be gone now..but now I have this other.  Ok, I'll stop talking now :)

Jen

[Lizamum]

I definitely wouldn't change the dosage of your medication without consulting your doctor!  Especially since you have a baby, I would go see your doctor again as you want to be feeling your best for looking after her and just spending time with her and enjoying her - they grow up fast! Maybe that particular medication isn't best for you or maybe it is a dosage issue.  I'd check with your doctor.

[simpleybe]

Honestly I do NOT think that those side effects were in your head... I am sure the doses being so close together didnt help. I was prescribed celexa 20 mg... I took my first pull Monday night around 10 pm. I woke up at 1 am in a cold sweat with pins and needles and the same hot tingling sensation all over my body. It was a pnic / anxiety unlike anything I had expierenced before and way too much energy to even sit still. My teeth fellt funny and i Had to gte up and walk around. I wanted to cry but I wouldnt.  It took 2 mg of adavan and three hours before i could calm down and fall asleep...so yes these side effects do happ!

[Starzz147]

I have been taking celexa for 2 weeks now and was on it for a month about 2 months ago and stopped. Now i am getting a lump on the side of my neck that really hurts could that be a bad reaction from the celexa ???

[MMomma]

I also started celaxe about 5 days ago... Since then i have been getting wierd "burning sentstations in my head along with a feeling in my neck like i can;'t control it.. My head hets so bad were i can't focus and I feel like i can;t focus or anything..I thought i was having a anurism or something.. it freaked me out.Anybody else get this?

[sarahjane905]

I am so upset, but so glad I found all of you at the same time. I just had my dose of celexa increased from 10mg. to 20mg. and had an awful reaction and thought it was all me. An intense fear came over me, I became delusional, thinking something terrible was about to happen. Every thought that came into my head was fearful. This lasted intensley for 2 days and is now tapering off, but slowly. Today is the sixth day. I've had a euphoric feeling off and on throughout the day followed by heavy drowsiness. I haven't taken the medication since the day it started six days ago. I don't know what to do. I'm obviously going to speak to my doctor about it, but I'm waiting to feel a little more comfortable with bringing the whole thing up. I'm gathering my thoughts and such. Everyone, your not alone, these symptoms are real. Thankyou for your posts in helping me realize this.

[westtowngirl24]

It is absolutely NOT okay to start and stop a drug like Celexa (or any SRI) on your own without the direction of a doctor.  The side effects of that behavior can be far more dangerous than the side effects you may have using the drug as prescribed.  If you don't have a doctor that you feel comfortable calling or visiting to discuss your side effects then you need a new doctor.  When using pharmaceuticals to treat such serious problems like anxiety and depression is serious- maybe if you discuss with your doctor before starting a new drug different scenarios that you are concerned about it would prevent some of the horrible things you are experiencing- for example when you see your doctor ask "if i take this and i feel worse and/or just terrible/zombie-like/depressed/ etc what do I do?  Maybe starting on an introductory dose will allow you to become aware of your side effects on a particular medication at a weaker level; if the side effects aren't too severe keep a journal of how your medication is affecting you (times and descriptions) and take that to your doctor- an adjustment of dosage, dosing time, or the drug itself may eliminate the issue and allow you to experience the relief you are seeking.
Also, for those who are searching the internet for information on people's experiences with Celexa I would just like to say that the drug has helped me turn my life of isolation and panic attacks into one where I live normally and happily.  I have experienced some diarrhea and drowsiness on a 20 mg dose but that has become rare after about 2 months of use, also adjusting the time of day that you take your meds can make a world of difference.  I was like a zombie from 12- 3 every day for about a week (a problem when youre at work) but not sleeping well.  I changed my dosage time from 5-6pm to 7-8am and not only do I sleep great, my energy level is stable all day.
Then again- my brother in law tried Celexa and it gave him severe depression- he consulted his doctor and they made a safe switch to a better matched drug for him (no withdrawal, limited time during which he was untreated and depressed, and a physician monitored his progress).  Unless (and even if) you are a physician yourself, you have to consult one before making decisions about prescription drug use!!!

[tbear104]

I have been on Celexa for  A month now 2 weeks ago I was moved from 20 to 40 mil and I am having one hell of a time sleeping. I typically take my meds between 8-9 am and at noon I am fighting to stay awake so  I walk around pushing through.  Then at between 5 & 6 I am exhausted and all I want to do is sleep again I push through it.  Then when it is time to go to bed I am wide awake.  Does that go away cause right now I have no energy to do anything and I have family with a 2 yr that I need to be present for.

[aj675]

i started celexa 6 weeks ago at 10mg then after a week 20 mg,,,before i started i wasnt having actual anxiety attacks but was very anxious..after upping my dose to 20mg after about 2 weeks i started having anxiety attacks!!! So my doctor upped it to 30mg almost 2 weeks ago and ive felt awful, depressed anxious, racing thoughts...i dont know what to do. will this pass? am i on too much? not enough? is this medicine making me worse? please help

[79miriam]

i took celexia on friday and saturday and yesterday i felt worse than ever i felt like i was going through menopause and i had extreme fear while driving, for now im just taking xanax here and there and i took paxil but i felt more depressed, but slowly coming off, i did have some depression last week, i dont want to take anything anymore i was fine before i took all these different meds..im tring to keep busy, i have 3 kids and my husband and church to help me with depression.

[kellykel1124]

I have been taking citalopram for three days now and last night I had the most horrible experience ever. I was out to eat with my boyfriend and I felt this tingly cold sensation go over my chest and in my back the in my arms I got nervous and my heart rate went very high. I even felt sick to my stomach and this came back all night long. I do not like living with anxiety because it causes my depression, but I don't want to keep feeling this was while on this medicine. Does this go away or could it be an allergic reaction?

[nervousdave]

I was taking 10mg of Celexa for a week, along with Xanax .25mg until the Celexa got built up enough in my system. The plan was to go to 20mg of Celexa after a week. I took the 20mg about an hour before bed. I had heart palpitations for about 15 minutes, which resulted in anxiety. Then I fell asleep.  I slept for 3 hours and had anxiety until I got out of bed. I took a Xanax because my anxiety was escalating. Then I had the worse panic attack of my life!! I almost passed out but had enough strength to call 911. I was rushed to the hospital.  No more Celexa for me!  That stuff is horrible.  This severe anxiety happened to me with 20mg of Celexa back in November as well.

[Alisonj29]

Celexa like any other medication can work great for some and be a horrible experience for others. It was one that I had a bad reaction to as well. It is hard as it can be a hard process to find what will work for you and not cause you to feel worse.

[ajg33]

i am weaning off celexa as we speak been on it since sept up to 40 mg's but i have severe "jaw clenching" from the med. I also get migraines so jaw clenching and migraines not a good mix! :( i went from 40 mg to 30 mg for 20 days and now 20 mg for anothe 10 days and we will see. good luck it works for alot of people
anthony

[unhappycelexa]

My 89 year old mother is in the hospital with stroke like symptoms after upping the initial dosage of  Celexa.  She was otherwise in good enough health, and we went out weekly for luncheons.  Very distressing to hear her moaning from her hospital bed as they insert a catheter.  This happened a year ago as well, and the association between these symptoms and Celexa are now considered causative by the nursing staff and doctors involved.  What does it take to initiate a class action lawsuit?

[ajack777]

I never write on these things, but after reading your comments I feel like it may help some of you to hear my story too.

I was having some anxiety about my career and a big move so my doctor put me on celexa. I took half (10mg) for the first time this morning and within an hour and a half I was dizzy, nauseous, weird vision, diarrhea, muscle shakiness, uncoordinated, my chest was tight, heart fluttering. It was crazy. Next thing I know I'm crying uncontrollably for about 10-15 minutes. Get this —before taking the pill I felt GOOD. I was actually feeling good for days, but decided to get on something to make this transition in my life easier and work through some decisions that make me really nervous and confused.

I have had panic attacks, but never anything like this. And I NEVER cry when I have anxiety I just sort of freeze up. In fact, I feel like I wish I could cry or do something but it's like there is nothing there. It felt like my body was involuntarily reacting to a drug, definitely not like I was just freaking out because I was dizzy or had diarrhea. My doctor tried to tell me it was just me having anxiety from the side effects, but I know myself enough to know that was not caused by my anxiety. She told me to take a xanax and keep taking both pills– then stop the xanax when the side effects of the celexa go away. I don't know but that just seems wrong to me. I don't want to drug myself to be able to take another drug that made me feel that badly when I was feeling good all by myself.

BTW I took prozac a few years ago for about 2 years and had no side effects.  I also have many friends who take celexa and say it's great. So I definitely was not looking to feel "weird" or anything when I took it. I thought nothing of it. I would prefer to take celexa instead of prozac since everyone says there is less side effects, but honestly after today, I can't imagine doing that to myself again.

[maemichele]

I had just taken one 20 mg.dose of Celexa and my panic attack was so severe that my heart was beating so fast I could not breathe. My arms got hot and numb and I felt a bit dizzy. I had to call 911 because I was terrified. The paramedics said that I did the right thing but they were sure it was not a heart attack but maybe just anxiety because of the holidays. I knew that it was not the case because up until I took the Celexa I was happy and content and even thinking about making cookies and then my heart started pounding ... and, of course THAT caused anxiety and it just ramped up from there. They recommended that I take Xanax and try to get calm. It helped but it has 6 days and, while I am better, I still don't feel back to "norma" yet. I will never take these pills again. I guess I am just one of those that can't take it.

[Prof322]

This is my first time posting but my situation has been replicated in so many of these posts that I have to chime in.  6 weeks ago I was a fully functioning, regularly exercising, regularly meditating, working professional.  While at work I experience extreme "electric " type burning in my legs.  I went immediately to my doctors, who started with blood tests and found all was normal except for for some anemia.  I have been treating that with nutrition and iron supplements.  BUT - since then I have had :
3 EKG's, a treadmill test, an echo-cardiogram, vascular imaging and the entire GI tract test (upper and lower).  All of this because of my ongoing and undiagnosed symptoms.  So I am left with a diagnosis of anxiety.  Yesterday I was prescribed Celexa and have just had an excruciating 24 hours including tremors, burning in my limbs, crying and clenching teeth.  This morning I have finally taken an Adivan and don't feel great but at least I can walk across the room.  I will stop this drug immediately and just wanted to leave a record for anyone else who might have this experience.

[sandrared]

Omg I am totally, relating to every body that experienced anxiety after taking celexa
I thought celexa was supposed to makeit go away otonly made it worse. How long will this ladt I feel helpless cuz instead of feeling better I feel worse

[Irishred77]

I have been on it for two weeks. The only side effect I am experiencing is nausea but my anxiety is basically gone. Now if I could get ri of this nausea.

[Jen_uine]

I sympathize with all of you. Unlike some who have posted here, I resisted taking medication and my depression and anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and started affecting not just my personal life but my working life. To complicate matters I had a chronic illness with symptoms that can be quite vague or general and so all health issues I had my doctor would attribute to this illness.

It was only once my chronic condition was resolved that the diagnosis of depression and anxiety came about by which time a good number of years had passed and my condition was quite severe.

I was started on Celapram (Citalopram) 10mg. For 5 weeks I experienced severe leg twitches/jerking during sleeping hours (which I think was most alarming to my partner at night because I kept kicking him unintentionally), constant crying, severe fatigue so that all I could do was sleep, lack of focus during the rare waking hours, dry mouth, and dizziness upon exertion to name a few, all of this so severe to the point that my partner would keep asking if I needed to go to hospital.

However, one day after the 5th week had passed, the symptoms subsided quite suddenly and I was finding myself much more mentally present and aware, waking up energetic and feeling like I'd slept well, not quite like my old self but as close as I'd been since before I was sick.

Then I went on holiday and in my adventures I became much more forgetful about taking my medication regularly and suddenly it felt like the medication had stopped working. So I went to see my doctor and was tried on a few other things but none of them quite as effective to my sense of well being as the Celepram had been.

Then recently when I started back at work, my depression and anxiety became intolerable again and my doctor decided to start me back on Celapram as a temporary measure until I started seeing a new psychiatrist. This time around, I experienced milder symptoms of fatigue, muscle weakness, dry mouth and being mentally absent. It's now been 4 - 5 weeks since I started, it finally kicked in yesterday and the change in my energy and mood was noticeable not just by me but by my work colleagues who attributed it to a particularly good hit of coffee. The next day I woke up with greater ease and not feeling as low as I have been so I'm looking forward to much improvement over the next few weeks :D

Through knowledge and experience I can tell you this; we mental health patients are very bad about being regular with our medication for a variety of reasons not least of which is because our illnesses cause us to be absent minded and the side effects we experience are a major deterrent to continuing medication. However what I have noticed through several attempts at various medications for depression and anxiety is that it gets worse before it gets better, you do not take it and wake up the next day like new which is what we optimistically think will happen. It took a long time to get to the state of unwell and so it takes time to get back to a state of well. You will notice as a regular theme that people posting who are reporting lack of success with it said they experienced side effects and then stopped it suddenly without consulting a doctor after a taking it for a day to a couple of weeks.

My advice is as follows;
- Only take medication if your condition is long term, if it's caused by things happening in your life and will be resolved once these things finish up then it may not be worthwhile.
- If you are going to use it, take some time away from work and commitments to deal with the side effects that will probably happen
- STICK WITH IT for long enough to really see if it works for you (I'm talking probably about 8 weeks), I can not stress this one enough, it will mean gritting your teeth through the side effects for a while but it's worth it if/when it works. I am not saying it will or won't work, we are all different, it will be compatible with some people and incompatible with others. What I am saying though is that even though you are possibly experiencing side effects initially, it does not mean that this medication will not be compatible with you given a bit of time and taking it regularly (that is, the right dose, at the right time of day for an appropriate length of time to allow it to take effect)
- For those who are having issues with being tired during the day, I've noticed it helps to try taking it regularly at another time of day because it seems to have a cycle of awake and sleep periods and that is to help promote proper sleep to counter the insomnia that many people suffering depression and anxiety experience. I found my optimal time was about 3-5pm, but we are all individual and you need to find what works for you.

I'm sorry if that was a bit long winded, especially for those of you reporting lack of concentration as a side effect but I thought it best to share the whole story so that people could understand the pattern between my behavior in relation to my medication and it's relation to my condition. I hope my story helps others understand what they're going through and possibly how to overcome some of the issues they are experiencing with their medication, comforted to know that others are going through the same sorts of experiences and to have hope for a light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel.

I wish you all luck in your journey towards good mental health, don't give up because not only are there plenty of different options to try, there are new ones being discovered all the time.

Sincerely,
Jen

[mgrubb22]

Like some of you,after taking celexa for 3 days I experienced a burning and timgling sensation from my back down my arms and mostly my right side.At the same time my heart was beating fast.This really scared me.I thought I was going to die.I went to the ER and they did an EKG,CT SCAN of my head and ran blood work to rule out all the serious possibilities.I had noticed that after I started taking the medication,I could'nt hardly function at work because I was soo sleepy and I kept yawning so much and I also lost my appetite and had diarrhea.I also had excessive thirst and my mouth was really dry.I didnt want to believe the doctors when they said I may be having an allergic reaction to the meds.This just happened last Wed. and I have been out of work every since trying to get better cause I was told the effects of the meds could be in my system for at least a week.I am doing better than I was but I do not recommend celexa for anyone and now I am trying to cope with my depression without the antidepressants.After researching celexa and what it could do to your body,I don't ever want to experience anything like what I had to endure from this.Good luck to you all.

[sarah300c]

Make sure to never take it on an empty belly. Always eat before or afterwards. Hope this helps.