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656309 tn?1224489859

celexa withdrawal OR wellbutrin symptoms - please help.

I am FREAKING OUT. Not sure if it's withdrawals from Celexa, or side effects from the Wellbutrin SR.

Took 40mg of Celexa for a year and Psychiatrist switched me to Wellbutrin SR 150mgs a day. He told me to stop the Celexa cold turkey. That I'd be fine, and just start taking the Wellbutrin SR the next day. This was on Oct 4th that I started the Wellbutrin SR and stopped the Celexa. Glad my sex drive is back, but other than that, I feel like taking my head off with a chainsaw about 1/2 the time. I have also taking a small amount of Klonopin (1mg a day) for teh last year, but have never had problems with that.

My head is buzzing and zapping, I'm nauseous, dizzy as %#^&, arms feel hollow, I get this weird feeling behind my eyes, a "falling" sensation, feeling disconnected, sometimes my head feels like it's full of water swishing around and it's SCARY.

I started to feel weird about 3 days after stopping the Celexa and starting the Wellbutrin SR. I went in to see the Psychiatrist in a panic on the 14th when these symptoms worsened. He said I was just being anxious and it was all in my head. When I told him I thought it was because he pulled me off the Celexa cold turkey, he got all pissed. He said that there was no such thing as withdrawals from Celexa, especially at the dose I was on (again, 40mgs a day for a year).  I told him that I read on the internet that if you are pulled off of it without tapering, you can feel like **** and all kinds of stuff can happen. Then he went into a whole "If you are going to try and tell me how to do my job, I will refuse to treat you", then he went on to say that I was being difficult, interrupting him, etc,

I was sitting there crying, begging for him to help me. I felt so frail and scared. and all he could do was be a total jackass.

Since my Psychiatrist is being a jerk about it, I'm thinking of getting a referral from my GP to a different
one and see what he says. I may have to call my lawyer first though as my psyche is through a workman's comp case.(I was assaulted by my boss) I mean, I'd pay the co-pay myself to see the other Psychiatrist, I wouldn't expect
the Comp insurance to cover it.  I just feel like I'm losing my effin' mind.  And I have been horrible to my wonderful husband. Poor guy. I've been snappy, bossy and just totally messed up. I think he's only tolerating it because
the sex has been so amazing - LOL (at least I have THAT!)

I just don't know how long I can take these symptoms. Have tried no caffeine, no sugar,
exercising.  I try to keep my mind off it by surfing the net, hot showers, baths, TV, reading... nothing helps.  
I am coming unhinged and completely spun out.

I just need to know if this sounds like Celexa withdrawls or Wellbutrin side effects. If these are Wellbutrin side effects, I want to come off it at once, but I sure as heck don't want to be withdrawing from 2 meds at the same time.

I am so scared, I'm even afraid to drive. Someone please help :(  Any advice about the meds, the symptoms, the Psychiatrist, or what I can do to feel better would be VERY much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your kindness.
14 Responses
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Avatar universal
I never had side effects from stopping other than I eventually relapse into depression and I am not as easy going.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You were having text book symptoms of withdrawls from anti depressants. Celexa, zoloft did the exact same thing to me.  My Dr just tried to cold turkey me from Celexa. . I went running because I knew those symptoms all to well.  I am now back on my Celexa 20 mg and  wellbutrin 150mg.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Gina.  Your psychiatrist is completely wrong.  I've been on 40 mg of celexa for years and stopped taking it two weeks ago. I've been completely sick since then. I have "brain zaps", extreme vertigo, crying fits, and am completely exhausted. I've done a lot of research on celexa withdrawal symptoms and I'm a textbook case of it and it sounds like you are too. Your doctor should have eased you off the celexa (you would still have side effects but not as bad) and had you start the other meds during this time period so they are being built up in your system while the celexa is being eased out. Just know that you are not crazy. It sounds like you are experiencing very typical symptoms. This blog was extremely helpful for me to read what other people are going through with this issue http://zenpizza.blogspot.com/2009/05/celexa-withdrawal-symptoms-and-getting.html?m=1
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i was put on prozac in march and later tehy added wellbutrin in june to help sex derive.it gives me no energy and i still feel down and i gained weight so dr is tapering me off the 50 mg of prozac im down to 20 now..not sure about this i seem to feel the pains i had before its like prozac covered them up...but i have lost weight and sex drive is better i just still feel depressed..im going to have my hormones checkd as it might be hormaonal
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My pdoc lessened my celexa from 40 to 20, and lessened my trazadone from 100 to 50, then put me on 100 generic welbutrin.  I was too "drugged" out and sleepy all the time.  Now I have a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep.  I get out of my room more and walk my dogs more.  Other than that I don't really feel all that good.  Thanks for having these posts.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
ive been on & off wellbutrin SR & XL a few times.  i was diagnosed with bipolar and manic depression 6 yrs ago.  i am on wellbutrin SR 300mgs now to help with severe depression.  without this medication, i could sleep straight for a week and still not have any energy or ambition to get up. my doc told me to try this medication and give it at least 3-4 weeks and i would notice a huge difference.  it does keep me functioning at a normal rate.  however, i tried this medication around the time i was first diagnosed and it did not turn out all that well.  i felt like i was going to rip someones effing head off, the entire time i was awake.  it felt like like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.  i was constantly irraitable and had very bad tremors.  i actually ended up hospitalized over this.  i was a single mother who had just remarried for the 3rd time.thank god for that, because it's been 6 yrs and i still can't return to work.  i'm on disability now so i probably never will.  and as for you changing docs, i sympothize with you.  i hurt my back at work in 1997 and was trying to get a diagnoses from the WC docs.  they just shuffled me from dostor to doctor for about 4 years.  i ended going to work for someone else, and had insurance through my new job.  i didn't think i would make a difference either if i paid my own co-pay and went to my own PC.  as long as i was still getting it treated, right?  i was wrong.  they closed my case due to me not seeing their docs.  and there was nothing i could do.  if i were you, i'd call my caseworker at WC and explainn to them what this jackass has done and how he made you feel.  i'm pretty sure they will assign you to another one of their doctors.  they usually have quite a few to chose from. good luck!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Is everyone on this site only on the real Wellbutrin they gave me the generic kind
to take so far i am ok i past all the side effects i am on my 3rd week I do feel better
just lately i have an increased in appetite ........... I did lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks!!!
So far ................. any suggestions and if i continue to feel hungry how can i ask my
doctor for the real kind???? how is that asked?????

  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You said "I'm nauseous, dizzy... I'm even afraid to drive."

It is interesting that So MANY PEOPLE are commenting on nausea and dizziness.  Hensley and I are both SEVERELY suffering with vertigo.  But we are not sure if it is from anxiety and depression or from the very medications we take for our anxiety and depression!

Three days ago, I was so bad with vertigo that I felt if I went onto the highway (through the lashing rain of a big thunderstorm in the early-morning darkness) that I would never make it to work alive.  Then my wife called and said I had forgotten my wallet (with my drivers license) so I turned around and climbed back into bed for a couple of hours until the storm subsided at least.

It was partially my own fault - I was up all night long on the computer - getting maybe 1 hour of sleep.  but I didn't know that lack of sleep would exacerbate my dizziness so badly.  NORMALLY I can feel safe driving even with vertigo.  It is actually more difficult to walk that it is to drive a vehicle.  Having vertigo makes me especially careful while driving.

Anyway Gina - I think you will find Wellbutrin very effective at lifting your mood, giving you more energy and helping any depression.  I researched the drug and it is actually a more purified form of another psycho-active drug.  The elements that are taken away had a lot of side effects.  This more purified form (called Wellbutrin) has little, if any, side effects for most people and is really safe to use.

It DID have one very bad side effect for me though.  I was already having trouble sleeping (due to anxiety caused by a very stressful job environment) and the Wellbutrin gave me SO much energy that I couldn't sleep at nights.  (Needless to say, I took it first thing in the morning.)

My GP took me off Wellbutrin and put me on Lexapro.  That was almost simultaneous with leaving my job and after those two things, I was able to sleep through the night.  Additionally, Lexapro also helps with anxiety - though that took about 4 to 6 weeks for that effect to kick in (which my GP warned me about).  But I stuck with it and when everything kicked in, I became very happy with Lexapro.

Except it didn't lift my mood and give me the energy Wellbutrin did.  But I guess I can't have everything!  (Lots of energy AND sleeping at night.)

Unfortunately one potential side-effect of Lexapro is SEVERE VERTIGO.  So I am very interested in coming off it to see what happens (through slow tapering off).

As for your husband - I have a suggestion.  You BOTH should go see a psychologist.  You should, I think, drop your psychiatrist altogether and see just a psychologist.  Psychiatrists believe everything comes down to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.  Psychologists believe in mental and behaviorial therapy.  They also can make GREAT family counselors.

I relied on just my GP to get an Rx for the Wellbutrin and Lexapro.  He was very knowedgeable about all that.  I didn't need to visit a psychiatrist for those at all.  Whereas my psychologist was GREAT at helping me to put my mind back together.  (He basically helped me to rebuild my shattered self-esteem after my being laid off.)

From my health plan, the co-pay for each visit to the psychologist was just $50.  I saw him once a week and later the visits went to twice a month.  I haven't seen him for several months now but probably will be ready to see him again when I try to come off Lexapro.  He is a great father figure/older brother figure to me and I greatly valued my time with him.

I really think you should at least investigate you and your husband seeing a psychologist in the mode of family counseling.

One time, while waiting in the parking lot on Saturday for "my turn" with my psychologist, a couple came out into the parking lot to seperate vehicles.  The husband hopped into his open-topped sports car, casually lit a cigarette, and sped off.  The wife remained behind sobbing into the steering wheel of her van.  I felt that her husband seemed so callous to leave her behind like that in the parking lot.  They obviously have a LOT of issues to work out between them.

Let us know how things go with you when you start the Wellbutrin.  (By the way, I dropped 20 pounds while on Wellbutrin!)

Best of luck to you!
Helpful - 0
656309 tn?1224489859
Well, well, well - babyboomer1955 was right.

I found out that the generic WB SR is what was doing this. I have heard that in some people, the generic can cause terrible symptoms and have the opposite effect. In my case, I have been a mess, depressed, tired, hopeless, and am eating everything that isn't nailed down. I have gained 10 lbs in the past 2 weeks.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/10/13/generic-wellbutrin-may-not-perform-as-well-as-original/
Check out those comments!

My pdoc I think finally either felt bad, or just wanted me to stop bugging him, so he perscribed the Wellbutrin XL brand name. amazingly, the insurance said they'd cover it. he must have told them what a mess I was when I went in to see him. (That or me mentioning I'd get my lawyer involved if he didn't listen to my needs and get me what I felt I needed, which was the brand name).

Either way, I am excited that I will be getting mt WB XL 300 in a few days (they send it from the pharm), and am excited to enjot the results and finally feel better.

Thanks to all of you for being so kind to post and share with me.




Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I did a "fast-taper" off of Lexapro and Welbutrin (on my own and NOT advised) and had severe dizziness and "shocks/zaps".  I've been taking a multi-vitamin for women, B12, and potassium (all in tablet form) along with lots of water (at least 32oz/day) for 3 weeks now and my symptoms have eased up a LOT.  Getting a 2nd opinion NEVER hurts, especially when the 1st came from a worker's comp doc. Hope you feel better soon.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
based on my own experience, sounds to me you are having side effects from wellbutrin.  when i started wellbutrin, the first 2 weeks were bad and a lot like the feelings you describe, especially the dizzy, hollow arms, feeling disconnected, buzzing and zappy feelings in my head.  I'm almost gave up but decided to continue on with it as I know my body always reacts to meds and even some herbal treatments.  After a couple weeks everything felt better and by 6 weeks the meds really kicked in and I felt the best I have in years.  one year later I still feel pretty good, although not as eurphoric, but still not much anger, happy most of the time and only ocassional anxiety, no road rage, sex is great, no weight gain.  also, consider finding a female doctor...I find them to be more compassionate and understanding of women's issues and might work better for you...hope it all works out for you
Helpful - 0
656309 tn?1224489859
Thanks everyone, great info!

I cannot get another pdoc because it's a workman's comp case.  Plus his son is my therapist (who i really like). :(   BTW, I called him yesterday, left a message saying I was still having symptoms and he never called back (big surprise).

I also went to my GP and even he said it's probably due to the meds, but just to pacify my Pdoc, he refered me to a neurologist. Forgot to mention that my Pdoc said it's probably something nuerological because "Celexa doesn't cause withdrawals"

I was told by a friend who went from Lexapro to Celexa,that upping my WB to 300 mgs a day would help - that I;m perhaps in that in-between stage. I'm just afraid that if THESE symptoms are from the WB, that 300mgs will make it worse. I'm afraid I'll have seizures or something :(
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Ouch! Yea you can't stop Celexa like that. Don't panic because stopping cold Turkey like that will not cause you any physical harm, but it will make you feel very sick.

Sory to say that your P-doc must be very inexperienced or just completly out of touch with modern Pharmacology.

Get another P-doc ASAP.
Helpful - 0
471949 tn?1236904026
JKJ
You are right and you're pdoc is wrong.  Can you get a 2nd opinion and a new pdoc?  Your health is much too important.  No psych med should ever be stopped cold turkey......ever.
I sure hope you feel better very soon!
Helpful - 0
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