From Celexa to Lexapro

[SHVCICP]

Just yesterday my doctor switched me from 40mg of Celexa to 20 mg of Lexapro and it has been my worst day ever! I have been taking Celexa for just over a year now, started at 20 mg and then up to 40 after 3 months. I was tired, sluggish all day...I was not very interactive with those I worked with...I had a hard time concentrating and started having an anxiety attack. Finally when I got home that evening, I broke down and began to cry almost violently and completely out of control. I had to take a Xanax and it took an hour, but I felt better after that...

Is this normal? I understand that both Celexa and Lexapro have the same active ingredients and switching from one to the other should pose little difficulties, but it was unreal at the really bad effects on just my first day of the Lexapro. I am almost scared to try to take it again tomorrow, although I have been advised to give it about 2 weeks.

Has anyone else had bad effects from changing from Celexa to Lexapro???

[Paxiled]

These drugs, though from the same root, aren't identical.  No two drugs are identical.  You are suffering what sounds to me like classic withdrawal symptoms of going off an ssri such as Celexa.  When my psychiatrist switched me from Lexapro to Celexa, she still tapered me slowly off the Lexapro and slowly switched me over to the Celexa.  Which is what your psychiatrist should have done, assuming you have a psychiatrist and aren't using a PCP -- they're clueless about these meds (so are most psychiatrists, but you at least have a fighting chance).  Also keep in mind that 20mg of Lexapro is the highest studied dose of that med; generally you would go up slowly on a med to see what the side effects would be, but you can't tell that if you're still suffering withdrawal from your old med. The first therapeutic dose of Lexapro would be when you get to 10mg -- so again, a good psychiatrist would get you to that level and wait the four to six weeks it takes for an ssri to take effect and see if that dose worked rather than just start at 20mg.  Now, due to the similarity of the meds, I would imagine you will eventually get through this, but you really don't need to go through this if it's done properly.  

[Silvereyes62]

I was on Celexa 10mg for almost 5 years for anxiety. It was amazing. I have a condition called PVC and now there’s a possible connection between that and Celexa. She switched me to Lexapro 5 mg and after two months the anxiety is getting worse. I’m going back. I cry, have panic attacks and can’t deal with multiple things going on at the same time. Back to Celexa. I love it, worked wonders, a true miracle drug for me.

[Paxiled]

I wonder if Lexapro wouldn't have most of the same problems that Celexa would have, as they're mostly the same drug.  I know Lexapro is Celexa minus some stuff found to be unnecessary, but mostly Lexapro was developed because the patent on Celexa had expired.  You also don't say if you tapered off the Celexa before switching.  Although the drugs are so similar they're the easiest to switch back and forth from, they're not identical, and so you still have to account for possible withdrawal, which can cause increased anxiety and the symptoms you're describing.  I don't know what the connection is to your other problem, so can't comment there.  In general, if a drug is working, it's not easy to find one that works so it's usually best to stay on it if you're not intending to go off medication.  But also consider that you weren't yet on a therapeutic dose of Lexapro, and I'm not sure why you were kept on such a low dose for 2 months, but you were also on a very low sub-therapeutic dose of Celexa so that might hold the answer.