bad side effects from celexa

[airbear19]

I started to feel really in the dumps and had some anxiety so I went to the doctors and told her that I didn't think the welbutrin was cutting it. So she decided to put me on 40mg of celexa and 1mg of ativan for "bad" panic attacks she told me to stop the welbutrin and start the celexa the next day. So that night I took one ativan and then the next morning I took the celexa. This threw my mind crazy. I had this heat wave come over me, my heart rate was out of this world along with my blood pressure and I was dizzy and felt off kilter. I decided not to take the medication and went back to the doctor two days after I took the medication and I still was suffering the effects. She swears to me that it will subside but I still feel strange. Has this happen to anyone out there and if so what did you do?
Thanks
Airbear19

[Paxiled]

Two possibilities -- you're suffering withdrawal from the wellbutrin, or side effects from Celexa.  Quitting an antidepressant abruptly is not advised -- although wellbutrin isn't one of the worst for withdrawal, they can all be difficult to stop taking and usually are tapered off.  This is especially true when switching to a med in a completely class.  This is why this should be done with an experienced psychiatrist and not a general doc, and even with a psychiatrist, one needs to question the person to make sure they know what they're doing.  Some homework is also advisable -- all this info is probably on the website of the company making both drugs and on the info given with each prescription.  Then, when you do start a new med, it's generally tapered up slowly, not just starting with 40mg.  Were you to see a psychiatrist who knew what he or she was doing, and this isn't that common, they usually work up slowly to the appropriate dose to see how you react to it.  My own experience with Celexa and its newer cousin Lexapro is that I also felt dizziness and off kilter, particularly when changing doses.  They also have as a common side effect the sweats.  But so could stopping the wellbutrin so abruptly.  I'd find a psychiatrist who has a better understanding of the ups and downs of taking meds, but that's just my opinion, and it's no guarantee.  By the way, wellbutrin is known as a highly stimulating antidepressant, so it's usually not used for those suffering from a lot of anxiety except as an adjunct to ssris to help with some of the more common side effects, in which case a low dose is added to the ssri.  Good luck with it.  By the way, it's also true what was said above -- it could resolve itself over a period of weeks as the Celexa sets in and your body becomes more used to it, and all meds can have unpleasant side effects, but that doesn't mean this was done correctly.

[KalmKidd2009]

its not from the med its from you and your worry of it. i started celexa 20mg last week and am starting to feel the happy effect of it now. my depression is almost gone and my panic is much more under control. my BP was very high and hear rate was averaging 120 while resting and im very active so that was VERY unusual. now i went to the doc yesterday im, calm, gave the meds a chance to do what they do and everything is back solid. bp was 116-71 and heart rate was 74. just continue to take it and relax i know how hard it is trust me but its your worry rising these numbers not the med. good luck.