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Celexa side effects/withdrawal
I was suffering from severe insomnia last month. I tried sleeping pills (Rhovane/Immovane, Benzodiazapine) and they were baaaddddd. Extremely addictive with anxiety and agitation during the day. I stopped them cold turkey and suffered a week or more of rebound insomnia and withdrawal. With that behind me my GP asked me if I wanted to try Celexa; he wasn't sure if I was showing signs of depression but thought it might help with the anxiety that was feeding my insomnia. My wife has used Celexa for years and it works well for her. No side effects at all and she's completely normal. So, I thought I'd give it a try. After 7 days at 20Mg I was all wound up, pacing the floor, heart palps - really terrible side effects. Worse than the sleeping pills. So I tapered off quickly 10Mg for 2 days then cold turkey. My last Celexa dose was last Wednesday and this is Wednesday, a week later. The side effects of the drug continue as before. I am not having the electric zaps which are apparently a withdrawal symptom. Instead, I have just continued to feel the same side effects as when I was taking the drug. Not as bad but still pretty uncomfortable. Ironically, my insomnia is gone and I'm am sleeping well now. Has anyone out there experienced this with such a short course of Celexa (Citalapram)? How long will this continue? My Doctor says it will be over soon but I'm not sure he really knows. These drugs are not to be trifled with. They are potentially dangerous. Any thoughts on how much longer I have to endure this?
Thanks in advance for any inputs.
Thanks in advance for any inputs.
Some people can take an AD and have no side effects at all...like your wife. Others are like you, unfortunately. I've read of some taking an antidepressant ONCE and have the most horrendous side effects for some time. Someone else will take the same AD and it's the best thing in the world.
You'll be okay. It IS scary and distressing if you don't know what to expect when it comes to w/d. What you're expreriencing is not unusual. Try not to be scared. You'll feel better over time :)
You'll be okay. It IS scary and distressing if you don't know what to expect when it comes to w/d. What you're expreriencing is not unusual. Try not to be scared. You'll feel better over time :)
Thanks so much for that. I have had periods that were symptom free so I guess I'm getting there. Three weeks now just to get off a drug I only took for ten days. Good grief!
M4Y0U, are those remedies available w/o prescription? Are they dietary supplements or OTC drugs available in a pharmacy?
Thanks again.
M4Y0U, are those remedies available w/o prescription? Are they dietary supplements or OTC drugs available in a pharmacy?
Thanks again.
Hi Bob, w/d from anything at all is kind of the same. Yes, on again, off again. Once you start being symptom free at ANY TIME, you can count on the fact you will have more and more days with no symptoms. You could finally go a week w/o symptoms, then they could and I say Could come back for an hour or a day, then go away even longer, then finally be gone. To me, what you are experiencing is the normal pace of w/d.
Hope this makes you feel just a little better. I know how distressing w/d can be!
Hope this makes you feel just a little better. I know how distressing w/d can be!
Oh Bob, you poor thing!
Sounds like you've given CELEXA a long term try, so it does not sound like the right one for you. I take CELEXA and have never had such problems as you have.But your body just does not like it.
PLZ contact your Doc today & make an appointment to talk to him/her about your reaction(s).
As you know, you can't stop taking any SSRIs cold turkey , but rather,in tiny spurts, so talk to your Doctor right away. You also cannot skip a dosage, or your Celexa will fight back, ...so your Doc needs to guide you in getting you off of it adn start you on a better SSRI. Today there are so many other SSRIs available, and not all react the same.
BTW, 20 mgs is not high, so it's not like your Doc was overdosing you on anything. He/she started you off on a low dose, so he/she knows what he/she is doing.
PLZ call your Doctor today.
Sounds like you've given CELEXA a long term try, so it does not sound like the right one for you. I take CELEXA and have never had such problems as you have.But your body just does not like it.
PLZ contact your Doc today & make an appointment to talk to him/her about your reaction(s).
As you know, you can't stop taking any SSRIs cold turkey , but rather,in tiny spurts, so talk to your Doctor right away. You also cannot skip a dosage, or your Celexa will fight back, ...so your Doc needs to guide you in getting you off of it adn start you on a better SSRI. Today there are so many other SSRIs available, and not all react the same.
BTW, 20 mgs is not high, so it's not like your Doc was overdosing you on anything. He/she started you off on a low dose, so he/she knows what he/she is doing.
PLZ call your Doctor today.
Just checking back on Feb 1. It's 10 days since my last post and 20 days since my last Celexa dosage. I am still suffering from the side/withdrawal effects. The day before yesterday, I thought it was finished but yesterday it came back in the afternoon, then got better at dinner time. Today, it's been quite bad all day; it's 4:30 now. Is this the normal way that the withdrawal progresses with on again, off again symptoms? It's really very distressing. I only took the drug for 10 days and I've been off it for 20 days. How much longer will I have to put up with this? Also, is there anything that I can take to relieve the symptoms? I definitely don't want to touch Celexa again ever.
Great, I'm glad to hear that your doctor told you to get the natural stuff instead of prescribing you something else like an anti-psychotic ( believe me some doctor prescribe this kind of stuff for insomnia ).
When i said 1 month i must assure you that it is the maximum it could last and i really think it won't last that long and you should be just about not having the symptoms no more.
When i said 1 month i must assure you that it is the maximum it could last and i really think it won't last that long and you should be just about not having the symptoms no more.
Thanks for the reply. I'm really hoping these effects don't last as long as a month but I can tough it out as long as it isn't permanent. My doctor assures me it isn't. The most troublesome symptoms are the heart palps. My heart is beating normally but is noticeable; just not right. This comes and goes although it's been like this since last night.
As for the melatonin, my doctor told me to get some of it and I used it for a few days until I started sleeping better. It did seem to work and is very mild. No noticeable side effects at all.
As for the melatonin, my doctor told me to get some of it and I used it for a few days until I started sleeping better. It did seem to work and is very mild. No noticeable side effects at all.
Hello there,
the way a drug will act on someone's brain is different for everybody, one pill doesn't fit all. Since you seem to had a reaction to drug which might be caused by hypersensitivity to it, your neurotransmitters could take more than one week to get back to normal. But one thing i am certain is that the symptoms will be gone in a month that's for sure since you haven't been on the drug long enough to disturb your neurotransmitters that much and they will go back to normal really soon.
For your insomnia, in case it comes back, i would suggest you melatonin. Melatonin is an hormone we produce naturally from the pineal gland in our brain. It's the hormone responsible to balance our circadian rhythm. We often refer to this hormone as ''the sleep hormone''. The more light, the less melatonin you produce, the more dark, the more melatonin. With age, our production of melatonin is reduced and therefore it is why i suggest it to you. When taken as a supplement 1 hour before going to bed it haves a mild sedative effect and won't affect you in the morning. You can get some at you local food supplements store.
Please consider that I'm not a doctor and you should talk to your doctor if you are on medication before using melatonin.
Best regards,
M4
the way a drug will act on someone's brain is different for everybody, one pill doesn't fit all. Since you seem to had a reaction to drug which might be caused by hypersensitivity to it, your neurotransmitters could take more than one week to get back to normal. But one thing i am certain is that the symptoms will be gone in a month that's for sure since you haven't been on the drug long enough to disturb your neurotransmitters that much and they will go back to normal really soon.
For your insomnia, in case it comes back, i would suggest you melatonin. Melatonin is an hormone we produce naturally from the pineal gland in our brain. It's the hormone responsible to balance our circadian rhythm. We often refer to this hormone as ''the sleep hormone''. The more light, the less melatonin you produce, the more dark, the more melatonin. With age, our production of melatonin is reduced and therefore it is why i suggest it to you. When taken as a supplement 1 hour before going to bed it haves a mild sedative effect and won't affect you in the morning. You can get some at you local food supplements store.
Please consider that I'm not a doctor and you should talk to your doctor if you are on medication before using melatonin.
Best regards,
M4
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