anyone ever taken- tried celexa?

[snowgirl]

This is the last one for me to try. They told me to expect anxiety for a week.
Since I am so senitive I cut the pill dose in half. Awoke this AM with my heart racing- like old panic attack days. I had anxiety all day near panic levels. I had to take 3 xanax today........... i don't want to get back into the xanax business.
Any shared ideas about celexa experiences?

thanks in advance
Vicky

[Babs RN]

I haven't taken it myself but one of my nurses had the same reaction. I unfortunately can't take SSRIs--my side effect was a seizure at Walmart.

Hugs,
Barb:hi:

[Sally939]

I took it a long time ago. I react the same to most of them. At first I get insomnia and then act like I am in a fog. After about a week I act normal. I have found that most of them help me in time. Have you ever tried Lexapro? Celexa is an older form of Lexapro. I like celexa but did not like Lexapro. Who knows. Good Luck with it.

[Briza]

I took Celexa for a few months w/out results but thankfully without side effects. I do suffer from severe anxiety, but I didn't notice any increase in the anxiety while I was on it, but as I was so already anxiety ridden I guess it would have been hard to tell. My dr told me Lexapro is very very very similar to Celexa, but that Celexa has a generic now, so hence the Lexapro...no generic so more $. Anyway, that's what she told me. The only antidepressant that I have had success with is Prozac, no side effects at all, but it doesn't seem to work as well for my depression as it did the first year (it was a miracle med the first year) I took it, and has never worked for my anxiety, but has never increased my anxiety.
Others I have tried:

Zoloft...made me feel like a zombie
Cymbalta...put me to sleep for a week
Effexor...was climbing the walls

Discontinued those three after a week or two b/c of the side effects. But everyone reacts differently...unfortunately it is trial and error.:(
Best wishes. I hope either the Celexa works for you or that you find something else that does soon. :grouphug:

[verdicries]

i tried celexa (a derivative of lexapro, which i had no probs with) and had MASSIVE anxiety, broke out into a rash, and got really paranoid. i stopped after 2 doses. veeeeeery scary. why did they give you celexa when you already have panic attacks?

YEARS ago (when i was 14 or 15) i started on prozac and that worked very well for me. then i tried zoloft and that worked well too. wellbutrin made me manic and gave me massive stomach pains. lexapro worked well for about 3 years. i was also on buspar for anxiety @that time and that worked very well. have you tried that? i tried cymbalta but only for a few weeks so i'm not sure how well it worked (i got pregnant and had to stop).

let us know what happens.

[mom_in_ma]

I tried celexa last fall, before this latest fare, and I had a giant anxiety attack. According to my psychiatrist, it's not an uncommon side effect. I've been having a hard time finding anti-depressants that I can take that don't cause anxiety or urine retention. Paxil about killed my bladder and I nearly lost my mind! Right now, the psychiatrist is having me take prozac one drop a day (yes, one drop). It's painfully slow to work, but the idea is to trick my body into becoming used to it without experiencing the side effects. I'm on day four and crossing my fingers.

[verdicries]

robin, i am doing almost the same thing w/atarax. last time it caused major retention at 10mg...this time doc gave me 50mg tablets. i cut them into QUARTERS and then cut the QUARTERS in half lol. i've worked my way up to almost 25 mg already and so far, no retention!!! :) woooooooo!

i've yet to find a good antidepressant too. i'm thinking prozac again and i'll cut the 10mg in quarters too lol.

[snowgirl]

I tried celexa last fall, before this latest fare, and I had a giant anxiety attack. According to my psychiatrist, it's not an uncommon side effect. I've been having a hard time finding anti-depressants that I can take that don't cause anxiety or urine retention. Paxil about killed my bladder and I nearly lost my mind! Right now, the psychiatrist is having me take prozac one drop a day (yes, one drop). It's painfully slow to work, but the idea is to trick my body into becoming used to it without experiencing the side effects. I'm on day four and crossing my fingers.

yes on dose on celexa gave me huge anxiety and it lasted all day just short of an attack. They tell me and I know as a nurse you must try it for 4 weeks to work.............. well I am not going to. All it did was increase my xanax dosage and thats not good. Same with my I can' take anit- dep because of anxiety untolerable or urinary retention. SO, I took prozac 15 years ago I remember it just made me sleepy I should try that again I will ask.
Buspar- could not pee. Had a hard time peeing. Made me very nervous.
Prozac comes in liquid I did not know that. Sure am going to ask. I think another MD pscy consult may be necessary I am seeing a third year pscy resident from Michigan state. She does her thing then goes and presents her case to the attending professor......... wish I could see the " real teaching pscy".

Thanks

VIcky

[mom_in_ma]

Tracy,
Glad to hear that you're having better luck this time around. Do you think it's the gradual dose increase? Or is flomax helping this time around?

Vicky,
Yes, the prozac comes in liquid form and I take one drop at a time. I figure it's about 1 mg per drop. So far, I don't see any real urinary retention. I'm on day 5, so it's really early. I was spasming this morning and having trouble starting my stream a bit, but honestly I can't tell if it's related to the drug or not as this flare has been kicking my butt for quite some time. Took some pyridium a couple of hours ago and feel a bit better.

[verdicries]

robin,
i think it may be a combo of both the starting small and the flomax. the main side effects i've gotten with atarax now are major dry mouth (and i have a dry mouth to begin w/) and CONSTIPATION, no matter HOW MUCH i drink...so i've started taking a small dose of miralax @nite. seems to help. i didn't think prozac could cause urinary retention?? is that one of the side effects?

vicky good luck...if you're really having such a hard time w/celexa then stop. a lot of ppl i know just freaked out on it (me being one!). others seemm to love it! huh. let us know if you try the liquid prozac. i KNOW celexa comes in liquid as i've taken it. many of the older drugs do...you just have to ask and make sure the doc writes the script as liquid.