Doing without Celexa

i have been off celexa now for about two months.
i was on 20mg for seven years, down to 10mg for about one month, then 5mg for about 6 weeks, then stopped the meds. the transition was pretty smooth. i did find myself quite sensitive though.
if i thought of something, be it something that made me happy or upset, i would get that feeling in my throat and might tear up a bit.
i have found that exercise is the ultimate for my mental health. i try to run twice a week and take martial arts twice a week. also, since being off the meds and continuing exercise, i have lost about 10 pounds over the past two months.

I was on Celexa for 10 months after being diagnosed with situational depression. I was going through a divorce and my doctor put me on this. It was great as far as helping me cope but I recently did something very stupid 8 days ago. I quit cold turkey. I was so tired of picking up that bottle and being reminded about why I was taking it so on a whim i just stopped. That obviously was a big mistake because now I am experiencing horrible withdraws. I am crying right now as i type this. I can handle the crying but i cant handle the dizziness, or the brain zaps. It is debillitating. I dont want to call my doctor because I know she is probably going to tell me to get back on them and I dont want to be on meds anymore. Can anybody help me on how long I should expect this to go on since I went cold turkey. Im really scared just thinking about it lasting any longer.

Ok do not worry it will all go away. I did the same thing and although i felt as though i needed a doctors help to get through it i toughed it out, took vitamins ; got exercise; ignored the symptoms and it all went away. Everyday it should be a bit better than the day before. Just rest as much as you can and it will only be a few more days. I really dislike how doctors put ppl on these drugs. i personally will never put another one in my mouth.

I have always had issues with depression. Nothing too serious, just maybe a week out of the year would be the worst, with bouts of crying without understanding why. I went on 20mg of Celexa in Nov of 2008, after some situational things were adding to the overall mix.

Celexa really helped. I stopped crying, and my anger issues all but stopped. I am a stepmom too, which can be challenging, and the Celexa even helped me feel closer to my stepkids. I swore it was a miracle drug and I would NEVER go off. Unfortunately the Celexa COMPLETELY shut down my libido. Which caused riffs between my husband and I. So my drx put me on 100mg of Wellbutrin in addition to the Celexa, to help out with the sexual side affects. It didn't, but it did give me more energy otherwise. He then suggested 200mg, but that just affected my sleep, so I went back to 100mg. Last session he said maybe I should skip the Celexa for one day, then take it the next night if I wanted to have 'planned' sex with my husband, but I highly doubted that would work, having forgotten to take a pill here or there after 2 years and noticing nothing). Seriously I could have cared less about not having sex, after coming so far with Celexa with all of my other issues, but sex is a 'very important' part of our relationship, and I am honestly tired of being nagged about it, so when I ran out a week ago, and didn't get a chance after 2 days to refill the prescription, I decided to just quit. Situationally things are much better, so I am hoping I don't need the drug afterall.

Unfortunately the "Cold Turkey" thing is not such a good idea (as I have found since reading ALL of these posts). I know now that my dizziness has nothing to do with anemia, and the nausea is normal. Now I am IRRITABLE beyond belief (to the point where my husband says he'd rather go without sex then have me like this, yeah right, see how long that thought would last). Anyway, you can probably tell by my tone of voice that I am irritable. LOL. And yesterday I sobbed/cried for the first time since being on the Celexa, and am teary today. I just want to crawl back in bed and have everyone leave me alone. I was so far ahead, and now I am a piece of crap again. So I am definately feeling depressed. I am still on the 100mg Wellbutrin, so not sure if that is doing anything.

So a) I hope I stop blaming my husband for the way I feel since going off Celexa, b) think my drx doesn't know as much as he thinks he does and c) can't wait to feel better (or normal) soon. I am only a day over a week into this withdrawl...when will I see the light at the end of the tunnel???

as i said in my last post, exercise has been key in my coming around.
also, i firmly believe in a longer period of decreased dosage w/ the celexa.
it has been a few months since getting off celexa, which i was on for seven years, and am still experiencing fleeting moments of emotional fragility, which are usually caused by a thought, song, reminiscing, etc.
idle time has, as well, proved to have negative effects.
stay busy, exercise regularly, eat good food.
good luck.

Rinda wrote:

I am hearing so many bad reviews on celexa. And It's so discouraging for me rite now. I just switched from zoloft to celexa because the zoloft in which i've been on for the past year has just stopped working, I found myself depressed and negative about everything all of a sudden. I have been on celexa for 2 days so far and naturally t hasn't kicked in yet. Can anyone tell me if thay have had any experiance in switching from zoloft to celexa and how are they feeling. thanks....

When I was pregnant I couldn't take celexa b/c of the violent vomiting, so I asked for something else and was prescribed zoloft. I took it everyday at the same time just like my celexa but the zoloft ( i felt) did nothing! I was still SOOOO irritable and would just fly off the handle for no reason. I'm sure my dose could have been adjusted, but wasn't and I suffered through it, but taking it for 9 mnths did nothing for me and I couldn't wait to have her so I could begin taking my celexa again.

Greg,

Sucide is never the answer, it may seem like a fix for you but those you love will hurt forever. I took Celexa for just over a year and the loss of libido does go away. I was numb for the 1st week but after that, I was so glad I started taking it. Please don't be depressed and never take your life, you are important and those you love need and want you here. You will find something that works for you, don't give up.:)

I have been on Celexa for three months and have gained 8 lbs. I eat healthy, I exercise every day and
i just keep gaining weight. I knew this was not right. After searching the internet today, I read that antidepressants cause weight gain. I had no idea. Although I feel so much better and my relationship is wonderful with my husband, I have to stop taking them now!!
Anyway, has anyone taken or know anything about the natural antidepressants called Deprex or one called Protazen? They are supposed to be all natural and you will not gain weight. I am tempted to try these, but not sure if it's a scam or not.
thanks

I was came off Zoloft a year ago and didn't have too many problems. I quit cold turkey. I had another bout with depression (it turns out the relationship I was in was toxic). I'm on Celexa and have been for quite a few months and it worked great (so did leaving her). I'm starting to feel alot better. I didn't like the effect of drinking while I was on Celexa.(I know I shouldn't have ETOH on board with it.) I'm quitting Celexa cold turkey today. I did good coming off of the Zoloft last year. I'm single again and I want my old libido back. The trick to reduce side effects and get your libido back? Like I did with Zoloft, diet and exercise. It will jump start your seratogenic axons and get the serotonin pumping naturally full speed. It also boosts your metabolism, giving you more energy and increases circulation, boosting your libido. Bam. Done. ;) That's what I'm gonna be doing again anyway. Now that I'm out of that horrid relationship I'm ready to charge ahead full speed!

kelly phipps wrote:

I have been on Celexa for three months and have gained 8 lbs. I eat healthy, I exercise every day and
i just keep gaining weight. I knew this was not right. After searching the internet today, I read that antidepressants cause weight gain. I had no idea. Although I feel so much better and my relationship is wonderful with my husband, I have to stop taking them now!!
Anyway, has anyone taken or know anything about the natural antidepressants called Deprex or one called Protazen? They are supposed to be all natural and you will not gain weight. I am tempted to try these, but not sure if it's a scam or not.
thanks

Try Saint John's Wort. Do NOT take this if you are currently taking an SSRI or SNRI! You run the risk of serotonin syndrome! NOT fun!

I have been on celexa for 7 years..I'm 33 yrs. old. I quit cold turkey off of 60mg...This is the 3rd full day.. I have cried ...like real tears and i am a little afraid of nothing but I am exercising. I feel slightly weak but I feel really good at times ..as if i have been awaken again. My friend told me about taking Magnesium,with zinc and vitamin d before quitting and remaining taking it..I believe it is really helping with withdrawl. I am optomistic:)

I'd like to rid my system of Celexa over a 2-3 week period. I'm on a dose of 20mg/day. My major concern is that freeing myself of this drug will put me into a fog-like stupor.

Can anyone address this issue for me?

Serah wrote:

The pharmaist said it is water weight gain that increases while taking Celexa. If a person stays active and exercises three times a week would they be able to keep their weight down while taking it? Does anyone have chronic pain from their depression, or fibromyalgia? The doctor said Celexa is also used for this, as well. Well, I hope I can get through the first week to get started on them as the doctor said getting started might make me feel sicker than I already feel but the benefits will outweight once the start working for me. Does it give you more energy, because now I sit and do nothing and feel physical pain and have no energy to do much. Thanks, "Somewhere in U.S."

Celexa is a great medication if you are suffering from depression/anxiety disorder like I was. I really felt that I recieved great benefits from this medication: increased energy, stable mood, things just didn't bother me as much. I decided to wean myself off the medication to try for another baby-due to the incidence of birth defects. The first few weeks that you take it you will feel a little funny: insomnia, shaking, nausea, headache but, it WILL pass and be totally worth it later. This medication really does help people, hang in there. ; )

I have been on Citalopram 20 mg for only 4 months and have gained like 15 pounds!!! I am weaning off of it because, like someone else posted, it is making me MORE depressed gaining weight. I will try something else.

I am not trying to quit celexa cold turkey. The last time I tried to quit I ended up overdosing. For the past 6 months I have been on 40 mgs of it and for the past 3 months I have been on 80 mgs. The doctor refuses the refill my meds until I come in and see her in ten days which sucks. To the fact I'm not only on the celexa I'm on the trazdone 100 mgs also. I still have some of it though. My withdraws are bad, I wake up with migranes. I can't do anything without my head spinning every 2 seconds. My anger is uncontrolable I get really pissed for no reason and start yelling and screming. I'm not hungry kind of depressed and feel like crying all the time. Does anyone have any methods to get over these symptoms?

Please share how you get off the drug - I need to stop it - and I skipped today - so now what?
I drove in the wrong lane today - I"m sure its causing confusion and short term memory loss. Please someone share do I skip a day and then eventually two and then three? I"m doing this so I'd love some info.
Thanks!

Dear All,
I would like to give You all one advice- i know what are anxiety and panic attacks very well- i had moments when I cried, cause i felt i cant cope anymore. I started ciralopram almost 2 yrs ago and now im decreasing very slowly. Why I do it is becsuse i dont think it has ever really helped me.. Maybe just placebo effect,byt what really helped was/ is acupuncture and chinese herbs- u will not get an instant cure,but effects are great- really would guve it a go!!

I've been on 20 mg of Citalopram for 3.5 months. One month ago, I started having what felt like a volcano erupting in my mid-section. GP suggested no fatty or spicy foods & had me go for an ultra sound of gall baldder, liver & pancreas. results negative. The problem continued with serve episodes if I drank coffee or ate fried food. THen, I had a CT scan of my abdomen & pelvis. Results negative. went to a GI Dr. had endoscopy. Results said GERD (acid reflux) & erosive esophogitis. Now, I've been on 40 mg daily of Omeprazole for 11 days. It's not helping much. Eating only "clean" foods...chicken, turkey, eggs, sprouted wheat bread, apples, pears, fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes, water & weak decaf green tea for a month now.
I've asked both my GP & GI Drs could the Citalopram be the problem? they both say they doubt it. I've seen drug interaction warnings on the internet of these 2 drugs.
GI Dr said if I wasn't better in 14 days he would order a HIDA scan (study of bile, liver & intestines). I'm wondering if I should just wean myself off the Citalopram & see if the stomach problems go away.
Any advice is appreciated! I'm over this.

Hi I've been reading all of the comments from everyone who got off of Celexa "cold turkey" My boyfriend went through a really tough devorse and his doctor put him on this, let me say I've know him since e are 8 &9 yrs old. He isn't depressed on any level but like I said he went through a rough, tough devorse the x wife pretty much from the start was using the child and it really tore my guy up he suffered from anxiety because of the whole mess and his Dr. prescribed Celexa... I don't get why thats a pretty hard core drug from what I've been reading. Any way I was hoping someone could give me an idea on how to help him come off it without incident or as little as possible. He has been on it for a little over a year, 20mg, and he attempted cold turkey but started having bad nightmares, headaches and sickness... This is a very bad drug and I don't feel it should be given unless the situation absolutely calls for it. I feel his Dr. should have given him something like ativan, benzo, xanax or valium. I feel the doctor jump the gun and over prescribed him. I'm worried about ho he wants to come off of the and I'm looking for a weening solution any sugestions would be very appreciated!! Thank you in advance!!

Serah wrote:

My doctor has just prescribed Celexa for me. Does it really make you gain weight, and does the benefits of getting your life back outweight the withdrawl of getting of it? I'd like to know before I start taking it. My doctor really believes Celexa will help my chronic pain I have from depression. Does anyone know if it is recomended for long term use?

I have been taking celexa for about a week and a half for anxiety due to a new colicky baby and a husband who is in the military and has recently had to travel. I found that when I started it it made me so nauses that I couldn't eat so I ended up losing 10 pounds since I have been on it. Also being on it made me feel way worse I was paranoid and irrational. I went off cold turkey two days ago and feel great with no side affects