I don't want to take Celexa anymore!

ashleybreanna13

Everytime I stop taking Celexa (Citalopram) and start back up again, my anxeity is horrible in the beginning, like 10 times worse than my normal self. I stopped taking it, and re-started a few days ago, not because my anxeiety was bad, but because my doctor prescribed it and I figure I should be taking it.
So the last few days have NOT been good. I have been so anxeity-ridden. I wake up in the middle of the night with horrible anxeity spells, so bad that I wake up my boyfriend to calm me down. Once I get used to the drug, I am fine but the start up is horrible! I have also heard that Celexa is a big problem with weight gain.
I think I'm just going to go off it and tell my doc.
Any thoughts?

nomeejerome

Everytime I stop taking Celexa (Citalopram) and start back up again, my anxeity is horrible in the beginning, like 10 times worse than my normal self. I stopped taking it, and re-started a few days ago, not because my anxeiety was bad, but because my doctor prescribed it and I figure I should be taking it.
So the last few days have NOT been good. I have been so anxeity-ridden. I wake up in the middle of the night with horrible anxeity spells, so bad that I wake up my boyfriend to calm me down. Once I get used to the drug, I am fine but the start up is horrible! I have also heard that Celexa is a big problem with weight gain.
I think I'm just going to go off it and tell my doc.
Any thoughts?

Thoughts?
Not a good idea to go off of meds if your doctor wants you to take them. It will take some time to get back in your system and it may suck until then, but which is worse a bit of crap while the medicine gets back in your system? or full blown anxiety and/or other symptoms 24-7-365?

plynn54

Sounds like a different medication might be better for you. There are different ones that won't cause weight gain. If you are going to stop tell your dr first so they can give you a plan to wean off it. Not a good idea to stop it cold turkey.

ps I have worked for a physiatrist for 7 years

toutmonpossible

Everytime I stop taking Celexa (Citalopram) and start back up again, my anxeity is horrible in the beginning, like 10 times worse than my normal self. I stopped taking it, and re-started a few days ago, not because my anxeiety was bad, but because my doctor prescribed it and I figure I should be taking it.
So the last few days have NOT been good. I have been so anxeity-ridden. I wake up in the middle of the night with horrible anxeity spells, so bad that I wake up my boyfriend to calm me down. Once I get used to the drug, I am fine but the start up is horrible! I have also heard that Celexa is a big problem with weight gain.
I think I'm just going to go off it and tell my doc.
Any thoughts?

I know that you can't just start and stop many of those drugs without consequences, you have to wean yourself off them. I would Google Celexa and weight gain and see what you find. I would make an appointment with my doctor and discuss my concerns about the drug.

From what you've written it actually seems to be working. Apart from the idea that you're taking a medication, what are your problems with it? Are you getting side effects? Have you tried non-drug-related therapies?

mazdauk

I was on citalopram for a while, and you have to build up and come off slowly. Going cold turkey is really not recommended! And I can't really blame it for my weight gain as I continued to pile on pounds after coming off - I think it gets blamed for the general lack of inclination to make good choices which is what has us on it in the first place. And if you're in the place where everything is an effort then turning down a cookie is definitely an effort not worth making.

Whether you stay on or come off, you need to go back to your Dr to discuss further. Are you generally in a better place, where you feel you can manage without them, or is it just because you want to lose weight?

If you've only just been put on them, your Dr should have told you that it takes about 4 weeks for them to kick in, and that at first you might feel worse rather than better (so much so that you should probably be signed off work). when you are ready to come off, you need to come off slowly, first by reducing the dose then by switching to alternate days (it has a long half-life so you shouldn't get huge troughs).

Feel free to friend me if I can help you, but PLEASE see your Doctor as well as asking for help on here!

DaniJeanine

I PROMISE you'll be just fine! I'm on Celexa and the first 2-3 weeks of adjustment were horrible. Insomnia, anxiety, jitters, you name it. But once that passes you'll feel much better. If the doctor thinks you need it, I'd reccommend staying on it so you can avoid the on-off cycles of side effects. Good luck!

DaniJeanine

Also, Celexa is not a known weight-gain SSRI. Paxil is the worst offender and Celexa tends to be on the safe end of the spectrum. And remember that there is no link between Celexa and metabolic function....aka it DOES NOT slow your metabolism. That indicates that most people gain weight on it for other reasons, like increased appetite from being happier and less anxious, other meds they may be taking, other condition they may have (Dibetes or PCOS), etc. I have had 4 other friends take Celexa aside from myself and none of us have gained weight. In fact, one tends to lose weight on it.

Lalasharni

I take Citalopram 40mg once a day and have done for 10 years. I did not gain weight from taking it, but from stuffing my fat A** with the wrong types of food.
Any type of SSRI should never be stopped suddenly - the withdrawals are horrid.
After ten years, I can honestly say that it changed my mood for the better - I was prescribed it when I found that my newly married husband had inoperable heart disease, diabetes, trigeminal neuralgia and vertigo. I thought he was going to die and couldnt cope.
It does rather "flatten" my mood, but its better than the raving panic I felt then.
My eating habits caused my weight gain, not the Citalopram.

Megs081211

I was on Celexa for almost 2 years. It really helped me and I didn't gain a pound on it. When I was finally able to sort out the stress in my life, I felt like I didn't need it anymore. So, I talked to my doctor about getting taken off of it. We slowly (like 3 months) took down the levels and if I started to experience some symptoms she would have kept me at that level.

ashleybreanna13

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I will contact my doctor before I make any desicion.

She put me on Celexa because I have anxiety. But when I take it, I feel zombie-like, and have weird thoughts of death. Sounds weird I know. Nothing like dangerous, but just thinking about death and ways people die. My head just feels like it's stuffed with a cloud, with a mix of a dull on-going headache. This happens when I am on Celexa.

I would just want to try not being on it, and try curing my anxiety with a better lifestyle and exercise.

nomeejerome

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I will contact my doctor before I make any desicion.

She put me on Celexa because I have anxiety. But when I take it, I feel zombie-like, and have weird thoughts of death. Sounds weird I know. Nothing like dangerous, but just thinking about death and ways people die. My head just feels like it's stuffed with a cloud, with a mix of a dull on-going headache. This happens when I am on Celexa.

I would just want to try not being on it, and try curing my anxiety with a better lifestyle and exercise.

Talk with your doctor and tell them all of that.... Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right dosage or "cocktail" of different meds to help symptoms.

KatLifter

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I will contact my doctor before I make any desicion.

She put me on Celexa because I have anxiety. But when I take it, I feel zombie-like, and have weird thoughts of death. Sounds weird I know. Nothing like dangerous, but just thinking about death and ways people die. My head just feels like it's stuffed with a cloud, with a mix of a dull on-going headache. This happens when I am on Celexa.

I would just want to try not being on it, and try curing my anxiety with a better lifestyle and exercise.

Try taking it at night. It makes me really sleepy too and out of it too, so it's helpful at night.

Also, if you are getting these side effects from cutting it down, it could be really tough to come off of it. Last summer my doctor and I decided to try and wean me off... My anxiety was terrible and I just cried all the time, so I went back on. It took some time to normalize again, but once my blood levels were back up I felt so much better. It is what allows me to live a healthier life without trying to comfort myself with bad food and booze.

JoannaEngel84

If the anxiety is that bad, you could also ask your doctor for a couple week's supply of a fast acting anti-anxiety drug (just beware, they can make you a little dopey) that can help until the citalopram has really started working.

lynn1982

Have you told your doctor that you're experiencing terrible anxiety while on it? As others have said, do not go off cold turkey. Talk to your doctor to see if there's something else you can take instead. And if not, then find another doctor. Your doctor should be working with you, based on your needs but also your desires. I say this as someone who understands the desire not to be on medication for anxiety. I'm currently struggling with that now since I don't want to feel like a zombie while on antidepressants, but sometimes the anxiety is so bad that it's no longer worth fighting. I get it.

ereck44

Also, Celexa is not a known weight-gain SSRI. Paxil is the worst offender and Celexa tends to be on the safe end of the spectrum. And remember that there is no link between Celexa and metabolic function....aka it DOES NOT slow your metabolism. That indicates that most people gain weight on it for other reasons, like increased appetite from being happier and less anxious, other meds they may be taking, other condition they may have (Dibetes or PCOS), etc. I have had 4 other friends take Celexa aside from myself and none of us have gained weight. In fact, one tends to lose weight on it.

This! I work in a hospital and never heard of this med having weight gain as a side effect. Most people do well on it. Probably because you stop/start and stop again--not giving it a chance to really work. Good luck!

adioschubs

I've not had any weight loss issues while being on this pill for the past few years. Hope you figure things out.

ereck44

Also it is not a good idea to stop this drug or other SSRI without weaning first. It takes 2 weeks of consistently taking it before you notice any improvement!

neandermagnon

go back to your doctor with a list of all the undesirable effects, and ask for a review of your medication. the doc needs to know about this so you can be on the most suitable medication for you. sometimes it takes trying more than one to get it right and the doctor doesn't know if you'll have bad side effects from medication, because not everyone reacts the same way to drugs

if you would prefer to be medication free and to manage anxiety through exercise and lifestyle factors, tell your doctor that and ask if it's possible. the answer will depend on how severe your condition is. But one thing I will say is that I have PTSD which has been severe in the past, and I've had to manage it without any medication, which wasn't through choice it was due to living somewhere with no mental health services whatsoever and having to access counselling etc via the internet. I've had counselling/therapy (mixture of cognitive behavioural therapy and other stuff that works for PTSD) plus lifestyle factors have helped a lot, i.e. strenuous exercise, healthy diet, enough sunlight, enough sleep, etc. So it can be done, but it isn't necessarily the best route for everyone, and if I'd had the choice I probably would have taken medication at least to begin with, then gone off it as the counselling and other factors kicked in to help me. But get the support of your doctor or a good counsellor/therapist whatever route you take. Everyone is different, everyone's mental health conditions are different, so what works for one person may not work for another, and what I did wasn't to deal with it all by myself, it was under the supervision of a trained counsellor/therapist, just it was without any medication because I simply didn't have that option. And maybe some doctors would say that that was less than ideal and I'd have got better faster with medication.

AlongCame_Molly

It sounds like the main problem is your anxiety when you start back on them...so stop STOP taking them. Problem solved. Or if you really don't like being on them for the long run, ask your dr to prescribe something else.

savithny

1) Never just start or stop an SSRI cold turkey. BAD plan. You need to taper onto them, and then off them. They're not "addictive," but most of them offer "discontinuation syndrome."
2) Celexa is supposed to be good for anxiety, but you have to put up with possibly increased anxiety before it starts to help. All the SSRI/SSNI drugs take several weeks, or even longer, to really be doing what they're supposed to do.
3) If you really don't like it, taper off. Ask your doctor about a trial of Buspar. Some people find it doesn't help at all, but some people find it really makes a difference. The key thing about it is that its weight-neutral, has few side effects, and does NOT have a problem with discontinuation syndrome. Downside is that you have to give it weeks to see if its working, just like Celexa.
4) Are you sure you're blaming the right drugs? Are you on anything else for the anxiety? If you did get a fast-acting pill for the anxiety, withdrawal from that can cause ... anxiety.

KatLifter

It sounds like the main problem is your anxiety when you start back on them...so stop STOP taking them. Problem solved. Or if you really don't like being on them for the long run, ask your dr to prescribe something else.

This so much. When you stop, your blood level drops. Then you start up again and it takes TIME to get back to the level where you felt okay enough to stop in the first place. Taking the medication isn't causing the anxiety, it's the stopping. There is a reason your doctor prescribes it the way they do - daily. Celexa isn't quick-acting or a benzo, you can't just take it when you want to and expect it to work. Like birth control.

nomeejerome

Many times when people are taking meds and they "start to feel good again" they believe they do not need the meds in order to function everyday. Yes, depending on severity of diagnosis, many people can find other ways to manage symptoms and others may need to accept they will have to take a pill(s) for the rest of their lives for symptom management. OP, I am not directing this at you in particular, just making a general statement.

lithezebra

Weight gain is not inevitable. I lost weight after I started taking it for an anxiety problem. I've tapered off Celexa a few times, to see if I would feel okay without it, WITH my doctor's approval. I do feel much better with it, I'm more resilient, and I sleep better when I'm taking it. I take the lowest dose that works for me.

I've also been told that daily exercise is mandatory self-care for people suffering from anxiety, and I take that seriously.

lithezebra

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I will contact my doctor before I make any desicion.

She put me on Celexa because I have anxiety. But when I take it, I feel zombie-like, and have weird thoughts of death. Sounds weird I know. Nothing like dangerous, but just thinking about death and ways people die. My head just feels like it's stuffed with a cloud, with a mix of a dull on-going headache. This happens when I am on Celexa.

I would just want to try not being on it, and try curing my anxiety with a better lifestyle and exercise.

You need to talk to your doctor asap. There are other medications. I take Celexa because it doesn't feel like I'm on anything at all. I just feel able to cope. I also take care of myself with a healthy diet, meditation, and exercise, which I was doing before Celexa.