I Would REALLY Appreciate Input- Anti-depressant

greeneyedgirl829

Hi everyone! So I recently went to my doctor because I could tell that something has been off with me for the last 4 months or so. According to my symptoms my doctor and I came to the conclusion that I have PMDD (2 weeks out of the month, having to do with my cycle, I'm very depressed, un-motivated, over-eating, etc). It's not a simple case of PMS, it's interfering to the point that she decided to prescribe me a low dose anti-depressant (20 mg of Celexa (citalopram) taken once daily).

I am willing to start this because I feel that, at this time, it can improve my quality of life.

However, I have some concerns. I've been doing research on the Internet to see about other people's experiences with this type (SSRI's) and other types of anti-depressants. There is so much negative feedback online, and I'm wondering if this is the norm or if this type of negative reactions are only talked about when they do occur.

If anyone has been on any type anti-depressant, I would REALLY REALLY appreciate any input. What kind were you on? What were the pro's and con's? And also another serious question for me...ladies have you noticed a lot of sexual side effects?

Thanks in advance!

lotusfromthemud

At such a low dose, you may experience minimal side effects.

When your body is getting used to the med, you will have some wonky-ness during an adjustment period (too much or too little energy, nausea, dizziness all are normal, but should pass)

I have been on several in my life (none right now) and some caused weight loss, but others can encourage weight gain. When I needed them, they were life changing (indeed, perhaps life-saving).

For me, the sexual side effects were minimal. Again, I think these increase with your dosages.

HTH.

DaisyClaire

Is there anything they can do with your hormones to try to reculate your mood? There is nothing wrong with taking a mild dosage, I've taken them and so have a number of my friends. A small dose will stop you from getting really low lows which can help if you need a boost to get motivated and then maybe you'll pick up exercise and pampering and that will naturally give you a boost and you won't need them anymore. Depending on the dosage you may get a bad tummy, headache and some head rushes for the first week or so but then you should settle down and wake up one morning and feel much better. Keep an eye on side effects that you don't think are normal for you and go to your GP if you have any questions. And with the sex side of things, I'm sure the hormones/severe lows are affecting your love life already, so no harm in giving these a try. Don't let the internet scare you, a lot of people go on them and come off them just as easily and it really is up to you whether you want to explore other treatments first. Best of luck hun x

2kidzlater

I would suggest trying to increase your vitamin B intake. All of them. I get these really great drops at Whole Foods and they really give me a boost when I need it. Mentally and physically. Go on line and see what vitamin B can do for you. It might be a better alternative.

nisijam5

I would suggest trying to increase your vitamin B intake. All of them. I get these really great drops at Whole Foods and they really give me a boost when I need it. Mentally and physically. Go on line and see what vitamin B can do for you. It might be a better alternative.

My daughter's doctor recommended B Stress Complex supplement (Walgreens), 1 to 2 mg of folate, 14x amount of vitamin C

njenn10

Hi, I used to be on Lexapro which is very siimilar to Celexa. I had NO side effects and LOVED it. I recently was weened off of it because my outside stressors have gone away, and I am going to see how I do without it. I have been trying to exercise to try to keep my seratonin levels up, however I would not hesitate takeing Celexa.

The only thing I have been told by my physician was sometimes it is not the SSRI itself but instead how it interacts with you body. Depression runs in my family, and the reason I was put on Lexapro was because my physician said that 95% of her patients had positive results and no side effects. So, I would just see how it goes, and if it doesnt work talk with your physician and let them know what is going on.

But honestly, dont worry about it too much... :-)

MariSama44

As someone who was on perscription anti depressants for near 6 years of her life, all I can say is they helped, but the cons were more than the pros in most cases with me. Yes it depends on the person. I'm an artist and all of those mind altering drugs killed my creativity. I was more depressed on them because I couldnt create. I got off of them against everyone's wishes and I learned to change my lifestyle to addapt it to my depression. I'm a better person for it and I think you can try to learn too before you resort to drugs.

My mother unfortunately still thinks she's helpless without the drugs, and pays out 300 dollars a month for her anti depressant/ ADD pill cocktail. They just want your money, most cases, and if its a doctor I wouldnt trust him when it comes to mental health as much as I would a psychologist or psychotherapist.

take 2kidzlater's advice and try with some vitamins, particularly B. One of my best friends' wife has been depressed, fat and self hating for years. She wouldnt clean or cook, wouldnt get a job to help support them, and all she would do is stay up late on the computer, skip her college classes and eat taco bell. She thought she was too ugly to leave their appartment. She just started taking vitamin B-12 supplements and she's turned into a completely different person. My friend is amazed with the change, he says its like night and day.

My take on it is mind over matter.

It could also be hormonal, so have your hormone levels checked. This is more common than you think, most the females in my family have some type of thyroid condition which effects mood, weight and just about everything.


Edit: Forgot to mention..I was on Effexor, Zoloft, Cymbalta and Wellbutrin. Effexor gave me "brain zaps" a phenomenon reported with numerous antidepressants. It also made me sick, act like a zombie and it gave me withdrawal symptoms if I took the pill a few hours later. Miserable. Zoloft just made me into a very irritable, quiet person. Cymbalta did absolutely nothing to me, and Wellbutrin worked but again, it sapped my creativity. I was also relatively emotionless...IE, yes I was happy, but I was neuturally happy. I could never feel "overjoyed" or anything like that. Sex drive? I didn't notice much of a difference, but that's probably because I was a teenager. I know Wellbutrin kind of inhibited it, but none of them have ever been good for my sex drive or my eating habits.

sandmart2009

Vitamin B Complex for me and the herbal Ginseng supplement (Ginsana) at Walmart really gives me a kick in energy. And what I noticed is when I have enough energy, I have these happy highs and not feel much of a cry-baby. And I see a huge difference when i stop taking them for days - my husband is not a happy camper as I just dip in my moods.

Hope this helps. I would recommend trying the herbal options as it has always worked for me! Take care.

MereBear_81

At such a low dose, you may experience minimal side effects.

When your body is getting used to the med, you will have some wonky-ness during an adjustment period (too much or too little energy, nausea, dizziness all are normal, but should pass)

I have been on several in my life (none right now) and some caused weight loss, but others can encourage weight gain. When I needed them, they were life changing (indeed, perhaps life-saving).

For me, the sexual side effects were minimal. Again, I think these increase with your dosages.

HTH.

This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

I take Lexapro for anxiety, but it is used for depression as well and very similar to celexa. For me, I did have some nausea the first week or so while adjusting. I also clenched my teeth and had trouble sitting still (like constantly bouncing my leg and fidgeting), but both of those have subsided as well. I still have extremely vivid dreams which my doctor said is normal on lexapro. I did have some minimal sexual side effects, but nothing my husband and I weren't able to work through.

I'd definitely say that the side effects were/are minimal for me compared to the improvement in my quality of life.

mrsvezeau

To go along with the vitamins - I would ask your doctor to check your vitamin D levels. It has been stated that low vitamin D levels can also cause some of the same symptoms. So I asked my doctor to check my levels and they were pretty low - I now take a vitamin D supplement and B vitamin complex instead.

BigdaddyJ

My wife had to deal with the same symptomes after our daughter's birth 4 years ago and has been on the medication for just over 3 years now and it worked out great for her!

there were some mild side effects when she first started (I remember dizziness for one....) but they did go away after a little while.

She lives a 100% normal life, she even passed the medical to be a schoolbus driver, the doctor saying that the dosage was to negligeable to mention.

I only have a warning for you : If you start DONT TRY TO STOP ON YOUR OWN!!!! You'll be feeling better and think you dont need the medication anymore...if you stop on your own after a couple of days you'll feel worst than ever. You have to see you doctor to get gradualy withdrawn before you can stop taking it.

Hope that was the info you were looking for...my wife is really happy with the medication, it might even have saved our marriage!!

P.S.: Dont feel ashamed....depression is somthing you can't control, do it get the control of your life back!!

Alexandra888

Talk to your doctor about taking a different anti depressant. My sister was taking one that caused a lot of side effects she didnt like so he switched her to one that works. Just tell them your concerns and if they're good and care, they'll listen.

EmilyStrick

I would suggest trying to increase your vitamin B intake. All of them. I get these really great drops at Whole Foods and they really give me a boost when I need it. Mentally and physically. Go on line and see what vitamin B can do for you. It might be a better alternative.

totally agree, and let me add this: i have exactly the same problem...it runs in my family. i have been put on different anti-depressants since i was 15, and the last one i was prescribed was celexa. now...full disclosure...i hate pharmaceuticals and am a weird freak about chemicals and stuff and i lean towards the organic/granola/hippie way of life. there is a great website www.doctoryourself.com where there is some information on this subject (and a lot of other subjects). in addition to a multi-vitamin, i take b-complex 3 times per day, 10,000mg vitamin c/day, evening primrose oil 3 times per day, fish oil twice a day, and a calcium/magnesium/vitamin d once a day...this combination has helped me tremendously. a lot of people would not advise taking the amounts i take, but for me-it works, and that's all that matters!!! this is not to say that i never feel like throwing a lamp at someone, but i can control myself now, and that lamp-throwing feeling is a rarity now, instead of the norm that it used to be. check out that website...see what works for you. and if the celexa is working and you're happy with it, keep taking that!!!

greeneyedgirl829

Thank you so so much everyone for your input...

I think that for right now, I'm going to start the Celexa and see how it works for me for the time being.

Also going to start taking my B vitamins haha

crmikus28

I currently take a low dose anxiety/anti depressant and it works great because when I get anxious I would usually over eat or eat something that had loads of sugar and fat...with my anxiety in check I am not as easy to pick up any old thing and eat it. It also helos you feel better about yourself and paired with exercise you will be feeling great. Just keep in mind that the first 3-4 weeks of taking the medication may have some side effects, they usually wear off in this time and maintain levels at this point. I also encourage you to take a mulivitamin every day, which took me months to get into the habit of, and also drink lots of water, it helps keep all of these chemicals and vitamins in balance, all of these things help me soooo much...b/c I have 95% good days and a few bad here and there where I have NO energy and feel like lying in bed all day eating donuts. After awhile these behaviors become your normal routine and you don't have to try as hard...I take my pills/vitamins every day around the same time with lots of water and make sure that I exercise everyday, even if it's only a 20 minute walk....you will find that it gets easier all the time.

crazyjkgirl

In general, I am somewhat opposed to the usage of anti-depressants. However, some people certainly do benefit from their usage. Other people do not and experience harmful side effects. If you do decide to go ahead and start the medication watch out for such side effects. I would strongly suggest that if one develops and your doctor wishes to place you on another medication to alleviate it to not do so. Some people will go on Zoloft for anxiety, but the Zoloft makes them unable to sleep, so then they get placed on Ambien but the Ambien reduces their ability to function sexually so then they get placed on Viagra and so on and so forth. It's scary to think about. Antidepressants have truly only been around for 20 or so years. We're still not sure the long term effects of them.

I commend you for doing research on this. That's more than most do! Being informed is half the battle.

If you truly believe that your functioning is strongly being hindered by your PMDD, then trying the drug may be worth it. If it's not, or you have any suspicions that your depression type symptoms may be caused by life stressors, other routes may be taken. I've personally always found it a bit ridiculous for someone to be diagnosed with severe depression after a breakup or death. No crap the person is depressed but that doesn't mean you have to drug them!

For what it's worth, when I was on antidepressants (both Lexapro and Prozac separately) I could not orgasm and gained weight.

BigdaddyJ

Keep in mind that 20mg on celexa is a very minimal dose....just a little something to help your hormones get in line. My wife has been on the same dosage for 3+ years and never needed to increase the dose

dogmeat

NaSSA:s (Mirtazapine, Remeron) generally have less and milder side effects than conventional antidepressants (and might even have the opposite (enhancing) effect on libido).

The downside is that they can increase your appetite and lead to weight gain, although this varies a lot per individual.

fishernd

I've also been on celexa for a little over a year at 20mg. 10mg worked somewhat and 20mg has been perfect since. When I tried to go up to 40mg it was too much and I found I had trouble sleeping and felt like my head was in a vice.

I've noticed some negative impact to my libido, but for now I'd rather be emotionally stable than worry about the other. As for weight gain, celexa is supposed to be weight-gain/loss neutral, and this seems fairly true in my experience.

jaxterbom

I'm not a big fan of psych drugs. I would view the antidepressant only as a bridge to get you to a better place, and
then wean off of it when you feel stronger. Vitamin B is good too, but it's not a cure either. Wish you well.

Hank

Feralsquirrel

It's important to remember that it might not work with your body chemistry and finding something that does might be a bit trying. But since you know exactly why you're getting depressed that by itself should help.

BamaRose0107

I have been on many anti-depressants in the past. For me the side effects were worse than the depression itself. Know that each anti-depressant can work completely different from person to person. You may have no side effects at all or you could be like me. Lexapro made my depression far worse and I had to be watched very closely because I was having suicidal thoughts. I also gained 50 lbs with diet and exefcise. My suggestion would be to have someone close to you keep a watch an how you act and if there is any worsening in depression or mood call your doctor. I am not trying to scare you just wanting you to be aware of some of the severe side effects that are possible and may need immediate attention. Also if you are on any other medications make sure your doctor is aware and make sure there are no interactions. Anti-depressants don't mix well with some other medications.

zeala

Since it's related with your period, have you considered going on the pill? There is one which allows you to have 4 periods a year. I'd probably try that first before the other pills. Also if it's every two months, why are you taking a pill daily??
I know that anti depressants have helped a lot of people, but I am still weary of them.
Have there been any other more natural solutions at least discussed or tried out?

Mina133842

I have also been on Celexa from time to time, and at a small dosage. I didn't notice anything at all at first, but what my doctor told me, was that at some point the "little things" stop bothering you, and I didn't notice any weight gain from that at all, or any other side effects. I also suggest journaling, sometimes that can help you keep track of what's going on, and days with ups and downs a little better - especially if you're not going to counseling, or anything like that.

president1

I read a number of the posts before replying, because I too started out on a small dose of anti-depressants. What I found was almost everyone I knew was on them. I could'nt beleive it. Everytime I went into the doctors about getting off them, seriously he put the dose up. I too like one person mentioned was walking around like a Zombie. One day I just said to f with this and I threw them all away. Not recommened, because of withdrawl, but I knew I was done. I realized I had to deal with some underling issues and get in the real world. I did and will never go back. Get your b vitamins and cod liver oil.