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On the 5th week of Celexa and still feel side effects!

Posted , 7 users are following.

jenny948
jenny948

I was on 10mg of celexa before for over 2 years - I had some side effects the first week or so but after that it worked wonders. I was off celexa for a year but my anxiety/panic started coming back so my doc prescribed me 20mg of celexa. I was in bed 4 days straight and I was so incredibly sick so i lowered the dose to 10mg per day which helped but I am now on week 5 and still find getting out of bed really tough. I feel so tired and anxious, most nights I don't sleep properly, i still feel a bit nauseous and I have bad diarrhea... I don't feel normal until later in the afternoon. I tired taking my pill at night and found myself waking up in a panic so I started taking it in the afternoon which i found better. My anxiety is a bit more controllable but the side effects are still there. I think I need a higher dose because I am still quite anxious but I am afraid to considering how bad I felt the first time. What to do what to do? is it normal for side effects to last this long? I don't remember it being as bad the last time.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • lois95799
    lois95799 jenny948

    Posted

    My side effects lasted 8months..so yes is normal to feel the way you are feeling..
    • Ebeth
      Ebeth lois95799

      Posted

      Hi  Lois.  What side effects lasted 8 months?
    • lois95799
      lois95799 Ebeth

      Posted

      Heavy ringing in my ears and vision issues and also derealization..those lasted roughly eight months ..all the other side effects diminish slowwwwly..the reason I knew celexa was working for me was because my before celexa anxiety symptoms started to wear off rapidly which were paresthesia of the scalp heart palpitations high heart rate high blood pressure and health anxiety.not realizing that my other hidden anxietys would be awaken by the celexa would come to torture me.i held on only because my initial anxiety issues where resolving..and yes although uncomfortable with the extra anxiety's brought on by celexa side effects was well worth it in the end . because here today I stand recovered and still on celexa thinking what the hell was that..so yes thank goodness for the celexa that save my life litteraly..and to katecogs for been my shining angel.

  • nigel45109
    nigel45109 jenny948

    Posted

    Hello, the side effects could take a long time to subside. Can i suggest you take your cit as soon as you get up. That may improve the anxiety slightly. The dose is supposed to last 24 hours, but it doesnt, sometimes it can be as little as 18 hours. This means from waking/getting up, until you take your meds in the afternoon isnt ideal, as you have no or little cit in your body. This should help a bit. The getting out of bed problem sounds more like depression, and you might need a dose increase. Taking 20mg now will mean side effects again, but they shouldnt be as bad, now you have been on cit for a while. It might be an idea to go up to 15 instead of 20mg? Taking it earlier should help, if it doesnt try 15mg? Upping cit in increments of 5mg seems the way its done with people that are sensitive to cit.
    • jenny948
      jenny948 nigel45109

      Posted

      Makes sense! i will start taking my pill in the morning and see how that goes. Come Friday I will also try 15mg to see how it affects me over the weekend. Also, I only have 20mg pills which I cut in half...do I have to go and get new pills for 15mg? Thanks for the comment!
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 jenny948

      Posted

      You could try cutting in half, and again. If not, you'll need some 10s to cut in half.

  • will20275
    will20275 jenny948

    Posted

    Hey Jenny,,

    I would stay at your 10mg and take it when you get up with something to eat. Try that for a couple of weeks before you increase. Cut caffeine out and sugars. Force yourself to walk during the day. Try this and let us know how you do. I was depressed And it slowly left me over 2 months. Good luck what you decide. 

    PS; I’m on 10 mg for 6 months and doing really good. I had bad side effects. 

    Will😎

  • Ebeth
    Ebeth jenny948

    Posted

    I took a break from Celexa for 6 months.  I was on 40 mg.  I don’t ever remember having side effects when I was first on it.  I started back on 20 mg and had a few side effects that eased after 2 weeks.  Then I went on 30mg.  The first two days were fine.  Then I had extreme anxiety, shakiness, hot flushes, and did not want to get out of bed or go anywhere.  I was also weepy.  I decided to go back down to 20 after about 10 days on 30.  It seems I’m having a tough time with side effects this time around.
  • Paula2019
    Paula2019 jenny948

    Posted

    Hi Jenny, what you have said is normal to me. Cita knocks me out so I have to take at night, I get the internal shakes in the morning which soon goes when I am up and about. When I was on Cita the first time around it worked wonders for me, this time around I am extremely sensitive to them so have to come off them. My thinks it could be because I am post menopausal. I have ream that there are many factors involved with how these can affect us including age, weight, possible interactions with other medications etc. Keep a note of any side effects and speak to your doctor for peace of mind. My doctors mistook my side effects for other health problems and I have been stuck on these for over three years, would have come off sooner if I had realised
    • will20275
      will20275 Paula2019

      Posted

      Hey Paula, 

      What dosage are you down to. Are your side effects subsiding a little. I hope they are. 

      Will😎

    • Paula2019
      Paula2019 will20275

      Posted

      Hello Will, am on 20mg, which is way to high for me. I wasnt put on them for anxiety the doc put me on them to help with menopause symptoms. The irony of this is the docs refused to give me HRT, because of health problems I was getting which was severe withdrawal from meds that they didnt pick up on. My story is shocking. So I have to take cita everyday knowing it gives me side effects as my doctors want me to fully recover from my other meds that I have spent since last october coming off. Outrageous!

      Hope all good with you!

    • will20275
      will20275 Paula2019

      Posted

      I’m so sorry. We give all our trust in doctors and sometimes it comes back at us. Stay with your heart and be strong. 

      Will😎

  • ruth08109
    ruth08109 jenny948

    Posted

    Hi Jenny,

    All sounds normal to me.

    I recently increased from 2.5 to 5 to 7.5.

    Started on 7.5 just under 4 weeks ago.

    Still have side effects, appetite a bit off, hot sweats, some agitation and anxiety.

    I take my dose in the morning after breakfast. I do have better energy this week, last week just couldn't be arsed, but still not feeling normal. These things take time, and I do feel it's taking longer to work for me this time. Definitely more side effects.

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