i’m terrified. i am taking tiny bits for a while - baby dosages even that kept me awak a lot last night. I’m so afraid of side effects and weight gain the most. I do not want to gain a ton of weight like some people have. I’m gong to continue exercising and watching what i eat - i try to stick to migraine diet as much as i can and i think that’s why i lost a few lbs recently but when i read all these stories of 20 lb weight gain in just a few months i totally freak out!!!
cross your fingers. if it doesn’t work out for me after a bit i’ll stop that’s for sure.
i’m not going to take somethig that makes me sicker.
Hi Chris,
You are totaly reminding me of when I started effexor…I was so scared after everything I read, that I think I scared myself silly…every tiny reaction send me whirling…it seems I can’t help myself when it comes to researching the meds, but people who just put their trust in the meds to wrok, have a better result I believe.
Celexa is a very easy med for most people, and if you don’t like it, you can stop…so try to believe that it will work, and you will get feeling good. Imagine what it would be like to not have anxiety and feel happy…if there is a self fulfilling prophecy, use it for good…
best of luck!
Kelley
Thanks Kelley - right now i’m feeling absolutely horrible. shaking like crazy and feel really sick so we’ll see what happens in a few days it may or may not work for me like you said. i’ll find out - i am extremely med sensitive. If it doesn’t work there are some other alternatives i’m sure - either another AD or something else maybe hormones and allergy shots or something - i don’t know. i’ll give a try and stop if it gets to be too much.
Can’t write much as have been lost in the Southern Alps here in New Zealand. It’s like 10 years ago here in terms of internet access. It’s gorgeous here. Mountains to die for. Have been dizzy driving but hanging in. Will have access later tonight to read more from everyone. Stay with it Chris.
wow cool Scott - what is the weather like there? Is it summer or winter in those alps?
I’ll give it a bit of time but right now i feel really horrible. i don’t want to get too far into it and then have to wean off. I’ll give it some time and see what happens.
i just don’t do well on medicine. i wish there was some other fix for my stupid problem
Good luck, Chris. Keep in mind that baby doses don’t necessarily indicate what a regular or normal small dose (the smallest pill dose that the manufacturer makes) will feel like if you take it. I took a medication years ago that at the regular dose used by most people (20 mg.) I slept really well initially but eventually was too sleepy during the daytime and was able to cut the dose in half for 5 years. However, it took almost a month for the medication to reach that effect in my system. Work with your doctor on this and don’t just think about other people’s experiences… If I had done that, I’d never had tried topamax which has worked beautifully for me. Have a nice holiday and try to relax!! You’re right,though… lots of other things to try out there.
Gail
yeah i know - the therapist is letting me start off super small he knows from my regular dr that i am unbelivably sensitive to meds and usually take half of what normal people take. my mother took celexa for a while and was on 10 mg and it worked for her - calmed her down i think but they switched her to one that is a sleep aid to becausew the ambien was making her really do weird things.
here’s hoping - we’ll see what happensl. i can’t experiement with stuff when i’m working so that’s why i’m doing it now that i’m off work for holidays so i hope i’m okay when i go back
You’ll figure it out fine, Chris. You’ve given this a lot of thought. Congratulations for your courage! We all know what that fear is like when you have super-sensitivity to meds. My doctors that I’ve stuck with (or they’ve stuck with me) all giggle about my pediatric doses but that’s what works. I’m rather grateful for not being able to ply myself with more milligrams of medications than I need. Hang in there.
Gail
Yeah i take quarters of 5 mg valium pills at a time! i’m starting on 2.5 mg of celexa and will get up to 5 mg soon i hope and then eventually 10 but i’m not taking much i can’t handle much of anything.
Chris - that’s pretty funny… I used to take children’s zyrtec but this fall I graduated to adult 10mg. pills that I can now take during the daytime. I was blown away by that since in the past it would’ve put me to sleep. Guess my mold allergies just got out of hand, along with the dizziness. Zyrtec actually helps me with the dizziness and some of the food triggers as well… My allergist wanted to switch me to pediatric claritin or allegra but both of them turn me into a zombie. So weird.
Gail
yeah i’m up to 10 mg too but now that it’s winter i’m taking half - i get the childrens chewy ones and bite them in half dr told me that would make me super tired - i was having horrible fatigue - menopause is killing me i think more than anything i think that’s why i have anxiety now more than ever that was set off by the dizziness. just my theory.
You know, the alternative and energy therapies and theories out there teach that you are the expert on you. So, you could very well be right. It is a big change women’s bodies and can bring about all sorts of wacky and also very common place symptoms. Anxiety is one of them which doctors and even therapists just love to trace to other sources: your mother, your husband/BF, your kids, job, etc etc etc. when it could just be your body going bonkers causing you grief… and some MAV. Ugh. Who knows? Progesterone works beautifully for anxiety. I found estrogen to be calming and almost trance-like. Just me - I’m ultra sensitive to the hormones as well.
Gail
yeah if i end up not tolerating the celexa i may consider some bio identical hormones. that won’t help my MaV though. i’m not sure celexa will either. i honestly believe my allergies are my worst problem cuz they cause the dizziness - main trigger and i’ve alreedy tried everything for that but could maybe get shots again. so many decisions and insurance chanaging so not a good year next year to be experimenting - huge deductible that i didn’t used to have
my therapist knows that menopause is probably causing the anxiety along with the dizziness so he’s treating me for anxiety basically. celexa is used a lot for menopause so we’ll see
if i start gaining weight - too much - not gonna stay on it. a little bit is okay
One thing that I’ve found is that it’s like a circle with contributing factors and no end or beginning. However, you might find that tackling each factor helps just that much more. I’ve found that to be true. My neck, my allergies, my foods, etc. are all being sorted out during this process. And when one thing antagonizes another which antagonizes another and they all end up antagonizing your nervous system - voila! your brain doesn’t like it and you can have MAV or something pretty darned close to it. And, next year is as good as any… think about it, you will probably make more discerning choices around practitioners and treatment due to the cost. I find that to be true in my case - I cannot afford to be jerked around or have dummies as doctors anymore. You go, girl.
Gail
I’m not sure what i’ll do but i’ll give it a bit more time and then see about hormones and or allergy shots if the celexa doesn’t work.
so far not too happy - haven’t slept in two nights. take the med in the morn too. Just not liking the feeling at all. managed to come down with a cold to top it all off too which is contributing to my not being able to decide what to do.
I may end up getting some bio identical hormones or something like that if this doesn’t work. i hate medicine in general.
Sounds like the celexa is pretty activating for you which is what I found with prozac and this is exactly what people need with clinical depression though too much is not good for anxiety. And, insomnia is definitely not what you’re going for at all. Have you called your doctor?? Some side effects are transitory and only last a few weeks, others are too much to continue. I liked the input of the other members on the forum that their doctors felt that you should only feel better not worse even upon beginning a medication. I would have to say that has held true for my main meds.
Gail
i do have a call into one of the doctors - therapist that prescribed is on vacation but my other dr. may be in today. i know that side effects sometimes go away after 5-7 days but i don’t know if want to continue. i’d love to have the energy but not at night!!! i’m not depressed that’s the thing. i already had insomnia from menopause and aging so i don’t know what to do - i’ll take it again today and see what happens tonight - it’s a tiny dose so when i stop it it shouldn’t be too bad.
can’t get into gyno for a couple of months to see about hormones - so that stinks!!!
I agree that you do not need compounded insomnia. Hormones could definitely help that. Stopping the celexa this early on should not cause a problem with discontinuation (a sanitized way to say withdrawal) symptoms. At least you tried something. Lots of people just feel too ramped up on some antidepressants to take them, so there’s certainly no shame in that. You’d just be going forward with a new reference point of “been there done that with Celexa”.
Gail
Thanks Gail. I just hope i’m not giving up too easy! i hope it’s not the cold that’s causing the insomonia too but the racing heart makes me wonder. I have all this energy and can’t sleep now but don’t feel well enough to get anything done - i guess i should rest. i have valium but i try not to take it unless i absolutely need it like when i’m at work and stuff.
i can maybe try cymbalta sometime - but super low dose. maybe it’s more sedating i don’t know. i do need to look into hormones or something i guess.
some people just can’t take medicines it seems like and i’m one of them. my family gets so mad at me cuz i don’t try
