[SingDanceRunLife]

I've been having out of control anxiety lately, so I went in to a doctor, talked with him, and walked out with an Rx for Citalopram (generic for Celexa 10mg/day to start, then increase to 20 in a week), and Alprazolam (generic for Xanax) PRN.

He said that there are generally less side effects with Celexa than many of the other ADs out there, and the Xanax will help me offset the anxiety right now but isn't a long term thing. He also said he wanted to see me again in about 3 weeks but if I need anything before then, I can call the office or email.

This is good. I got a doctor who listens and seems to know what he's talking about, and wants things to work out.

So, how long should I expect to wait fir it to work? What have your experiences with Celexa been?

[Gently1]

Your doc sounds like a he has a plan, good luck with minimal side efffects.

Celexa helped with anxiety after two weeks, but by the time I was at 40mg a day, I was sleeping 12 hours at night and exhusted during the day.
Sleeping up to 4 hours extra, and groggy all the other times. Not a side effect I could live with, today Pdoc changed me to Zoloft.

My doc will only change things one at a time, so it takes awhile to find the right combination. It is the same class of meds so I can expect any of the same side effects, but will be looking for improvement in 2-6 weeks.

I find http://www.crazymeds.us/index.htm has an interesting perspective and useful for side effects, and encouragement for seeking information.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thanks for the input!

I'm hoping that it'll work well for my anxiety, like Prozac did, but with fewer side effects. Prozac worked well (and I told the doc that), but the SEs, especially with the startup were just brutal and when I voiced that, even though the doc was originally just gonna write another script for Prozac, he said that we could try something else and see how it goes.

[sugahorse1]

I was on Citalopram (Lexapro). It takes a while to have an effect, as with most ADs. Side effects I had were feeling groggy (Especially initially), loss of Libido and sleeping excessively.
Xanax is great for the anxiety and I found it works really quickly.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I'm hoping that it'll work for anxiety, as a long(er) term maintance thing, unlike the Xanax which I want to take as little as possible.

I took my first dose of each last night, and I felt so out of it. This morning, I still feel rather out of it, and tired.

[Gently1]

SingDanceRunLife: I also feel that stress itself in profoundly tiring.

What is SEs? Side effects? ( Just the same old tired this morning)

My first medication was Cymbalta and my Dr warned me most patients feel nausea, and I did!
Once it passed it was fine, and changing from one SSRI to another has not been as dramatic, excepting transitioning from Pristiq to Celexa. My pharmacist split the Pristiq pills into 1/4's, and I could taper down while adding Celexa.

Even with Rx benefits the 20% co pay does add up, and you can't get a refund on unused pills. Not that I would want anyones recycled meds.

I am on Clonazepam .5 twice a day, until we find an effective AD that addresses the anxiety. I have Ativan as needed and I limit that as much as possible. It still may take me an hour to decide to take it even though my dr said you do not get better faster by suffering more.

My first day with Zoloft, hoping to get some energy back over the next few weeks.

Thanks for sharing, learning a lot.
G1

[SingDanceRunLife]

Yes, SEs=side effects

[sugahorse1]

Gently - when u find a drug to help with the anxiety, other than the highly addictive clonazepam, please let me know!

Wellbutrin is great for energy and to combat depression, but makes the anxiety worse (In my experience)

[SingDanceRunLife]

Day 3 and I'm still super tired and out of it. I know that the Xanax pretty much puts me out, but I might be experiencing the drowsiness SE from the Celexa as well.