Switching from lexapro to cipramil

Hi all

I've recently started taking lexapro to help with depression. I have a history if depression, having had a severe clinical depression at 15, where I was on a host of anti depressants, anxiety pills and lithium. Got very close to having ECT but due to my young age, they decided not to.

Anyway, 12 years later I found myself in a lot of stress at work, plus coping with the death of my father a few years, from MND. Starting seeing a psychologist 7 weeks ago, and taking 10mg of lexapro.

Unfortunately I was unlucky with this drug and suffered a heap of side effects from severe stomach upsets, diarrhoea, constant nausea, appetite and weight loss (4kg, and I'm quite petite), fogginess (the worst lasted a week), clumsiness to the extent that I've stopped driving, forgetfulness and fatigue. The nausea has been the worst in that it's ever present, plus the clumsiness. I also had an awful experience day 1 of the drugs. I won't go into detail but go involved diarrhoea and was one of the worst days of my life. It's also really flattened me out to the point of me not feeling any emotions which is good because I don't get stressed, but I also don't feel joy.

So my doctor and I have decided to switch me to cipramil. I am so so scared of having bad side effects, especially in the first few days. Does anyone have any advice on switching meds? I had my last lexapro last night and will have cipramil tonight (half dose)

Hey- Lexapro and Celexa are basically the same drug...Lexapro is typically more tolerable with less side effects and is weight neutral. I'd just split the 10mg Lexapro in half and take it with food then in a few days try the full 10mg. Celexa also causes more drowsiness so I'd discontinue it.

I had the opposite effect citalopram made me nasty tempered , Lexapro a breeze. Lexapro is stronger than citalopram so if on 10mg Lexapro you need 20mg citalopram . switch over in a day .

Just to clarify, I'm switching from lexapro to celexa! My doc said celexa was better tolerated than lexapro.... The side effects on lexapro were intolerable for me

It is similar , have you tried sertraline, or Prozac . there different ssris so I would have thought he would give you one of these instead, same day switch over.

My doc is a GP so perhaps unaware. Ill trial for a week or two and try something else if nit. I had Effexor xr a few years ago but again had awful nausea plus massively dilated pupils, so people thought I was high all the time and bright lights were hard to bear. I'm worried I am ultra sensitive to side effects.......