i'm scared of taking celexa(need advise)

[nobody067]

i have very bad anxiety disorder,phobias,panic attacks,paranoid thoughts. i take 0.5 mg of klonopin a day that was never prescribed to me. i literally have no family or friends and i live all alone. i can't find a job and i am in financial trouble. i see a psychiatric clinic and i was prescribed 20mg of celexa and i was told to start weaning off the klonopin by cutting it in half and eventually to stop taking it all together. i know that w/o the klonopin i would not be able to function with so much stress in my life. i am afraid of celexa because i read that it can cause suicidal thoughts and mania and heighten anxiety. i have a lot of irrational thoughts/fears and i am afraid that i will be one of the people to have these side effects. and psychiatrists will probably be mad because i'm not taking it.  i wanted to ask anyone of you here that have taken celexa,have you had suicidal thoughts or mania or just bad side effects? i am 32 yrs old and anxiety is ruining my life and i need a lot of help. maybe the celexa will help,but i need to know that it will not cause me these thoughts and then i could relax myself enough to take it.  can anyone help me/give me advice??

[Hereismyusername]

I've been on celexa for over 9 years and I've never once had a suicidal thought. If the drug works for you, you'll hopefully begin to feel less daily anxiety as time goes on. For me personally, whenever I get off of it for awhile and my anxiety kicks up (and I can get it pretty bad), I start back on the Celexa and feel better usually within two weeks. There ARE side effects that you should be aware of though. I find that Celexa gives me increased anxiety for a week or two before it levels out. For some reason (I've never researched why this is) it gives me a big adrenaline increase for a little while.

I understand you being afraid to take it. I hate taking pretty much any and all drugs. But Celexa is the one drug I'm willing to take on a daily basis because it helps my mood and anxiety SO much.

[EclecticJoe]

Also, I would add that I wonder how many of those "suicidal thoughts" we hear reported is your anxiety talking from worrying about side effects and not true suicidal thoughts. If you are obsessed with side effects, you will get them whether they are real or not.

I was on Celexa for nine years. Health anxiety went away completely. Now I'm battling something else, but you will be fine.

[insights]

i take 0.5 mg of klonopin a day that was never prescribed to me.

Then you are breaking the law. Penalties would be the same as for an illicit drug, both for you and your supplier.

i am afraid of celexa because i read that it can cause suicidal thoughts

This is mostly a beat up, not helped by the FDA issuing a blackbox warning for those aged under 25yo a few years ago despite the evidence not supporting it. One consequence has been that some doctors stopped prescribing antidepressants to those under 25 which saw the number of attempted and completed suicides among that age group rise after decades of steady decline. There is also an initial spike in suicidal ideation in those treated by psychotherapy.

and mania and heighten anxiety.

Mania affects a small number of those prescribed SSRIs, I'm one of them. Increased anxiety in the first few weeks is very common, which is why those with anxiety should start at low doses. For Celexa, no more than 10mg, and some may need to reduce it to 5mg for a week or two. Ask your psychiatrist for permission to cut the tablets in half for the first 7-10 days - DON'T do so without getting the okay first as, although unlikely, there may be reasons why this is inappropriate for you.

i have a lot of irrational thoughts/fears and i am afraid that i will be one of the people to have these side effects. and psychiatrists will probably be mad because i'm not taking it.

If you expect to experience these side-effects then you proibably will. The mind is very 'good' at playing tricks like this. However, while starting antidepressants isn't always a barrel of laughs, most people manage it with minimal drama. There is no reason why you shouldn't.

Ian