Citalopram/Celexa Question

[Engineerwhisp]

Hello everybody,
I was wondering who else has been on citalopram or Celexa and how it's worked for you? I have tried other anxiety medications and its always seemed like they just haven't quite worked and they all just made my head feel cloudy you could say just not myself.  Citalopram seems to have been ok however over the last couple years it's seemed my anxiety has been getting worse. I spoke with my doctor and she wants to up the dose but before I do I wanted some input from others taking it and if upping has helped them? Also if citalopram does not work as well as Celexa? Or if there's no difference between the two. For some crazy reason I read that a side effect of citalopram was anxiety so I have cut my dose in half (from 20mg to 10mg). Of coarse i asked my doctor first and she said it was worth a try. I did that about three weeks ago and of coarse no change. At least not that I can tell. Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to read. What a great website this is I am so glad I found it!

[insights]

I spoke with my doctor and she wants to up the dose but before I do I wanted some input from others taking it and if upping has helped them?

You are on what is usually the minimum therapeutic dose, so there is a good chance that going higher will have an effect. Whether it continues to do so is another question. Antidepressants, particularly the SSRIs, can stop working. 

Also if citalopram does not work as well as Celexa? Or if there's no difference between the two.

Celexa is the brand name, citalopram hydrobromide the name of the main active chemical. In theory, generics should be effectively the same as the branded product. It doesn't always quite turn out that way, at least in part because of the placebo effect. A number of studies have shown that the brand is at least 10-12% more effective than a generic simply because of what is printed on the box. 

For some crazy reason I read that a side effect of citalopram was anxiety so I have cut my dose in half (from 20mg to 10mg). Of coarse i asked my doctor first and she said it was worth a try. I did that about three weeks ago and of coarse no change.

All antidepressants can initially cause or worsen anxiety, mostly because of the initial surge in serotonin, however, this usually diminishes within a few weeks. They should not trigger/worsen anxiety thereafter.

Ian

[Engineerwhisp]

Thank you so much Ian. I will try the higher dosage and see how it goes. I appreciate your response.

[shakymcgee]

I was on celexa for years and it stopped my panic attacks almost completely. It was literally life changing.  After a few years though, I did notice that it was no longer as effective as it used to be, and did absolutely nothing to prevent me from going into a crippling depression. I did not try upping the dose because it was clear that I needed something different.