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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by dannyboy on October 1, 2001, at 18:30:00
Hey everybody -
I have been battling moderate to severe anxiety and panic attacks over the last several years. I went on Paxil for four months about 8 months ago. Worked wonderfully, but I put on 25 lbs in 4 months, and on only 10 mgs. a day... a pity! So I went off, but lately my anxiety has been growing again, so I went back to the doctor, who prescribed me Celexa...
So, today is the 1st day on... HOWEVER, I have been taking Xenadrine (an OTC weight loss agent) and took some today before my trip to the gym. Started on the treadmill, and had a terrifying sensation, as if I could not keep up with my legs, that they were going to fly off my body (I have to laugh, this sounds too preposterous)... went home, popped several Xanax (thank god I had some left over) and am feeling more in control... but had about 40 mins. where I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin!
Is extreme agitation part of adjusting to Celexa (not good for someone with panic disorder) or could it have been the Xenadrine (which is really a quadruple dose of caffeine, which has never affected me this way before...) Should I stick with the Celexa a couple of days?
And, btw, any chance that I won't pork up on Celexa after having done just that on Paxil? I'm way to vain to allow that!
Thanks people,
Dan
Posted by KB on October 2, 2001, at 8:53:12
In reply to CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by dannyboy on October 1, 2001, at 18:30:00
I am not normally anxious, but had some weird fears which kept me awake when I first started taking Celexa - that wore off after a couple of weeks.
Posted by dannyboy on October 2, 2001, at 13:11:56
In reply to Re: CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by KB on October 2, 2001, at 8:53:12
>
Thanks for the response KB - has the Celexa worked out for you since?Today's my second day - and thankfully don't feel any agitation. My only real fear is weight gain. I hope this doesn't turn out like the Paxil!
Posted by ThatGuyJohn on October 2, 2001, at 14:11:05
In reply to CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by dannyboy on October 1, 2001, at 18:30:00
Hey Danny. I had a rough ride adjusting to Celexa too. The first few days I felt really tweaked, like my face was going to come off or something, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
(It wouldn't have been so bad, but I had to appear on a local TV show on Sunday morning of my first weekend using Celexa, and my hands shook so badly I accidentally flung a few small props off the table. Kinda funny in retrospect, now that I'm feeling better, but a bummer at the time)And if you're in the market for unsolicited advice, stay the hell away from weight loss products like Xenadrine. Especially if you're prone to anxiety, that's just asking for trouble. I've been using Celexa for a couple months now and haven't noticed any weight gain at all. So I hope you have the same good luck.
Posted by KB on October 2, 2001, at 14:57:39
In reply to Re: CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by dannyboy on October 2, 2001, at 13:11:56
Yes, the Celexa has worked well for me - I actually lost weight on it because being depressed made me eat a lot of junk and not move around much. The only side effect that really persisted was fatigue and adding wellbutrin has helped with that, although for the first few days on that I had severe jitters (didn't help that it was during the WTC attack and I live in NYC!). Wellbutrin makes my hands shake, but I can live with that.
Posted by geno on October 2, 2001, at 16:50:57
In reply to Re: CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by KB on October 2, 2001, at 14:57:39
> Yes, the Celexa has worked well for me - I actually lost weight on it because being depressed made me eat a lot of junk and not move around much. The only side effect that really persisted was fatigue and adding wellbutrin has helped with that, although for the first few days on that I had severe jitters (didn't help that it was during the WTC attack and I live in NYC!). Wellbutrin makes my hands shake, but I can live with that.
Well id say the xenadrine made your anxiety and other side effects triple. I remeber taking xenedrine with serzone, and the second day i though bugs were crawling out of my skin. stay off the ephedra, and limit caffiene. i also had bad side effects from effexor xr, taking it alone. Felt like i was on extacy or meth with nausea and panic. had to pop 1mg xanax to calm down. i hat meds that start off like such. i quit them, i cant take a week of that shit.remeron,desipramine, have worked great for me, butthe hunger is an issue.But rather be calm and hungry and nauseated and panicy
geno
Posted by dannyboy on October 2, 2001, at 22:33:00
In reply to Re: CELEXA - scary moment 1st day of use - ADVICE?, posted by geno on October 2, 2001, at 16:50:57
> > Thanks a lot for your feedback guys - it's really helpful to get some other points of view...
I learned my lesson with the Xenadrine. Without meds, the speediness I got from it was barely bearable as it was (and it usually puts me as close to total panic as I can bear - but hell, I'm a vain guy ;) )I can see that this won't be an option with Celexa. It's funny - I feel totally amped up (TOTAL opposite of the dopey feeling from Paxil) during these first days on it... if this keeps up, I shouldn't need any additional help from other stimulants to power my workouts!
Thanks again everyone, I'll keep you posted...
(and sorry to hear that you were so close to everything in NYC, KB, that must've been horrifying - it's already awful out here in L.A....)Dan
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