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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by celextolex on April 6, 2004, at 18:11:42
I was on about 20 mg of Celexa for several weeks. When my anxiety/depression didn't go away, but got worse, I switched to 10 mg Lexapro. I've been on Lexapro for two weeks and haven't noticed any new side effects. But, I don't know if it's helping at all. It almost makes me feel worse. I cry more often for no reason and I feel extremely anxious. Things in my personal life are also getting worse. I thought that switching from Celexa to Lexapro would solve things, but I wonder if it's just made matters worse. My psych seemed convinced that Lexapro was the answer, but I'm starting not to trust him. Any one with any insight? I feel
lost and don't know what or whom to trust.
Posted by SLS on April 7, 2004, at 6:56:50
In reply to Celexa to Lexapro, posted by celextolex on April 6, 2004, at 18:11:42
> I was on about 20 mg of Celexa for several weeks. When my anxiety/depression didn't go away, but got worse, I switched to 10 mg Lexapro. I've been on Lexapro for two weeks and haven't noticed any new side effects. But, I don't know if it's helping at all. It almost makes me feel worse. I cry more often for no reason and I feel extremely anxious. Things in my personal life are also getting worse. I thought that switching from Celexa to Lexapro would solve things, but I wonder if it's just made matters worse. My psych seemed convinced that Lexapro was the answer, but I'm starting not to trust him. Any one with any insight? I feel lost and don't know what or whom to trust.
Sometimes, anxiety is a side effect of SSRIs early in treatment. This is particularly the case with Lexapro. I think it tends to appear in the second week and disappears by the end of the fourth. Also, many people need 40mg of Celexa and 20mg of Lexapro to respond. What's more, it can take 4-6 weeks to produce a significant improvement. That being said, it is certainly a possibility that Celexa/Lexapro are not the drugs for you. For some people, a few antidepressants can actually make their depression worse. It is almost impossible to predict which ones. Unfortunately, trial and error is often the only way to test medications. You may have a doctor with an excellent track-record of getting people well, but he perhaps could have been a bit more cautious in giving you any guarantees that Lexapro would work.
- Scott
Posted by King Vultan on April 7, 2004, at 8:07:25
In reply to Celexa to Lexapro, posted by celextolex on April 6, 2004, at 18:11:42
> I was on about 20 mg of Celexa for several weeks. When my anxiety/depression didn't go away, but got worse, I switched to 10 mg Lexapro. I've been on Lexapro for two weeks and haven't noticed any new side effects. But, I don't know if it's helping at all. It almost makes me feel worse. I cry more often for no reason and I feel extremely anxious. Things in my personal life are also getting worse. I thought that switching from Celexa to Lexapro would solve things, but I wonder if it's just made matters worse. My psych seemed convinced that Lexapro was the answer, but I'm starting not to trust him. Any one with any insight? I feel
> lost and don't know what or whom to trust.
Lexapro is just about the same thing as Celexa--instead of being a mixture of a left and right handed version of the same molecule, Lexapro contains just the more useful one of those two forms. While the manufacturer implies that Lexapro is purer and superior to Celexa, the pharmacological profiles of the two drugs are very, very similar.For many people, it does take some time for these types of drugs to begin to work, and it's possible that the downturn you've experienced may be a precursor to things getting better. My own opinion is that 4-6 weeks should generally be long enough to begin to notice an improvement, and if you haven't experienced any improvement after 6-8 weeks, the drug trial should be considered a failure. Because Celexa and Lexapro are so similar, I would consider the combined length of time you've been on the two drugs.
Todd
Posted by lotus on April 7, 2004, at 18:05:45
In reply to Re: Celexa to Lexapro, posted by King Vultan on April 7, 2004, at 8:07:25
This is quite weird.I found that 30mg of Celexa was very beneficial for my anxiety and depression, but for the sake of having less side effects I decided to try Lexapro.Even though the company says that 10mg is equal to 40mg of Celexa,I certainly didn't notice the effect.My depression was a little better but it did nothing for my anxiety,while 30mg of celexa did.So I'm thinking about going back on Celexa.Has anyone else experienced this?
This is the end of the thread.
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