Lexapro/Celexa?

Does anybody here take these? Or any other anxiety/anti depressants??

I am asking because 3 yrs ago after my father passed away, I had to be put on Lexapro, which is working, just kinda costly. I talked with my doc and she decided to put me on Celexa, because it and Lexapro are pretty comparible..but Celexa is much much cheaper!!

After being on it a week, I have decided that I do not like it!!! It has been making me nauseated, very irritable and I cant sleep at night!!!

Soooo Im going back to doc today to see about getting back on Lexapro.

Anyone else ever been thru this?

I am so afraid my body is going to be screwed up after all this....am I being too paranoid?

I've never been on Celexa but have taken lexapro for three years. I think it works good. I was on ten milligrams but recently my doctor upped it to 20 because I was getting all fruity again. I feel better now though.

Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

Does anybody here take these? Or any other anxiety/anti depressants??

I am asking because 3 yrs ago after my father passed away, I had to be put on Lexapro, which is working, just kinda costly. I talked with my doc and she decided to put me on Celexa, because it and Lexapro are pretty comparible..but Celexa is much much cheaper!!

After being on it a week, I have decided that I do not like it!!! It has been making me nauseated, very irritable and I cant sleep at night!!!

Soooo Im going back to doc today to see about getting back on Lexapro.

Anyone else ever been thru this?

I am so afraid my body is going to be screwed up after all this....am I being too paranoid?

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No, I don't think your being too paranoid. I have actually taken both of them. From my experience, switching pills does make me a little nauseated at first. It goes away though... I would suggest talking to the doc though. You can never be too careful

BTW: Later on in life, I realized I didn't need any pills to make me happy. I use my cat as my anti-depressant.


Good luck!

DH is on Lexapro 20mg and it works really well. He's also on Buspar to take along with it. (He's looney )

Alot of people I know went from taking Lexapro to just the Buspar. Maybe try that?
It's alot cheaper too....
Ask your Dr

Originally Posted by Dixie_Darlin

DH is on Lexapro 20mg and it works really well. He's also on Buspar to take along with it. (He's looney

)

Alot of people I know went from taking Lexapro to just the Buspar. Maybe try that?
It's alot cheaper too....
Ask your Dr

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Hmm. Havent heard of that one. I just like Lexapro because I never had any side effects!!! This Celexa crap is freaking me out!! I swear the last 2 nights my heart was gonna stop beating~thats how it felt!!

I dont like ANYTHING that messes with my heart!!!! Yikes!!

Wow, maybe I'll rethink the switch.

I'm on Lexapro (for 4+ years now) and having the same prob with cost. Celexa is on the $4 'generics' list at Walmart, so I'd like to switch before school starts and money gets even tighter.

I know from my background in Chemistry that Lexapro is a more refined version of Celexa, and thus has fewer side effects, but I also know that EVERY medication affects different people in different ways. I'm only on 10mg Lexapro, so I'd hope that I wouldn't have any noticeable difference in side effects switching to Celexa.

I've been on Celexa for years, and my father is on Lexapro. I've never had any side effects from Celexa, and I suspect yours will go away in a short time, if you can stick it out.

A doctor wanted me to try Buspar a couple of years ago, but at that time, it was MUCH more expensive than either Celexa or Lexapro, so I couldn't do it -- if Buspar has gotten cheaper, that's good news!

And I know I've said this before, but... for a person who genuinely needs them, these are not "happy pills." They replace missing elements in your brain chemistry that allow you to function normally. Sometimes your brain is able to recover and start generating those chemicals for you again, sometimes it can't... and when it can't, you just have to stay on corrective medication, the same as a diabetic or a person with high blood pressure.

I hate for people to think this is recreational drug use, so I always have to make that statement.

I think you'll be fine. Celexa is a mixture of two chemically identical drugs that are mirror images of each other. One of these isomers (what they are called when two chemicals are mirror copies of one another) is thought to be more effective at treating depression/anxiety than the other. That isomer is in Lexapro. It's possible that you've had some bad side effects from the other isomer that is in Celexa, I remember reading in the literature that Lexapro was supposed to have fewer side effects, especially GI. It's amazing how changing a molecule in such a small way totally changes how it works in the body!

Hopefully your doctor will understand. Surely she's aware of this (but some docs weren't when Lexapro first came out).

I'm on Lexapro, but I got a gross of samples for free from the doc and was told to just come in if/when I needed more.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

I'm on Lexapro, but I got a gross of samples for free from the doc and was told to just come in if/when I needed more.

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Wow! The doc I used to go to would give me samples too,but my current doc wont do it!! She wants t save them for people who are just begninning it!?

I'm on Lexapro now and used to be on Celexa, I never had any side effects from Celexa but the Lexapro works much better for me.

Originally Posted by Godiva

elexa is a mixture of two chemically identical drugs that are mirror images of each other. One of these isomers (what they are called when two chemicals are mirror copies of one another) is thought to be more effective at treating depression/anxiety than the other. That isomer is in Lexapro.

Click to expand...

Lexapro = escitalopram = S-enantiomer (single isomer), i.e.
Celexa = citalopram = racemic mix (i.e. both enantiomers or both R + S isomers)

In other words, if Celexa is both types of mirror-image molecules (R + S), Lexapro contains just one type of molecule (S-type).

Some people respond better to Lexapro or have fewer side effects on it, but Lexapro has not been shown to be significantly more effective, safer, or better tolerated than citalopram or other antidepressants. (Still, some docs may have better experience w/ one vs. the other w/ their patients.) Still, again, your body responds the way it does -- sometimes one Rx just works better, no good reason

P.S. Did your doc taper up on Celexa from 10mg daily or just switch meds at the same dose? Sometimes the side effects go away after sticking w/ the drug for several wks. Another thing to consider is: have your symptoms changed? Do you need another SSRI instead now or in combo w/ therapy sessions? These things could also affect your response to Celexa.

Good Luck

I take Celexa. It took my body a few months to aclimate to it. I had one of the more severe, but rare side effects (instant uncontrollable urge to pee!) I took to wearing Attends pads for a few months and then that settled down too.

Take the medication in the morning, not at night.

Stick with it. Your body will adjust.

I started off with 20mg everyday, and asked my doctor to increase it to 30mg because I felt there was room for improvement. I felt normal again at that dose. Recently I tried to lower the dose to 20mg but I noticed a change in my mood so I went back to the 30mg. That seems to be the right dose for me.

I have been put on Celexa before for self injury. It did not take my feelings away, just made me too lazy to follow through on anything (i.e. "I feel like cutting but..oh jeez..I'd have to get up and get the razor..never mind"). Zoloft never worked for me even in the highest dose...Effexor made me shaky...Wellbutrin gave me headaches and made me nauseous...I'm on Cymbalta right now which worked great the first few weeks and now feels like it doesn't do much, which according to my doc is common. You will not be messed up but you do need to allow yourself sometime for adjustment. Best of luck...pm me if you like...
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