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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 16:58:20
Im on Celexa for Panic Disorder and my Dr. has me keep upping my dosage from 20 to 40 to 60 to 80mg...
I am having horrible headaches and gas and trouble sleeping. Do these get worse the higher doages you go? Do they ever go away?
Anybody write back and let me know... going through this is horrible..
Erik
Posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 17:00:28
In reply to Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 16:58:20
PS, do you think 80mg of Celexa is too high? i though there was no difference going to 60mg from 40mg...
i just dont know what to do :(
has anyone ever been on 80mg or higher, is that lethal? My PCP is the one treating me for this.
Posted by Mimi on January 17, 2004, at 17:18:59
In reply to Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 16:58:20
I take 20mg. of Celexa per day. Any more makes me sick. Go with your intuition, not with what the pdoc says.
Mimi
Posted by Jeffrey on January 17, 2004, at 22:16:34
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa? » smittay17, posted by Mimi on January 17, 2004, at 17:18:59
I am on 60 mg of Celexa for obsessive ruminations. I tolerate it well and it helps. Good luck
Posted by rvanson on January 17, 2004, at 22:29:54
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 17:00:28
How fast has your doc upped your dosages???
Is it helping at all??
80 Mg is high but not unheard of.
My .02 is that its a bad idea to let PCP's treat mental disorders, unless you are stable on a medication.
They often hand out powerful psychotropic medications like candy with little knowledge of the drugs and/or side effects.
Thats bad medicine in my book, but I am not a medical doctor, so what do I know ?
Have you consulted a Pdoc yet??
> PS, do you think 80mg of Celexa is too high? i though there was no difference going to 60mg from 40mg...
>
> i just dont know what to do :(
>
> has anyone ever been on 80mg or higher, is that lethal? My PCP is the one treating me for this.
Posted by rvanson on January 17, 2004, at 22:39:17
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa? » smittay17, posted by Mimi on January 17, 2004, at 17:18:59
> I take 20mg. of Celexa per day. Any more makes me sick. Go with your intuition, not with what the pdoc says.
>
> Mimi
He doesnt have a Pdoc.Not a good idea, IMO.
Posted by girl1969 on January 17, 2004, at 23:41:01
In reply to Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 16:58:20
I take 80 mg of Celexa. I've been taking it for over 2 years. I don't know if I had difficulty adjusting to it in the beginning, I was too depressed to get out of bed at first and can't remember anything from that time.
I have tolerated this high dose well. I'm bipolar and I need a mood stabilizer and a antipsychotic, too. I'm not sure which med does what to keep me balanced, but the cocktail seems to be working.
Celexa has been a good drug for me, but if you're not feeling well on it, you should contact your PCP and tell him. Can you look into making an appointment in the future with a psychopharmacologtist? In the long term, they are much more helpful than an internist.
I hope you start feeling better soon,
Girl
Posted by Sebastian on January 18, 2004, at 9:29:14
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 17, 2004, at 17:00:28
I take 60 mg now, was at 80 for a while but was too much for me. Celexa is great for depression, but does nothing for my anxiety. May even make it worse. I take zyprexa for the anxiety, seems to be the only thing that works for it. My psychiatrist says 80 is not too high and that you could go much higher, its a very safe med.
Posted by SandyWeb on January 18, 2004, at 16:57:05
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa?, posted by Sebastian on January 18, 2004, at 9:29:14
I've been on Celexa for 3 months now. I've been up to 80mg, but now I only take 40mg. I split it between 20mg in the morning and 20mg at supper. I find that it helps carry me through the day in terms of keeping my anxiety levels at a tolerable level. I do not suffer from depression.
I also use Remeron, and that is the reason I reduced my Celexa from 80mg to 40mg. The Remeron impacted upon the Celexa and made it too strong for me. So the two work well together, when you find the right doses for you.
Posted by smittay17 on January 18, 2004, at 17:49:02
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa?, posted by SandyWeb on January 18, 2004, at 16:57:05
thanks everybody for your replies....
i have OCD and panic disorder and i am currently on 80mg of Celexa, i just switched from Imipramine and im having massive panic attacks now. i think i need to up it to 100mg.
How come 300mg of Imipramine worked for me for 8 years and this SSRI seems to not?? Has anyone ever heard of anybody going up to 100mg of Celexa like this ?? I dont want the side effects (headaches, gas, bloating, etc) to get any worse.
Please let me know, i feel like i made 6 months of transition only to have it not work, im so discouraged...
I also can't find a pyschopharmacologist North of Boston on the North Shore, If ANYONE knows of a good one, please, please, please post it or email it to me... i can't get in to see any psychopharmacologists and my PCP is doing all this. Then after months of waiting i get in there only to find out they have no idea what theyre are talking about... im really dying here
if you know of ANY psychopharmacologist or drs who specialize in the pharmacology of Panic Disorder and/or OCD (North of Boston, on the North Shore of Massachusetts) please, please, please email it to me or post... maybe one of your dr's might know someone up here... i feel like im on my last leg and really need a professional
Posted by zeugma on January 18, 2004, at 19:41:59
In reply to Re: Who here takes Celexa?, posted by smittay17 on January 18, 2004, at 17:49:02
Posted by smittay17 on January 18, 2004, at 20:19:06
In reply to what happened to desipramine? (nm) » smittay17, posted by zeugma on January 18, 2004, at 19:41:59
hey zeugma,
im still taking 50 mg of desipramine, but im wondering if i should take it out? it says celexa and desipramine conflict with each other (celexa increases the metabolite of desipramine by 50%...)
my doctor says the main thing i have to do is lose weight (im 230lbs and 6'1) and that will make my apnea go away. thats why i got on celexa, because it doesnt have the anitmistamine blockade of the H1 receptor (no sedation or weight gain) like imipramine does...
but i hate it i cant sleep
1) no sedation (no imipramine)
2) excitment (celexa side effect of insomnia)
3) have to wear CPAP mask and im totally aware of it now cause im not sleepinggeez, im only 28... its been so hard. if this doesnt work, i might have to get back on the imipramine and just wear the CPAP mask indefinitely, work out like crazy, and try to lose weight... id rather be mentally balanced then going through this...
what do you all think i should do? jack the celexa up to 100mg (for OCD and Panic it says you usually need higher dosages). how long will it take for the side effects of Celexa to go away (a couple weeks?) should i just wait? is it the inital onset of the SSRI (because in people with PD, it causes them to freak out at first)
i dont know and could really use some advice. thanks so much everybody, again feel free to email me at smittay1975@hotmail.com if you knwo of any good Dr's for PD on the North Shore of Masschusetts or Instant Meesage me via AOL screename: Smittay17
thanks,
erik
Posted by zeugma on January 18, 2004, at 20:50:10
In reply to Re: what happened to desipramine?, posted by smittay17 on January 18, 2004, at 20:19:06
Erik,
I don't know about Celexa, because I've never taken it, but i would say that if you either can't sleep because you need sedation (like me, a lifelong insomniac who can only sleep with nortriptyline) or the Celexa is giving you terrible insomnia, PLUS it doesn't seem to be working at even high dosages (80 mg/day is a high dose), then it doesn't make sense to keep raising the dose unless you see signs already that the drug might help you. That's just my opinion. how long have you been on the Celexa?
And yes, definitely, insomnia and poor sleep can bee a side effect of all the SSRI's. Sometimes it is necessary to take another drug, like trazodone, for sleep. But I don't think it makes sense to try another drug to combat an SSRI side effect unless there is a reason to think the SSRI could benefit you. again, just my opinion.
You're definitely doing the right thing by looking for an experienced psychiatrist. You need someone who's familiar with imipramine and also the newer drugs. best of luck,
z
Posted by smittay17 on January 19, 2004, at 6:51:22
In reply to Re: what happened to desipramine?, posted by zeugma on January 18, 2004, at 20:50:10
its funny you mentioned the desipramine Zeugma, cause when i took the celexa in the morning... nothing,
then when i took the desipramine last night, it calmed all my panic (which is at the worst its been so far in this 6 months transition)
since imipramine worked for me and had sero and NE effects, maybe its the level of NE i need to raise now? (ie the Desipramine)
im going to see my PCP today and raise the celexa, if that doesnt work, im guessing its the NE i need to raise then, because 100mg of celexa seems a bit too much and its weird the Desipramine made it go away...
and Imipramine had both which worked for me for 8 years...
Posted by micro on January 19, 2004, at 8:49:13
In reply to Re: what happened to desipramine?, posted by smittay17 on January 19, 2004, at 6:51:22
> its funny you mentioned the desipramine Zeugma, cause when i took the celexa in the morning... nothing,
>
> then when i took the desipramine last night, it calmed all my panic (which is at the worst its been so far in this 6 months transition)
>
> since imipramine worked for me and had sero and NE effects, maybe its the level of NE i need to raise now? (ie the Desipramine)
>
> im going to see my PCP today and raise the celexa, if that doesnt work, im guessing its the NE i need to raise then, because 100mg of celexa seems a bit too much and its weird the Desipramine made it go away...
>
> and Imipramine had both which worked for me for 8 years...
>
> Hello, if this helps any, Ne is the happy neurotransmitter in your cns . It is theorized that too much or to little [imbalance] genetically causes some conditions.I could elaborate more if you like. Some theories are logical some are not. However, It has been confirmed that exercise is greatly theapeutic. Micro
Posted by smittay17 on January 19, 2004, at 9:03:21
In reply to Re: what happened to desipramine?, posted by micro on January 19, 2004, at 8:49:13
Please elaborate all you can on NE... im so confused about it... how much NE is really in Imipramine?? i know it has both Serotonin and NE... i'm so confused
because im trying to mimic the dual action of Imipramine by taking Celexa (for the Serotonin) and Desipramine (for the NE)
i couldnt have the weight gain and anti-colleregenic side effects from Imipramine [TCA] because they caused sleep apnea. So my doctor thought he'd split it up between an SSRI (Celexa) and TCA (Desipramine)
I just dont know what to increase now... the celexa or desipramine ?? how would i feel if i needed more NE?
thanks so much for your help everyone, seriously, this board and my wifes support has been the only thing getting me by... and yes, i have resolved to exercise THIS week, its funny you mentioned that in your post!
Thanks,
Erik> > Hello, if this helps any, Ne is the happy neurotransmitter in your cns . It is theorized that too much or to little [imbalance] genetically causes some conditions.I could elaborate more if you like. Some theories are logical some are not. However, It has been confirmed that exercise is greatly theapeutic. Micro
Posted by jbs on January 19, 2004, at 19:10:57
In reply to Re: what happened to desipramine?, posted by smittay17 on January 19, 2004, at 9:03:21
First, it sounds like you should go back on Imipramine--it worked for 8 yrs! TCAs had been used to treat Sleep Apnea (they reduce REM sleep during which most apneas occur); however, they aren't used much because of the usual, run of the mill anticholinergic side effects--NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE CONTRAINDICATED IN SLEEP APNEA (at least from what I know).
If you stick with the current game plan--raising the Celexa is doable (the high dose issue is one of effectivness and not safety--much more could be taken from a safety perspective) as is increasing the desipramine--there is no right answer on that one. Also, what about a benzo as a temporary measure?
This is the end of the thread.
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