11 replies to this topic

[marbles]

Hey all, I started celexa on the 18 of august and even though i feel better now I have days and /or moments of extreme apathy. I looked the med side effects up and apathy is one. I wonder if this will stay or should I change meds as the apathy moments make me want to give up .Makes me feel like I could cry a ton full of tears but nothing comes out and I then feel I then keep having a hopless feeling like giving up .Is this normal? anyone else haveing problems after cymbalta and changing meds ,waiting and then ..nothing .It is going on 3 weeks now .I got a call from a hosp. for an interview on wens.I am scared because I need my therapy for fear and depression. and I stilll feel so not happy and I DO NOT want to mess another job up...I just want to feel NORMAL.....shirl :x

[Attorney_Victim]

Shirl,
Personally, I wouldn't rule out taking another antidepressant if I need it. I will just choose one that is been around for a while so I can educate myself about it. As far as your personal situation, I don't know much about Celexa specifically, but most antidepressants can take up to 6 weeks to reach maximum benefit. And, most drs start you at the lowest dose, so maybe a little more time, and/or an increased dose would make a difference. Have you researched Celexa online? Maybe you can find some other people who have taken it and see what their experiences were like. And, talk to your dr and tell him/her that you are still experiencing the problems, and see what he/she says about whether or not you should try something different.

You might want to consider Prozac if you decide to switch. It worked great for my depression for several years, and I had almost no side effects. And it has been around long enough now that all of the side effects and problems are very well known (and it does carry the risk of side effects, just like all the antidepresants do). I think it is also pretty fast acting, so it might be something that could benefit you right away. Just something to consider if you do decide to switch drugs.

Hang in there!!

[marbles]

Thanks attorney_victim,you are right,about trying longer ....it`s just hard to waste so much time.
Most antidepressants say one will start to feel better within 3 to 4 weeks. Since I have the days of apathy which actually make me suicidal, I have wondered if it was just the process of still reaching the even keel (therapeutic level),that I need to get to.I really think for very depressed people ,anti-depressants can backfire as each of us are unique and HOW the med gets us there to the point of functioning and staying there is the hard part. I think that is were lots of severe depressed people lose faith. But I will struggle on one day at a time until I get there or /if I have to change meds again.
As far as prozac,it never worked for me. It made me feel very tense and irritable plus insomnia.I am glad it helps others like yourself;we just all need to find the right one which works with our chemistry.
Are you doing way better? Are you back at work?
I am working at a staffing service right now answering phones. I got an interview tomorrow at a hosp here in Lex. I really want that job yet I am afraid I will mess it up by quitting on them. I have made an appointment with a counselor to start therapy next week to over come my fears and anxiety ...hopefully that will help with the depression itself.Alot of time stressors overwhelm us and just add on to our depression......shirl

[marbles]

That makes sence Greybeard,everYone seems to be in such a fast lane that i compare myself and I JUST NEED TO LIVE AT MY OWN PACE. YET on the other flip of the coin, i had depressions since i was a teen,........abusive dad,etc.....(seems life just went downhill starting from first memories...Makes you wonder which came first (the chicken or the egg)
The good thing is.... it is better to take a pill to be able to function in this life than live long ago when people who didnt snap out of it were treated bad/or placed in asylums....shirl..ps....how is Mr.raveen/crow?

[Attorney_Victim]

Shirl,
If you haven't felt any improvement at all while on the Celexa, then it may be time to change...from my experience, if a drug is going to work at all for me, I will feel at least a little better within a couple weeks. You are right about different drugs working for different people...that's why we are lucky there are so many options available nowdays. You may want to talk to your dr about some of the antidepressants that are in categories other than the newer SSRI/SNRI. Some of the older antidepressants still work very well for some people. But, drs tend to forget those older drugs sometimes because there are no Drug Reps constantly reminding them about the older drugs. A few other categories to research are the Tricyclics and the MAOIs. Hang in there and find which med is best for you!!

[marbles]

yes that would be great cat if you ask your mom about the celexa.
Maybe it just takes longer,the bad part is the mental pain....sort of like a emotional migrain.Strange but i have learned to live with mental pain but lately, i just can`t hardly stand it.
You had to have went through some difficult times also..
Iam sorry that you had or still have a hard time with the one person we all need to have....and that is our mom or dad to encourage and strenthen us.
.I hope all gets better soon.ps GLAD TO SEE YOUR CALLING YOUSELF CAT

[LowMo]

I just wanted to let you know that I am on EmSam- the lowest dose right now. It is a patch, so it is not supposed to have the side-effects that pills have. Well, besides having little red squares on my body where the patch has been, I don't think that the patch is causing me any new problems. Any health issues I have I had when I was on, and getting off of the cymbalta. The only thing I wonder about is if they are making my headaches worse. Oh man, I have become one of those people that complains about my health! But only to you guys- you understand.

Anyway- mentally I feel great- better than I have felt in over 10 years- and what a HORRIBLE process those 10 years has been!
So, though I don't feel as sharp as I used to be, and my intestines contantly feel like someone is stabbing them, and well my headaches and ear ringing are non-stop. . . . I am not crying about it! Ha. I guess I should be thankful. . .

Ok, my point is- I have been on 8 different anti-antidepressants, none of which worked, and with Emsam I am closer to the person I know I can be- I hope that gives you a little hope- I am clinging on to tackle all this physical crap.

[marbles]

Lomow....I will look up the patch med....sounds like you have somewhat of a bit of luck......feeling better than the previous 10 years.
I would LOVE that.
i have 1 ear that rings constantly.It has been ringing since 3 years .It drives me nuts at times and the rest of the time I am used to it.I get sinus infections all the time and that part of the neck that runs up to that ear gets a lymph node swollen .When my sinus infection gets better the node goes down but the ringing stays the same.
I feel a little bit better today.mentally .I hope it remains .It cheers me up.
It is wonderful to find a place where others let us vent our problems ,somehow it just feels nice to know there are people who understand.... .shirl

[winner]

Hey. I have lot of experience using different medicines in a deep depress. They help to "forget" unhappy and bad thins, but they don´t take away the reasons for depress. I hope you read my story "There is help for Cymbalta... Threre I tell about two therapies, which can clean your mind of memories, which makes you feel bad today. Nothing heals evebody but you could find out, what possibilities you have to get better if you will get throug your mind, and this doesn´t take a long time, after few meetings with a therapist, and you will feel already better. If you don´t find a therapist, you can learn these things from internet, threre is information, where you can find it all. I´ll never use mental drugs again, because now I can heal myself in otherway. The therapist will teach me these therapies and after that I will help them, who really want to be healed from all kind of illnesses. You can be healthy again, if you really want it, it means, you have courage enough to see inside you and meet bad things one by one. Everybody are not ready for it. ALL THE BEST FOR YOU

[LowMo]

Lomow....I will look up the patch med....sounds like you have somewhat of a bit of luck......feeling better than the previous 10 years.
I would LOVE that.
i have 1 ear that rings constantly.It has been ringing since 3 years .It drives me nuts at times and the rest of the time I am used to it.I get sinus infections all the time and that part of the neck that runs up to that ear gets a lymph node swollen .When my sinus infection gets better the node goes down but the ringing stays the same.
I feel a little bit better today.mentally .I hope it remains .It cheers me up.
It is wonderful to find a place where others let us vent our problems ,somehow it just feels nice to know there are people who understand.... .shirl

http://www.emsam.com... ... Cookie=Yes

I am on the lowest dose. I would be interested to know if anyone else is on this stuff.

[marbles]

I looked up the patch and saw that it is a low dose MAOI < don`t know if i spelled that correct.It must be relatively new as one is not to have the adverse effect as the normal pill form which is in higher doses and consist of a serious side affect> malignant hypertension>uncontrollable.... if you eat the old cheeses etc...
Interesting and worth a try if it works.....shirl

[marbles]

THANKS ( HAPPY CAT) i AM STARTING TO FEEL BETTER, BUT I DO NOT WANT WEIGHT GAIN...I AM 5 FT 8 AND WEIGH AROUND 143 LBS. BUT I AM 47 AND BEING TOO SKINNY SHOWS MORE WRINKLES.......I HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT BEING HEAVIER.
I USED TO BE VERY SKINNY.BEING HAPPIER IS MOST IMPORTANT.....shirl