| Key to ratings for celexa: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
| | F M | | | | ||||
| Change sort order by clicking arrow under column heading. | ||||||||
| 3 | Anxiety, irritability | Dry mouth, headaches in the morning, blurred vision, forgetfulness, increased sex drive, surpressed appetite, weight loss, fatigue | I am only on 10 mg. My anxiety is much better while on Celexa, but the headaches and fatigue are getting in the way of my day to day functioning. I do not want to take tylenol and excedrin everyday to rid the headaches. I am also concerned about the fatigue and forgetfullness. I am in school and unable to stay up late to study since I've been on Celexa. | F | 33 | 3 years | 11/15/2009 | 1 | Anxiety | Insomnia, complete loss of appetite, pins and needles sensations in arms and hands, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, depressive waves of thought never experienced before, irritablity, jittery, spaced out, feeling out of control | Antidepressants do seem to help some people and benefits apparently do not show until a few weeks but the side effects were completely intolerable for me, Gave me worse anxiety than I had ever experienced before and worrying depressive thoughts. For me these were not the answer... it also worries me that doctors don't even understand properley how they work. | F | 24 | 6 days | 11/12/2009 | 5 | anxiety, sadness, no patience | NONE NONE NONE NONE | The best!!!!!! I feel like a new person, new mom, new wife. I am able to relax, laugh, play and enjoy life again. Makes me feel as if anything is tolerable and able to enjoy my 3 young kids without stressing about all "the small stuff". Able to handle negative thoughts/situations without dwelling non stop about them. Sleep, eat, and love again. WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL!!!!! | F | 39 | 30 days | 11/6/2009 | 5 | depression (sleeping a lot) | The first week I felt nauseated but then it went away. No other side effects. Celexa is now working great for me. | F | 52 | 3 months | 11/5/2009 | 5 | MDD, GAD, OCD, Panic disorder, PTSD | Sedation | I have been taking 40mg Celexa since 1998. This medication has greatly improved my depression and mixed anxiety disorder. I have tried every ssri out there and this one has worked the best. Celexa may work for some but may not for others. | M | 30 | 11 years | 11/4/2009 | 3 | depression, bulimia, panic disorder | Starting it, i was dizzy and tired and zombie like for a week. Coming off of it, I am very dizzy, nauseous, get extremely depressed and cry every day, sometimes I cry upto 5 times a day over little things. I have lost all my friends due to my celexa-induced nihilism. EXTREME bruxism (teeth grinding) | It worked pretty good for my anxiety, and definately depression. I havent felt depressed in 2 years, but my doctor made me come off it a week ago due to me grinding my teeth all day long. I am really dizzy, nauseous all day long, some days im super tired and some days im super awake at school. I get really depressed and pissed off now, and I cry alot. While on Celexa, i probably cried once a month... I think I gained a little weight on it, but it stopped my eating disorder habits which kind of makes me sad since i gained weight. I am very confused about my eating now since i never used to do it before, but on Celexa it feels normal to eat. Also while on Celexa I gained this attitude of not caring about anything, and now that I`m off of Celexa it hasnt changed. this nihilist attitude has stuck with me for life... | F | 16 | 2.5 years | 10/31/2009 | 2 | depression/anxiety | horrible weight gain, stretch marks, no sex drive, headaches | I had been taking Celexa for 2 years, at first it worked great. Actually the whole time I was on it I felt great, till I hopped on a scale and looked in the mirror. I gained over 30lbs in 2 years. I have horrible stretch marks all up the inside of my thighs. I work out 3 times a week for an hour, go for daily walks, do cardio exercises, and diet (1500) calories a day, and still couldn't stop the weight gain. I've been off Celexa for over a month now and still can't lose the weight. I used to be a model and 118lbs, now my arms are huge and i have a hideous double chin. I'm more depressed than ever. Trying Wellbutrin now to try and combat the depression and weight gain but so far it's making me feel like i'm on crack. I would never recommend Celexa to anyone who cares about their weight. 90% of the reviews i've read suggest major weight gain in a short amount of time. Just read other reviews on here and Google it. Weight gain is out of control on this drug. If anyone has questions or wants to offer me advice on how to lose this weight please email me | F | 28 | 2 years | 10/30/2009 | 3 | depression | sleepiness, for 10-12 hrs at night and 3-4 during the day, which turned me into a vegetable for all practical purposes. Other than that, Celexa lifted the fatigue and tiredness of the depression. | F | 31 | 30 days | 10/29/2009 | 1 | Not Justified | My sister has a history of paranoia and mental illness. She took it into her head that my mother, a happy and bright person, needed an anti-depressant, and got medical power of attorney to force her on it. | On Celexa my happy, normal mother became totally psychotic, giddy, and out of her mind. She tried to sleep in the bathtub. The giddiness was mixed with bizarre outbursts and fits of rage. Her gait, already difficult, became far worse, and she developed total incontinence. My sister wouldn't believe what I told her, and my mother continued on the Celexa for several weeks. When I tried to stop it, my sister had me charged with elder abuse. My mother ended up with severe brain damage and stopped reading; she started believing TV commercials were part of the program, and though finally off it, she continued to suffer from such brutal, intense non-stop anxiety that I am dimished as a person just to have witnessed it. The worst was the profound, soul-shattering suicidal depression. She refused to leave bed and begged for sissors with which to stab herself. Finally, constantly prone, she developed pneumonia and died. By that point, it was a mercy. I lost my best friend, the dearest, happiest, sweetest soul I've ever known and, worst of all, have to live with these memories every day. The experience made ME suicidal for two years. Even now, I struggle. | F | 58 | 3 weeks | 10/27/2009 | 3 | Anxiety, OCD | I've been taking Celexa once a day for 4 months now. I started on 20 mg for the first 2 months and now I am taking 40mg. In my opinion, this medicine is very good for "brain rush" anxiety and has made my life better. Some other things, though - weight gain - I have gained 12 lbs since starting the medication. Changes in bowel movements (loose stool sometimes), teeth grinding in my sleep, horrific nightmare and vivid dreams - I often feel like a zombie, no emotions, numb. This can be good in some cases. | 22 | 4 months | 10/21/2009 | 3 | depression | emotional numbness | got rid of my depression by making me numb and not able to care about anything. which is better than being depressed but it still isn't great. | F | 20 | 10 months | 10/19/2009 | 3 | anxiety | nausea,headache,fatigue | F | 70 | 5 weeks | 10/17/2009 | 5 | depression; no interest in fun | None. Past experience w/ Zoloft made me nervous about trying another SSRI, but this one has been great. | I tapered on over several days; I'm on 20 mg. I may have had a bit of the yawning thing early on, but other than that, it's worked great for me. My life is still really stressful right now due to several family issues; before starting Celexa, it was rare for me to smile, and if I started crying it was really hard to stop. I had NO desire for sex, and not even for fun leisure activities. Now I smile and laugh. I still have times that I cry, but it doesn't last so long and I don't feel so hopeless. And I'm interested in having fun again. I'd recommend it; just taper on and try the lowest dose that helps. | F | 45 | 5 months | 10/15/2009 | 4 | anxiety depression perimenopause | possible weight gain of 10 lbs, feeling very tired the first few weeks | I have taken Celexa off and on for the last 4 years for what started as panic attacks and depression for life-changing events and probably perimenopausal symptoms. Overall it has been a good medication for me and relieved my symptoms. Once I went cold turkey off of it when my prescription ran out. Terrible experience of feeling dizzy, poor concentration - I could barely speak a coherent sentence. Please talk to your doctor about weaning of this medication. The slower the better. No drug is a panacea for anxiety and depression and hormonal changes are especially challenging because you have no control over them. Take care of yourself as a baseline - sleep, eat properly, exercise, manage your stress, THEN add the drug. | F | 44 | 390 days | 10/15/2009 | 5 | post partum depression | increased tiredness, emotional numbness | I got on Celexa 20mg after my daughter was born because I suffered intense PPD. I would cry at everything, got frustrated very easily, screamed at my hubby ALL the time, etc. A couple weeks into taking Celexa, my symptoms were GONE and they have been since! Ive been on it for about 5 months now and I cannot say enough good things about it! Im a lot more calm and even more outgoing than I used to be. Things just don't bother me like they used to before. However, I am a lot more tired than I used to be. I could sleep 9+ hours every night and still wake up feeling like I hadnt slept enough. Other than that, though, it has been great, I would recommend it. | F | 24 | 5 months | 10/12/2009 | 4 | GAD, Panic Disorder | Sleepiness, yawning, loss of libido (but not really caring), slight decrease in appetite. | It has definitely helped with my anxiety, and I tolerate it MUCH better than Cymbalta. The only problem that's really bothering me is the sleepiness. After about 4:00 pm, I feel like I could sleep the rest of the evening. If I go out for dinner or something with my husband or friends, I find myself yawning through the whole thing. It's uncontrollable. | F | 34 | 2 months | 9/23/2009 | 1 | Anxiety Depression | Gained 25 pounds in a year. I was taking this with Wellbutrin. Now just 450mg of Wellbutrin. Celexa turned me into a zombie and a fat one at that. I had no sex drive and could sleep anywhere anytime. I found it very hard to focus at work. Terrible loose bowel movements were a daily event. | I will not take this drug again. | M | 60 | 1 years | 9/6/2009 | 4 | bipolar disorder | 20 lb weight gain in 8 months | I had severe depression and suicidal thoughts for years. However, since taking Celexa I have felt free of any depression symptoms. It may be worth the weight gain. | F | 55 | 8 months | 9/5/2009 | 5 | Post concussive syndrome; bipolar | Rushing feeling in my head the first night, but then no side effects. | F | 48 | 7 months | 9/1/2009 | 5 | Social Anx/GAD/Moderate Depression | (started on 10mg first day and still at 10mg)the first week i was very sleepy, anxious, had loose bowel movements, difficult to orgasm, -- after first week, felt much better -- after 2 weeks no side effects except difficulty in orgasm...which is good for your girlfriend/wife. ;) | I have been taking 10mg celexa (name brand)for over 6 months and I feel great!! I still have bad days, but it i am no longer anxious or depressed. I am going to increase dosage in a few days to 20mg to see what happens. I will update you all after that. I had taken Celexa many years ago back in college, but it didn't seem to work back then...maybe it was because I was partying WAY too much...i think it negated the positive effects of Celexa. So don't blame the Celexa for not working if you are doing drugs and blowing your brains out on alcohol. That will make the most sane person depressed and anxious!! Also same goes for people who use tobacco and caffeine. I cut that crap out and it made a LOT of difference. Stimulants screw up your HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis and Celexa tries to fix what you screwed up. Read up on HPA axis and SSRI's and antidepressants. If you are depressed or anxious, your HPA axis is probably SCREWED UP!!..also read about Sleep Apnea...that could be your problem. Other than that, try to eat healthy and exercise!!! | M | 27 | 6 months | 8/29/2009 | 3 | depression/anxiety | always tired, majorly decreased sex drive, felt numb | At first I felt like Celexa worked, but after a while it didn't do anything for me. I already sleep alot but this drug made me sleep at least 12 to 15 hours a day! Which was horrible and made me skip college classes!!! Not good. So if you have a sleeping problem do not take it!! | F | 19 | 10 months | 8/18/2009 | 4 | depression, OCD | zero libido, inability to orgasm | I've been on 60 mg Celexa for 8 years (with a 2 year break to try Lexapro--terrible, and Cymbalta--even worse, gained 40 lbs). Celexa has been amaxing for the OCD symptoms. Could finally begin identifying obsessive thoughts and behaviors and altering them. Good for the depression too, although a bit sedating. Had to add 150 mg Wellbutrin to have energy. I've tried all the other SSRIs out there, and Celexa has been the one that's worked the best for me. But it is such an individual thing. Such a crap shoot. The only other medication that ever helped with the depression was Effexor. I took that for 6 years, but it stopped working after awhile. Celexa has been the best for OCD. | F | 39 | 8 years | 8/17/2009 | 3 | depression, ocd, anxiety | weight gain 138 lbs to 158 | i feel better on it than not being on it, but the bulging fat that's noticeable when i wear my shirts is embarassing. At first it was hard for ejaculation, but eventually i was able to. | M | 23 | 1 years | 8/15/2009 | 5 | depression, anxiety | A little bit more anxious the first week after starting. Yawning the first week or two. Some weight gain, but not a lot. | Celexa has been the best SSRI I have tried. I take a very small dose, between 10 and 20 mg. depending on the time of year though I am usually on 10 most of the time. I found it to have few side effects and it makes me feel normal, not spaced out or numb like others I have tried. I tried Cymbalta for the sake of trying one of the "newer" drugs, but I went right back to Celexa. Everyone needs to find the one that works for them - this one works best for me. | F | 48 | 3 years | 8/13/2009 | 1 | depression | Antidepressants cause the very symptoms they are intended to cure-- memory loss, confusion, anxiety, insomnia, suicidal feelings. Enough said. | M | 35 | 30 days | 8/13/2009 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | Weight gain (125lbs to 145lbs), unnatural yawning | Celexa was subsitute for Lexapro when my insurance dropped it. It does make me feel a little hollow, but I'll take that over crying and feeling desperate everyday. It helps me get through my life (working full-time, mother to child with ADHD, ailing parents and alcoholic husband/in-laws). it's a lot to deal with and it helps me get though it. | F | 38 | 1 years | 8/6/2009 | 4 | Anxiety | Mostly sexual side effects such as having ED issues and having a real difficult time having an orgasm. | It's less sedating than Effexor XR and Cymbalta that I was on before and I'm on the extended release generic version and it's pretty cheap. | M | 50 | 7 months | 8/3/2009 | 1 | Depression and Anxiety | tiredness no matter how much sleep I got and I was always tired. I would cry more being on Celexa than being on nothing. Also had an increase in suicidal/homicidal thoughts. My anxiety incresed due to these thoughts coming in 2s and 3s. I stopped cold turkey after 6 days. Could not deal with the constant bad thoughts, constant crying and tiredness. | F | 40 | 6 days | 8/1/2009 | 4 | depression/anxiety | I have experienced no side effects other than the usual decrease in libido. At the age of 51 that just isn't as important as it used to be. | This med didn't totally handle the depression, but overall, considering the lack of side effects that I have experienced from all the other antidepressants in the last 25 years, it is very good for me. | M | 51 | 4 years | 7/31/2009 | 1 | Depression | Suicide ideation, dreams of death, fell into a deep depression. Lost my desire to eat/drink anything. I never realized what real depression was until Celexa. | I only took 20mg a day, I honestly thought this drug was going to kill me. I literally laid in bed starring into space for days. I lost my part time job, and was lucky I didn't loose my "real" job. Thanks to FMLA... | F | 36 | 3 weeks | 7/31/2009 | 5 | Obsessive thoughts, Anxiety | light headness, nausea, headache, | This drug is very effective once it kicks in. It took me six weeks before I could see a benefit. Now after 3 months it has peaked and I feel much better. | M | 45 | 90 days | 7/29/2009 | 2 | depression/anxiety | very dry mouth,caused irregular periods-never happened before,stomach pains. Weight Gain! Gained 9 lbs in about 5 wks.Noticed side effects right away, head felt a little clearer at first, but by week 2 , did not seem to be working at all. Felt the same as before on meds. Dr changed me now Cymbalta//on day 3 and have had No side effects. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 7/27/2009 | 4 | Depression from mom's illness | Very tired, yawned all the time, no problem with weight. Fell asleep as soon as head hit the pillow, absolutely no emotion at all | I was put on due to extreme emotions regarding my mom's Alzheimer's Disease. Within a couple weeks had no emotional problems. Was able to deal with decisions I had to make, etc. Then after a couple months our dog had a seizure and died in front of us. I was not able to cry or show any emotion to the event. I then realized I would rather have some emotion than none at all. I slowly took myself off and now after a month I am back to crying at least once a day but, and this may sound strange, am happy to feel emotions again. | M | 62 | 3 months | 7/26/2009 | 3 | anxierty | extreme gas and extreme drowsyness. | i only have been on it now starting week #2, first week i was on 5mg, and i started 10mg lastnight, since i started taking it, it made me very very very tired and very very gasy,. | F | 22 | 8 days | 7/21/2009 | 4 | depression anorexia | crazy increased libido, sweating, vivid dreams | definatly helped i notic a diffrence right away when i dont take it the highted sex drive can bbe somewhat problematic but its worth it i take 80mg | F | 17 | 1.5 years | 7/19/2009 | 1 | Depression/Anxiety | If I could give this a zero, I would. Very scary stuff! Racing homicidal/suicidal thoughts, insomnia. | Have had problems with depression for years, which snowballed into anxiety. Was prescribed Celexa and by the second day I felt "strange". The phrase "do it", almost like a voice in my head, kept repeating itself. I got absolutely NO sleep while I was on this. By night three I was beside myself...terrible images of hurting loved ones and myself racing thru my mind. I spent the 4th day sobbing in bed all day long. I quit taking it after 3 days...doctor says no one else he has prescribed it to has ever had this experience (of course!) Was referred to a psychiatrist who felt that I shouldn't be on ANY antidepressants at all due to my experience with Celexa. Am trying more natural alternatives..SAM-E seems to be working at a small dose of 200mg a day, and am trying GABA (an amino acid) for anti-anxiety. Both seem to be working. I will NEVER use an SSRI again! | F | 36 | 3 days | 7/19/2009 | 1 | Depression, Anxiety | Feeling stoned and hungover, absolutely out of it. No energy. Restless and tired, yet unable to sleep properly. It kept getting worse. | I've tried several antidepressants, and Celexa is the only one I've had to discontinue due to side effect - disappointing, as I had high hopes for this one, and I've always managed to weather out side effects. But Celexa is clearly not for me, I've never felt this bad. Don't be put off by my experience, though, Celexa works for many people. | M | 27 | 2 weeks | 7/16/2009 | 4 | Depression | Lower libido, trouble having orgasm. When I am hungover a weird dizzy feeling but nothing too bad. | I just wanted to say, reading all the other reviews that I think people who are taking a drug like this have a predisposition of overreacting to this. If you take it and after 8 hours you are extremely nauseous most of the time it will be in your head except for a few people. My recomendation is to take it with a good mood as something that will help you fix your life and than hopefully you can get off it. If you feel spaced out or anything that is a discomfort dont dwell on it, just make busy and I think a lot of ppl will find most side effects arnt that bad. Except I cant orgasm....which is bad hehe. Good luck all | M | 26 | 1 years | 7/13/2009 | 4 | GAD, Depression | At first: Increased sweating, waking up every few hours, gripping myself so hard while sleeping, would leave bruises. All went away within a month. Weight gain, very, very delayed orgasm (if at all- the delayed orgasm and weight gain continued). | Very good drug for letting me sort out what the important things were, and what was trivial. Helped with constantly evaluating what *I* thought other people thought of me. Kinda of an emotional flatline, however, and started to not want to go out and socialize --- no fear about it, just "didn't want to". Decided to cold turkey off after about two years... I know you're supposed to reduce dosage. However, after a couple or three "off" "odd" days (and one day of muscle tremors trying to do fine motor skills (like drinking a glass of water, or standing on a sloped hill), started to feel much better. Now am glad I am off it. After about a month, I can orgasm again when I want to, and it doesn't "hurt" to do so anymore. Short term memory has also greatly improved --- I was driving people nuts with, "We just talked about this last night!". | M | 43 | 2 years | 7/8/2009 | 1 | Anger, Depression, Mood Swings | Zombie like state all the time, Constantly Tried, Had to make myself get up to do anything, could sleep all the time | I started celexa 6 weeks ago, I really tried to give it a chance to work and thought that the side effects would work themselves out but they did not. I felt uck from day one of this medication that my doctor gave me for my bouts of anger and depression. I felt horrible, I was tired constantly and yawned about 83 times a day I had to make myself get up and do anything it actually made me feel more depressed and did nothing for my 'temper issues' I know each medication is different for everyone but from my point of view I am glad to be off of it and trying something new (zoloft) and so far (a week now) it has been so much better | F | 31 | 6 weeks | 7/6/2009 | 4 | Anxiety/Depression | Short-term memory loss, drowsiness | Better than the alternatives I've tried, but due to my profession...I'm currently switching over to Cymbalta and hoping it helps with the memory loss. If not, I'll probably go back to Celexa/Citalopram | F | 39 | 7 months | 7/3/2009 | 4 | Stress, anxiety, depression | Took it at night which was a mistake for me. Woke up a few hours later with flu like symptoms and shaking. Insomnia and weird dreams for a few nights. Teeth grinding. Weight gain but could be because I was finally feeling normal. Went from 114 lbs to 160 lbs in 4 years. I dropped a few lbs once I went off and stayed at that weight for about 3 years. I wasn't really committed to diet and exercise though. Also impossible to have an orgasm through regular sex. I didn't realize that was a side effect until I came off of it. | Helped a lot after 3 to 4 weeks. Started to feel normal and I believe it helped a lot with some traumatic events during the time I was on it...end of long relationship, moving 4 times (in college at the time), dealing with a horrible new relationship, but was able to get out of it. And who can forget 9/11. I think it helped me to get through that experience without freaking out too much. I noticed I was much more focused on school work and family and friends instead of depression and anxiety like I had been for years before. I never knew what those things were but after feeling normal I was able to recognize that is what I was experiencing a lot of my life. | F | 25 | 4.5 years | 6/22/2009 | 3 | depression | rapid weight gain, decreased libido, inability to reach orgasm | effectively eliminated incapacitating visual migraines when taken in conjunction with prescription strength weekly vitamin D. Also had modest positive effect on depression. I felt somewhat better, but family stated there was no noticable change in my behavior/attitude. | F | 32 | 7 months | 6/22/2009 | 2 | Anxiety | Weight gain (so far,about 22 pounds, averaging 2 pounds gained every month, despite increased activity/exercise and no change in eating habits), apathy/emotional blunting, complete loss of libido, trouble with orgasm | F | 36 | 18 months | 6/16/2009 | 5 | anxiety | I seem to be great on this drug. I also use Loraisapam as needed. I notice a bit of a lowered sex drive but I did just have a full historectomy right before I started taking. | I do more activities and have plenty of emotional feelings. No zomby here.... | F | 37 | 10 months | 6/14/2009 | 4 | Depression and anxiety | Increased anxiety at first. Insomnia the first night so doctor added Klonopin for me to take at night. Took a long long time to orgasm. Quick weight gain (about 20 lbs.) in three months. | Helped me go through an awful time. I was trying to take xanax for my anxiety but I needed it too much and I didn't want to get addicted to it. Took Celexa during a job switch and many other stessors. It helped, but made me feel more anxious at first. | F | 27 | 4 months | 6/14/2009 | 1 | depression | panic attacks after one hour from taking the pill. crying all day. couldn't think. sweaty palms. heart racing. | worst med ever. made me realize I'm not depressed afterall. | F | 38 | 1 days | 6/5/2009 | 2 | depression and anxiety due to PTSD | It makes me feel like a zombie and it takes away my motivation to do anything. I do feel good on occassion, really really good. But the feelings don't last, they come and go. I still feel as if my emotions are all over the map and the zombie thing is really really bad. also makes me VERY VERY thirsty. | I've become a serious zombie on this medication and it doesn't help the anxiety at all. It jsut makes me not give a crap if I'm afraid. I feel weird. So I gave it a month, just to give it a fair shot, but this medication is so not for me. I'd rather feel the fear then feel like this. | F | 36 | 1 months | 5/27/2009 | 2 | Anxiety, Major Depression | Diarrhea, Complete loss of libido, Apathy, Tiredness. Sexual disfunction (ED). | Taking 20mg. I am very tired all the time, can take a nap every afternoon even after sleeping late. My work quality has suffered. I am in sales and I have very little motivation to look for new customers or to get out quotations. I have lost my ability to concentrate at work and I am easily distracted. My doctor, a psychiatrist, says this is because I am bored by my job but I think it is the drug. It amazes me how little most doctors understand about the effects of these drugs. They ought to read this blog instead of the handouts from the drug reps. Sexual side effects never got better, in fact I now have ED which I never had before. Worst of all, I could experience very bad diarrhea at any given time of the day! I am tapering off this drug now. Prior to this I was on Effexor. I must say both of these drugs worked for me and blew away my anxiety and depression but at what cost? | M | 60 | 1 years | 5/23/2009 | 1 | major depression,anxiety and panic | weight gain, nausea,jittery | Did not help my condition. | F | 37 | 30 days | 5/9/2009 | 4 | Depression & marijuana cessation | Mostly sexual dysfunction and drowsiness, and to a lesser degree teeth grinding and increased appetite. | I started at 20mg daily, and increased to 40mg after the first month, it has helped tremendously but with a price. I have no trouble getting an erection, but have to make a lot of extra effort to achieve orgasm and ultimately it's never as satisfying. So I don't bother as often, I went from 1-2 daily to 2-3 x weekly. The drowsiness has subsided the longer I'm on it. Appetite increased and I was more interested in eating, but the medication helped me get out of the house and start exercising again so that balanced itself out. So I'm healthier than I was before I started, and I was able to stop smoking pot pretty effortlessly after the first few days (knock on wood). Slight teeth grinding which has also subsided especially since I fist started taking it. All in all, it was a good move to start taking it, I'm not sure what I would have done without it and would recommend it to anyone in my situation. That said, I look forward to the day my day to day life improves enough that I feel I can stop taking it. | M | 40 | 4 months | 4/30/2009 | 2 | Reactive Depression | Anxiety, jaw clenching, nausea, shaking, loss of control of emotions, heightened emotions, loss of libido and difficulty with orgasm, reduced tolerance to alcohol but no knowledge of this unless pointed out by others. | I did not feel happy about taking this drug. I am even less happy trying to withdraw from it. The withdrawal effects are worse than the side effects. | F | 47 | 150 days | 4/30/2009 | 5 | GAD | Dry mouth, spacey feeling, loss of libido, gastrointestinal issues (these all went away after a month or so). Weight gain, increased focus, sleep disruption, yawning, tolerance to alcohol, restlessness after about 1 hour of taking it. | Despite the side effects, it has been a great drug. I have been on the generic version for almost 3 months. I have been able to relax and remain calm during stressful situations at work, and have seen an increase in my attention span and focus. I am now able to put everything into perspective and love it. | F | 41 | 3 months | 4/22/2009 | 4 | depression | difficulty with orgasm, nausea, dry mouth | F | 27 | 2 years | 4/21/2009 | 4 | anxiety | My insurance company no longer wanted to pay for Lexapro so my doctor switched me to Celexa about a month ago. So far it's working well for me with little or no side effects. I gained about 20 pounds on the Lexapro and I'm hoping I don't have the same problem with the Celexa. On the Lexapro I was very tired all of the time and wasn't very a active, this seems to have improved considerably since starting on Celexa. Hoping this will eventually take care of the weight gain. | F | 44 | 1 months | 4/21/2009 | 3 | depression | I am having a love/hate relationship with the generic Celexa. I was on Lexapro but my insurance will not cover it. I am having good and bad moments. Sometimes I feel real good(no depression at all) then bang, bad depression sets in. I have had suicidal thoughts,too, but I can easily control and rationalize them away. I get very angry out of the blue over stupid things. I also get easily aggravated and have little patience with people. It has helped my anxiety tremendously though. I also have less hunger and am sleeping less. I have easily lost 15 pounds. I am trying to weigh out the good vs. the bad. | F | 59 | 2 months | 4/21/2009 | 1 | Depression | Intense anxiety for the first week, then terrible depressive mood swings, made depression ten times worse; emotions felt flat, hollow and phony. | F | 40 | 15 days | 4/19/2009 | 1 | Major Depression | Nervousness, Sleep Interuption, Increased (if possible!!) suicidal thoughts, Severe stomach upset, Increased to two pack a day smoking and jaw clamping. | 20 mg - lowest dose possible, I am being taken off of it immediately. I very much wanted this last medication to work and tried to deal with the side effects. | F | 38 | 4 weeks | 4/17/2009 | 3 | Anxiety/Depression | Weight gain... I am weaning off celexa now. | I was otherwise happy with celexa but the weight gain freaks me out. | F | 37 | 60 days | 4/10/2009 | 1 | stress and menopausal | massive weight gain forty five pounds complete loss of libido. Felt like a zombie | after two years on 20mg and being brain dead, Ihalved the dose for one week ,then 10mg every other day for one week,then finished.Been clean for three weeks and never felt so good. I had a really good laugh the other day,something I had not done for two years of no emotion. | F | 53 | 2 years | 4/10/2009 | 2 | Depression | Used it to successfully deal with a bout of depression in '03. When I tried 10mg (generic) this time, I woke up 8 hours later with very bad nausea. Tried it the next nite with food, woke up 8 hrs later with worse nausea. Gave up and switched to Lexapro. | M | 51 | 2 days | 4/4/2009 | 1 | Depression | Suicidal, zombie, lack of desire to do things | Was put on this drug due to separation caused by Requip. After about 2 weeks on this drug, I started having very strong urges to end my life. I actually took the weapons out of the house, locked them in my car, tossed the keys into the yard and went to bed and couldnt stop crying. I drove up and talked to my wife about things and mentioned this episode. Glad I did, she told me to stop taking it and to call my pshycologist. I did what she asked and am alive thanks to her. I now feel better about myself, it is difficult dealing with our separation but with the help of a doctor, I am dealing with it. It may help others but almost ended me. BE CAREFUL! | M | 50 | 15 days | 3/29/2009 | 2 | panic | I'm having trouble with balance and breathing from time to time. I also notice a twitch when I'm trying to fall asleep. | M | 31 | 4 months | 3/26/2009 | 1 | Panic attacks | I was switched from Cymbalta to Celexa after having horrible panic attacks after coming off the Pill (had I not been on the Pill, I don't think any of my anxiety/panic issues would have happened). It's hard to know the side effects of Celexa, as I was on Ativan (I am now completely off Ativan)the entire time I was on Celexa. But, the side effects seem to be: weight gain, complete loss of libido, much difficulty reaching orgasm, stomach pain. | I am about to start weaning myself, slowly, off of Celexa and would appreciate anyones advice and input on this. | F | 36 | 15 months | 3/23/2009 | 2 | Depression/anxiety | Severe nausea, couldn't get out of bed. One day had an odd side effect of facial twitching and numbness in right arm. Went to urgent care who ruled out seizure, stroke. Went off immediately. Side effects never returned. | Had noticed a decrease in depression when taking it. | F | 26 | 10 days | 3/13/2009 | 5 | depression | Works really well, with no noticable side-effects. May have dropped my libido some, but worth it. | More energy, got rid of my depression. Was put on generic when it came out, within 3 days so depressed stayed in bed, just wanted to die. Got a 'medically necessary' for the real Celexa, no worries after that. No problem getting off of it, have had to go off for 6 wks then able to start back on lower dose if it quit working. This drug has been a life lifter for me. | F | 48 | 10 years | 3/9/2009 | 1 | depression and anxiety | diarrhea, suicidal, became like a zombie, loss of taste and smell, dizziness, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat | I'd recommend trying anything rather than this drug although I know it suits some people. If you're reading this I hope you are one of the people it suits it sure didn't suit me! Came off very, very slowly, chipping away at the pills. | F | 66 | 10 months | 3/8/2009 | 4 | anxiety and panic attacks | initially, headaches. Vivid, memorable dreams- not distressing though.Loss of libido, delayed and less intense orgasm. | I now know what it's like to be normal, without irrational fears and obsessive anxious thoughts, sleepless nights and continual over analysis of the ordinary events in life. It's worth the side effects to be at peace. | F | 53 | 18 months | 3/3/2009 | 4 | depression/anxiety | fatigue at first that went away after a couple weeks, mild tremors, racing thoughts, difficulty falling asleep | Helps me stay motivated and focused, doesn't make me feel crazy like prozac did. Works well with my sleeping medications (trazodone and klonopin), and makes me feel less groggy in the morning. Overall, it is helping me a lot. I still have bouts of depression but I actually feel like getting out of bed in the morning! | F | 19 | 7 weeks | 3/1/2009 | 4 | Anxiety/Overwhelmed | My mind is constantly running, very hard to fall asleep, wide awake, increased yawning | I started taking Celexa 5 days ago... and I feel like it has already started working. My side effects aren't bad so far. I feel really good and much happier as in I do not gripe as much and am definately not as negative. I started taking the drug due to being overwhelmed as a fulltime student this semester and my doc seems to think it will help me focus and concentrate better. HOPE SO! I am excited to see the results, but this far all is good! | F | 29 | 5 days | 2/27/2009 | 4 | Depression and OCD | tiredness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting-- but they all subsided within a month. Delayed orgasm/reduction of orgasmic intensity-- has subsided somewhat. Has given me vivid, interesting dreams, which is kind of fun! | Helped me within the first month or so. Great drug-- but of course that's just my experience. Everyone is different. | F | 27 | 1 years | 2/26/2009 | 3 | 2/26/2009 | 4 | depression, anxiety | Dizziness, balance issues but withdrawal is the big. I have been taking a very small dose, 10mg daily for years and I feel normal enough to take it for years to come. My dog bites people so a couple years ago I started giving him 20mg of my 30mg prescription. It helps him a lot. My husband is also on it, has no dizziness. He takes 40mg a day. With my husband I can tell if he has skipped a couple days of medication, he gets aggitated, anxious but he doesn't seem to notice. I have tried to cut back on my dosage and after feeling light headed, dizzy I decided it wasn't worth it. With my dog I began to wonder if was helping him so over the course of a month I weaned him off of it. He seemed alright. We were on a walk and he bit a girl running by and I wondered about the celexa withdrawal but decided it was probably my fault, and then a week later another bite! I put him back on celexa just in case. I think it tones down the aggression but mostly we are all staying on celexa because getting | My prescription was written by a psychiatrist. I think psychiatrists are necessary when you are treating depression until you find what works stick with them, they need to evaluate your progress. | F | 55 | 12 years | 2/24/2009 | 5 | GAD | sedation, dry mouth, yawning, decreased appetite, delayed orgasm, increased sweating | within two weeks of taking it my whole life had improved. my mood became very steady and i felt very content. the anxiety went away along with the derealization i was experiencing. i had increased motivation to do things. exercise felt amazing. sex was great. my sleeping patterns had improved, my eating habits were better. i never felt stressed out. | M | 22 | 4 months | 2/21/2009 | 4 | Depression | Extreme sleepiness, falling asleep suddenly, not able to lose weight. | Celexa, I take the generic Citalopram, just about saved my life. I am no longer super depressed all the time or just randomly start feeling terrible. It has helped a bit with my anxiety, I am now able to go out shopping by myself. But I can not lose weight on it no matter how little I eat. The worse side effect is tiredness. Has nothing to do with how much sleep you get. I have to take a nap every single day. Many times I black out on my computer, I have almost fallen asleep driving, fell asleep at work. My friend on it has the same problems. This is not just where you are getting tired slowly, this is where you are fine and the next minute you absolutely can't stay awake or keep your eyes open. I have blacked out and woken up minutes later only to not know where I was. Oh, and it made me have even more intense dreams, and I'm talking and yelling out loud in my sleep! | F | 33 | 400 days | 2/21/2009 | 3 | GAD/Anxiety | This time I am lacking an appetite and also find food tastes different. I had mild nausea and am feeling a bit tired. Last time I only really experienced the major yawns. | I was on this from Aug-Dec 2008 and felt like it had worn off so I began to taper off. As of Jan/09 I was off the med totally... and felt pretty ok. By Feb as drug was totally out of my system I began to get the anxiety symptoms back. I am now on 30 mg and am praying that this drug doesn't cause anymore weight gain. | F | 36 | 11 days | 2/18/2009 | 5 | Bipolar depression | I was tired a bit the first few days, then I noticed I either wasn't hungry at all or food tasted differently. I lost about 6 pounds in a week...but that's a good thing! | I have taken Lexapro in the past with great results, it always helped in about a week. This drug also has worked within a week and it has changed my life. My husband is VERY glad I have started on this prescription. Matter of fact, he is on Lexapro and is switching to Celexa. It is on Wal-mart's $4 list. | F | 34 | 8 days | 2/17/2009 | 4 | Depression | None | I took this for just over six years after I had a seizure on Prozac. It was really good, improved my mood (it definitely didn't cure me, but I was able to live my life) and no side effects. Eventually the effect of the drug seemed to wear off, but I got a good 6 years out of it! Am now on venlafaxine which I haven't reacted to as well. | F | 23 | 6 years | 2/17/2009 | 5 | Anxiety & Mild Depression, 40 mg | Initially, a strong desire to yawn and a strange spaced out feeling. You have to be careful not to turn in to an animal when you first start taking it because you lose alot of natural fear (it returns after a few days). Most side effects wear off within a month, except for the sexual ones if you experience them. I find it very, very difficult to orgasm when I am on celexa. In fact, it is almost impossible for me during regular intercourse. Sounds like a big deal but it really isn't if you're male. | Completely cured my depression and anxiety. I have found it to be the most effective of all the antidepressants. Unlike other antidepressants it doesn't cause weird side effects from dopamine or norepinephrine reuptake and I find its effects on anxiety extremely powerful and immediate. It blew my anxiety right away as soon as I started taking it. Cipralex (just a patented mixture of celexa isomers) is marginally better, but definitely not worth the extra money. I would definitely reccomend this drug as the #1 choice for anxiety, although if you experience more depression than anxiety there are probably better options. | M | 20 | 400 days | 2/10/2009 | 3 | anxiety, mild depression | had very weird dizzy spells off and on, felt out of it..but only for a few weeks until my body adjusted. not bad at all. | i took this drug for a few years, and for a long time it definitely helped take the edge off of my anxiety. however, i've recently felt that it has sort of "crapped out" and stopped working. | F | 20 | 2 years | 2/10/2009 | 3 | depression/anxiety | itching,hives,out of it | had to stop taking due to the hives and itching :( | F | 34 | 14 days | 2/9/2009 | 1 | social anxiety | nausea. some sleep problems | This was the first medication I've tried for social anxiety. I've been very shy all my life and its totally effecting my quality of life. I spend my days by myself and with my family of course. I always feel reclusive and am completely unmotivated. This medicine did absolutely nothing positive for me. | M | 17 | 2 months | 2/5/2009 | 3 | anxiety, depression | WOW first week was constant outburst , screaming, arguing Just plain mad and dwelling on everything that made me mad then my head felt wierd like I felt I should be hospitalize had to tell wife to stay home with me next day because I felt like I was going to do something crazy...but next day everything calmed down feel better. this drug is a part of lexapro which I also had a bad reaction to and stopped after 5 days just hang in there and have someone to watch you and support lots of support is important from family or friends and doctors. | I take Celexa now before was taking Zoloft which is an excellent SSRI but Zoloft quit working after awhile on me about 7 months I also take Seroquel because whenever I take SSRI's I have Rapid cycling of mania and depression which can mean Bipolar Doctor wont really say I have bipolar or what just says it seems to be bipolar...well anyway originally started taking med Because of constant Panic attacks all day especially in stress full situation or crowds or in car in traffic felt trapped. Dependency grew on my wife could'nt go anywhere without her. | M | 41 | 3 weeks | 2/4/2009 | 2 | Anxiety/Major Depression | Incessant muscle twitching, vivid nightmares, erectile problems. | It helped with my anxiety because it pretty much made me not care at all about anything. It did nothing for my severe depression, and the incessant muscle twitching and vivid nightmares were too much to deal with. | M | 28 | 1 months | 2/2/2009 | 3 | Depression / Anxiety / Panic attack | Dry mouth, more energy, hard to have an orgasm but I'm sure the ladies don't mind that. | I feel a little better and got me back to the gym and exercising again. But I noticed my lips were twitching a little bit and felt a little panic attack coming on but went away fast, I did'nt dwele on it like I did before this drug. Less racing thoughts I guess... I'll wait and see what 6 weeks does I hear that thats when you really feel better... I'm on 20mg so far. | M | 32 | 3.5 weeks | 1/24/2009 | 4 | anxiety | none | Taken with wellbutrin. Reduced anxiety and depression episodes | M | 55 | 4 years | 1/23/2009 | 5 | depression/anxiety | mild drowsiness | F | 30 | 5 years | 1/21/2009 | 5 | major depression | Weight gain (40 lbs), sexual side effects: decreased sex drive, difficulty reaching orgasm. | Unfortunately, I need to increase the dose every year by 10 mg. | F | 37 | 5 years | 1/19/2009 | 1 | Depression/OCD | abdominable pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches, suicidal thoughts, manic episodes, massive weight gain, feeling like a zombie, lack of sexual drive. | I was on 60 mg and 72 hours ago I stopped this med cold turkey. I am just beginning to have the withdrawal symptoms. Zaps to the brain, dizzy, nausea, shaking. | F | 43 | 7 months | 1/17/2009 | 2 | Dysthymia | Wellbutrin XL stopped working after 6 years. Celexa was the first antidepressant my doctor had me try. On a dose of 20 mg daily, I suffered dizziness to the point of falling down at least once a week, usually on steps or stairs as if losing my balance, worsening fatigue, sleepiness, grogginess, 'brain fog', headaches, even a few minor motor vehicle mishaps (scraped my car along a wall in my workplace parking garage--TWICE). Celexa also made me quite alcohol-intolerant; one cocktail made me very loopy, headachy and nauseated. | My dysthymia manifests as apathy, cynicism, lack of motivation, head-to-toe body, joint and muscle aches, dyspepsia/IBS, overeating, fatigue, 'brain fog', insomnia, and a generally unsociable, 'bah humbug/grumpy old hag' attitude. Celexa 20 mg made my body feel FABULOUS--all my ol' lady aches and pains magically disappeared, I swear I felt 28 again--it made my IBS diarrhea vanish, and I slept a little better, but it did nothing for my mood, attitude, outlook, energy level or motivation. I had headaches every day and plodded around in a fuzzy zombie-like brain fog for 4 weeks, hoping the side effects would fade and the depression lift--but alas. I stopped taking it cold turkey with no problems, but I also immediately started taking Cymbalta and I've remained on Wellbutrin, both of which may have minimized any withdrawal symptoms. | F | 46 | 4 weeks | 1/16/2009 | 4 | Anxiety | Headaches, need for outside stimulation to achieve orgasm (which I never needed before), dizziness/wooziness at bedtime (which subsided after 2 weeks or so), trouble losing weight. | Before this med, I was on hormone therapy for endometriosis. I was able to lose weight, but the hormone therapy and my job (victim services) caused pretty intense anxiety attacks. For three days straight I felt like I was having a heart attack. I couldn't take a full breath, and I was thinking about horrible things happening that weren't realistic. They checked me for a hereditary heart condition that runs in my family, but then put me on Celexa thinking that it may be anxiety. This medication helped a lot...I notice that I am not as irritable, it is much easier to draw a full breath, and my sleep patterns have improved (after the first two weeks). However, I used to be able to achieve multiple orgasms with my husband, and I now need extra stimulation to reach one. Still enjoyable, just takes more work. Overall, this medicine really helped an intense condition I didn't even realized I had. | F | 21 | 3 months | 1/12/2009 | 5 | Depression/Anxiety | First week felt like a space cadet, but I just figured it was my brain readjusting. I have no trouble having an orgasm. | It took about 6 weeks to get the full effect, but I will tell you, THIS IS A MIRACLE DRUG FOR ME! I finally feel like the old me again. I have tried Zoloft, Prozac, and Lexapro, but I never felt like the old me on those drugs. This is sure worth a try! | F | 39 | 8 weeks | 1/6/2009 | 4 | Depression | Loss of libido, (later) migraines, panic attacks | I loved celexa. I was on it for a year before it stopped working which SUCKS! It helped me maintain a healthy weight in that I was un-depressed enough not to eat all the time. Since the celexa stopped working (began having panic attacks and migraines) I was put on Cymbalta and gained nearly 30 pounds in seven months. Now I'm trying Paxil but don't have much hope it'll work either. | F | 22 | 1 years | 1/6/2009 | 1 | Anxiety | Sexual disfunction | I think the reason I really did not give this drug even a remote chance was right after I started taking it I lost all sexual desire. More than that I literally could not get even rometely excited during sex. It was like I had been castrated. no feeling at all when having sex. About a week after I stopped taking the meds everything returned to normal. But it was a scary few weeks. | F | 30 | 2 months | 1/5/2009 | 4 | depressed, moody, social anxiety | temporary loss of sex drive, fatigue, twitching at times | I have tried a variety of mood stabilizers, lexapro and celexa. Celexa has worked the best for me and has evened me out a lot. I still have occasional anxiety but the depression has gotten a lot better. | F | 21 | 2 months | 1/2/2009 | 5 | depression, obssesive thoughts,anxi | sickness, dizziness and tingly feeling in arms | Helped me live as part of society and not an onlooker. | F | 37 | 9 years | 12/31/2008 | 1 | depression/anxiety | SEVERE agitation!!! | almost immediately after taking the first dose, I became extremely restless and agitated. Took it for 4 days, thinking that pros would outweigh the cons and the side effects would wear off. By the 4th day, I was unable to lie still, sit still, sleep, function, was completely suicidal. This drug didn't work at all for me! | F | 36 | 4 days | 12/29/2008 | 5 | menopause induced depression | none | Symptoms attributed to depression turned out to be caused by my menopause. No more night sweats. No more hot flushes. No more weepiness or sadness. My doc said other menopausal patients have had the same results. I take no hormone therapy. Just celexa. | F | 55 | 3 years | 12/27/2008 | 1 | Mild depression | Extreme abdominal cramping. Could only tolerate 3 days on it. Unable to eat or drink. Writhing on the bed in pain. | F | 32 | 3 days | 12/9/2008 | 2 | Anxiety and mild depression | Going on it was easy. Getting off it was h*ll, bad bad dizziness..I won't even drive me car sometimes..headaches behind the eyes..verge of tears all the time..moody..weight gain..about 30 lbs..very bad time remembering things or concentrating...list goes on | I would try and research another drug.. this one.. AND paxil should NOT be taken for anything.. makes you feel good sure.. but not the good you want.. I was completely numb to any feeling and totally lost any sex drive I had | F | 37 | 2 years | 12/4/2008 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
