There are 797 ratings for the drug: CELEXA in the Askapatient database.

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.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken		Date Added
				F  M
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5	anxiety	Slight nausea the first two weeks, weight loss, vivid dreams	This medication has changed my life. I am sleeping better than ever, increased energy and little to NO anxiety. Overall great mood and many people have noticed the change.	F	32	3 months		2/4/2010 Email
4	Anxiety	day 1-slightly stoned feeling-then feeling like I have energy but calm. Day 2-It was hard to get out of bed-lots of yawning all day-but no other side effects. the stoned feeling is gone.	I have only taken this for 2 days so I will write again but so far no bad side effects. when i took it on day 1 i had a slightly stoned feeling about 20 minutes after taking the pill. when i took the pill on day 2 i didnt have that feeling. slight headache off and on. it was hard to get out of bed this morning but when i did i had energy. i have been yawning all day which makes you fell like your tired but you have energy. All good stuff so far.	F	27	2 days		2/4/2010 Email
2		Hyper, Anxious, just irritable	Made me weird feeling, taking it for Bipolar/Anxiety, not any more	M	30	1 days		2/2/2010
1	situational problem	I nearly died from this drug. I now have chronic akathisia, a horrific movement disorder. If you can't metabolize this drug understand it can take years to recover from taking one pill and it's an excruciating process. I WANT IT OFF THE MARKET. And it is not a substitute for Paxil, it causes the same withdrawal issues. Try acupuncture instead!	Can cause permanent brain damage like chronic akathisia and in rare instances tardive dyskinesia. Trust me your depression has nothing on these conditions.	F	48	2 years		1/30/2010
5	Depression and Anxiety	Very few side effects. Some teeth grinding, and occasional sleepiness. No sexual side effects, not negative ones anyway. I actually think it might help as far as that goes.	Great stuff, at least for me anyway. The only anti-depressant I ever took that did anything. I take 60mg once a day. Helped my depression a lot. Also totally cured my social anxiety. Much easier to deal with the ordinary problems of life. Too bad I didn't start taking this years ago.	M	24	3 months		1/29/2010
4	anxiety/OCD	teeth clenching, tiredness, migraines for the first few weeks, some insomnia	Took generic for about six weeks, except for the headaches and teeth clenching, it was great. Stopped but then started back 5 days ago due to inability to deal with my obsession of perfection, order and cleanliness, which lead to my anxiety.	F	25	5 days		1/26/2010
1	anxiety	Horrible nightmares, and unable to sleep more than 2 hrs a night.	Did not work for anything positive	M	40	50 days		1/25/2010
3	depression/anxiety	a slightly "stoned" feeling and a little yawning.	I switched to Celexa because I gained weight on Effexor and Wellbutrin made me really nervous. My doctor said that every SSRI compound is slightly different, so I might not gain weight on Celexa even though I did on Effexor. I am praying I won't gain weight, but will be watching for carb cravings. SO far I think it makes me a little more relaxed. I was able to go to the store and prepare dinner without feeling anxious or restless.	F	44	2 days		1/21/2010
1	Bi-Polar Depression	Initial first two days I was ok, but felt a little hyper with some teeth Grinding. Then I became agitated followed by severe anxiety, an overload of adrenalin, change in sleep, and an eventual seratonin storm that had to be broken chemically. It was not fun at all, I thought I was headed down the path to a flip.	I am not sure this is a drug for those with bi-polar depression	F	41	7 days		1/19/2010
5	post natal depression	NONE!	helped me relax and enjoy my life again as a 2nd time mum!	F	35	2 months		1/11/2010
3	Depression and anxiety	I take 20 mg once a day. (I prefer at bed time) mild headache and slight nausea in the morning the first two weeks. That all has went away now. Previously took Trazodone and was extremely tired and no sex drive with that.	No weight gain. Great mood. Anxiety is under control. Better control of my temper now.	F	24	2 months		1/9/2010
5	Migraines, mild depression, anxiety	None.	I take 20 mg 3 times a WEEK...and it seems to do the trick. I use to take it daily for years and years, but managed to get myself to a point where I wasn't so dependent on it. It is great for anxiety and depression, and has helped so much with my migraines. If I don't take it at all--my brain feels a little "wonkey" and my heart-rate shoots up...ths drug seems to keep things in order for me. :-) Love it!	F	31	10 years		1/5/2010
5	anxiety, panic attacks	Very thirsty in the morning, LOST 10+ lbs (I was already thin), have less get-up-and-go, completely unexpected feelings of greater compassion and warmth toward others, much improved marriage relationship. My previously ulta-organized desk, closets, kitchen are now messy.	I have been taking this drug for 1.5 years and have had excellent results. I currently take a very high dose -- 60mg -- which I will be gradually reducing to 40m in the months ahead. It's difficult to explain the positive changes in my life since starting the drug. I was having panic attacks that were interfering with work and I had gotten to the point where I would freak out in a department store if I couldn't see the exit, I was fearful of crowds, over-heated rooms, elevators, locked doors. All of these problems resolved (no therapy). I have to wonder though whether I will be able to eventually drop the drug and retain all these benefits, including a newfound all pervasive patience that makes it possible to now smooch on the sofa with my husband of 24 years. The old me who would spring out of bed before dark each morning to go for a run is gone, but the new me is pretty darn okay with things.	F	47	18 months		1/4/2010 Email
5	OCD, anxiety.	drowsiness, lethargy, but no notable changes in sex. strange fr a ssri.	miracle drug for anxiety. i take it with wellbutrin, and i feel more more relaxed and less impulsive.	M	23	1 months		1/3/2010
5	anxiety, depression	the most noticeable was incredibly vivid dreams. i also felt like i was literally watching/feeling the drug untangle my emotions/etc. i didn't notice any sexual side effects, and i actually lost some weight bc it was harder to eat on the drug- food was not so appealing and my sense of taste seemed slightly altered. it wasn't much weight at all, and i'm a pretty light eater in the first place.	i started at the lowest recommended dose and started to feel better immediately. unfortunately i started therapy while taking this drug, and my therapist turned abusive, and i became ashamed, and long story short i stopped taking it and seeing *any* doc for about 6 mos. until i could face it. over that time i had slowly been increased on the dose by my pcp bc the results were so encouraging. i think the higher dose was a mistake, or it could have just been the circumstance, but eventually i just numbed out and so i stopped taking it.	F	28	1 years		12/22/2009
4	Depression, Anxiety	Increased anxiety at first, nausea, tightness in neck muscles	Took about 5 weeks to feel a difference, but now most days are good. Don't sweat the little things as much anymore, and I'm getting excited about the things that make me happy again. Also take 150mg Wellbutrin XL. The side effects of Celexa are rough at first, but give it at least 5 weeks.	M	56	7 weeks		12/21/2009
3	OCD, anxiety.	extreme drowsiness, a little sexual impairment...	if u want to take it, take in combo with an NARI or wellbutrin. alone is a hypnotic, just for me.	M	23	1 months		12/18/2009
5	depression	insomnia, between-period spotting, weight loss (nice!)	The very first pill made me feel so normal I wondered if I had ever been normal in my life before. Evened out my moods and curbed my nervous eating. I am VERY insomniac on this, but still have so much energy I don't even mind that, and ambien works most of the time.	F	49	30 days		12/11/2009
5	Anxiety	A bit twitchy.	It made me pretty hyper. Music sounds 10 times better. I liiiike.	F	22			12/9/2009 Email
5	Depression	The first few weeks were tuff: fatigued couldn't stay awake, shaking, depression, no motivation stayed in my home constantly, lowered appetite, felt like my brain was growing, one morning I even felt so weird n bad I hit my knees n prayed feeling I was about to die. I quit due to later gaining about 20 lbs and nothing I did excercise or watching what I ate was making a difference	Finally after about 3 weeks I awoke to a brighter day! Felt more normal than I had in all my life. Was excercising early in the morning when I'd never gotten up early before! I was running n the evening, smiling, laughing, things didn't get to me as bad, people couldn't help but just smile and laugh with the new me!	F	28	4 months		12/6/2009 Email
4	Depression/Anxiety	Itchy, Drowsiness during the first week	After two weeks of taking it I went from 10mg to 15mg. I started having extremely itchy palms of my hands, arch of my feet, and under armpits. This only happens once per day for about an hour. So far the benefits of Celexa are outweighing the itchy episodes.	F	24	4 weeks		12/6/2009
3	Depression/Anxiety	rapid weight gain, turned my pee electric green/yellow, sometimes felt like I was going to gag	It worked okay for me for about 8 months, then pooped out. I HATED the way it tasted. The taste was horrid.	F	30	1.5 years		12/6/2009
4	Depression	weight gain - tightness in jaw - increased libido	tried cymbalta - couldnt have sex, tried wellbutrin 300mg worked great until week 4 .. very short tempered .. now on celexa and 150mg wellbutrin .. seems to work .. whatever you do keep working with your doc & find the right medicine.	M	48	45 days		12/3/2009
1	Anxiety	increased appetite	SSRI not worth it	M	20	1 weeks		11/27/2009
4	depression and anxiety	Started out slowly with 5 mg for 3 days then 10 mg. I would tell anyone to go that route to avoid the intense side effects that a full dose can initially produce. Took it in the AM, then Klonopin at night to sleep for about 5 weeks. Still on Celexa, tapered off Klonopin once Celexa kicked in. It's much harder to have an orgasm, it takes about 10 minutes instead of 3 or 4. Increased sex drive, been on it 6 months and haven't gained any weight yet, but that is probably because I'm only on 10 mg. When I was younger I gained weight on 20 mg rather quickly.	Helped me a lot. Only wish orgasms weren't as hard to achieve.	F	31	6 months		11/24/2009
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email
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 Email

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Average rating for drug: 3.3. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

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.

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