Are Any of You Mama's on Celexa for Anxiety Disorders?

I am taking the generic version of it and it has helped very much. I haven't had any bad side effects with it at all. Before I started taking it, I was depressed and having anxiety issues just like you. After I started taking it, I am normal again. If you need them, then no self help book is going to help you. Good luck.

I'm taking Celexa. I've been on several different anti-anxiety/anti-depression medications over the past 25 or so years. I've been helped by every one of them. What happens for me is that after awhile the one I'm taking stops being effective and the doctor switches me to a different one. I've never had any serious side effects. Yes, with some my libido diminishes. With some, I may have gained more weight than I would've otherwise. But with all of them, my anxiety and depression has lessened or not. If not, I'd try a different one.

I've known and known of a great number of people taking drugs and have not known of any of them having them ruin their lives. There have been side affects and the side affects have been easily dealt with. That is why we take them under a doctor's supervision.

The self-help books etc. are helpful but they don't change our brain's chemistry. Some of us need the extra boost that a medication will give us so that the other things will work for us. I urge you to try the Celexa. You deserve to live a happier life. If the Celexa doesn't help, try another one. I suggest that some of your fear is the result of your anxiety. You will feel more comfortable taking the medication once your anxiety is reduced.

I take citalopram for anxiety. It has helped immensely. The only side effect I experienced was insomnia. We figured out that instead of making me drowsy (which is what happens with most people) it wake me up. It doesn't make me hyper or anything like that but it prevents sleep. So, simple fix, I take it in the morning rather than at night.

I've been on Celexa for depression for over a year with no side effects. Our son has OCD and depression and has been on it even longer, about five years, also with no side effects.

my fiance has been on celexa for a few years now.. it definatley helped and hes never had any side effects what so ever

I am not anti-medication, and anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants help people that I know. I am also very pro-exercise as another method to help anxiety and depression.

The book "SPARK: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain" by John J. Ratey confirmed with scientific proof that 30 minutes of vigorous exercise each day works as well as most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications in reducing anxiety symptoms. I strongly recommend reading it.

Wow.....we sound a lot alike...especially on the meds issue. Although I need it.....we put our kids first right? My son was diagnosed with anxiety. He started off on Prozac and that made him too hyper. Moved on to celexa. He has no side effects and it works really well. I made myself crazy researching side effects for him...and I agree...this is a good solid choice! There are times I still think I need meds....wish I had your guts to try them.

About these ruining your life....do you have someone you can trust that you do see often that can keep an eye on your behavior? One that you will believe if they tell you something is off?

I'm on it and have been for several years. I actually use the generic and it works great. I've been on several others and they all have helped. I switched to this from Cymbalta because of the cost of Cymbalta. Never noticed any difference and it really helps me. I would urge you to try it or try at least something to help you.

I take it (citalopram) and it helps so much with panic attacks and chest pain that I had when stressed!

I was on it for years, and am now successfully weaned off it. I was on another antidepressant for years but because it had sedating effects, I was dangerously tired all the time. Celexa (and its generic, citalopram) helped me to some degree in the sense that it prevented the really low lows, but I never had really happy days or happy times either. I still found that I had a low-level depression and low energy, plus trouble completing tasks (I'd look at the list of things to do, would start a bunch of them, and never finish). I think my energy level was just not sustained, nor was my desire to do things.

I've tried a variety of supplements, and I have found (both through my experience and through a lot of training and research) that a single nutrient or herb (such as the ones you named) isn't going to be the magic solution to a chemical imbalance in your body. Even if there WAS one perfect answer, you don't know the source of those herbs, where they are made, what they are treated with, how they are preserved, and so on. You also don't know how much to take because you aren't a food scientist. So you guess at it, and read the label and figure they know what they are doing -- but do they? I guess not - it didn't really work. Maybe a little (and some of that could have been the placebo effect), but not enough, and not sustained.

I found that effective nutritional support in the form of really balanced, full-spectrum supplements in a highly absorbable form made such a huge difference for me that I have been able to reduce the antidepressants and wean off - please understand that I have done this in cooperation with my doctor and with her full support and endorsement, based on talking with me and based on clinical data. My lab results are better, my strength is better, my ability to work out is far improved (6 days a week and part of a joyful class of great people), and my overall health is so awesome that I have not been sick in 5 years. So, while my own depression didn't have the anxiety component, I've worked with a lot of people who had depression with and without anxiety, and anxiety without the mood dips of depression. And they've all shared their success stories of achieving a better balance in their bodies for their physical and mental/emotional issues - that's because that anxiety is connected with their physical, chemical balance.

I am not anti-medication. I think many medications are very useful, and the data on side effects varies. Sometimes things are only risky with long term use, and sometimes they are riskier in certain people. You can research on line to your heart's content, but it's extremely difficult to evaluate clinical studies (how controlled were they? Who sponsored them? Was there a desired outcome by the pharmaceutical company conducting a trial on their own medication? Did that skew the results?). The internet is a wonderful thing in many ways, but the glut of information out there can be overpowering. I think it's fine to research things, but I think it's problematic for patients to go into the doctor's office and say "I want to take Drug X" - maybe the patient hasn't evaluated everything well or hasn't accounted for her own medical history, maybe that drug has been pushed on her doctor by the pharmaceutical rep and maybe it hasn't, maybe it's been formulated in a questionable facility. (The recent meningitis crisis, for example, came from contaminated drugs from a compounding facility not far from where I live.) Even if it's perfectly formulated and right for that patient, she's only treating the symptom and not the underlying cause, you know?

So I think it's fine to speak to a doctor (or two) about some relief for your symptoms so that you can be more functional. Whether that's a long term or a short term solution, no one knows at this point. I'm not sure our individual experiences with Celexa will necessarily relate to your situation, so you should be prepared for that and be open to a variety of possible treatments, both pharmaceutical and supplemental.

Let me know if you want more help! But hang in there - there IS hope!

I am currently taking celexa! The only thing I really dealt with was not having any sort of appetite what so ever when i first started taking it (I wasnt complaining lol) but that stopped after a week or two, other then that I love it! I was on Zoloft before, now that stuff made me crazy, it wouldnt let me sleep and it made me feel like I had no emotion what so ever that I was just there! GOOD LUCK!

Changed my life...for the better....x 100. I'm a better mother, an infinitely better wife, and happier. Its so nice to be laid back and not worried about every little thing - which doesn't mean I don't care about anything...quite the opposite. I'm organized and thoughtful, without being insane and negative and making everyone around me miserable.

In terms of side effects, I gained a little weight (worth it! and with regular work outs, can still be fit), I didn't really notice sexual side effects - but that's something you and your partner can work out if you get creative; a little tired, nothing coffee can't fix. But those 3 side effects are nothing compared to not having the desire, the ability, to do fun things with my family b/c I was too panic stricken to go to a move or a crowded fair or whatever it is you are avoiding doing. You are suffering and as a result so is your child. Why suffer when "we have the technology". I tried meditating with self help tapes and self medicating (beer); but i see my "shrink" every 4 months for check ups and so this is infinitely safer than non-fda-regulated herbal supplements, and she's available to me by phone if i need her. Nothing is perfect (unfortunately) so if celexa doesn't work, maybe they'll try prozac or lexapro, there's a brief period of experimentation at the beginning to get the right dose/medication for you, but if you are havin that much trouble, you should give it a try. Good luck!

I have suffered from anxiety/panic disorder with severe agoraphobia for 20 years. All the talking, meditating, dieting, exercising, numbing, and eating in the world didn't work. I had been on millions of different meds, most of which smoothed the edges but didn't alleviate fully. I gave up on meds and resolved myself to being a mess for forever. Finally a Dr convinced me to try celexa (citalopram). It has changed my life completely. No side effects, no problems. Just up up and away! I hope you get relief. It's no way to live!