Does Intake Of Celexa Help In Curing Depression?

Posted on Tue, 29 Mar 2016

Question: For Dr XXXXXXX Hi. I will close out our last questions and answers and review. But I wanted to ask you a new question and make sure you get it and get credit. What do you think of Celexa? I have been dealing with a lot the last year including a major cervical surgery and I think it has gotten to me a bit. Recovery is taking a very long time and I've found it hard to deal with. Celexa was suggested for me along with a few sessions of CBT. I hope it helps.

Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
celexa is an excellent antidepressant

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for the follow up.
Celexa is my first choice of a drug for depression and anxiety. There are several reasons for this.
As you know, prozac was the first SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) to come onto the market. It was vastly better than the older tricyclic antidepressants in that it had less side effects. However, it had its own set of side effects.
As the pharmaceutical industry improved on SSRIs, the improvement was a lessening of side effects. Most people tolerate celexa very well with few side effects. It is now generic which makes it affordable for most people. Common side effects are sedation which can be used to help with sleep if you just take it at night and sexual dysfunction which is a problem for some people. Headache and nausea are also common side effects when just starting the drug but if mild these usually resolve after a week or so. Celexa usually starts working in 1-2 weeks but it takes about 4 weeks to get the full effect of the medication.
People over sixty should not take more than 20 mg of celexa. If you need a higher dose then change to a different medication would be needed.
Cognitive behaioral therapy is a great addition to pharmaceutical treatment of mild to moderate depression.
I am sorry that you are having this problem and will welcome any other questions you have about celexa.
Whoever made the choices of Celexa and CBT made excellent choices.
I might also mention that depression is a very common cause for insomnia so if this works for you you may not need the trazodone at all.
I wish you the best,
Dr Robinson

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Kathy Robinson (15 hours later)

Hi. Thanks for the great answer. I have been having headaches since taking Celexa but thought they were either stress-related or somehow related to my cervical surgery (that has been so slow in getting better). Should I see a lot of improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms 3 to 4 weeks after being on the full 20 mg dose? I was started on 10 mg.

Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
yes it takes a month

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for the follow up.
Yes once you are on the 20 mg dose it usually takes a full 4 weeks to get the maximum benefit from Celexa.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Dr. Robinson

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Kathy Robinson (1 hour later)

Thanks for your reply. Yes I do have a question (sorry) about Trazadone, which we discussed earlier. I do have trouble with my sleep meds. If I have a tendency toward priapism (but nothing dramatic or that lasts for hours and hours) is this a reason to stop using Trazadone? It works very well with me for sleep. I wonder also if lowering the dose to 25 mg (from 50 mg) would help.? Otherwise I would have to search for yet another sleep med. Celexa has not helped sleep yet.

Hi just thought I would add that this effect is usually gone by morning. So maybe it not a concern? I noticed the same thing with Seroquel.

Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
doubt you will have a problem

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for the follow up
I doubt you will have a problem with the low dose trazodone. 25-50 mg is a very low dose. We use 200-300 mg to treat depression if we use it alone and that is where most men have a problem. Just remember that if you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours you need to go to emergency. I have prescribed 25-50 mg Trazodone for sleep to hundreds of men and have never had one of them have a case of priapism.
Let me know if you have further questions.
K. Robinson MD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Kathy Robinson (2 days later)

Also, to add to my questions above, how addictive is celexa? Is it hard to get off when the time comes?

Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
thanks for the follow up

Detailed Answer:
To answer your second question first, celexa is not addictive. It is best to taper off over about a month just to avoid side effects but many people could just stop it and have no problems.
It does take up to 4 weeks for the maximum benefit of the drug to take hold. The headaches should ease off after 1-2 weeks.
Crying spells are common with depression but this is different from eyes watering. If you feel emotional and cry that is the depression but if your eyes are just watering that could be something else like a blocked tear duct.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar