Posted by jrbecker76 on September 12, 2014, at 11:54:38
In reply to On Lexapro 7 weeks - feeling very depressed, posted by Digitime on September 10, 2014, at 12:17:57
> Hi,
>
> I hope someone can give me some advice. I have been on citalopram 20 mg for 10 years and I was doing fine until the citalopram stopped working. I have tapered of citalopram and started lexapro. I knew they are almost identical but hoped lexa would work anyway.
>
> I now take Lexapro for 7 weeks, 2 weeks on 5 mg and the last 5 weeks on 10 mg. After the raise to 10 mg I am feeling very depressed. Complete hopeless and I lack feelings for my loved ones. It really is very hard to wake up every day facing this depression.
>
> I never had a "standard" depression before. I took citalopram for panic/depression attacks that would last only hours. But now I am in an almost constant depression.
>
> Now I am torn between the following options:
>
> -stay on 10 mg for another x weeks hoping things will improve. But is this a realistic option since I am already 5-7 weeks on lexapro? Did someone only noticed improvement on lexa after for example 10 weeks? With citalopram I almost had an immediate effect.
>
> -increase till 15 mg. I hestitate because it maybe will harder to taper of from 15 in comparison to 10 mg if Lexa isn't the medicine for me
>
> -start tapering off lexa so I can switch to another medicine.
>
> My psychiatrist has explained all these three options but can't give me any advice. I should do what I find the most appropiate.
>
> I know it's for the most past trial and error when it comes to anti-depressisants.
>
> I hope someone had slightly the same experiences and could give me some insights.
>
> Many thanks in advance!
>
>
I was on Celexa for years and did somewhat well. Like you, eventually I found it was not doing an adequate enough job. I also tried to switch over to Lexapro and found it really made me more depressed and anxious. There is definitely a subset of patients like us out there who responded favorably to Celexa/Citalopram but unfavorably to Lexapro/Escitalopram. In terms of acclimating to Lex over time, I did notice some of the initial numbness went away after a few weeks, but still felt it was actually making me more anxious and depressed than anything I've experienced on another SSRI. Titrating up to 10 mg was even more problematic. I gave it a few months, and eventually discontinued it.Back to Celexa/Citalopram, just curious if you recall what generic manufacturer you took. I did well with some generic versions (Amneal Pharm) but not others (Torrent).
Have you ever given Cymbalta/Duloxetine a go? I've found it superior to Citalopram. Although the recommended dosage is to get up to 60 mg, some do well on lower doses (20 - 30 mg). I would advise starting low.
JB
poster:jrbecker76
thread:1070987
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140815/msgs/1071040.html