Posted by Janelle on September 27, 2001, at 11:25:11
In reply to Re: How do I know if Celexa is working?, posted by KB on September 27, 2001, at 7:10:14
I see a couple of options for you at this point, but first let me say that based on everything I've read and heard about SSRI's, they *should* kick in and start to work after 4-6 weeks; some people begin to feel a bit better after 2-3 weeks.
In your case, being on Celexa (which did not work for me, btw) for 3 MONTHS, you have given it plenty of (more than *enough*) time to kick in. The fact that it hasn't been working for you and you still feel miserable indicates that Celexa, at least at the dose you're on, is not the right med for you.
However, DO NOT give up ... there are some options for you:
1) tell your doc how you're feeling and ask about simply increasing the dosage of the Celexa. The *average* therapeutic dose of this med is 40 mg/day and you are only at half of that. It could be as *easy* as upping the dose to get relief.
2) another option would be ask to switch to another med. There are many SSRI's out there (e.g., Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor, to name just a few) and other types of a-d's to try (e.g. Wellbutrin). This is not an exact science, so unfortunately sometimes we have to try several different meds before we get to the right one (been there done that; it is frustrating and requires patience but is soooo worth it when you do find the right one).
If you get *frightened* off by this experience and stop the Celexa and do nothing further, you'll probably continue feeling lousy, crying a lot, etc. *Nothing ventured, nothing gained*; therefore my advice would be to discuss the above options with your pdoc. Hang in there!
-Janelle
poster:Janelle
thread:79665
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010927/msgs/79719.html