Posted by IsoM on December 19, 2001, at 14:16:09
In reply to Paxil vs. Celexa - differences, similarities?, posted by Cindylou on December 19, 2001, at 13:48:17
Please don't think that because these meds work like I'm going to describe, that it'll be the same for you as for me. It may or may not.
I took Paxil for a couple of years & it worked wonderfully but I hated that if I was late for my dose or forgot about it, the horrible effects told me right away I needed it. I wanted a medication that I wasn't *chained* to & wanted to switch to something else. I found out later that Paxil is either the worse or one of the worse SSRIs to come off (a pharmacist tipped me off on that). The withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms was a hideous nightmare. I wished I was dead then. I've never, NEVER been so sick in my life & it went on for months even though I tapered off very, very slowly. I have a very sensitive CNS which is probably why it was so bad for me.
I'm currently taking Celexa which doesn't give these withdrawal feelings if I don't take it at the same time each day. It does all of what Paxil does & more. I feel more euphoric on it than Paxil but not hypomanic or anything. Just happier. I'm still taking a very small dose of Paxil along with the Celexa. Even after a couple of years, it's the only way I was able to completely stop these weird symptoms. I hate Paxil - while it's not addictive, it might as well be for me. I'm going to give it a shot next summer of stopping it very slowly again. I think summer would be a better time for me than now.
If you want to be on a med forever, Paxil would be fine, but if you ever wish to reach a point where you would like to go without to see how you do, I'd never recommend Paxil to anyone. I really HATE it for its ability to get in your system & make you depend on it.
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> Hi,
> Can someone tell me the differences and similarities of Celexa vs. Paxil?
>
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of them both?
>
> I know Paxil is an SSRI that's good for social anxiety, but don't know much about Celexa.
>
> For someone who's med sensitive, especially with fatigue as a side effect, which would be the better choice?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help here,
> cindy
>
> PS - I'm currently taking 100 mg Lamictal with 100 mg Serzone -- but I cannot tolerate any more Serzone due to the fatigue, so I need to try another AD. I have tried all of them except Paxil, Celexa and Remeron (and I haven't tried any of the meds on trial, like Reboxitine.)
>
> I have also combined ADs with Wellbutrin to help with the fatigue, but it doesn't help much. Can't handle stimulants either because of the crash effect after a few days.
>
> Just some background info in case you needed it!
poster:IsoM
thread:87420
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011213/msgs/87427.html