Posted by dr. dave on November 24, 2002, at 15:46:01
In reply to Re: Side-effects - best data » dr. dave, posted by ayuda on November 24, 2002, at 12:20:36
The plain truth is that there are NO SIDE-EFFECTS that any scientific study has shown to be significantly less on Lexapro than Celexa. The scary thing is that while this is absolutely clear cut, and the research is available publicly, people are still being led to believe Lexapro has an advantage on this.
While it cannot be proved that you will definitely get the same disconnected feeling on Lexapro, it seems overwhelmingly likely. There is abundant evidence that the side-effect profiles are essentially identical (see below). So, do you judge for yourself on the basis of the evidence, or do you just go with what you're being told even though it makes no sense? It's up to you. You have the power (as does everyone else reading this) to refuse to accept being told what to believe and to find out the facts for yourself.
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> The worst side effect I had from Celexa, and the number one reason I had to go off of it, was a feeling of what I called "disconnection." That is, I felt like I wasn't part of the experiences I was going through. It's kind of hard to explain, but it isn't one of those things that is usually listed from any study, because you can't measure it physically. I just felt like I wasn't there, that my "self" had left me. If anyone has ever seen Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routine about being in a NYC taxi-cab -- or if you've ever been in a NYC taxi-cab -- it's a similar thing: you know you are there, and (intellectually) that you are part of the experience, but emotionally or psychically you are just watching.
>
> So my point is this: my doctor (a psychiatrist) is under the impression that Lexapro has NONE of the side effects that Celexa has. From Dr. Dave's post, I can see that that is not true, and in some cases (such as insomnia) it has a higher instance of adverse effects. When I told my doctor last week that several people on this site have been experiencing insomnia, she said that that has not been her experience. I don't know who else she has on this medication, or how comfortable they are with telling her about their s/e's, but I think that she is buying into the idea that this medication has NO s/e's, and will be unwilling to listen to my complaints about it. Especially if I start to experience that disconnection again.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with the side effect I am talking about, or something similar? What are the chances that it is something that I will also find in Lexapro? I know that that is an unfair question, but I am also not all that knowledgeable about what s/e's the scientists think are not a part of Lexapro that are present in using Celexa -- I have read the website for the medications, etc., and still don't have a clue. I am a PhD student and my mom's a nurse -- if I can't figure out what these things are saying, I can't imagine what anyone who is less familiar with this kind of information will get out of it.
>
>
> > Dear Pharmrep,
> >
> > Good to see you back! The idea that Lexapro has fewer side-effects than Celexa seems to be floating around again. I presented the most recent and accurate data on this a while back and invited your comments. I may have missed them so forgive me if I am needlessly repeating myself, but it would be good to be clear about your views on this.
> >
> > > The relative side-effects of Lexapro and Celexa are as follows
> > >
> > >
> > > Side effect..........................Lexapro..............Celexa
> > >
> > > Headache............................15.8%..............19.9%
> > > Nausea................................15.0%..............17.2%
> > > Ejaculation disorder..............9.3%(of men)...8.8%
> > > Insomnia..............................9.2%................8.6%
> > > Diarrhoea.............................8.0%...............10.8%
> > > Somnolence.........................6.9%................4.7%
> > > Mouth dry............................6.2%...............8.1%
> > > Upper resp tract infection.....6.2%...............3.9%
> > > Dizziness..............................6.0%...............5.6%
> > > Flu-like symptoms................5.0%...............6.1%
> > > Rhinitis.................................4.9%...............5.6%
> > > Sinusitis................................4.3%...............5.1%
> > >
> > >
> > > 'Overall, the type and frequency of TEAEs (treatment-emergent adverse events) reported with escitalopram and citalopram were very similar, and are in line with AEs reported for citalopram previously. For the TEAEs listed (above) there were no statistically significant differences for incidences of these events between the escitalopram and citalopram treatment groups.'
> > >
> > >
> > > This is the official information from Lundbeck about relative side-effects. I wonder if you still stand by the comments that Lexapro has fewer side-effects than Celexa, and that Celexa causes somnolence while Lexapro does not?
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
poster:dr. dave
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021122/msgs/129075.html