Round #2 for Citalopram/Celexa (2 days in)... how to deal with side effects?

[Jared91USA]

Hello All,

Long time anxiety/depression sufferer, first time poster. After 17 years on a mix of antidepressants, starting with Wellbutrin/Zoloft/Paxil, I was settled mostly comfortably into an Effexor (37.5mg)/Celexa (15mg) blend for the past decade. Late 2016, effectiveness of the combo was seeming to wear off, as I started having memory issues and cognitive issues (word recollection, delayed thinking, etc.). Went the "cold turkey" rout, suffered the RIDICULOUS discontinuation symptoms for two weeks... NOTE: Do NOT go cold turkey if you can help it. Looking back on it, although I "thought" the past 4 months were going well, it was obvious that there were underlying issue creeping back up. It peaked the night before we left for vacation (figures) in the form of a massive panic attack, the first I've ever encountered. Returned back to U.S. beginning of June, started regimen of supplements/vitamins (Aceytl L-Carnitine, Turmeric, Omega-3, D3, Probiotic), met with the doctor a few times and finally decided two days ago to go back on just the Celexa since i was still feeling "off". Having a host of side-effects already (increased anxiety/dull headache/muddled thoughts/insomnia). No matter what, I'm determined to stay on it for the next two months, but I don't remember initially having so many side effects!! Any ideas on the best way to try and alleviate them while waiting for things to stabilize?!?

:emot-wave:

[panic_down_under]

Hello All,

Welcome to No More Panic, Jared :welcome:


Went the "cold turkey" rout, suffered the RIDICULOUS discontinuation symptoms for two weeks... NOTE: Do NOT go cold turkey if you can help it.

Very sound advice, especially for venlafaxine (Effexor) which is notorious for the severity of its withdrawal symptoms.


Having a host of side-effects already (increased anxiety/dull headache/muddled thoughts/insomnia).

These are all fairly typical initial SSRI side-effects. A small dose of one of the benzodiazepines (BZDs) would help with the anxiety spike. the prescription antihistamine hydroxyzine (Vistaril) would be a good alternative. It isn't quite as potent as BZDs, but often potent enough to make a significant difference. It is also mildly sedating which may help with the insomnia too, but if it proves inadequate then immediate-release trazodone (Desyrel) has become the de facto treatment for SSRI induced insomnia. Any of the common OTC painkillers should ease the dull headache, but acetaminophen, aka paracetamol, would be the pick as the NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, etc, are mild anticoagulants as are SSRIs (and also the Omega-3 supplements you're taking) which can increase the bleeding risk.