Anyone Have Any Information On Celexa?

[JenniferInOhio]

Went to my primary care physician today. He doesn't know a lot about POTS so I hope this is an okay drug to take for anxiety and someone who has PVC and occassional quick runs of SVT. Does anyone have any experience with this drug or know anything about it?

[morgan617]

Jennifer, my son takes it and has never had any problems. he's been on it for several years now for anxiety and depression. He never had any side effects, and he does run a bit tachy (no full blown POTS stuff, but same kind of history I had at his age) He chose to use CPAP over stopping it. The pulmonologist wanted to mess with his drugs and Jake said...NAH, just give me the machine. He started at 10 mg and is taking 20 now.

Good luck sweetie...morgan (the doctor didn't think celexa was a problem, but maybe one of the other drugs he takes, but wanted to mess with all of them....he takes around 30 pills a day)

[dawn]

Jennifer,

I have been on 5 different SSRI's over the years.

Celexa works well for me. I only take 5mg daily (!/4) tablet.

It has helped so much with those nasty adrenaline surges.

Had some nausea for a couple weeks when I started but nothing since.

I also have bouts of SVT and PVC's. I have correlated

that with taking prilosec and protonix. Since being off of those I have a much

more regular heart rhythm.

I hate taking any SSRI's because I gain so much wait. But not having that

panic feeling is worth it. You wouldn't think such a low dose would do anything

but it has. I take it at bedtime.

Dawn

[JoyNtheJourney]

I have not personally taken Celexa and don't know anything about how it affects POTS. However, I thought I would add that my father has taken it for years and it works great for him.....depression, anxiety and side effects from having his prostate removed due to cancer.

I will tell you that a lot of doctors are now pushing Lexapro over Celexa. (Lexapro is the sister, so to speak, to Celexa.)

(1) Because most have samples of Lexapro to give and then you eventually buy a prescription for it. Makes the drug reps happy!

(2) Lexapro is said to have a lot of benefits over Celexa. It supposedly is more quickly absorbed resulting in a more rapid response than other SSRIs. It is also said to be more tolerable (LESS side effects such as nausea, insomnia, sleepiness, increased sweating, fatigue and sexual dysfunction).

My father would beg to differ on the side effects issue. Lexapro made him very sleepy and he DID notice increased sweating not to mention his deep depression returned that had subsided with Celexa. It should also be noted that Celexa has a generic. (Some people prefer those due to financial reasons and some absolutely will not take a generic! I can't argue with either side! )

This is probably not the information you were looking for but I thought I would mention it in case a physician attempts to switch you in the future. I have absolutely NOTHING against Lexapro and have seen many patients benefit from it greatly. But IMHO, if Celexa is working for you, really think about it before you swap to Lexapro!

Blessings,

[ajw4790]

Hi!

I think if you do a search on the board, you will find a lot of previous info. on it. I think a lot of people are given it for POTS specifically along with its other uses. I personally tried Lexapro, then switched because of money aspect to Celexa and for me it was bad, but it could have been the switch. I now take Zoloft. Drs. always say everyone is different and it often takes a couple of med trys before the "right" one is found.

So, it sounds like your dr. is looking in the right direction. Now you just have to try it!

You included the SVT and PVC's on your info. Was that just some minor abnormalities that showed up on an EKG or are they a constant problem? Do you get many PVC's in a row, or frequently, or just occasionally? Are the drs. concerned about the vtach? If it is short bouts it may not be anything of concern. I think a lot of people show these abnormalities. I know I had PVC's etc. in mine, but it is nothing right now to worry about. Just curious if they found a more profound irregularity with your EKG?

[JenniferInOhio]

ajw - My PVCs and SVT are not a concern. The SVT come and go within 10 seconds. Usually a burst of 16 fast beats and then back to normal rhythm. I have this maybe once a month. Doctor is not concerned. PVCs come and go, but not on a daily basis.

Thanks for the info!!

[Mrs. Burschman]

Jennifer,

I think the Celexa is a better choice to try than Paxil, even though Paxil works great for me. But if you ever need to get off of it, Celexa is much easier because it has a much longer half-life. Paxil is HORRIBLE to try to quit! Withdrawal city!

I'll send you a p.m. soon!

Amy