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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by devon00 on May 20, 2004, at 3:42:45
I recently went without insurance and therefore had to wean myself off Lexapro. Now I have coverage but my insurance only covers Celexa, so I've started taking that. Since a few weeks after starting Celexa, my appetite had DOUBLED. I mean, I'm hungry all of the time. I snack between meals, eat peanut butter out of the jar and fantasize about chocolate. This is not normal for me. In the past, I have gained A LOT of weight (60+ lbs!) on various antidepressants, including Celexa, so I am very hesitant to continue on this medication. I am a short girl with a naturally small appetite, so it's very upsetting to be hungry all of the time and pack on the pounds even though I work out and am usually naturally thin (under 120).
Also, I have concerns about other side effects. On Celexa I tend to experience a complete lack of motivation. My sleep is sometimes disrupted (usually at 4AM on the dot, go figure!) and I have a very hard time rousing myself in the morning.
My depression tends to be an irritable, paranoid/anxious sort of thing. Sometimes I feel that without an antidepressant I am more antisocial and tend to more argumentative with others. I also am somewhat anxious. I should mention that my dad was bipolar, so I might have a "bipolar type depression." For these reasons, I'm scared to go without the help of an antidepressant. But frankly, gaining weight is VERY depressing and I have my doubts about how much the medication is helping. I just don't know what to do. Does my symptom profile suggest any other medications that might have fewer side effects? Is Lexapro really better as far as weight gain & other side effects?
Please help. I am currently shopping for a therapist so it might be a while before I can discuss these issues with him/her. In the meantime, I want to decide whether I should go off Celexa. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
Posted by Bill LL on May 20, 2004, at 10:21:00
In reply to Celexa problems/Lexapro better?, posted by devon00 on May 20, 2004, at 3:42:45
There are 2 things that I can think of:
1) change the dose of Celexa, or
2) have your doctor contact the insurance company to make an exception for you to cover Lexapro
The dose equivalance of Lexapro and Celexa is not exactly known but is probably about 3 to 1. So if you had been doing good on 10 mg of Lexapro, then you might need 30mg of Celexa. Some people find that the conversion is 4 to 1 meaning that you would need 40 mg Celexa.
People are sometimes able to get insurance companies to cover drugs if the doctor argues for it.
If you have a hard time getting to see a therapist, just go to your regular family doctor in the meantime.
This is the end of the thread.
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