Posted by Elizabeth on February 16, 1999, at 14:18:03
In reply to medicine question-when is it a long enough trial, posted by Dona on February 16, 1999, at 13:04:48
> I have been on 20mg of Celexa since 1/25. My depression in better most days, but I hardly feel totally balanced yet. How long does a person stay on a med to get full befefits. And I never feel like I get enough rest unless I take xanax or ambien. Are these drugs really wrong for everyday use, if they help? I am so tired of feeling "out of balance."
I would say that is not a long enough trial, especially since 20mg is on the low end for Celexa. Six weeks seems to be enough time to determine that something is not working; if you're having a partial response at low dose (and it's still a little early to say for sure whether this is the best that 20mg will give you) and with no intolerable side effects, try to stick with it if you can.
My own experience has been that I don't develop a tolerance to Ambien, but you're also likely to hear from some people who say it stopped working for them after a while. Chronic insomnia is a nasty thing to have to deal with.
(Xanax is likely to stop helping you sleep if you take it too often.)
Was sleep a problem for you before you started the Celexa? It can be a side effect of some antidepressants, although it tends to get better after you've been taking the antidepressant for a while. It could also, of course, be part of your depression.
Good luck, eh?
poster:Elizabeth
thread:3006
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990201/msgs/3008.html