Posted by bwdc on June 10, 2002, at 8:25:48
In reply to Celexa, posted by Dawn Owenby on March 1, 1999, at 20:33:19
I am scheduled to start on Celexa next week and I am hoping against hope that the one side effect I do not have is weight gain.
I was on Prozac for 1 1/2 years and enjoyed quite a bit of weight loss (25 lbs). Don't get me wrong, I also enjoyed a relief of my depression. At 1 1/2 years in, having been tired all day long yet anxious at actual bedtime, I switched to taking the Prozac about an hour before bed and this helped with the nightime sleeplessness tremendously. But then I started to feel a return of depression symptoms during the day. We keep the Prozac at night and added Wellbutrin in the mornings. I didn't like the idea of being on two meds - I felt like I was taking "uppers" in the morning and "downers" at night. I went through a period where during an illness I stopped my meds altogether due to just forgetting to take them and being to sick/tired to get up and do it when I remembered. I felt like I was coping ok off the meds so I stayed off for a couple months. Noticing a return of especially the mood swings and anger, I got myself back on the Prozac but I never really had the results I had had previously. Started seeing a therapist and was diagnosed with Post Trauma Stress Disorder due to childhood sexual abuse. Switched to Paxil for panic attacks. The Paxil did work great for panic but the weight gain - 5 to 8 lbs every couple weeks. That brought back a major reoccurrence of the depression. I honestly don't know which was the symptom or the cause. Was the weight gain a symptom of the depression or did the depression come back because of the weight gain? Don't know?! All I know is that I was spiraling out of control. I didn't want to be looked at or touched by my boyfriend 'cause I was ashamed I had gained back all the weight. I didn't want to go anywhere and see in people's faces - "OMG she's huge". It was all in my head but it was real to me and it's hurts a lot!
So, here I am, like I said, scheduled to start Celexa next week and am hopeful. I want what I guess we all want - something to control both my depression and anxiety/panic but won't make me fat.
I'm also concerned about the sleepiness. I've seen people mention 10-13 hrs of sleep a night and trouble waking in the morning. I am a single parent to two young boys and have recently switced my work hours for the summer to avoid child care expenses. I'm worried I'll fall asleep when I should be looking after my kids. Or that I won't be able to keep up with the earlier hours at work. I go throught that now with the fatigue from the depression but I'm trying to fix that not make it worse.
I know all meds effect people different - I'm just hoping to finally have found the right fix.
poster:bwdc
thread:3323
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/109362.html