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General Info About Celexa Citalopram – Uses and Effects

Citalopram may be the answer to your symptoms of depression.

By Patricia SarkarPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

As a psychiatrist, during my career, I met many different cases. Depression and anxiety were the most frequent diagnosis, and since every patient is an individual, prescribed treatments varied. Some of them didn't need medications, others just needed to talk to someone. The more difficult cases required therapy with strong antidepressants.

In this text, I will share with you some experiences of my patients with the latest generation antidepressant, Citalopram, or Celexa, as its brand name.

How To Discover Depression

Depression is a disease that causes disturbances in both the mental and physical spheres of an individual. Most people experience several sad situations during their lives. These are some disturbing and stressful events, like the death in the family, loss of work, or financial problems.

Many things can be a cause for depression, and if this is the current state and it didn't last longer than a couple of days, most likely there is no reason to worry. We are not machines, we have feelings, and it's normal for us to have these episodes in our lifetime.

However, there are people who feel depressed without any obvious reason. A true depression should be suspected when the person is continually feeling sad for two weeks or longer, and when nothing can make them happy. Unfortunately, many patients ask for a professional help only after a few months or years, when specific symptoms have already advanced and affect their daily lives.

Overview of Celexa Citalopram

I would like to briefly introduce you an antidepressant Celexa, to understand how it affected my patients. Citalopram is the principal substance in this medicine and is usually found at a dose of Celexa Generic 20 mg Tablets. The maximum recommended dose is 40mg, but there are some cases when triple dose (60mg) is required.

Therapies usually start with a lower dose and recommend the patients to buy Citalopram from Meds4sure.com:Celexa Citalopram Prozac Lexapro Zoloft Cymbalta Celexa Paxil 40MG or other regulated online pharmacies and continue to monitor patient's condition over the next couple of days. If there is no improvement, the dose should be increased until the positive effects manifest. This is one of few antidepressants which can be found in the form of syrup, with the mild taste of peppermint.

I won't bother you with professional terms, but it is important for you to know that Citalopram from Celexa affects specific enzymes in our brain, which control the level of energy in the organism. Good mood depends on the level of serotonin, also known as the happiness hormone, in our body, and antidepressants should regulate that level.

Celexa Citalopram for Treating Bipolar Disorder

The first case I will present to you is about bipolar disorder (manic depression). The patient was a 22-year-old student. At the very beginning, I want to mention that there are possible contraindications of Celexa present in young patients, such as the appearance of suicidal thoughts. Although this is not the usual case, it is advisable to observe the patient during the first weeks after the start of therapy.

The patient comes from an ordinary, middle-class family, which always has been supporting her, but that also was high stress for her. For whole life, she was trying to meet the family expectations, for example, to be an outstanding student and athlete, and further, committed wife and mother. Slowly, she started to "crack" under pressure.

Since I found out that there was a family history of several mental illnesses, it did not take much for the patient to experience the symptoms of bipolar disorder. According to her story, the episodes of laughter, fear, and sadness were shifting in almost even cycles. When it comes to family, depression is present because she considered she doesn't meet their expectations.

While in college, there were constant fears she will not be able to achieve the success that is expected of her. When she was alone, the patient felt relaxed because there was no pressure on either side. However, she admitted she had thought about suicide on several occasions.

Apart from an obligatory conversation with her family and getting to know her parents with the situation, I prescribed her therapy with Celexa. To start, I gave her the dose of 10mg, with regular controls.

I must say that, in a short time, the results amazed me. After two months, considerable progress was made. The fact that the patient talked openly with her parents helped a lot. Problems were almost solved without increasing the dose.

She didn't have panic attacks, and extreme sadness was history. From time to time, the patient had nightmares. Also, she reported dry mouth and occasional nausea. Just in case, to avoid recurrence, I extended her therapy to six months, after which the dose was halved.

Precautions

Side effects that have occurred in the patient are common but do not have to manifest. In addition to aforementioned nausea, hypersensitivity to some substance, rash, and redness may occur. If you notice the appearance of any swelling anywhere on the body, contact your doctor. You may have an allergic reaction to the drug.

More dangerous side effects occur in a small number of cases, but we will mention them. These are: worsening of symptoms of anxiety, sleep problems, intensified aggression. If you notice any of these symptoms (any of these should appear immediately at the beginning of the treatment, since the effect of the drug starts after a week), report them to your doctor. Suicidal thoughts are possible if you’re a newbie in taking antidepressants. Never use it before you talk to your doctor; they’ll inform you about everything you need to know, and you should do the same.

Also, if you have a history of illness, such as liver or kidney damages, or diabetes, be sure to inform your doctor. There are several hundreds of drugs with which Citalopram should not be used. There are conflicting opinions about the use of Celexa, but also other antidepressants, in pregnant women. When you are pregnant or plan a pregnancy, it is advisable to inform your physician about this. By breast milk, some components of the drug can come to the newborn, which is not desirable.

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About the Creator

Patricia Sarkar

Raised on a steady diet of makeup and games. Eager to share my experiences with the world and make a difference, article by article! :)

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