Celexa side effects

[omnomnom]

I have been on Celexa for about four months. For the first couple I was taking 20mg per day. I had gone from moderate to severe anxiety to feeling "like a puddle" as I described it to my provider. He then reduced the dosage to 10mg. Now I feel amazing most days. I still have mild anxiety attacks every now and then (I've been given Klonopin for those occurences), and I still suffer from symptoms of depression on days like today.

The reason I feel especially depressed today is because I had to have a talk with my boyfriend last night about how my sex drive has all but disappeared. I used to enjoy being intimate with him (obviously), but in the past few months, it's all but gone. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this with Celexa.

[Robbed]

Unfortunately, about 60% of people who take SSRI antidepressants experience a loss of sex drive. This is probably one of the biggest reasons people have for giving up on SSRIs. There are really only two things that can be done about it. You can try to find another medication which doesn't give you this side effect. But there aren't alot of antidepressants out there that DON'T carry this side effect. And any different medication you try may not work as well for you in terms of symptom reduction and/or freedom from other side effects. The other option is to opt out of medication and treat your anxiety disorder by nonpharmaceutical means (such as CBT). This is ultimately the better solution in the long term than taking any kind of medication (medication will NEVER cure you and will often 'poop out' after a while). However, it will inevitably mean learning to accept and live with your anxiety symptoms for some time until they gradually go away on their own. The choice is ultimately yours.

[DaneV]

Talk to your doctor about these sexual side effects. There are several options to counter these side effects, like switching to another medication or adding a low dose of a NDRI (like Wellbutrin) to your Celexa.

[jessikachu]

I was on Celexa for 7 months. I started out at 20mg and eventually went to 40mg. It worked wonders for me, but I too had a complete loss of sex drive. I didn't really notice at first because my boyfriend is on 3 different meds that decrease sex drive, but after awhile I realized that it wasn't just him, it was me too. I had to stop taking the Celexa because I gained 40lbs over this time and continued to gain. I tried Prozac after that (my doc said it might help me lose weight) it didn't work, it actually made my anxiety worse (a common thing with the drug) and I continued to gain weight and have a loss of sex drive. I'm off all medication now and my sex drive has returned (lol). If you're intent on staying on the meds I would explore other options. I just personally realized that I wanted to have another go at coping without meds. Everyone is different.
Good luck!

PS: Being on the meds for some time made me realize what its like to feel "normal" and now that I'm off them I'm realizing that I able to cope with my anxiety a lot better than before I took the meds. I think it gives you perspective on dealing with day to day anxieties. I'm not "cured", but things are a lot brighter. There IS hope.