melly: Switching from Pristiq to Celexa

November 30, 2017

I was on celebs for about 7 years 60mg. It stopped working and I was on 100mg pristine for a year. That also stopped working. The doctor weaned me off pristine and I have been on celexa for two weeks. It does not seem to be having an effect. I am wondering how long it will take to kick in generally. I am miserable.

November 30, 2017

Hi melly, and welcome to SA,

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Q: What exactly do you mean by "it stopped working"?

I suggest you read Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Dr Peter Breggin. These drugs can cause the things which they are meant to "fix".

I am taking Pristiq and when I was taking 100mg I had mild serotonin toxicity. I experienced sweating, irritibility/agitation. Once my dose got lower these improved.

When you change from one drug to another you can end up experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the first drug and start up/side effects from the second drug. You will not be able to tell what is causing what. Also, you have changed from Pristiq, an SNRI to Celexa which is an SSRI.

Please be aware that if you go to the doctor complaining about any issues he may increase your dose, switch your drug, add in a new drug. You might find that going back onto Pristiq at a lower dose (25mg or 50mg) may be worth considering, which after stabilising you would be able to reduce by SA's recommended 10% of the previous dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow your brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

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