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thedaydreamer: Celexa, dizzy, woozy, headaches


thedaydreamer

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Hi,

 

44 yr old healthy male, 20 months of GAD, against my better judgement I decided to try Celexa.  Started 2.5mg then 5 then 10 then 15 then 20, with the help of my psychiatrist. He wanted to wean me up slowly

over  the course of a few months because Im anxious regarding these meds,,,, I now have been on 20mg for 11 days.  It seems that as the doses increased I have added woozyness, dizzy sensations, headaches,  jaw and face tension, and just feel really spacy....I dont think these meds are for me and I want to wean off of them, these symptoms have gotten worse over the course of a couple months,,,,has anyone had these experiences or symptoms?  Do you think that stopping the meds will make these issues subside?  I dont feel comfortable anymore and want to go it med free

 

Thanks for all replies

The Daydreamer

 

smoked medical cannabis for 17 yrs bedtime ending in 2018

had panic episode on apr 2017, been strange ever since

2014 .25 xanax at bed time for 3.5 yrs

switched to klonopin .25 1.5yrs still on

citalopram weaned up to 20mg slowly, was on a total of 6mo

took 2.5 mo to wean off in 2.5mg increments, that ended in may2019

 

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to thedaydreamer: Celexa, dizzy, woozy, headaches
  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome to SA, thedaydreamer:

Well, I'm sorry that you're going through something like this, but also glad you found this site.  I'm going to give you some info that I hope is helpful, and I'll also be asking more questions, so I hope you don't mind!

I'm curious about the timeline of your GAD and want to make sure I understand correctly.  Was the GAD what caused you to go on Celexa?  Or did the GAD start as a result of taking Celexa?  If your GAD appeared after getting on Celexa, then we are probably safe in saying that it is a side effect.  If you could post a reply and let us know what cam first, the GAD or the meds, then it would help.

It sounds like you are listening to your body and identifying that the meds aren't agreeing with you.  Your psychiatrist wanted you to titrate up slowly, which is good.  It's equally important to go slowly when coming off meds, so if you decide to taper off, you'll need to do that in small doses, too.  This site recommends tapering by 10% of your current dose, and you can read a little bit more about that at the link below:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/    

There really isn't any way to predict who will go through withdrawal and who won't.  From what I've seen, there are certainly plenty of people who hit WD, but I also have to admit that there are plenty of people who don't have WD.  Either way, slow tapering is the safest option, and you've already armed yourself with this website as a resource if you decide to get off the med.

Whatever you do, don't rapid taper and don't go off cold turkey!

I've already written a pretty long message and don't want to overwhelm you.  I'm just hoping you can bear with me to do one more thing, which is to set up a signature on SA.  signatures are only visible to site members, which you now are.  The signature is just like an email signature; it's a short blurb that automatically appears every time we post.  We use these signatures to quickly get a summary of each other's meds, so we can help out. Here's how to create your signature:

a.) Look at the top right of the page where your name appears
b.) Click on your name and you'll see a pull-down menu appear
c.) Under that menu, click on Account Settings
d.) You'll get taken to a new page.  Look at the left side of that page
e.) Click on Signature
f.) Fill out a short list of your medication history and dates you took the meds in the box that pops up.  (For example, you can write Sertraline 60 mgs from July 2016 to Sept 2018.)  
g.) Click Save and then you can go back to the rest of the site and keep chatting!

I know this is a lot of info, so if you have more questions, please ask.

 

Edited by WiggleIt
Clarification of acronyms

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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Hi

Thank you for the reply Wigglelt

 

I had a panic attack 20mo ago, since then I have never seemed to feel right after that, almost like my body is caught in a hypersensitivity loop, shortly after that episode I started to experience strange symptoms

sadness, heighted sense of body recognition, derealization, woozyness and these head pressures, then depression followed, I started to question everything and trusted nothing, I am an athlete and played 38yrs of soccer and have no experience with anything like this, however I do feel like anxiety has been mounting for a number of years, i just payed no attention to it

 

I started on a medical journey, with 50 pages of med tests and labs, MRI or brain, HA1c, full thyroid panel, testostrone, you name it, only to be told that there is nothing there and even my research lends me to believe that my values are all in functional ranges

seen multiple counselors and doctors to be told I have GAD and depression, very functional, but not the crazy wild confident guy I was

 

I started with .25 xanax a few years ago per day, got off of that then moved to klonopin .25 per day

After a year I had enough and decided to try celexa, it seems that after the celexa, some things just got more strange for me, added symptoms and just the fact of "fighting" the meds because I dont really trust them

 

I was dealing with GAD before the celexa, but it seems in some capacity it has exascerbated some things, and I am in the process of a slow taper, then the klonopin

 

I miss the guy who is still in there, but scared im trapped in this swirling scewed reality, I want to feel hope

 

Please ask me any questions you have, and thanks again!

 

Thedaydreamer

smoked medical cannabis for 17 yrs bedtime ending in 2018

had panic episode on apr 2017, been strange ever since

2014 .25 xanax at bed time for 3.5 yrs

switched to klonopin .25 1.5yrs still on

citalopram weaned up to 20mg slowly, was on a total of 6mo

took 2.5 mo to wean off in 2.5mg increments, that ended in may2019

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
On 2/14/2019 at 7:59 AM, thedaydreamer said:

Hi

Thank you for the reply Wigglelt

 

I had a panic attack 20mo ago, since then I have never seemed to feel right after that, almost like my body is caught in a hypersensitivity loop, shortly after that episode I started to experience strange symptoms

sadness, heighted sense of body recognition, derealization, woozyness and these head pressures, then depression followed, I started to question everything and trusted nothing, I am an athlete and played 38yrs of soccer and have no experience with anything like this, however I do feel like anxiety has been mounting for a number of years, i just payed no attention to it

 

I started on a medical journey, with 50 pages of med tests and labs, MRI or brain, HA1c, full thyroid panel, testostrone, you name it, only to be told that there is nothing there and even my research lends me to believe that my values are all in functional ranges

seen multiple counselors and doctors to be told I have GAD and depression, very functional, but not the crazy wild confident guy I was

 

I started with .25 xanax a few years ago per day, got off of that then moved to klonopin .25 per day

After a year I had enough and decided to try celexa, it seems that after the celexa, some things just got more strange for me, added symptoms and just the fact of "fighting" the meds because I dont really trust them

 

I was dealing with GAD before the celexa, but it seems in some capacity it has exascerbated some things, and I am in the process of a slow taper, then the klonopin

 

I miss the guy who is still in there, but scared im trapped in this swirling scewed reality, I want to feel hope

 

Please ask me any questions you have, and thanks again!

 

Thedaydreamer


Dear TheDaydreamer,

As often happens when we discuss medication histories, I have more questions after reading your reply and am still hoping you can fill out your signature on this site, because it may help curb my endless questions :)

I noticed  your most recent reply additionally mentioned taking Xanax and klonopin for years.  Is it safe for me to assume that GAD preceded Xanax and klonopin, too?  Or were you already on the benzos when you had the panic attack 20 mos. ago?

I'm trying to see if I can get an idea of whether or not you hit tolerance withdrawal on the benzos.  It could be a possibility, but I can't say for certain, and that's why I'm asking more about when you recall your depression and anxiety starting versus when you started meds (any meds).

You are not trapped in this screwy reality.  You will improve.  Was there ever a dosage of Celexa that you felt okay on, or was it bad news from the get-go?


 

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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Hi Wigglelt,

 

Ok I'll try to clear it up a bit

 

For quite some time, many years I would have a few micro brews beer with diner and then a few puffs of med marijuana before bed, it was never extreme but just consistent, usually each night and felt great for years on end

 

4yrs ago I would wake with sweaty hands and a panicky feel, this was when I was experiencing some AM anxiety but thought nothing of it, no attention to it, saw doc and he gave me .25 Xanax before bed which I never increased dosage and usually took it every night for a few yrs, no GAD, no OCD no real symptoms, just a normal life

 

As time progressed things started to get a bit worse just more anxiety and days where I did not feel a well

 

One eveving 20mo ago smoking as I usually do, I felt nauseaus and felt I was gona pass out, vision faded, go cold clammy and shaky,,,,the next day I was scared and wondered WTF was that, I became scared and obsessed over it, then things rapidly got worse

heightened anxiety, OCD , hyper awareness, rumination, no trust, and the most hated sensations of a heavy head and face, neck and shoulder tightness, sadness set in a couple weeks later, I stopped all alcohol and cannabis altogether, weeks went by before I had a beer, then months went by before I tried to smoke again, which I was fine, but I dont do it anymore, I needed not be be fearful and prove to myself Im being silly,

 

The medical tests began, everything under the sun, in the mean time having a hard time in my business, not wanted to be around people, crying nearly every day, irrational fears, but that improved over time

6 mo ago stared celexa with .25 klonopin, xanax had been stopped and made the transition,  but I swear that I felt strange, heady, numb when starting, once I got to 15mg I had a period of a month where it was a little better, then it seemed to not work any more, so I went to 20 for a week, then back down to 15 fora few days, then back to 20,,,,,I know, I reasearch too much and wind up shooting myself in the foot, I want help, seen chiros but when they touch me I get nervous and think they did something wrong and it starts and awful anxiety cycle, Im thinking now the best thing to do is NOTHING, no doctors, no research

 

soooo,,,,,2 weeks ago my car was totaled I was hit from behind, but walked away and figured I needed to see an upper cervical doctor who I had hope in, he did no cracking or poping just light atlas adjustment, it was all very light, but since monday I have felt nauseaus, and more anxious thinking he did something despite multiple people telling me otherwise, I am lucky that both my parents are in the medical field and my mom teaches mental health and had been in my psyc wards and tells me its my own mind doing this and I am my own worst enemy which is what ALL the counselors agree with

 

So as I sit here today, I am weaning of 20mg celexa after 6mo total, I dont feel its helping, I am going slow from 20 and dropping 2.5mg each time, I beleive I can do it,,,,,,,even though I am anxious, woozy, nauseas, I cant tell, if the celexa, reminents of car accident or chiro,,,,,,my gut tells me its my mind, and possible the accident

 

I hope I shed some light on things, feel free to ask away 

 

Thank you

The daydreamer

smoked medical cannabis for 17 yrs bedtime ending in 2018

had panic episode on apr 2017, been strange ever since

2014 .25 xanax at bed time for 3.5 yrs

switched to klonopin .25 1.5yrs still on

citalopram weaned up to 20mg slowly, was on a total of 6mo

took 2.5 mo to wean off in 2.5mg increments, that ended in may2019

 

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