Review: Celexa Antidepressant Medication

Celexa is an antidepressant medication that is used to treat people with mood disorders and depression. It helps many people who have suicidal thoughts; however in some people it can trigger these thoughts. My daughter was prescribed another medication (Lexapro) that worked well to control her depression and anxiety, but the co-pay on that drug was out of sight. The doctor ordered Celexa as a substitute for Lexapro. For my daughter, this was not a good exchange because the antidepressant, Celexa, caused her to be severely depressed and she had frequent thoughts of suicide.

I spoke with my friend who was prescribed Celexa 6 months ago. While he was on Celexa he was acting out taking overdoses of his different medications due to suicidal thoughts. He went to the hospital twice with overdoses. When he wasn't acting out with pills, he was cutting himself with razor blades. He said he had an irresistible urge to cut himself.

Following the second hospitalization, the doctor took him off the Celexa and prescribed a new medication. It was going to be a few days before he could afford to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine filled, so when the Celexa was getting out of his system he was feeling much better. After a few good days of feeling well, he made the decision not to get the new prescription filled. He has been fine since. He has not had any depression or bad thoughts since he stopped taking the medication. He notified his doctor that he was no longer having any depression, nor was he having any thoughts of hurting himself, since he has been off medication. It has been three months now that he is symptom free.

Antidepressants such as Celexa can do wonders for lots of people, but they may not be good for everyone. For some reason, my daughter can't take it, and she can't take a number of other antidepressants for the same reason--because they worsen her anxiety, and give her thoughts about hurting herself. Apparently her chemistry does not go well with the chemicals in the medication. She reported to her doctor what Celexa was doing to her mentally and emotionally, and he changed her back to Lexapro. The decision was made that the benefit of Lexapro far outweighed the cost of it, when it allowed her to be balanced.

As her mom, I was able to see a big change in her when she took Celexa. She was crying all of the time. There never seemed to be a time when she wasn't crying. She was acting out-hurting herself in different ways. Since she is no longer taking Celexa she is no longer having unstable thoughts, nor is he having any of the depression or irritability she had before.