trying different medication

Hiya,

I'd say it was pretty normal. I have never had to switch AD and have neither taken Welbutrin or Celexa, but I know about Withdrawl Syndrome and you can get it when you switch meds as well as when you come off meds. I would say (as a personal opinion) that if it lasts more than a couple of weeks or if it gets a lot worse, then I would see your doctor.

Darren

thanks for the information and encouragement from everyone.  These drugs are so unpredictable.  I was finally able to sleep with the help of a xanax and today I feel better and took a nap this afternoon. 

I have been struggling with depression for over 17 years now and every  4 years or so I have a really low episode.  I've been home from work all week and I'm hoping the change in routine and meds as well as more frequent visits to the therapist will pull me out.

I really hate the way this disease criples my life.  I also hate that I feel such shame about the depression.

Anyway, i am glad to have found this site.

I've been taking Lexapro which is a newer (and more expensive) version of Celexa.

I will probably be switching to Celexa. Lexapro is $60 a month (with insurance) and I can get generic Celexa for $4 at "Wallyworld". My first doctor was willing to make the switch but kept me on Lexapro (with samples) for longer to make sure it's the right drug for me. I hope my new doctor will be as flexible. (I got new insurance at work and had to find a new doctor that is on my plan.)

After the first 3 weeks on Lexapro (5mg) I told my doctor that I didn't think it was working. So we started upping the dose, till I got to 20mg. I had told my doc that I hadn't been sleeping more than I few hours at a time (even before starting Lexapro) and she added Trazodone (50mg, very low dose) at bedtime. I am now almost sleeping through the night. Not prefect, but much better. It's and older mild AD that is often used as a non-habit forming sleep aid, and it helps boost the effectiveness of Lexapro. It's cheap too.

The only side effects that I've had are dizziness and headaches. The dizziness was when I first started it and the headaches have come on each time I've upped the dose. I've been at 20mg/day of Lexapro for a week now and it was a rough week. I have had splitting headaches for most of the last week. The headaches have gotten better in the last day or two and are pretty much gone now. Side effects happen, but they usually go away within a week or two.

I would not trade how much better I am feeling now than I was 6 weeks ago, for something that didn't give me headaches. I stuck it out because I was pretty sure the side effects would go away in time. If they hadn't I would be talking to my doctor about finding something else to try.

There are a lot of different drugs available to you, you just need to find the one that works for you.

Hope that helps.
~blue