Update--saw psychiatrist, etc.

Hi Everyone,

I first posted in this group a few weeks ago.

I finally saw a psychiatrist yesterday for the first time in several years. I've been taking citalopram (Celexa) for the past seven years, just getting refills from my GP.

The psychiatrist has kept the citalopram script the same and added Wellbutrin. I got the prescription filled but haven't taken it yet because I am nervous about it. It is currently 150 mg/day with the option to double that to 300 mg.

I've also been scheduled to see an addiction counselor because while we are not certain I am an "addict," I do tend to use marijuana and alcohol to "self-medicate."

Anyway, I am uncertain to take the Wellbutrin because I think maybe some of my depression could be because of aftereffects of alcohol and pot.

That's where I'm at right now.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

as with f27. take it, and see how ya go. keep strong.

You said:

"I finally saw a psychiatrist yesterday for the first time in several years. I've been taking citalopram (Celexa) for the past seven years, just getting refills from my GP."

"The psychiatrist has kept the citalopram script the same and added Wellbutrin. I got the prescription filled but haven't taken it yet because I am nervous about it. It is currently 150 mg/day with the option to double that to 300 mg."

You said you are taking "Celexa" anti-depressant.

A person I know has been taking that, and she went to the ER about 2 weeks ago for back pain, and they gave her Librium tranquilizer. It almost killed her.

After she went home and took it, she had throwing up and constipation. Two more trips to the ER the next two days, and they kept giving her more Librium, which made her constipation worse and she kept throwing up, with so little energy she said she couldn't even knock the flies off of her.

When she went to fill the Librium script that the ER had given her, her female pharmacist told her, "Librium and Celexa don't go good together. They attack one of the organs." (She said it was attacking her pancreas, because she already had pancriatus.)

So she in effect quit taking the Librium and her constipation, with an over the counter med for that, went away.

One of the side effects of Celexa is constipation and throwing up, so maybe the Librium bumps that up somehow.

So, you're also going to two doctors, which could increase chances something could go wrong. If you walk into one of those offices and tell the doctor, I need a tranquilizer, you could get Librium, to go with your also taking Celexa.

I checked on net for the combination of Librium and Celexa and no data appeared, but that pharmacist had read something about that.

(I have posted this same story on this forum yesterday under the headline "Librium and Celexa together can cause huge problems.")

I took the Wellbutrin for three days. It was making me feel spacey, removed, reducing my sex drive, and causing sleeplessness. So, I stopped taking it. I think I'm just going to stick to Celexa and Buspar and try to do more meditation and other self-care strategies. I really don't want to be on another med right now.

I'm confused. In your first post you mentioned only Celexa, nothing about buspar. I think buspar and Wellbutrin are similar, if not the same, drug. Did your psychiatrist know about the buspar?

Yes, sorry, I forgot to mention taking Buspar. What happened was I neglected to refill that prescription for a few weeks but didn't really feel any effects (except some heightened anxiety) so the doc said I didn't have to refill it but could start the Wellbutrin instead. Well now I think I was better with the Celexa-Buspar combo because the Buspar actually helped with the sexual side effects of Celexa, but I almost think that maybe the Wellbutrin actually increased the sexual side effects of the Celexa.

I know a lot of my current mood issues come from my use/abuse of marijuana and alcohol. If I can just get to where I either cut those down or eliminate them, I think I could feel a lot better. I know that when I do go several days without them, I feel much better, more energetic, and clear-headed. The problem is that even with a few days or several days of abstinence, I always end up drinking and smoking again, and thus begins the cycle: sober for a handful of days, feel better, then have a few days of drinking and smoking, feel like crap, sober up, feel better, use, feel bad, and round and round it goes. If I could break that cycle and be sober for an extended period of time, then I think I could be in a much better place to truly accurately assess whether I really need to add another med (such as Wellbutrin).

Does that make sense?