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taking Celexa(citalopram) while tapering prednisone.

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Posted 9/5/2014 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
hey guys so i am tapering off prednisone 5mg every other day for this week then 5mg twice a week for next week and then stop it. however the side effects are still kicking in, specially depression and feeling really down, not wanting to do anything and low energy level. my gi gave me Rx for Celexa 20mg for depression. i was wondering how long would i need to take it even after i have stopped prednisone next week. and can i get addicted to celexa? or i can stop it after 1 month if i feel better.
Posted 9/6/2014 3:24 AM (GMT 0)
I think celexa takes a long time to show results but i am not sure. It's kind of weird that your GI gave it to you without giving you some kind of direction on what to expect. Maybe you should see someone specifically for the depression. I don't think one month of celexa would do much.
Posted 9/6/2014 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
Did you have depression before you started tapering? If so, Celexa might be a good choice. But if the depression only started during the taper, this might not be the right treatment. And no, using Celexa for the short term, one month, is not a good idea. I think you need to talk with your primary physician about this and be honest about your feelings. I was depressed for about a year while taking prednisone and I chalked it up to being the side effect of the drug. Turns out that six months completely off the drug and I was still depressed and went on ADs.

Sue
Posted 9/6/2014 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Celexa is an SSRI type anti-depressant. These are not addictive, but do need to be tapered to avoid unpleasant side effects. To just go on this for a month is pointless as SSRI's can take 3-4 weeks before they even begin to work.

I went on Lexapro (another SSRI) when I was put on prednisone, but more because of the anxiety pred was causing me at high dosages. What I found is not only did it help with the anxiety, but later on when I went off pred and then went off Lexapro, I wound up going back on the Lexapro due to anxiety I never realized I was living with pre-pred. Since stress seems to play a big part in me flaring, the Lexapro has really, really helped.

The lack of energy and lowness you are feeling is a typical symptom of coming off pred. & will eventually go away. So I think you need to ask yourself if you feel that you suffer from any depression/anxiety minus the pred. If so, this could help. If it's never been an issue then I probably wouldn't bother with the Celexa. However, keep in mind I didn't even know I was living with anxiety until I saw the difference between me on Lexapro & me off Lexapro.
Posted 9/6/2014 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
I never had anxiety/depression before being put on prednisone. It all started when i was on high dose 60mg of pred. So i think i'll just wait few weeks after i have stopped pred to see if depression goes away.
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