Question about anti-depressants....?

Question

Do you know about the warnings on anti-depressants saying that they are making the patient more suicidal instead of helping them? My question is...if this happens that someone is thinking of suicide after starting a new medication...how soon does that start? Can it start as early as the 2nd day or does it take several weeks for that to happen? The medication is Celexa.

Answer 1

Generally speaking, if you start feeling suicidal, particularly after starting a new medication, you need to seek professional help right away. It doesn't really matter if it's the chemicals in the pills or something else entirely, the suicidal thinking is what you need to address.

The Celexa literature I can find quickly says this about changes in suicidal thinking: "Families and caregivers of patients should be advised to observe for the emergence of such symptoms on a day-to-day basis, since changes may be abrupt. "

This, while not specific, suggests that you should be on the lookout for this on day 1. (While most antidepressants are slower acting, it may be that this side effect is caused by a slightly different mechanism.)

Take care, and be careful.

Answer 2

I would ask a doctor to be sure, but it takes a few weeks for a new medication to get in your system. Also, the suicidal side-effect is USUALLY (not always) due to a person being under-treated for depression or misdiagnosed as depressed when they are in fact bipolar. Often children under 18 years old are more prone to this side-effect when taking antidepressents, due to the fact that brain chemistry in children is different and the human brain continues to develop until age 18.

If you are feeling suicidal, do not hesitate to call your doctor or even 911. It's not your fault, a personality flaw, or a weakness. Just an illness. I always remind people that it is also a life-threatening illness, and I can't stress that enough. Even knowing the symptom will go away won't always help a person in that state. I've been there. I'm bipolar myself, and thoughts still creep into my head from time to time. That's when it's time to call the doctor or therapist. Don't be afraid of "bothering" someone or that you'll be okay later. Just get help if you need it.

Do take care,
R

Answer 3

I'm not sure about the suicidal effects but with some anti-depressants I've had negative side effects within 48 hours. I do have a sensitivity to most drugs though so that might effect things but if you think somethings wrong don't hesitate to call your doctor immediately. I've always wondered about those tests they run though...because really aren't patient using the anti-depressants most prone to suicide anyways? I got bumped off of Effexor (which was a miracle pill for me) because of some study that said it would make me kill myself. And apparently having been on it for 2 years, having it almost completely stop my depression and migraines, wasn't enough proof that it was fine for me for my doctors to let me keep taking it. Ok end rant sorry. But whatever you do if you feel something is wrong seek help sooner rather than later. It's true that the full dose doesn't build up in your system for about a week but if you're having issues with just a little waiting until the full dose has built up could be a serious issue. Good luck!

Answer 4

Ok, here's a list of all the different classes of anti-depressants. Underneath the class of each drug you will find a listing of brand names if the drug currrently has NO restrictions on the manufacture of generic equivalents. Someone just mentioned Paxil: I too had a reaction (aggression) to Paxil many, many years ago. If you look you will see that the class to which Paxil belongs is entirely different to the class that Celexa belongs to. Paxil is a very very very old drug as far as anti-depressants go. There has been so much improvement in these drugs in the intervening period - the time between then and now- that the possibility of experiencing side effects, their severity and duration has been dramatically reduced. Celexa is an excellent choice because it has few side effects associated with it. My own doctor put me on it three days ago. I had been on Effexor for many years but had been experiencing nightsweats. Personally, I put it down to perimenopause (I don't blame the "Effexor" aka "Venlafaxine" on this list) but let's see what happens...

Citalopram belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is sold under the brand-names Celexa™ (U.S., Forest Laboratories, Inc.)

HERE'S THE LIST:

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI)
Harmaline, Iproclozide, Iproniazid, Isocarboxazid, Nialamide, Phenelzine, Selegiline, Toloxatone, Tranylcypromine

Reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA)
Brofaromine, Moclobemide

Dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DARI)
Amineptine, Phenmetrazine, Vanoxerine

Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors
Bupropion

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI) or (NARI)
Atomoxetine, Maprotiline, Reboxetine, Viloxazine

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI)
Duloxetine, Milnacipran, Venlafaxine

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
Alaproclate, Etoperidone, Citalopram, Escitalopram, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine, Sertraline, Zimelidine

Selective serotonin reuptake enhancer (SSRE)
Tianeptine

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)
Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Butriptyline, Clomipramine, Desipramine, Dibenzepin, Dothiepin, Doxepin, Imipramine, Iprindole, Lofepramine, Melitracen, Nortriptyline, Opipramol, Protriptyline, Trimipramine

Tetracyclic antidepressants
Maprotiline, Mianserin, Nefazodone, Trazodone

NK1 receptor antagonists
Aprepitant

Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA) Mirtazapine.

Answer 5

Celexa is a medication for the treatment of depression. Celexa helps to restore the brain's chemical balance by increasing the supply of a substance in the brain called serotonin. Celexa appears to relieve depression by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.Celexa is an antidepressant that is a member of the family of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Celexa helps to restore the brain's chemical balance by increasing the supply of a substance in the brain called serotonin. Celexa appears to relieve depression by increasing serotonin without affecting many of the other chemicals in the brain that influence mood.Celexa has a favorable side-effect profile. Most side effects are mild to moderate, and tend to go away as Celexa is continuously used. The most frequent side effects reported with Celexa are nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, insomnia, increased sweating, tremor, diarrhea, and problems with ejaculation.Celexa does not interfere with the metabolism of many drugs. However, you need to make sure you tell your doctor or other healthcare professional if you are taking, or planning to take, any medicine—even the types you buy over the counter. As with other SSRIs, caution is indicated in the coadministration of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with Celexa.Be sure to keep follow-up appointments with your doctor or other healthcare professional. They need to know how you are doing and might want to change your treatment plan. In addition to taking a medication, you may also want to participate in psychotherapy or "talk therapy". These counseling sessions can provide you with valuable support that can help you better understand how depression affects you and ways you can cope with the illness. While the doctor or other healthcare professional should be the main source of support in depression treatment, talking with a close friend or family member can sometimes be very helpful.Lexapro is a more potent SSRI than Celexa and is better tolerated in the treatment of both depression and anxiety. In a study of patients with moderate to severe depression 47% of patients who did not respond to Celexa treatment responded to treatment with Lexapro.1,2 You can read more about the benefits of Lexapro at www.Lexapro.com.
Depression is a real medical condition that affects one in four women and one in ten men. However, each person has a unique set of circumstances that need individual attention and treatment.
So if the threat increases before it is brought down it may be sooner within a week if your friend lapses in judgement.goodluck

Answer 6

Normally, it takes at least a week or two for a new antidepressant medication to build up in your system in order for you to receive any relief/benefit from it, so I would imagine the same would apply for any negative side effects such as this. However, regardless of the medication you're taking or how long you've been taking it, if you're thinking of suicide, please seek help. Talk to your doctor/counselor, or if you can't get an appointment, go to the ER and they will help you. Please don't wait to see if it's just a side effect of the new medication. However, don't stop taking the medication abruptly without a doctor's recommendation or monitoring because this could make your condition worse. Please get help. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Answer 7

Suicidal thoughts are not a side effect of Celexa. Unless your manic depressive in which case it may worsen your condition.

The possibility of suicide exists in severely depressed patients and may be present until the condition is significantly improved. Severely depressed people should be allowed to carry only small quantities of SSRI's to limit the risk of overdose.

If you are seriously entertaining suicidal thought get back to your doctor! ASAP.

Answer 8

Everyone is different. If your thoughts are worsening call your doctor--have him paged. Some of them do have warnings of increased suicidal thoughts. I don't know about that one though.

Answer 9

when i was on paxil it took about two weeks for it to make me feel suicidal.... luckily the switched my meds right away.... there is no approx. time it either happens or it doest ... without any warning

Answer 10

it simply means that the medication is not working.... u have to give the medication time to start its action.... maybe 3 or 4 weeks. if the patient is still sucidal, then u might have to switch to another anti-depressant.... have u tried.... zoloft, zyprexa, depakote, trazodone or other ssri's ? CAUTION: PLEASE USE THE ABOVE ONLY UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION ONLY!!!....