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Suggest Remedy For Memory Loss When On Citalopram
Question: hello, I suffer from depression and have been I was on clonazepam & wellbutrin, and was advised that the clonazepam was causing patients to lose memory and citalopram was the replacement 50 mg and the clonazepam was discontinued. I was feeling ok on my dose of clonazepam. The citalopram is causing loss of recall memory very badly....I will wander in the night like sleepwalking. and many other side effects. Has citalopram been tested and found to be the replacement for clonazepam.>
Brief Answer:
Citalopram is antidepressant
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing through HCM.
I have read your query and understood your concerns.
Citalopram is a SSRI antidepressant drug which may be given to you for depression. When your doctor has stopped welbutrin, he has started you on citalopram because welbutrin and ciralopram are both antidepressants. So, the citalopram is a replacement for welbutrin not for the clonazepam.
Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine drug which is commonly used as anxiolyitc drug and it also helps in sleep. It is not indicated in the management of insomnia but the patients of depression always have associated anxiety and to decrease the anxiety doctor usually gives clonazepam. In my patients I would have given ambien for sleep in old age because it does not have longer half life. In benzodiazepines, I would have preferred ativan 2 mg.
Citalopram as such does not cause the memory problems. It is common in elderly to experience memory problems when they are depressed. It is called pseudodementia. When you were given citalopram for depression, your clonazepam was stopped, so you would have faced some anxiety symptoms because of the sudden withdrawal of clonazepam. These anxiety can cause you concentration difficulty, which is perceived by you as recall problems.
I here suggest you to visit your doctor again and ask for sleeping pills if you have not enough sleep. If citaopram is causing you many side effects then the safer drugs can be tried like lexapro ad zoloft. You can discuss about stopping citalopram and use of these two drugs.
Citalopram is not a replacement for clonazepam. Both are different drugs.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further query then I shall be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
Citalopram is antidepressant
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing through HCM.
I have read your query and understood your concerns.
Citalopram is a SSRI antidepressant drug which may be given to you for depression. When your doctor has stopped welbutrin, he has started you on citalopram because welbutrin and ciralopram are both antidepressants. So, the citalopram is a replacement for welbutrin not for the clonazepam.
Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine drug which is commonly used as anxiolyitc drug and it also helps in sleep. It is not indicated in the management of insomnia but the patients of depression always have associated anxiety and to decrease the anxiety doctor usually gives clonazepam. In my patients I would have given ambien for sleep in old age because it does not have longer half life. In benzodiazepines, I would have preferred ativan 2 mg.
Citalopram as such does not cause the memory problems. It is common in elderly to experience memory problems when they are depressed. It is called pseudodementia. When you were given citalopram for depression, your clonazepam was stopped, so you would have faced some anxiety symptoms because of the sudden withdrawal of clonazepam. These anxiety can cause you concentration difficulty, which is perceived by you as recall problems.
I here suggest you to visit your doctor again and ask for sleeping pills if you have not enough sleep. If citaopram is causing you many side effects then the safer drugs can be tried like lexapro ad zoloft. You can discuss about stopping citalopram and use of these two drugs.
Citalopram is not a replacement for clonazepam. Both are different drugs.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further query then I shall be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
I currently am prescribed Wellbutrin XL 150 mg (3) tablets 450 mg. every morning along with Citalopram 20 mg.....I take 2 1/2 every morning (with the Wellbutrin). I was functioning well but ....... the dr. discontinued the clonazepam because of the side effects ?? put me on citalopram 2 1/2 tablets 50 mg. The change from clonazepam to citalopram seemed to mess me up. Also, I was not taking that much Wellbutrin. I had no side effects on my previous medication, but there was such a push to discontinue clonazepam (at a higher level ) for health reasons. I couldn't have gone from (right medication) to (problem medication) overnight.
Brief Answer:
I would suggest neuropsychological testing
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.
Wellbutrin 450 mg is a good dose fro depression. I would not add any antidepressant to wellbutrin in my patient because the combination of antidepressant at this high dose can cause many side effects. I would have reduced the dose of wellbutrin to 300 mg and then added another antidepressant.
You can ask your doctor to stop citalopram and add another antidepressant [I have suggested in last query] after reducing the dose of wellbutrin. The new antidepressant must be started with low dose and gradually the dose can be titrated upwards keeping watch over tolerability, efficacy and response of the drug.
Benzodiazepines are not good drugs for elderly particularly after 60 years. They make confusion and cause drowsiness with memory problems. If you have problem with initiation of sleep then ambien and other drugs of same class can be used. Benzodiazepines in long run can result in dependence and tolerance. SO, I would not advise that in my patients.
You can discuss this with your doctor and ask for starting wellbutrin again with sleep medications from the class of ambien. Follow his advice.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further clarifications then close the discussion and rate the answer.
Wish you good health.
I would suggest neuropsychological testing
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.
Wellbutrin 450 mg is a good dose fro depression. I would not add any antidepressant to wellbutrin in my patient because the combination of antidepressant at this high dose can cause many side effects. I would have reduced the dose of wellbutrin to 300 mg and then added another antidepressant.
You can ask your doctor to stop citalopram and add another antidepressant [I have suggested in last query] after reducing the dose of wellbutrin. The new antidepressant must be started with low dose and gradually the dose can be titrated upwards keeping watch over tolerability, efficacy and response of the drug.
Benzodiazepines are not good drugs for elderly particularly after 60 years. They make confusion and cause drowsiness with memory problems. If you have problem with initiation of sleep then ambien and other drugs of same class can be used. Benzodiazepines in long run can result in dependence and tolerance. SO, I would not advise that in my patients.
You can discuss this with your doctor and ask for starting wellbutrin again with sleep medications from the class of ambien. Follow his advice.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further clarifications then close the discussion and rate the answer.
Wish you good health.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
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