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What Causes Nausea And Diarrhea While On Cipralex For Anxiety?
Question: Hello,
We have chatted previously about my anxiety and meds.
I was on cipralex from 2009 to 2014 November, at 20 mg and loved it.
This past XXXXXXX anxiety came back and I tried again cipralex, which landed me to the emergency after 3 days.
At the emergency, I was prescribed celexa, which is a sister drug of cipralex.
I started with 5 then 10 and now I'm on 20 mg. I've had nausea every since I started it, on XXXXXXX 14, but it's a side effect, and I was willing to go along.
Now, I'm day 17 at 20 mg celexa, and in the past 2 days, I felt worst than ever with nausea, vomiting and diareea.
I was told I might have to go up to 30 mg, which would be the equivalent to 20 mg cipralex I used to take.
What's your take on this? Is it normal that after 17 days at 20 mg (almost a month in total if you count the 5mg and 10 mg days) to have worst nausea than before?
Would upping the dose to 30 help?
Thank you so much....
We have chatted previously about my anxiety and meds.
I was on cipralex from 2009 to 2014 November, at 20 mg and loved it.
This past XXXXXXX anxiety came back and I tried again cipralex, which landed me to the emergency after 3 days.
At the emergency, I was prescribed celexa, which is a sister drug of cipralex.
I started with 5 then 10 and now I'm on 20 mg. I've had nausea every since I started it, on XXXXXXX 14, but it's a side effect, and I was willing to go along.
Now, I'm day 17 at 20 mg celexa, and in the past 2 days, I felt worst than ever with nausea, vomiting and diareea.
I was told I might have to go up to 30 mg, which would be the equivalent to 20 mg cipralex I used to take.
What's your take on this? Is it normal that after 17 days at 20 mg (almost a month in total if you count the 5mg and 10 mg days) to have worst nausea than before?
Would upping the dose to 30 help?
Thank you so much....
Brief Answer:
Please see the details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through your query in detail and can understand your concern regarding the possible side effects of the medicines.
Cipralex is escitalopram and celexa is citalopram. Escitalpram is the s-enantiomer of ciralopram and bothe are used for similar indications. The tolerability profile of escitalopram is considered better than citalopram. The dose of escitalopram (cipralex) is 10-20 mg/day and citalopram (celexa) is 20-40 mg/day.
First regarding the incident that landed you in emergency on day 3 after starting cipralex. I don't think that would be due to cipralex, rather it would be due to anxiety and just manifestation of it.
These medications are prone to cause side effects, gastro-intestinal effects like nausuea and vomiting are quite common. But most of these go off in few days. In your case its continuing even after 17 days of celexa. Increasing the dose at this stage can lead to increased nausea.
I would suggest one of the following two options:
1. Continue with same dose of celexa for now and take proton pump inhibitors like rabeprazole for now to counter the side effects. If they subside, gradual increase in dose can be considered to 40 mg/day.
2. The second option will be to revert back to cipralex. You had tolerated it earlier and had good response. I don't see any reason why you can't do it again. It can be started at 5 mg/day and gradually increased by 5 mg every week. In addition, benzodiazepines like clonazepam can be added too take care of anxiety for a brief period.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. Please let me know if you have nay further doubts. i will be glad to help.
Wishing you speedy recovery,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Please see the details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through your query in detail and can understand your concern regarding the possible side effects of the medicines.
Cipralex is escitalopram and celexa is citalopram. Escitalpram is the s-enantiomer of ciralopram and bothe are used for similar indications. The tolerability profile of escitalopram is considered better than citalopram. The dose of escitalopram (cipralex) is 10-20 mg/day and citalopram (celexa) is 20-40 mg/day.
First regarding the incident that landed you in emergency on day 3 after starting cipralex. I don't think that would be due to cipralex, rather it would be due to anxiety and just manifestation of it.
These medications are prone to cause side effects, gastro-intestinal effects like nausuea and vomiting are quite common. But most of these go off in few days. In your case its continuing even after 17 days of celexa. Increasing the dose at this stage can lead to increased nausea.
I would suggest one of the following two options:
1. Continue with same dose of celexa for now and take proton pump inhibitors like rabeprazole for now to counter the side effects. If they subside, gradual increase in dose can be considered to 40 mg/day.
2. The second option will be to revert back to cipralex. You had tolerated it earlier and had good response. I don't see any reason why you can't do it again. It can be started at 5 mg/day and gradually increased by 5 mg every week. In addition, benzodiazepines like clonazepam can be added too take care of anxiety for a brief period.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. Please let me know if you have nay further doubts. i will be glad to help.
Wishing you speedy recovery,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you very much for your answer.
I think i will stay at 20mg celexa for 3 more weeks, which will be 6 in total. Im my nausea doesnt get better, i will switch to cipralex.
My question is, if i am already at 20 mg celexa, should i not start at 20 mg cipralex right away, instead of 5 mg? Im very scared of the side effects, mainly nausea and jelly like legs. Thank you again!
I think i will stay at 20mg celexa for 3 more weeks, which will be 6 in total. Im my nausea doesnt get better, i will switch to cipralex.
My question is, if i am already at 20 mg celexa, should i not start at 20 mg cipralex right away, instead of 5 mg? Im very scared of the side effects, mainly nausea and jelly like legs. Thank you again!
Brief Answer:
Going slow will help minimize side effects
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXX
Thank you for following up. I am glad I was able to help you in deciding about what to do next. I completely agree with your choice and really do hope that everything gets better.
Regarding starting with 20 mg cipralex right away, I wouldn't advise that. Starting slowly is so that you are able to tolerate the medicine well. You are already facing problems with the side effects. So, it will be necessary to go slow so as to make sure you have none of the side effects. You are already scared of them and I definitely would not want any of them to happen in any condition to you.
Moreover, if there is a need to stop celexa, please make sure that you don't stop it suddenly. You will have to to taper the dosage, 5-10 mg at a time. It can be tapered simultaneously while increasing the dose of cipralex (known as cross tapering). Make sure you do it under the supervision of you doctor so that he can monitor the whole thing.
I do hope that the side effects don't bother you any more and you start getting better real fast.
Please let me know if I can help you with any further queries. I will be glad to help. In case you decide to close the discussion, please do rate the answer.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Going slow will help minimize side effects
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXX
Thank you for following up. I am glad I was able to help you in deciding about what to do next. I completely agree with your choice and really do hope that everything gets better.
Regarding starting with 20 mg cipralex right away, I wouldn't advise that. Starting slowly is so that you are able to tolerate the medicine well. You are already facing problems with the side effects. So, it will be necessary to go slow so as to make sure you have none of the side effects. You are already scared of them and I definitely would not want any of them to happen in any condition to you.
Moreover, if there is a need to stop celexa, please make sure that you don't stop it suddenly. You will have to to taper the dosage, 5-10 mg at a time. It can be tapered simultaneously while increasing the dose of cipralex (known as cross tapering). Make sure you do it under the supervision of you doctor so that he can monitor the whole thing.
I do hope that the side effects don't bother you any more and you start getting better real fast.
Please let me know if I can help you with any further queries. I will be glad to help. In case you decide to close the discussion, please do rate the answer.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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