Other Uses For This Medicine
Fluoxetine is also sometimes used to treat alcoholism, attention-deficit disorder, borderline personality disorder, sleep disorders, headaches, mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, Tourettes syndrome, obesity, sexual problems, and phobias. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Antidepressants For Children And Teens
In some cases, the use of antidepressants has been linked to an increase in suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, teens, and young adults. The Food and Drug Administration now requires antidepressants to carry a warning about the risk of suicide in children, teens, and young adults 24 years of age or younger. However, this doesnt mean that people in this age group shouldnt take antidepressants. It means they should be carefully monitored by their doctor and loved ones while taking the antidepressant.
Many doctors will want to see a child or teen sometime in the first few weeks after starting an antidepressant to assess any risk for suicide. If youre worried your child may be suicidal, call your doctor right away or take your child to the nearest emergency room.
Warnings For People With Certain Health Conditions
People with a history of suicidal thoughts or behaviors: This drug can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. This risk is higher in children, teenagers, and young adults. Tell your doctor if you have a history of suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
People with glaucoma: This drug may dilate your pupils , which may trigger a glaucoma attack. Tell your doctor if you have glaucoma before taking this drug.
People with bipolar disorder: Let your doctor know if you have a history of bipolar disorder. If you have a history of bipolar disorder, taking this drug alone may trigger a mixed or manic episode.
People with seizure disorders: This drug may cause seizures. If you have ever had a seizure, notify your doctor before taking this drug. Taking this drug can increase your risk of having more seizures.
People with heart problems: Taking this drug may cause a prolonged QT interval. This is a heart rhythm issue that may cause your heartbeat to be abnormal. Your risk for QT interval prolongation is greater if you have heart disease. Talk with your doctor before taking this drug.
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Uses For Depression Medication
Depression medications are used to help reduce depression symptoms. While these symptoms can vary from one person to another, they may include:
- Change in appetite
- Thoughts of suicide
- Trouble concentrating
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
How Do These Drugs Work
Experts initially thought that depression must be caused by low levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, in part because the first antidepressant drug accidentally discovered in the 1950s increased circulating amounts of the chemicals. Further research suggested that serotonin played an especially important role in mood. This so-called chemical imbalance theory gained a foothold in the cultural psyche and was promoted by ads for the medications.
However, starting in the 1990s, researchers began to understand that depression was much more complicated and that serotonin played only a nominal role. For one thing, S.S.R.I.s increase serotonin levels immediately, but it takes several weeks before people start to feel better. Studies also started to emerge showing that another brain system played a role: People with depression consistently have less volume in an area called the hippocampus thats important for regulating mood.
A paper published earlier this year made headlines for presenting several decades worth of evidence that people with depression dont have less serotonin than people who are not depressed. To most psychiatrists, the paper didnt reveal anything new, and it didnt mean antidepressants arent effective . Instead it revealed a fundamental disconnect between how the public viewed depression and how the experts thought about it.
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Don’t Stop Taking Your Antidepressant Medicine Suddenly
If you think your antidepressant medicine isn’t working for you, don’t stop taking it suddenly. Talk to your doctor about the right time to stop taking your medicine. When youre ready, your doctor will work out a plan with you. They will slowly lower the amount you take over a few weeks until youre not taking it at all. This lowers the chance of problems as you stop taking it, eg, feeling dizzy, tired or worried or having trouble sleeping.
Dosage For Major Depressive Disorder
Adult Dosage
The usual dose is 1020 mg, taken once per day.
Child Dosage
Usual dose: 10 to 20 mg once per day.
Child Dosage
It hasnt been confirmed that this drug is safe and effective in people younger than 12 years.
Senior dosage
- The liver of older adults may not work as well as it used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This increases your risk of side effects.
- Your doctor may start you on a lowered dose or a different medication schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
- The recommended dose is 10 mg, taken once per day.
Special considerations
Liver problems: If you have liver problems, the recommended dose is 10 mg, taken once per day.
Dosage for generalized anxiety disorder
Brand: Lexapro
- Strengths: 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg
- Strengths: 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg
Adult Dosage
The usual dose is 1020 mg, taken once per day.
Child Dosage
It is unknown if this drug is safe and effective to treat generalized anxiety disorder in children younger than 18 years.
Senior dosage
Special considerations
Liver problems: If you have liver problems, the recommended dose is 10 mg, taken once per day.
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How Is Depression Treated
Depression is treatable with high rates of success. Treatments may include:
- Antidepressants, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors , Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors , tricyclic antidepressants , monoamine oxidase inhibitors .
Responses to antidepressants vary, and most antidepressants take 4 to 6 weeks for full effect. About 50% of patients respond to the first treatment, whereas others may have to try a few different types of antidepressants before they find the best one for them.
There are several things you can do to help with your symptoms as well, such as:
- Setting realistic and daily goals
- Developing strategies to work through crises situations
- Developing coping and problem-solving skills
- Learning how to develop positive relationships
- Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
A New Review Study Compares 21 Antidepressants
Do antidepressants work? If so, which are most effective? These two questions have been posed again and again over the last few decades, but the answer has remained elusive.
The latest answer to the question of which antidepressants are most effective and well-tolerated comes from a 2018 paper. Published in The Lancet, the paper reports the results of the largest meta-analysis conducted to date on the acceptability and efficacy of 21 antidepressant treatments.1
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Citalopram Oral Tablet And Foods
There arent any foods that have been specifically reported to interact with citalopram oral tablets. If you have any questions about eating certain foods with this drug, talk with your doctor.
- feeling irritated
- feeling fatigued or sluggish
Its not known how long withdrawal symptoms last.
Dont stop taking citalopram cold turkey . Instead, talk with your doctor first if you no longer want to take citalopram. They can help design a plan to taper your dose over time, which can help prevent withdrawal symptoms.
If You Feel Better Can You Stop Taking Antidepressants
Once you and your provider have determined it is safe for you to stop taking your medicine altogether, you should continue to be monitored during periodic follow-up appointments to detect any signs of depression returning.
Long-term treatment with antidepressant medicine may be recommended to prevent further episodes of depression in people who have already had two or more episodes of major depression. A history of depression in ones family is another factor that supports long-term treatment.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/24/2019.
References
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When To Consider Taking Ssris
Antidepressants like SSRIs are one method to help ease the symptoms of depression, but theyre typically just part of a treatment plan.
Your doctor may also recommend therapy, and if you chose to go, your therapist may have advice and methods to help you, depending on the severity of your symptoms and your personal history.
Some questions to ask yourself when youre considering SSRIs include:
- Do you feel as though your mental health condition is disrupting your life?
- Do you feel less pleasure when it comes to the things you used to enjoy?
- Do you consistently have trouble concentrating?
- Have you taken antidepressants before? If so, did they help? Were the side effects severe?
If you think you may have depression but arent sure, there are several screening questionnaires that can be helpful. Discussing the results with your doctor is a great first step.
Like SSRIs, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors keep the body from reabsorbing too much serotonin, allowing the brain to use more of it.
But unlike SSRIs, SNRIs also lessen the reuptake of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine.
SNRIs are sometimes used to treat nerve pain and certain anxiety disorders in addition to depression.
Some examples of SNRIs include:
Based on your symptoms and underlying conditions, you and your doctor will decide whether an SNRI or SSRI is the best option for you to try.
What To Do In Case Of Overdose
If you think youve taken too much of this drug, call your doctor. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at 800-222-1222 or use its online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call 911 or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
You should take citalopram according to the instructions your doctor or a healthcare professional gives you.
Citalopram comes as tablets that you swallow.
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Children And Young People
The use of antidepressants isn’t usually recommended in children and young people under the age of 18. This is because there’s evidence that, in rare cases, they can trigger thoughts about suicide and acts of self-harm in this age group.
Their use could affect the development of the brain in children and young people.
An exception can usually only be made if the following points are met:
- the person being treated has failed to respond to talking therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy, and
- the person being treated will continue to receive talking therapies in combination with antidepressants, and
- the treatment is supervised by a psychiatrist
If an antidepressant is recommended, then fluoxetine is usually the first choice.
What Do Antidepressants Feel Like
Psychotherapy helps treat clinical depression, but you also need to take antidepressants to keep your symptoms under control. 4 out of 10 patients notice positive results with the very first antidepressant they try. The good thing is that even when the first antidepressant medication does not prove effective, the second or third usually does.
While antidepressants really help control symptoms, many people do not try them because of many misconceptions they have about the use of these medications. They often wonder what it would be like to take antidepressants and if they would become addicted to antidepressants or not.
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Citalopram Oral Tablet For Depression
We all feel depressed at some point. Its an emotion that every person experiences.
When its said that someone has depression, whats often being referred to is major depressive disorder . With MDD, a person has persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed. This condition occurs in episodes, which are periods when symptoms last for at least 2 weeks, but often longer.
Other symptoms of depression can include:
- feelings of hopelessness or guilt
- having little or no energy
- physical aches and pains
- trouble concentrating
For more information about depression and resources for getting help, visit the Medical News Todaymental health hub.
Effectiveness for depression
American Psychological Association guidelines recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including citalopram, as first-line treatments for chronic or severe MDD in adults. First-line treatment refers to a treatment that can be one of the first considered for a condition. This usually means a medication has good evidence showing that its safe and effective for treating the condition.
Clinical trials also found citalopram to be effective for treating depression in adults. Benefits of taking citalopram included improved scores on scales used to grade how severe depression symptoms are. For full details of how the drug performed in trials, check out citaloprams prescribing information.
Ial Agonist At The Glycine Binding Site Of Nmda Receptors
D-cycloserine, which is a broad spectrum antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis and marketed by Eli Lilly under the trade name Seromycin®, has been evaluated in patients with treatment-resistant MDD because of the pharmacological actions produced by D-cycloserine at the NMDA receptor. D-cycloserine binds to the glycine binding site on the NMDA receptor complex and pharmacological functions as a partial agonist. Typically, partial agonists will produce agonist effects at low doses, but will produce antagonist effects at high doses. In 2006, the antidepressant effects of adjunctive D- cycloserine treatment was evaluated in a double-blind 6 week crossover study. While D-cycloserine was well tolerated and did not produce psychotomimetic effects, D- cycloserine failed to produce antidepressant effects . In a recent study, a high dose adjunctive treatment of D-cycloserine produced antidepressant effects after six weeks of treatment . To date, there are no published studies evaluating D- cycloserine as a monotherapy for the treatment of MDD. At the time of this review, participants with bipolar depression are being recruited for a Phase IV clinical trial to evaluate D-cycloserine for relapse prevention in patients that response to ketamine infusions .
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Potential Disadvantages Of Antidepressants
As with any medication, there can be cons to taking antidepressants. These may be different for each person, but being aware of them can help you prepare. Talking with your doctor about any of the drawbacks can help you reassess your medication. In this discussion, the cons must be compared with the pros.
What Side Effects Do Antidepressants Have
Like all medicines, antidepressants may have side effects. For most people, the side effects are not bad enough that they need to stop taking the medication.
Different people may experience different side effects, so itâs important to talk to your doctor about your personal situation. Some people experience no side effects at all.
Side effects differ between antidepressants. Some side effects may include:
For more information, see Beyond Blue and SANE Australia.
If you experience a side effect from an antidepressant, itâs important to let your doctor know. It may be possible to reduce side effects by changing the dose or the time of day the medicine is taken. Some people may need to switch to another antidepressant due to side effects.
Many antidepressants can interact with other medicines. Anybody taking antidepressants needs to make sure their doctor and pharmacist know what other medicines they are taking, including any complementary or alternative therapies.
There are links between antidepressants and suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people. But sometimes the need for antidepressants outweighs the risk of taking the medicines. The decision to prescribe antidepressants for young people is one that should be taken with great care.
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Financial And Insurance Assistance
Financial assistance to help you pay for citalopram may be available.
Medicine Assistance Tool and NeedyMeds are two websites offering resources that may help decrease the price you pay for citalopram. They also offer tools to help you find low-cost healthcare, as well as educational resources. To learn more, visit these websites.
Warnings For Other Groups
For pregnant women: Talk with your doctor if youre pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
Research in animals has shown adverse effects to the fetus when the mother takes the drug. There havent been enough studies done in humans to be certain how the drug might affect the fetus.
This drug should only be used if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk.
For women who are breastfeeding: Escitalopram may pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.
For seniors: Seniors are at a greater risk for having lowered sodium levels. Because this drug can decrease sodium levels, seniors may be at even higher risk for low sodium levels.
For children: Children who take drugs like escitalopram may have a decreased appetite and weight loss.
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What Is Depression Medication
Depression medications, also referred to as antidepressants, are prescription medications that help manage depressive symptoms. These symptoms can vary, but include feeling “empty,” increased irritability, having a loss of energy, and a loss of interest in activities that one used to enjoy.
In the 1950s, the antihypertensive drug reserpine was found to increase depression in some patients, mainly by depleting their levels of serotonin and catecholamines. This established the connection between some neurotransmitters and depression, also prompting the development of medications that increase these chemical substances.