Started drinking more while on celexa?!
 

Two weeks after I started taking celexa for anxiety and ppd I started to crave alcohol. Steadily increasing in amount as time went on...I weaned myself off of celexa a few months ago without talking to a doctor bc when I did they just increased the amount an I drank more. Has anyone else experience this with citalopram?

I'm on citalopram... but I was prescribed it after I quit. Antidepressants stop doing their job if you drink with them. Maybe you weaned yourself off the wrong thing. See your doctor and be truthful about your drinking. We can't give out med advice here but I doubt it was the tablets making you crave the alcohol :)

Thanks. I'm going to the doc tomorrow morning. They already know that it's bc I quit drinking so I can't back out. lol I know I should have stopped drinking but I just wasn't ready and was convinced I had to stop the pills too bc I just felt so numb.

Good luck with the doctors... let me know how it went :) x

I have read online that the anti depressant/anti anxiety med Cybalta has caused many people to drink more or actually start drinking when they didn't before, for this reason I haven't taken it after being prescribed the medication. I read of another anti depressant causing increased drinking I forgot which it was, wasn't Celexa. People react to medications differently so I guess it's possible. I would do a search online and see if Celexa has the same effect. Hope you feel better soon.

I realize this is an old thread, but I had to comment since I can completely relate. I thought I was the only who experienced this issue with Celexa. Three years ago I was prescribed for depression after experiencing some traumatic events, and at the time I was drinking about 1 to 2 glasses of wine per night. About a month after I started the medication, I began drinking 1 to 2 *bottles* per night. I weaned myself off of the Celexa a year later because it made me want to sleep all the time, made my hair thin and I gained 20 pounds. I went from fit and attractive to unhealthy and ugly in just one year. Unfortunately I continued to drink heavily for another two years. I finally decided to stop drinking (41 days sober now!) and am really happy to begin my alcohol free life. I hope that with my healthier choices, my hair grows back to it's original thickness and 20 lbs comes off.

Yes- it's def been written about by many. I'm currently on Effexor and felt the same. My drinking starred to get out of hand when I had my first bout of anxiety/ panic a few years back. Was it the over stimulating medication? That I couldn't sleep from anxiety? Was terrified of a panic attack and that alcohol numbed me? Or triggered by the antidepressant? The truth is; I have always had an issue with excess and it may have been heightened by medications but I feel essentially; the cause was deeper with in. Is Celexa Lexapro? I drank on that too. And Paxil. And in between a/deps. Maybe you need something more sedating? Is it causing you sleep issues and you pick up wine to switch off? That's what I did... I know some aa groups oppose a/deps etc but I am going to stay on them with while getting sober and then go from there :) Good luck :)

I did some looking,

http://www.google.com/search?q=anti+...cohol+cravings


Alot of people are reporting this reaction.

I was on those mood pills plus an antidepressant back in the days when I could not stay sober, I know I started drinking again to counter act the flatness that was caused by them and more so the mood pills cause I just wanted to 'feel' again.

I was given these 'mood pills' for insomnia and anxiety (or at least I was told thats what for) but they made me feel zombie 24/7 . I just say mood pill, I don't even like typing the name of that stuff. I think my insomnia was not only caused by quitting the drink but by also the anti depressants.

Chicken or the egg ? Who cares, those days are over. Most of my anxiety went away after I quit consuming chemicals and let my mind body heal.

I never get anxiety attacks anymore, its like a gift from god. For years I would , just like anyone else would, try any pill and/or drink to avoid the next attack.

Just the thought of an attack would start one 'oh ___ I feel it starting' , chickens and eggs again.

People did try to tell me its drinking and the psych pills causing my problems but I would just get nasty. I yelled at the nurse in the E.R when she pointed out that my blood pressure was 'basicaly normal' , I just barked THAT IS NOT AN ANXIETY DETECTOR ! cause I knew that ment less medication or none at all.

How I forgot for so so so long the fact I didnt have these problems before trying pills to fix my drinking. I can not figure that out. I will never ever understand that part of it.

I drank so much on celexa.. And ate a lot of food. I would black out drunk on 2 drinks and it caused so many problems and each time I woke up I had no memory. Finally I fell so hard that I got a concussion and went to the ER.. It was horrible and I felt so defeated. I decided to stop celexa.. Drinking isn't bad at all anymore but the food addiction has continued.. As I've always had a problem with food...

Also I never was much of a drinker.. And still am not after quoting celexa.. I have since lost 13 pounds 2 pounds per week and have switched to prozac..

I'm also on Celexa, too. I would drink a lot and eat a lot as well. I never had a problem with getting sick while drinking until I got on Celexa.

That being said, the benefits of Celexa in my case have been great. I'd rather not be depressed and not have anxiety attacks, and Celexa seems to help. It even says on the bottle that I should avoid alcohol while taking the drug.

Wow- I was just skimming thru here- newbie to this site.. 18 yr old daughter just checked herself into a residential rehab, Her Celexa when she started taking as prescribed(daily) made her CRAVE alcohol also! wow! She went and bought vanilla extract--ya have to be 21 for any alcohol in MD----I'm gonna watch if she even needs an antidepressant- She is considered dual--Anxiety and AHDH (substance abuse- her "drug" she loves is Klonopin! She'd go to any length to get those. Scared me bec I never knew when she had alcohol or Klonopin or both! Anyone have any experiences with KLONOPIN???