Things You'll Need:
- Mental-health professional
- Prescription for Celexa
-
Step 1
Ask your doctor or mental-health professional about using Celexa to treat your depression. Celexa is considered one of the milder SSRI antidepressants on the market and is generally safe when daily dosages are kept within the 20 to 60 mg range. People over the age of 65 may respond to as little as 10 mg per day.
-
Step 2
Learn about the potential side effects of using Celexa, which are fairly typical of most SSRI antidepressants. These side effects may include sexual dysfunction or reduced sex drive, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, blood pressure changes, dry mouth, fatigue and trembling. With a small percentage of patients, there may be increased feelings of depression, which may indicate an adverse reaction to the medication, prompting discontinuation.
-
Step 3
Use Celexa to treat your depression in conjunction with sessions of psychotherapy or behavioral therapy. While taking Celexa may begin to reduce your symptoms of depression after just a few days, the root causes of your depression may remain unless you address them through the various types of talking therapy.
-
Step 4
Exercise and eat right while you are using Celexa to treat your depression. Activities such as yoga, tai chi, stretching exercises and walking have been shown to increase the level of serotonin in the brain in the same way that antidepressants work. In addition, reducing the amount of caffeine and sugar in your diet can also improve your moods by making you feel less agitated or nervous.
-
Step 5
Obtain close medical supervision if you decide to discontinue the use of Celexa to treat your depression. While the withdrawal symptoms are mild compared to other SSRI antidepressants, such as Paxil, it is still recommended that you slowly wean yourself away from Celexa over the course of 1 to 2 weeks.
