Celexa and Anxiety: Uses and Side Effects
October 6, 2008

The Celexa anxiety drug has some side effects, but is very effective for not only depression but anxiety.

Introduction

One of the more popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on the market today is the Celexa anxiety drug. It is used primarily as an anxiolytic and as an anti-depressant, although it can also be used to treat mood disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. The actual name for the Celexa anxiety drug is citalopram, although it is also known as nitalapram. It is marketed as Cipramil in Europe and Talohexane in Australia. It is taken orally, and is not actually metabolized by the body (which means that when it leaves your system, it leaves in much the same condition, chemically, as when it went in); the patent on it, held until 2003 by Lundbeck (a Danish international pharmaceutical company) expired in 2003.

Uses and Functionality

The primary functionality of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like the Celexa anxiety medication is to increase the extra cellular level of serotonin (a neurological chemical whose lack is believed to be linked to depression) by preventing it from "reuptaking" into the presynaptic cell. They have no or only weak effects at other monoamine transporters, and so therefore don't have much influence on neurotransmitters other than serotonin. This makes them different from the older, tricyclic anti-depressants (TCA), and also is the reason they're called "selective". SSRIs are usually safer than TCAs, since it takes a much higher dose to become toxic, and they don't' have as many side effects.

SSRIs are classes of medication, which the Celexa anxiety drug falls under, that, for practical purposes, increase the level of serotonin in the brain. It is believed that in people who have anxiety disorders, one of the causes of the issue is the synapses not registering the serotonin. By increasing the amount that is floating around between the synapses, the SSRIs increase the likelihood that the synapses will register the serotonin, thus balancing out the effect.

Side Effects of Celexa Anxiety

The Celexa anxiety medicine is known to have some side effects, although these effects are usually less severe than with traditional anti-depressants. Some may include feeling sick, fatigue, drowsiness, sweating, low level muscle spasms, headaches, dry mouth, agitation or nervousness, constipation (or, in some cases, diarrhea), dizziness, insomnia, blurred vision, heart arrhythmia, a feeling of weakness, and sexual side effects. These side effects are present in slightly more than 10 percent of users, but only as a whole; in other words, while one or two of the side effects is present, not all of them are. SSRIs are not generally considered addictive, although there is a condition known as "SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome", including both somatic and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

While some few patients are never able to fully withdraw from the drugs, the symptoms are generally considered less harmful than those of opiates or alcohol. There are also some extremely rare side effects to use, such as suicidal behavior, allergic reactions, fainting spells, mood changes, coughing, convulsions, and muscle spasms/pain, although these rare side effecst are present in only less than 1 percent of all users of the medicine, and even then they are generally only present in the few weeks before the anti-depressant qualities of the drug, which take some time taking the drug to begin, take effect. Nevertheless Celexa, like all medications, should only be prescribed by a qualified mental health professional, and only as part of a comprehensive course of treatment.

The Present and the Future of Celexa Anxiety

SSRIs have always been controversial drugs, and the Celexa anxiety medication is no exception. Some people believe that the perceived lack of significant side effects leads some doctors to over-prescribe them; even where hteir use is only barely indicated. Others claim that the "biological" causes of depression, which SSRIs were designed for, have never in fact been proven scientifically. They claim that there is no scientific evidence for the existence of the neurological disorders that SSRIs like the Celexa anxiety medication are designed to treat, or that they are based on a chemical imbalance of the brain, or that SSRIs effectively handle this chemical imbalance. Nonetheless, Lundgren, the company that produces Celexa, recently released another SSRI drug called Cipralex that was derived from the citalopram (Celexa) molecule. Only time and research will be able to tell whether SSRIs will continue to be the primary prescribed drug for anxiety and depression, or whether a new drug will eventually be introduced with more efficacy and even fewer side effects.

Hope this article provides you information on celexa anxiety.

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