sure thing <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> celexa is an isomer of lexapro. in my opinion there isnt' much difference than the two but celexa is generic so it's more frequency prescribed. However, www.celexa.com does state:
"Celexa's successor - Lexapro - is a refinement of Celexa which has proven advantageous to people suffering from depression or anxiety. Its development depended on a new technique to isolate the therapeutically active molecule (known as an isomer) of the drug Celexa - (citalopram HBr). The results are a more potent medication that may be more effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety and better tolerated.
Lexapro at lower doses is more selective at targeting the receptors that block the loss of serotonin. More selectivity to serotonin means minimal effect on many of the other chemicals in the brain."
celexa belongs to a class of drugs called SSRI's:
-SSRIs affect how much serotonin is available by blocking its reabsorption during transmission from one nerve cell in the brain to another.
-Serotonin is released from one nerve cell and passed to the next. In the process, some of the serotonin released is reabsorbed by the first nerve cell.
-SSRIs block the reabsorption of serotonin into the first nerve cell.
-It is this blocking action that causes an increased amount of serotonin to become available at the next nerve cell.
-This is how SSRIs affect the balance of serotonin in the brain.
Often times people who are under chronic stress or have a chornic illness have difficulting "receving" serotonin. Celexa or other SSRI's will not make your body produce more seratonin but will simply help you better utilize what you naturally produce.
Many people have the misperception that SSRI's make you feel artificially happy, or they are a mood alterer. This is far from the case. SSRI's simply help your body better utilize what it naturally produces.
Celexa's Prescribing Information can be found here: <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.celexa.com/pdf/celexa_pi.pdf
">http://www.celexa.com/pdf/celexa_pi.pdf
</a>
It's a good, clean drug bottomline. I think you are really smart for stopping treatment of the symptoms with ativan and getting to the root cause of the symptoms with an SSRI. You should be very pleased with the results and you will feel more like your normal self. Make sure to be patient with the med, though...it can take up to 2 weeks to feel initial affect <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
Let me know if you have any more questions <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
