Is your celexa not working anymore? (5+ Reasons why it happens)

In this blog post, we are going to talk about the inefficiency of celexa and the reasons why it becomes a problem. Celexa is an antidepressant which is used to treat a variety of mental health conditions. 

It works pretty well for a lot of people, but it may stop working for some of them. This blog is all about the reasons which lead to the ineffectiveness of celexa and what could be done about it. 

Is there a possibility of your celexa not working anymore? 

Yes, your celexa may stop working anymore after a few months of your treatment with this antidepressant. Celexa is usually well tolerated and it’s a good choice of antidepressant, but it may stop counteracting the symptoms of your depression as strongly as it did when you first started taking it. 

Experts believe that the possible explanation of celexa behaving this way is some other factor that might counteract the effects of your antidepressant. 

What are the reasons associated with celexa not working well anymore? 

Celexa may not produce as beneficial effects as it did before or it may stop working because of one or more of the following reasons:

Addition of another prescription medication 

An addition of another medication can cause your celexa to stop working. Drug interaction is an actual problem but it is often neglected. Two drugs don’t just produce unwanted side effects when they interact together. 

Some drugs interact pharmacokinetically, which means that drugs can interfere with each other’s absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, abbreviated as ADME. There are plenty of drugs that can inhibit the proper absorption of your celexa. 

You can’t expect your med to work if it doesn’t absorb in your blood properly which serves as a vehicle and takes the med to its respective binding receptors. Antibiotics are well known for making your celexa and many other antidepressants ineffective. 

Steroids can also play a huge role and not just that, they can even make your depression worse. The heightened symptoms of your mental health illness makes the current dose of your antidepressant inefficient. 

The escalation in dose may help to gain that effectiveness back, but if Steroids are continued with it, there’s a chance of the same thing happening again. Make sure you don’t take any medication along with your antidepressant that can interact with it and make it inefficient. 

Excessive use of alcohol and cigarettes smoking 

Experts have indicated that excessive use of alcohol can really make your antidepressant inefficient. Not just this, but the combined use of alcohol and celexa can make your symptoms much worse. 

Studies suggest that alcohol numbs down your brain and trigger an episode of depression and may also induce suicidal behavior. Alcohol can also mess with the absorption of your celexa and as stated earlier, your med doesn’t work if it’s not absorbed properly. 

Cigarette smoking produces the same effect. Not just this, it also interacts with your symptoms while your celexa still works. It can enhance the side effects of your antidepressant like insomnia and loss of appetite. 

Both cigarette smoking and alcohol can interfere with the metabolism of celexa and may result in toxicity because so many toxins become difficult for your liver to metabolise and it may start malfunctioning. 

It is advised to not drink alcohol while you’re on celexa, especially if you’re taking this antidepressant for major depressive disorder (MDD). 

Other health condition

Other health related problems may also contribute to the inefficiency of your celexa. Studies suggest that people who have other chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes or some respiratory illness may experience antidepressant inefficiency. 

This is because these conditions can reduce the quality of your life and may trigger episodes of depression that may become difficult for your celexa to control. The appropriate dose of your antidepressant is determined carefully in order to match your symptoms. 

It’s like having 2 bullets to shoot 2 targets. When you have more targets, your 2 bullets won’t suffice. This is exactly the case with depression. If your depression becomes worse but you’re on the same dose, you will definitely experience inefficiency at some point of your treatment. 

Dose escalation may help but the treatment of your pre-existing health condition is crucial for the long term management of your depression

An increase in stress levels 

An increase in your stress levels can worsen the symptoms of your depression and anxiety and can decrease the effectiveness of your antidepressant. It’s extremely difficult to avoid stress because of the lifestyle we lead. 

People suffer from work problems, family issues, financial issues and many more. These problems keep your stress levels high and a person who’s already diagnosed with depression is affected badly. 

Make sure you add stress relieving activities in your routine to release all the built-up pressure and negative energy from your system. 

Aging

Aging could be another factor leading to the decreased effects of your antidepressant. As you grow old, the physiological functions of your body start to slow down. This includes drug metabolism as well, because the liver doesn’t work as efficiently as it once did. 

This effect is more pronounced in people who have been suffering from chronic illnesses. Aging also slows down the process of drug digestion and absorption, which may also be a reason for less beneficial effects of your celexa. 

An underlying bipolar disorder 

Bipolar disorder is associated with a sudden change in mood and personality. If a person suffers from this condition and it is undiagnosed, there’s a chance that you won’t see your celexa working effectively. 

This is because the sudden changes in mood and personality are so pronounced that they can easily counteract your antidepressant and you feel agitated, angry, depressed and you generally feel uncomfortable. 

Make sure you talk to your mental healthcare professional and rule out an undiagnosed, underlying bipolar disorder or any other mental health condition. 

Celexa tolerance

Celexa tolerance occurs when your body gets used to your current dose of the antidepressant and stops responding to it. This problem is not that common with celexa but it can still occur in some individuals. 

Experts suggest that this problem can be overcome by increasing the dose but if the process keeps repeating, your condition will reach a point where dose escalation will no longer be possible. 

This indicates that celexa tolerance eventually leads to the inefficiency of your treatment. If not today then after a couple of months you’ll start complaining about your celexa not working the way you want it to. 

Worsening of depression 

Several studies have revealed that celexa may not work well for some people and may not provide adequate relief from the symptoms associated with their depression. 

When your treatment doesn’t work and makes no changes in your mental health condition, it starts making your symptoms worse. When depression starts to become more pronounced, it gets even more resistant to your current treatment with celexa. 

Make sure you report to your healthcare professional if you continue to take your antidepressant properly but still experience signs and symptoms of depression. This is not a good sign and it clearly indicates therapeutic failure. 

What other options do you have if your celexa does not work anymore? 

There are several other options which may help to get rid of your depression or anxiety if your celexa stops working. These include:

Other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 

There are other SSRIs which may help to reduce your symptoms. These meds work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin by blocking serotonin transporters (SERT). 

Serotonin is an excitatory neurotransmitter responsible for modulating mood, cognition, reward pathway and other physiological functions. The excess amount of serotonin can significantly decrease your depression symptoms. Examples of SSRIs other than celexa include:

• Zoloft (Sertraline) 
• Lexapro (Escitalopram) 
• Prozac (Fluoxetine) 
• Paxil (Paroxetine) 

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) 

SNRIs are another class of antidepressants which can also be used for several other mental health illnesses. These meds work by inhibiting not only the reuptake of serotonin, but they also inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine, which is another excitatory neurotransmitter. 

Examples include:

• Effexor (Venlafaxine) 
• Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) 
• Ixel (Milnacipran) 
• Fetzima (levomilnacipran) 

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) 

Tricyclic antidepressants are also used to control depression and anxiety. These agents were once used as the first line of treatment for depression, but later they were switched because of more side effects and were replaced by newer SSRIs which were proven to be much safer. 

However, TCAs are still a good option for people with depression which is resistant to the treatment with SSRIs. Examples include:

• Elavil (Amitriptyline) 
• Pamelor (Nortriptyline) 
• Tofranil (Imipramine) 

Monoaminoxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) 

MAOIs are also used to help relieve the symptoms of depression. These agents work by inhibiting the enzyme monoaminoxidase which is responsible for the breakdown and metabolism of serotonin and norepinephrine. 

This results in increased amounts of these excitatory neurotransmitters which counteract the symptoms of depression. Examples include:

• Nardil (Phenelzine) 
• Marplan (Isocarboxazid) 
• Emsam (Selegiline) 
• Parnate (Tranylcypromine) 

Conclusion 

In this blog post, we have discussed the possibility of your celexa not working anymore. Celexa may stop working after a few months and may not produce the same beneficial effects as it did when it first started to kick in. 

Experts believe that the possible explanation of celexa behaving this way is some other factor that might counteract the effects of your antidepressant. We have discussed all the possible causes of celexa inefficiency. 

Make sure you reach out to your healthcare provider. If celexa does not work well for you, your doctor may start to taper you off this antidepressant gradually and prescribe another one, aiming for better therapeutic outcomes.

FAQs: Celexa not working anymore  

Can Celexa become ineffective?

Yes, celexa may become ineffective after a couple of months of your treatment. Celexa is usually well tolerated and it’s a good choice of antidepressant, but it may stop counteracting the symptoms of your depression as strongly as it did when you first started taking it. Experts believe that the possible explanation of celexa behaving this way is some other factor that might counteract the effects of your antidepressant.

Can you build a tolerance to Celexa?

Yes, you may build a tolerance to celexa. In fact, a few studies suggest that celexa may have more chances of developing a tolerance as compared to any other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. 

Celexa intolerance occurs when your body gets used to your current dose of the antidepressant and stops responding to it. This problem is not that common with celexa but it can still occur in some individuals. 

Experts suggest that this problem can be overcome by increasing the dose but if the process keeps repeating, your condition will reach a point where dose escalation will no longer be possible. 

What happens when Celexa stops working?

When celexa stops working, you stop seeing or noticing any of your depression or anxiety symptoms getting better. You may feel well and cheerful one day, but that feeling doesn’t last much longer because of celexa’s inefficiency. It may lead to discontinuation of treatment with this antidepressant and your doctor may put you on another med to help relieve your disturbing symptoms. 

How do you know if Celexa is not working?

When your celexa stops working, you stop seeing any progress in your antidepressant treatment. Instead, you start feeling annoyed and agitated. It might make you feel good one day, but again makes you feel anxious. If this persists, even after the proper continuation of your treatment, this indicates that your antidepressant is not working. 

Is it normal for antidepressants to stop working after a few months?

Antidepressants may stop working after a couple of months and may not produce the same beneficial effects as it did when it first started to kick in. Experts believe that the possible explanation of your antidepressants behaving this way is some other factor that might counteract the effects of your antidepressant.

What does celexa feel like when it starts working?

When celexa starts working, you begin to feel that the symptoms associated with your mental health condition are fading away. However, this process does not happen overnight. 

One should bear in mind that celexa can not produce a satisfactory antidepressant effect in a short span of time. These meds make changes in the amount of excitatory neurotransmitter ‘Serotonin’ in your brain and this process takes a while. 

References 

• Why Aren’t My Antidepressants Working? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/why-arent-my-antidepressants-working?amp=true
• Antidepressants: Can they stop working? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants/faq-20057938
• Depression: Signs Your Medication Isn’t Working https://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-medication-working