Lets see, that has to be about right, maybe 60 days because I guess I started taking the Celexa at the end of January and now we are rounding mid april so probably 70 days or so. The great news is that I rarely have the major stop me from functioning headaches anymore, taking the pain level from an easy 8 or 9 to a most days nothing at all and when the headaches do return it is a mild 2 or 3, not the all encompassing pain I experience full well half my days for so many years Post TX. Is it the medicine, or perhaps just the amount of time now finally getting on close to 4 years post TX, I really can’t say but I’m too scared to try and stop taking the medicine. I’m much less manic, much more focused and consistent and I’ve been outperforming at work and doing well. Save a couple of emails from disgruntled cheap shot customers, lol, in one I called my VP of Sales the price Nazi and since he was out I could offer an incredible price and the stupid customer sent it to my boss, the little pain in my ass, I was called in and reprimanded. Since when is Nazi a bad word… Oh well, who cares, life goes on.
The major downside of Celexa I’ve noticed though is that I’m not as driven and or motivated if you will. I’ve written almost nothing, nothing in the blog, books, barely anything in my own personal journal. I do my job well enough, even put in the extra hours for fear of being laid off yet again in this fickle economy, but as far as extra curricular, the gym, the blog, the meetings, I have been barely getting by.. And the meetings. the thing that has literally held me together the last five years, well I will be honest, on Celexa, while I still go, I don’t really feel like I get as much out of the meetings as I used to, don’t feel as compelled to share, and don’t leave with the sense of accomplishment and well being that I used to… now it’s just a blah feeling… but no headaches. Hard to weigh the pros and cons. I mean I’m not going to stop taking Celexa, I simply can’t. But there is a lot to be said about losing the drive to write, work out, or go to meetings and be passionate….
Also peeing. Urinating and orgasms, now take effing forever. Sometimes I’ll have to pee really bad walk in the bathroom and sit there for five minutes just waiting and waiting… weird side effect. In addition my super regularity is gone, as you could have timed the stock market on my morning movement prior to Celexa, and now, who knows, sometimes its a few days, sometimes its daily, which is strange for me.
Are those symptoms things worth the headaches being gone? Hard to say. I guess I’ll keep on keeping on, grateful that I’m cured of Hep C and alcoholism, or daily reprieve or what have you, and just be glad that something, anything was able to treat the headaches at all… for if this thing treats them one way, perhaps Lexapro, or Wellbutrin will treat them another, and I owe it to myself to explore those ways as well. Hope is better than despair I suppose, and headaches for years was starting to get a bit desperate for sure.
I’m grateful I’ve found something, but am definitely open to the possibility that something else may treat them better, and this time at least it will be nice to know I can fall back on the Celexa, should the headaches return. Also I may as well use whats working for a while at least, or hell for economic reasons at least wait until Lexapro has a generic.
– Jared Bryan Smith
I too have major head pain, “migraine” almost daily for two years, is this at all common post treatmen interpheron? Thanks
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I don’t know precisely but for me, yes I did have headaches consistently after interferon treatment. I did have headaches before treatment as well though, however they were worse and more often after for sure. Now I’m on 150 mg of lamichtal, as well as Indomethacin for the specific type of temple headaches I’ve always suffered. My personal opinion is that the treatment so weakens your immune system that it simply aggravates any issues you may already have had, for me it was headaches. I hear a lot of people talk about joint pain, I never had any of that at all.
What has worked for me, was getting good health insurance, which only happened because I finally landed a great job, and then working hand in hand with a neurologist over time, I’m on about my third or fourth combination of drugs and I’m finally in a good spot, but this is after being under a good neurologists care for about 2.5 years total. Good luck to you, but no matter what, I’m cured, and not dying of Hep C or liver failure so I believe it’s all still a fair trade.
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how ironic books4freedotcom, I was just swallowing a lamictal when I was reading your letter. I have been through many prophylactic drugs like lamictal (gabapentin etc) but could not tolerate them at higher doses, I am currently titrating up on the lamictal. I am on lexapro too. My doc (both hepatologist and neurologist said the same thing you did about pre existing conditions being dormant and awakened by the interpheron. I guess maybe this is it. But I inquire because so many complain of the joint pain, stomach stuff, fatigue, brain fog etc which I also have, but I also may have pre issues with them as well, I think I just can’t get off prilosec because of the nature of the drug being habituated and I have severe anxiety disorders which leads to brain fog etc. I don’t know. I will give the lamictal a trial if I can tolerate it, i know I no longer can tolerate the head pain. I really appreciate the reply, it validates my situation a bit. please write if you have any updates etc.
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Sure thing man, this too shall pass, I really do believe if you give it time you’ll figure out what your particular brain needs in order to be at peace. For me it took multiple years, but eventually I got there, and again I’d be dead otherwise. Good luck, reach out anytime!
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Please help,
10 years out, I Feel terrible. Exhausted, anxiety attacks, headaches…….
Anyone who can relate please reply.
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I am 6 years out and actually feel better and better. I did go get checked for all kinds of hormone levels, blood, urine, everything you could think of and actually ended up taking Testosterone which makes me feel much better than the previous year or so. That being said I think Interferon is hell on earth and people who didn’t do it simply can not relate. However it’s been my experience that it does get better with time, and proper medical treatment and I hope the same will apply to you.
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