Depression/anxiety caused by C/L

[beatles4ever]

I've been on C/L for about 6 months and it has done wonders for me physically. However, I battle depression and anxiety every day like many PD people do. I have plenty of anti-depressants on board, which don't seem to be doing much (I have had depression all my adult life, successfully managed with medication). I have come to wonder if I need a lower dose of C/L since, apparently, this medication can improve depression/anxiety OR make it worse.

When I initially tried C/L at standard 25/100 3x/day, I had panic attacks, which is why Im wondering about this dosage, since I seem to be sensitive to C/L. I finally found a doctor who started me at a very low dose and we slowly increased it to 1.5 C/L 3x/day. I don't really have on/off periods. My doctor thinks my mood will be worse if I lower the dose, but I'm assuming he will support me so I can titrate down and see if it changes anything. I'm not brave enough to reduce dose without supervision.

Has anyone become more depressed anxious from C/L and felt better after dose reduction?

Thank you

[00Mark]

Try lowering the C/L dose; you can always increase it again if it doesn't help.

Personally I have been on Citalopram (SSRI) for years but not noticed any connection with the C/L. However I have never experienced panic attacks.

That said, everyone seems to get a very personalised package with Parkinson's. Anyhow, good luck!

[beatles4ever in reply to 00Mark]

thank you

[LauraYu in reply to 00Mark]

I am just starting citalopram a week ago. I’m only on 5 mg for now. The doctor prescribed 20 mg for me. It made my balance very steady and I also noticed improvement in coordination and movement . However my leg tremors got really bad . The worst of all, the Sinemet ON time is shorter than before. It used to last 2.5 hours and now between 1-1.5 hours and.

Do you experience similar issues?

Thanks,

Laura

[beatles4ever in reply to LauraYu]

Thank you. No, I don't feel like Sinemet or any other med I'm taking is affecting me badly motor-wise. I've never had tremor at all. My walking and arm swing have gotten much better with the Sinemet and exercise. Occasionally my left foot kind of writhes around for awhile, but then it stops, and doesn't happen every day. But I've wondered if it is mild dystonia from too much C/L...My biggest problem is depression/anxiety and none of my meds seem to be helping, even in high doses.

[Peter-Jan]

You could try a ketogenic lifestyle (ketogenic diet, exercise, fasting, exogenous ketones). When I started eating keto in 2015 (more than 5 years before the diagnosis), within a few weeks my mood was much better and so was my energy. I explain how I do it here youtube.com/watch?v=W7kT4Oo...(Not working as expected?). Here you will find an article tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... I now use C/L 25/100 3x/day. Matthew Phillips also indicates that keto mainly has an effect on the non-motor symptoms in PD: movementdisorders.onlinelib.... 27390#

[Peter-Jan in reply to Peter-Jan]

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...

[Raimo]

I was started on 2 10-100 C/L per day post diagnosis 3 yrs ago. Like you, I am hypersensitive to medications, among other things. By the third day on the new meds, the depression, anxiety, and suicide ideations were so intense I had to go to the ER. I also developed intense full body jerking every few seconds (chorea) from the anxiety. They started me on Clonazepam and Bupropion after admission and I felt better by the next day. It's unbelievable how a medication can change everything about you! I am still on 150mg Bupropion ER once per day and .25mg Clonazepam twice per day. My C/L is now at 1-25/100 4 times per day and I have no problems as long as I take the Clo and Bup. Every time I've upped the dosage, it took several weeks for my body to adapt and for the side effects (dizziness mostly) to subside. I started taking 15mg/day of lithium orotate last year for brain support, and it has been a great addition. I always had a short temper and it has really helped me calm that down.

If you have someone in your life, make sure they know about any new medications and all the possible side effects. Prepare them to notice anything unusual about you so they can contact a health professional on your behalf, if necessary.

As far as C/L dosage, it's a balancing act between good and bad effects and only you and your doctor can work that out. Please get help (and be persistent) with any psychological problems. There's a lot of meds that can help and, unfortunately, it's a trial and error process to find something that works well. I got really lucky on that one. There's no reason you should have to live with the depression and anxiety. Best of luck to you.

[beatles4ever in reply to Raimo]

Thank you so much for sharing that! Since my diagnosis in 2023 Clonazepam has become my best friend and the trial and error process for meds is my worst enemy. It's helped me to hear your story. Thanks again!

[eschneid]

Love your screen name, but sorry about your suffering. Can't help with the c/l and ssri combo, but maybe Continuous Release c/l instead of 25/100 IR might be a more gentle way to get into your system and help. Ask your neuro, there is no real downside to try ...

"From Me to You," hang in, you will get it right....

[TheGimba]

My husband has had PD for over a decade, he takes C/L but has added nicotine gum for high profile public speaking job. He says it gives him energy but he also feels calm...It helps with tremor and brain fog.