I am on Celexa (not generic!) 60 mg once a day for 6 years and it has been excellent for me. The only negative side effects for me are:
1. slower thinking (but I guess that is what it is for-to decrease or stop all the OCD noise going on all the time in my head)
2. maybe sometimes makes me not care enough about things- I think I may let things slide a bit more (but it's nice not to be so anxious and uptight)
3. increased sweating
4 occasional tingling or skin crawling in patches anywhere on my body but mainly forearms and scalp
Positive side effects:
1. good control of the obsessions; not total control but it put me in a place where I could work with a therapist and now I live by the 80/20 rule-if I am OK 80% of the time I am "normal" and doing well; if OCD gets around 10 percent I know I need to rest, eat better, take care of myself-if I get near 20%, I better be seeing my therapist.
2. better relationships because I feel a lot better about myself
3. I have a better sex life; my OCD was often directed at loved ones and interfered with relaxing during sex and with orgasms. Now it is awesome.
4. I can talk in front of crowds and give speeches
This is my experience. It was hard the first 6 months as I adapted to the meds and started getting the thoughts under control. I am happy to stay on it for life. I do need to have my heart rhythm checked yearly because there was a link this year between citalopram and heart problems but my therapist thinks it is mainly due to the generic form.
