Posted , 7 users are following.
hi, ive been back on citalopram for 6 weeks now 10mg for 2 weeks and now im on 20mg for the past 4 weeks. probelm is i dont think they are working as well this time. is it true that they take longer to work the second time round? shall i stick with them
0 likes, 17 replies
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tamsin07572 leah68376
Posted
hi leah im in the same boat. im 11 weeks in, 9 on 20 and it def hasnt worked as well for me this time. Has helped a bit with anxiety but i seem to have a lot of depression this time as well. Apparently its common to take longer the second time and be harder to treat. My psych wants me to go from 20-30
leah68376 tamsin07572
Posted
yes same my anxiety has calmed down a bit but im.still lacking motivation and could sleep all the time. i have a job and 2 young children so i have to get up and do things which is probably for the best. it worked within 2 weeks for me last time. im going to wait a few more weeks. fingers crossed for you too x
manny39794 leah68376
Posted
I have my fingers crossed for all of you too,... i don't think people realize how important having a job is to our state of mind. knowing there is a regular income coming in however small helps reduce anxiety in all of us and a reason to get up can reduce those depressed and hopeless feelings we can easily allow our minds to fall into. citalopram was not good for me. the motivation killer pills in my case. i lost all my strength for months on end..... im off them now, working and trying to persue a life med free after 8 years of SsRi use...
leah68376 manny39794
Posted
good luck to you ! x
dubry7605074 leah68376
Posted
Hi all. The most important thing is give your dosage time to work. I take 10mg for anxiety and it does help. No need for me to increase. It has been confirmed that lower doses of Cit are effective gor anxiety. Doctors are too quick to increase dosages when they themselves have no idea how these meds work.
Start keeping a journal to track your progress daily. If I can stress anything to you, LET YOUR BRAIN SETTLE BEFORE INCREASING DOSAGE. Each time you change fosage, guess what? You guessed it, you have more and more side effects which are far more severe.
Relax and dont overthink things. This gets anxiety rolling and starts a snowball effect. I am in a much better place now thsn I was a year ago. Cit saved my life. I know its tough, but once you get past the side effects, and it eill happen, you will feel like a different person. Hope yall feel better. Hang in there and stick to your dosage.
leah68376 dubry7605074
Posted
thanks for the positive words. i was on this medicine 3 years ago and i came off it after 6 months because i was feeling better. that was a mistake. i had my second child but when he was 6 months old the anxiety started to return so i was put on paroxetine which worked wonders for me but i decided to switch back to citalopram as i was experiencing sexual side effects on paroxetine. so here i am on week 6 hoping that they will soon kick in. is this your first time on citalopram?
dubry7605074 leah68376
Posted
Yes first time. I initially stopped after 9 days. Had withdrawals and reinstated the Cit and immediately felt better. I started at 20mg. Too much due to sexual side effects. I tapered to 10mg and just fine now. Tapered to 15mg then 12.5 then to 10. I started the taper after 6 mos at 20. Spent about 5 weeks each taper to let it settle first.
Potatoghost leah68376
Posted
hey x this is my second time on them too and have found the side effects are worse this time and I hear from s lot of people that it takes a lot longer the second time round.
not sure why this is but I have seen a few people say the same thing x
I think 4 weeks is still really early anyway so I suggest sticking with them x 😊
leah68376 Potatoghost
Posted
hi thanks for the reply.how long have you been on them for? do you feel better? i will definitely stick with them they worked great for me the first time round x
dubry7605074 leah68376
Posted
yes, if they worked before, will work again. stick with them
Potatoghost leah68376
Posted
I was on 20mg for 7 weeks and now on 30mg for coming up to 2 weeks x I'm gonna stick at 30mg though as I have been all the way up to 40mg in the past so gonna stay here I think x
no improvement for me yet still struggling
how about you?
Potatoghost dubry7605074
Posted
I hope you're right Dubry! lol x
leah68376 Potatoghost
Posted
hope you see an improvement soon! ive been on them for 6 weeks now. past 4 weeks on 20. i must say today is my best day yet had no anxious feelings sonim hoping this will carry on. will keep updating x
sheila92428 leah68376
Posted
Yes for some reason they seem to take longer to kick in on 2nd or 3rd time back
so as hard as it is you have to be patient - not easy I know.
I keep saying I have finally found the biggest help to me is make sure i have ONE DAY OFF per week, down time, it is SO important, we just have to learn this.
Our nervous system NEEDS it.
leah68376 sheila92428
Posted
yes totally agree with getting a rest and i know that a good night sleep makes a difference to me too. i definately feel like ive reached a turning point and the meds are starting to work since i wrote this post a few days ago 😃
Potatoghost leah68376
Posted
that's amazing! it must be such a nice feeling! well done x
what week are you on now? x ❤
leah68376 Potatoghost
Posted
i am on weeks seven. im definitely on the up. went food shopping on my own this morning and didnt feel anxious at all and my overall mood is a lot better. and my energy is returning x