3 weeks in at 20 MG celexa/citalopram now.

Hiya, yes definitely have a reprieve in the pm when I feel not too bad. Appetite has finally improved. Mornings I am an anxious zombie. Will be 4 weeks by next Monday. Waiting for the magic to happen and finnaly wake up not in a state of agitation and anxiety.

Best Shane

Thanks so Much! I feel pretty calm and relaxed by late afternoon and evening. Mornings are hellish typically. I take my 20 MG at night because It knocks me out so don't want to change that routine.

I just need to push thru seems to be worth it in the end!

Thanks for your help so Appreciated!

Yep - exatly how it worked for me.  Mornings were dreadful but it started wearing off by the evening, which over time spread to the afternoons and eventually into the mornings.  

Throughout that time I had times when I had blips which lasted days, but then I'd return to the evenings when I felt ok again.

I got to learn that though I'd wake feeling awful it wasn't how the rest of my day would pan out.

Then one day I woke up with no anxiety.  All this took 6 months.  From then on, though was anxiety free all day I'd still get the occasional blip, but they eventually stopped.

Have been well ever since.

K x

Kate ive been on 20mg for 6 weeks and my morning anxiety (that lasts from waking until mid late afternoon) is still terrible. Should i be getting better by now? Is my dose too low? Or even too high?

Im tempted to go back to 10mg

Your thoughts appreciated.

6 weeks is early still.  Took me 6 months on 20mg to finally recover and all anxiety to stop.  Throughout my recovery I'd get dreadful anxiety every morning and by the evening it would wear off and I'd feel quite normal, only to wake again the next and repeat it all.  Over time the normal evenings crept into the afternoon and finally mid morning ...... at 6 months I started waking with no anxiety.

So having anxiety from morning to mid / late pm is quite normal.  Relish in the time each day it begins to calm.  The anxiety will ease more and more as more time passes.  It will eventually stop altogether.

Recovery usually takes months.

You're well on your way by the sounds of it.

K x

Kate. Thanks for the reply. I know you dont have all the answers but i really appreciate your thoughts.

But is it the drugs that are heightening the anxiety...because if it this is a side effect. Should it have worn off by now?

I was on 10mg for years and in worried thats why the 20mg isnt working now

Or am i taking too much.

I feel so lost. I hate this.

Yes the meds do heighten the anxiety, and though side effects wear off, anxiety is often the last side effect to disappear.

Its always hard to tell if the dose is correct for you, but the usual starting dose is 20mg.  I've been on these meds twice and I had a completely difference experience the 2nd time starting up.  I felt differently - felt completely / no emotions, and it took much longer for the meds to work - about 7-8 months that time.

You're already having calm evenings which shows the meds are working and you're going down the right path.

It is horrible isn't it - I always said I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Its something you can't explain to anyone who hasn't suffered with it.

Don't know if you saw my post I did some weeks ago about why we feel so rubbish on these meds ..... but have a look at it as it might help explain why it takes so long 

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/reason-meds-take-so-long-and-why-you-feel-rubbish-571394

K xx

Thanks Kate. I hope you are right. Im seeing my doctor on friday and i think he will say up it to 30mg but im already concerned my dosage is too high.

I just dont know what to do. Im even tempted to go down and try 15mg to see if that eases the awful immediate (within 2 hours) anxiety that the tablets bring. Or do i take them in the evening and ride it out. I just dont know anymore

Wednesday will mark 4 months for me on Citalopram. It took me about 3 months before I felt the depression had finally lifted to the point that I wasn't having all the ups and downs and I was truly leveled out. I started out on 10mg then after about 5 weeks doc upped me to 20mg but that seemed like too much so my doctor allowed me to drop back down to 10 then gradually increase my dosage until we found a dose tailored for me. I finally ended up at 15mg and that seemed to be the dose that's for me. I also take 10mg Propranolol 3 times a day to help ease anxiety.

I know, tough going at first. Today is particularly bad for me. Feels like the worst kind of hang over ever. I just try to keep the light at the end of the tunnel in mind and push thru.

Stay connected to this forum. Provides both info and support.

Hoping it goes well for you! FYI my jump from 10 mg to 20 MG was uneventful it was a week later that I started to feel worse.

Take care, eat as well as possible and try to get some exercise in. All the best!

I know it is scary because the days ahead are so damn unpredictable. What keeps me going is that the feedback from so many that eventually I will have relief and myself back. Frankly I really don't know what else to do. My anxiety and panic came out of no where about 6 months ago. I still don't understand it all. Just know I can't live with it and this seems to be the best solution. I tried the usual meditation, deep breathing, mind fullness but when the panic alarm goes off in my body none of those coping techniques work for me. Take care. I am on this forum often. Always here to provide support and listen.