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3 weeks on citalopram , losing hope !

Posted , 3 users are following.

garyflinn
garyflinn

well it was three weeks yesterday on citalopram 20mg at night , still waking up with blind panic and a kind of depersonalisation situation , feeling panicked when alone and mind wandering , constantly thinking about impending doom , mind is definitely not as sharp as it was , really foggy like my eyesight , I suffer so much cognitively , really bizarre , surely this cannot be just anxiety/depression ? Mind is always confused and hazy , t.v is on but doesn't mean a great deal and I really don't want to venture out , Any ideas ? 

1 like, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • garyflinn
    garyflinn

    Posted

    Also having some horrible stomach pain and neck pain . Severe dizziness I Feel like giving up , even typing this feels like my arms aren't connected to my body 
  • julie74890
    julie74890 garyflinn

    Posted

    Hi I was on citlopram for many years you will have to give it time to work it took me about 7 weeks before I started to feel any affects off this meds to work I started on 20mgs which I was on for about 6 years then I started to feel a bit better so went down to 10mgs which I was on for a while and with help from my gp and councillor started to wean off it and now since March this year I am not taking it still have the odd panic and anxitiy but couping with it I would give it a few more weeks and see how you feel it may be not the one for you there are different meds out there see your gp if your not happy they may give you a different one hope this has helped you x
  • caitlin39841
    caitlin39841 garyflinn

    Posted

    hi garryfinn. i'm so sorry to hear how you're struggling at the moment. however, don't loose hope.

    as another subscriber has commented, citralopam takes time to replenish the low/absent serotonin levels before u start to feel the positive effects. i'd suggest giving it at least another week. if there's no change, go back to GP. having evaluated, s/he may prescribe a different family of anti-depressant. perhaps it's just, that the SSRI's (citalopram etc) don't work for u. because we're all as different in chemical terms as we are physically, each person responds differently to medication whether in terms of time of response, dosage etc. etc. to medication.

    i'd also suggest, that you have your b12 checked. b12 has many of the neurological symptoms u describe. also, many anxiety/depression symptoms have a 'physcial' causation, that often go undiagnosed and treated. for example if you're anxiety etc. was caused by b12 deficiency citalopram or other anti-depressants won't help much.

    wishing you much good luck with getting ur anxiety under control.

    Caitlin.

    • caitlin39841
      caitlin39841 garyflinn

      Posted

      hi garyflinn. thank u for responding. no, i didn't have side effects.

      i understood from ur post that the citalopram was for the symptoms u described. if the citalopram is causing those symptoms then u need to back to ur GP straight away.

      Caitlin

    • garyflinn
      garyflinn caitlin39841

      Posted

      I'm not sure tho , I had the foggy head eyes and few and other symptoms when I was diagnosed with anxiety / depression x
  • caitlin39841
    caitlin39841 garyflinn

    Posted

    hi garyflinn. either way i'd go back to the doc. coz if ur symptoms r exacerbated by the citalP. then they'll need to re-think the prescription & maybe think of backing it up with CBT (cognitive behavior therapy).

    have a look at the Pernicous Anaemia Society website. they categorise symptoms into phycial/pyschological/cognitive, making it accesible & not energy depleting. i had rather bad depression/anxiety/insomnia & citralopram didn't do anything until i had the b12 deficiency addressed. the foggy congitive, disorientaion, focus lack, eye symptoms etc. sound like it could be a factor in ur current symptoms. btw, how's ur energy? are u energised or fatigued by mild/moderate exertion?

    Caitlin

    • garyflinn
      garyflinn

      Posted

      I do take vit supplements of b12 anyway x
    • caitlin39841
      caitlin39841 garyflinn

      Posted

      ok. that would explain the fatigue. often b12 deficiency presents with ms. b12 def. often presents through mal- absorption, so the b12 cannot be absorbed, and the little amount found in supplements is inadquate to correct a deficiency.

      Caitlin

    • caitlin39841
      caitlin39841 garyflinn

      Posted

      not necessarily as u most likely will not absorb it as the deficiency would have been cause by the inability to absorb & utilize b12. also, by the time it causes foggy brain & focus lack & other cognitive symptoms, it'll be too advanced to have it corrected by the amount of b12 that's available from oral or/and sublingual b12 - usually just 1% of what's taken orally is absorbed. the best thing to do is to have ur serum b12 levels tested. u could log onto the website ''health unlocked'' - the PAS site there will give u more info. on b12 and how it's symptoms can overlap with & mimick conditions such as MS/ME/CFS etc. etc.

      Caitlin

  • caitlin39841
    caitlin39841 garyflinn

    Posted

    p.s. should have said that when/if u get ur b12 levels checked, ensure doc also checks your folate levels. both b12 & folate are interdependent. if one's low the other can't work optimally. gp's are ill informed re these important & simple bits of info. & need prodding re same.

    Caitlin

    • garyflinn
      garyflinn caitlin39841

      Posted

      Well three weeks on cit, I'm kinda hoping that when my anxiety levels drop and I get rid of this knot from my stomach I may be able to think clearer , it's the fog that I seem to be in which it's making me more anxious , I wake with anxiety , then spend the days in a foggy dream almost . My partner doesn't understand and thinks I'm doing it to myself , I know I am not . I know that the cit can take a while for anxiety and depression and I'm trying to stay optimistic , because I can function but it's hard , it's like nothing is natural to do and that I have to force it ,, like typing , reading , washing dishes , everything takes enormous effort , going out scares me and I worry about things like phoning the doctors , I know I can do it and how to do it but I get anxious when I think about doing it and what do I say , will I remember what I said , will I remember what the doc says and that makes me more anxious , I don't want to get up each day to face the same struggles , am I making sense ? Sorry to go on ....
    • garyflinn
      garyflinn caitlin39841

      Posted

      And all of this presents with awful neck tension and pain and fuzzy vision and tremors , losing hope x
    • garyflinn
      garyflinn

      Posted

      I'm constantly yawning nearly swallowing my own head !
    • caitlin39841
      caitlin39841 garyflinn

      Posted

      hi garryflinn. i so sorry to hear the dillemma ur presently experiencing. it sounds awful - feels like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. so sorry too to hear, that ur partner does not seem to understand what ur going through. it's often difficult to comprehend these dilemmas unless one's been through them or similar situations.

      as previously commented, ur symptoms sound very similar to those of the symptoms of PA. yawning/sighing are classics. b12 often presents with b12 def.

      when i was first diagnosed with b12 def. i was in a similar state to u. to overcome it, i wrote a letter to the Doc. asking them to bear with me whilst i try to explain what was going on with me. i wrote a summary of my key symptoms in that letter, explaining that my focus/short term memory was affected hence the need to write it all down. that was a turning point for me with the Docs. i think, my Doc felt she couldn't ignore what was put on paper so she acted. until then, she seemed to put my anxiety down to my ME/CFS, regardless of how often i explained that it was not a usual symptom of my condition.

      when the b12 def. was finally addressed my foggy memory/focus/concentration frustration /agitation largely dissipated as did the tummy knot & my out of control IBS. i was able to manage my condition once more.

      so if u can put some of ur feelings/symptoms on paper and take it with u to the GP, hopefully it'll get some further tests underway. it's always good to have another person with u, if u can find someone to accompany u for emotional/moral support. someone to be in ur corner. the Docs seem to listen more acutely and engage more effectively too when there's another person present.

      Caitlin

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