4 weeks on citalopram second time

hi thanks for replying. yes mornings are worse for me too and early evening i seem to have another low but the anxiety never really goes away it just lessens a bit. im really scared its not going to work this time and im going to have to go through all this again on some other drug. The first few weeks were really bad for me too particularly the second and third week, things are a little better this week as we are away on holiday . i was really worried about coming but it was good i did. today is our last day and im really worried about going home now and going backwards. im sure it worked quicker last time and today is day 12 on 20 and i feel like there should have been more of an effect by now

the fact that you managed to go to holiday is awesome i doubt i would be able to go anywhere because of my anxiety being so bad. Sometimes it makes me feel like my thoughts are not my thoughts and i am even embarrassed how stupid my thoughts and anxieties can be. Makes me feel like going crazy, i desperately what to have my life back but i am struggling. From reading a bunch of comments it seems like the road to recovery is long and can take few months. I have definitely noticed some good days but then it was followed by a complete disaster days with intrusive horrible thoughts. Its a super bumpy ride but i am not planning to give up yet will try to ride it out.

plus you been on 20mg for only 12 days that is so early it will definitely need more time to improve. Every time dose is upped it is like starting all over again. I am 19 days on 20 mg and had two really great days but crashed again. Also might be due to the fact i am taking a different brand of citalopram made in a different country as i cannot get the citalopram i have been taking before anymore as i have moved countries.

thanks heaps for the reassurance. im on generic cit too - all we can get here. the holiday has been hard but i have had a few ok moments. have had to take lorazepam every night to get through. also my ibs has been playing up so every time i get a sore stomach i get super anxious. my poor husband is so worried about me and i have kids too and its really hard on them. i find the negative intrusive thoughts really hard too. im always thinking catastrophic scenarios and find it really hard to believe ill get better. still having bouts of tears too. i know i just need to take it one day at a time but thats so hard when you just want to be better. i think about how i was 6 months ago and just cant believe that im here

Stomach is definitely a big issue for me as well particularly feeling sick. It has definitely subsided but i do get the sick feeling when anxiety increases. But when i was on citalopram the first time round i also had quite a few stomach issues also that leveled out after some time. Its even more hard for you when you got a family! I hope your husband is supportive. I have no children but i want them and this anxiety makes me scared that i will never be able to have any kids because its so debilitating. However i am so happy my boyfriend is very supportive but of course very worried but he believes i will be better. When you have better days and then the bad ones hit again you feel so hopeless and think there is no way back and it is hard to see the progress. Did you always have anxiety of did it come on suddenly like it did for me? Feel free to message me if you want seems like we are going trough the same thing.

hi - no ive had anxiety on and off since my early 20s but didnt take any medication for it until 4 years ago. the cit worked really well and i felt so much better so i came off it in April this year but then relapsed in sept and decided to go back on. its been hell and ive been so much worse than i was before i started the medication. in hindsight i should have waited longer before going back on the medication i think as it might have just been a blip but now im here. do you get depressed too? i have times when i just feel really sad and down and find it so hard to be positive - i just find it so hard to believe i will get better, especially in the mornings with the morning anxiety. you sound like you are definately on the right track - my psych said its really normal to have good and bad days. im more having good moments rather than good days

i also think that i should have waited before taking medication as maybe it was a blip but it makes you feel so uncomfortable you want it gone so i started meds again as i freaked out that its happening again. i never had depression but i feel like being in this medication second time round i developed depression as a side effect and yes it makes me feel very down and hopeless. however anxiety is so exhausting i would not be surprised that it caused the depression. did it cause depression for you too? these past few days are really hard i am filled with anxiety and intrusive thoughts and feel sick again. second time round in cit i think i am finding it harder. still hoping it will work. i wish i never came of them.

Hi - I feel exactly the same - heaps harder this time round, heaps more depression too, think its the anxiety causing it. I am very up and down. I have moments of minimal anxiety then all of sudden it comes back with a vengeance with the negative catastrophic thoughts and the burning sensation. I'm really hoping it will work too though finding it much harder to be positive this time. Hopefully it will work just maybe take longer and might need a higher dose than last time. Do you have any benzos? They have helped me a lot this last week though I am super worried about getting addicted and the withdrawals. I have been taking 0.5mg to get to sleep each night and very occasionally another one during the day. We came back home today and I was really anxious about coming back but have managed to have a restful afternoon with some sleep and minimal anxiety. Problem is my bed feels like my safe place and its so tempting to stay in it all the time even though I know I need to try and carry on and be as normal as possible and that makes the anxiety worse. Somehow we need to come to terms with the anxiety and take back control and then we will start to get better. But I agree - getting control of those negative thoughts is bloody hard work!

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/success-on-citalopram--581829

i cud have written all that

i so empathise

read this old blog of mine

Thank you so much Gillian, I was actually reading the discussion you linked and it is very encouraging. However, the issue i have now is that i moved countries started my usual citalopram that i was taking before for the second time about 3 weeks ago however as i am not uk anymore there is no way I can get the same manufacturer for cit that i was using. I got different brand of medication and it caused me to feel horrible side effects after the first tablet. Horrible anxiety, Feel like i am at the beginning but there is no other way i will try to find some other brand of cit and see if it better. I mean i have only been taking sit for 20 days people say it is still early days. How are you doing now Gillian?

thanks so much Gillian - that is reassuring but so hard to fight the 'what ifs'! i agree with you - i wish i had never come off the medication - i was feeling so much better - normal even in a way i never had before. now i fear i am never going to get back there

i said the same and am not coming off it again i need that seratonin link

its very early days

give it 6 months it slowly gets much better and increases as u learn strategies to deal with things

dont get tooo hung up about brands

they slowly settle but one gets paranoid at anythong early stages