1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Citalopram

5 weeks of 20mg update

Posted , 4 users are following.

terry03243
terry03243

well its been 3 weeks at 10mg and now 5 weeks of 20mg cit , and i am still very anxious full of worrying thoughts ,nervous stomache bouts of depression  tired lethargic , no motivation and not through the lack of trying , still feeling the hopelessness of never going to get better , i still am feeling no relief from this med at the moment , still feeling of nausea and very low appetite infact no interest in food at all , i could increase the dose of cit but to be honest i dont think i could handle any worse side effects , so for me its been 8 weeks of hell and no sign of letting up , considering i have felt like tis for 12 months now i am starting to loose faith in meds 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • elizabeth20203
    elizabeth20203 terry03243

    Posted

    Hello Terry, I seem to be following you around on this forum lol. I have been on Cit for 12 months now. I started on 20mg but couldn't handle the side effects. I asked the GP if i could reduce to 10mg. I had severe side effects for about 8 weeks. Diareah, no appetite, lost weight at first, increased anxiety. I have stayed on the 10mg and can say that now i have no panic attacks and anxiety decreased. It as been great apart from the weight gain. I would stick with it. It maybe that you don't need a higher dose, you may need a lower dose. Go back to the GP and ask for review. It maybe that the Cit doesn't agree with you, it is not for everyone. Hope this helps.

    Elizabeth.

  • polly06
    polly06 terry03243

    Posted

    Hi I've been the on vit about the same 3 weeks on 10mg and 6weeks on 20mg I can honestly say this past week I've felt like my normal self again at one point I did think I needed a higher dose. But people tell me 6-8 weeks for your body to get used it! I've had horrendous anxiety nausea and contant worry but please try and hang on another week or so and maybe see your Dr x
  • Felis
    Felis terry03243

    Posted

    Hi Terry 

    i know the first 8 weeks are awful and sheer hell but it does get better. It took me three months to be able to wake up in the morning without shaking and having that gut wrenching feeling.My doctor gave me a mild tranquilliser until I reached that stage of feeling well and now I don't need them. Perhaps this might help as an interim thing but talk to your doctor.

    from your past posts you have said that you have been on meds for other reasons and so this is a lot for your body to take . You are doing really well considering what you've been through so give it some more time.Its easy for me to say I know but honestly I didn't think I would ever get better and I used to live literally one day at a time until without warning I felt better because I stopped fighting the anxiety and thought stuff it and accepted it and tried to find anything to distract me . Do hope things start to improve soon .Just remember you are not alone in this plenty of people care.x

    • terry03243
      terry03243 Felis

      Posted

      thanks felis , the anxiety has decreased a little but i am now so much more depressed i feel emotional all over again and great feelings of dispair , no lift in mood , i havnt had a good day for 12 months recently came of venlaxafine over 6 months and quetiapine 3months withdrawel to go on cit , but i felt the same on ven and quetipine as i do the cit , i feel all 3 have made no difference , i sleep ok but the moment i wake doom and gloom strike me from severe anxiety or severe depression . i have not had a life for the past year no smiling no laughing every day a constant battle , i cant get to see my gp , i have got to wait 5 weeks before i see a psyhcatrist dont think i can wait that long , im also of work and i dont get paid which is making things worse but all i want to do is sleep no energy  , gp keeps saying it will get better , but he said that to me twelve months ago and nothing has changed
    • Felis
      Felis terry03243

      Posted

      Hi Terry 

      Been thinking of you so much. I was born in England but have lived in Australia many years. we have different services for Mental health care. I am so concerned about your mood and the only thing I can think of is to call the Psychologist and and see if you can get to see her / him earlier as your situation has deteriorated at least see if they can put you on a priority list for a cancellation. My Doctor actually called the psychologist and asked her to see me urgently when I was so depressed. I also went to an anxiety disorder clinic at a hospital for two months and that really helped. If you google Anxiety disorder clinic maybe there is something available in UK.

      I was very impressed with Katecogs reply to you she is so helpful and she is right to say stick with the Cit for a few more weeks. 

      Try to go out for a walk daily and even make a list of things to do then tick them off.this will give you a sense of coping.

      i wonder too if work would be able to give you just part time work distraction is a great thing for anxiety. 

      When I went to work I was a flight attendant and I don't know how I did it . I would sit in briefing stomach churning pins and needles in my arms and kept smiling I acted as if I was OK .and then eventually the meds kicked in and I could laugh again. I must say the social contact with the crew was great because we used to laugh a lot and were very supportive.

      Wish I could help more but keep posting remember we have all been there and you will get better. Big hug xx

  • katecogs
    katecogs terry03243

    Posted

    Hi Terry

    I do feel for you - I've been there myself, and know you're feeling in a hopeless situation at the mo, and know that each day is torture for you.

    Though you've been on meds for 8 weeks, it's only 5 weeks at 20mg.  Is is the dose I recovered on and it took 3-4 months before I started feeling anything.  All I can say is do hang on, do take each day as it comes, because you're so nearly there.  Don't increase the dose because it'll just prolong the side effects.  This is where a lot of people fall down - either increase the dose making themselves feel worse, or start to come off the meds.  When I say it takes a long time to recover, it really, really does.  It's sheer hell getting through it all, and when the side effects start to subside, the wellness will start to happen very, very slowly.

    It really is worth hanging on, however bad it gets.  Recovery is there for those who wait it out.

    I know you can't see any way out, but you're in the clutches of anxiety at the moment, and anxiety brings despair, negative thoughts.  I had all this and dreadful nausea, but it all passed eventually.  Every morning my heart would sink, I'd sob and eventually drag myself out of bed.  I'd feel scared, sick, despondent, terrified and exhausted from everything ... before I took the meds and during them too ..... but I kept going as thought I had nothing to lose.  When I recovered it was like a breathe of fresh air - I had myself back again.

    Don't lose faith.  Tell yourself each day that though it is bad, your body is moving towards recovery even though you can't feel it yet.

    These meds are tough.  But the answer to your depression and anxiety is around the corner.

    We're all routing for you.

    K x

    • terry03243
      terry03243 katecogs

      Posted

      thanks for your lovely reply katecogs , first i must  say how much i admire you for being able to get through this and come out the otherside , i have been struggling with horrendous anxiety for 2 years now , but have sufferd with it for 20 years on and off , i had some ok times on venlaxafine but the last 2 years it did not have any effect whats so ever just bad side effects , so thats why have withdrawn from it ,my be a bit to quickly on it for 10 years 75mg and have manage to stop in 5 months gp no help just told me it would be ok to stop and switch straight onto the cit , i am unable to work at the moment and i have never taken time of work even in the bad times , but this time it has stopped me in my tracks , the worst is i dont get paid being of sick and thats starting to worry me , i have been taking 30 mg for the last 4 days may be i should drop back to 20mg , everytime i increase or decrease any amount i feel worse the next day , may i ask did you go on the cit for depression or anxiety or both ,   ,, take care  terry
    • katecogs
      katecogs terry03243

      Posted

      Hi Terry

      This is my 3rd type of SSRI medication - I first started on Seroxat and though I recovered on this I found it made me really angry all the time, so was switched another (forget the name) which was great.  That was eventually discontinued and I was switched to Citalopram - but yes, I went on meds for depression and anxiety.  I had it on and off for 15 years, and some days my anxiety was so bad I didn't know how to cope.  Mornings were my worst.  It was such a dark time in my life.  Once I started the SSRI's it all subsided and I got better!!  

      Yes increasing or decreasing medication will make anxiety a little worse, but it will wear off.  Maybe if you find 30mg too much, maybe take 25mg or even 30mg one day and 20mg the next?  I got better on 20mg, but we're all different and it's often trial and error finding the dose to suit you.

      Hopefully now that you're off the other medications you can just concentrate on just Citalopram now.

      Sorry to hear you aren't able to work at the moment - do try and keep yourself busy If you can though, it's helpful.  It's really hard doing things, getting out of bed even some days, but exercise is good for you as it burns up excess adrenaline - a daily walk or a cycle ride etc.  Would your employers allow you to work some hours - it's just a thought.

      K x

       

  • jean84704
    jean84704 terry03243

    Posted

    Hi terry

    everything you have said was me up until last week I went through all the same side effects I am now into my 13th week of taking cit  6wks of 10mg then about 3wks taking 20mgs which sent my anxiety through the roof so doc reduced me back down to 10mgs and it now seems to have levelled out .take note of what fellis, polly and katecogs are saying they have been on this journey longer than me and always give good advice they certainly have helped me since joining this forum.

    jean x

    p.s David always gives good advice too.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.