7 weeks and counting
Posted , 6 users are following.
well i just past the 7 week mark and im 1 week into 30mg now. what i have noticed is my coping skills have improved with intrusive thought but still no improvement in my overall mood. im not sad but im not happy either.... im stuck! Why is it taking so long for me? ive been patient and determined to beat this but this waiting game is frustrating me terribly!
Ive also noticed im getting very bad dry eye so i saw an eye doc and all appeared to be ok so i bought a humidifier air filter and increased my blinking as im on the computer for hours! ive never in my life had dry eye only when i started taking cit!
its listed as a rare side effect (please google it to confirm my statement) but will it go away like all the other side effects have or should i be concerned? it can be very painful and i also use natural tears with very little help.
any suggestions? will it go away i hope? it was quite bad in the beginning and is not nearly as painful as it was last week so im hoping to tuff it out and hope it slowly goes away.
regards,
James
0 likes, 18 replies
whodareswins Guest
Edited
Well done, it took a little longer for me to see a real improvement. Don't forget you have just upped your dose which can bring back those side effects and possibly lower mood again. Intrusive thoughts are horrific, mine where of a violent nature and very scary. Therapy worked really well, once i realised i wasn't completely crazy, it was fairly common, why/how they worked it became much easier to deal with them. They still pop in my head now and again but only for a minute or two. I don't give them the oxygen anymore. The therapy along with the meds worked hand in hand, it probably took around 8-10 weeks to see results. I still get the odd bad day but who doesn't.
I didn't get the eye trouble but i know a friend who did, his cleared up but it took quite a while if i remember rightly. Some side effects don't completely go, it becomes a case of does the downside of those outweigh the upside of the meds, sometimes a change might be required which nobody wants. The usual ones are lower libido and insomnia, personally id keep going, your nearly through the worst of it. Get through the dose increase and see how you get on. Try exercise, worked pretty well for me along with cutting down on alcohol for a while.
One thing, you will get plenty of good advice but at the end of the day we are all different and must be guided by whats best for ourselves. I searched for hours for comfort at the start, its almost like it never happened now. I only post now due to the email notification i still receive. It certainly does get much better, takes a lot of time, effort and patience though. Good luck.
Guest whodareswins
Edited
Hiya!
thank you for your reply it was most helpful! I will be at 8 weeks this saturday so maybe then i might show at least some improvement???? I drank quite a bit last friday (5 days ago) so the anxiousness im feeling is no doubt due to the alcohol! I really hope this dry eye goes away but it is alot better than last week! my eyes kept tearing up and down my cheek like i was actually crying but i wasnt! had a box of tissues always near me lol! I think im a patient man and will continue to hope and pray that tomorrow will be even just alittle bit better!
regards,
James
whodareswins Guest
Posted
Everybody is different, hopefully citalopram will work for you and soon, I've found they are not a miracle cure though but along with a few changes and therapy (which i was very sceptical about) I'm back on track almost, they have certainly worked for myself. I don't take any stress on at work or out of it if i can help it, exercise and drinking less are helpful. Slightly boring but needs must.
I still have the odd blow out on the booze, always been more of a binge drinker, nothing for a 5-6 weeks then a right good old session. I suffer no end the next few days afterwards, anxiety through the roof, depressed, intrusive thoughts etc. It gets to the point you start thinking is it worth it but old habits die hard. It certainly doesn't help though. Good luck.
Guest whodareswins
Posted
well i see my doc march 6th after 6 weeks on 30mg... i hope by that time there is at least some improvement showing me to keep on taking them... for life if need be! I need to get out of this hell im in!
thanks for replying!
regards,
James
Guest Guest
Posted
Have you tried Viscotears gel for your eyes? You can buy otc, I sometimes use it because my eyes get dry wearing contact lenses.
Guest Guest
Posted
hiya Lina!
i will call my pharmacy tomorrow and see if they have it. is it long lasting and stop the constant tearing up?
regards,
James
Guest Guest
Posted
Hi again
I use it for dry eyes as I wear daily contact lenses and use a computer screen a lot. It moisturizes them and freshens them up, I don't know about stopping tears though but your pharmacist will advise.
lynne99670 Guest
Posted
im only 2 weeks in i had a really good day yesterday this morning i get up and anxiety is bad today can this happen is it normal!?
Grounded Guest
Posted
It took me until almost 9 weeks before I actually seen a difference which is still a small change but definitely for the better. As my experiences go, it comes in such small steps that we barely see it happening and others around us will see it before we do. I know I still have a ways to go but I am going to enjoy the good days I do have, and tell myself during the bad days 'it is getting better, just get through today'. It's a long journey and depending on how long you have been feeling bad could be a long journey to get to where you should be but don't worry there will be good days to get you through.
Hoping you get to feeling better very soon!
Guest Grounded
Posted
hiya grounded i know im only at 7+ weeks im having a bad day today! i will stick it out and just wait it out is all i can do! i hate the fact that im actually counting the days ive been on it... really bad habit i guess... just want relief desperately is all!
regards,
James
Guest Guest
Posted
Hi
The hardest part for me is accepting that it is anxiety as the mind plays havoc with me and I imagine all sorts of things wrong with me. I get good and bad days and when it's a good day it kinda puts things in perspective. I tell myself that if there was anything wrong with me I wouldn't get good days. I think if you can stay focussed and accept that it is anxiety and that it is only temporary you are half way there.
Guest Guest
Posted
thank you so much i will keep that in mind! i keep telling myself this will not last forever! maybe our side effects is showing us that the medication is starting to help us... i dont know?
regards,
James
Guest Guest
Posted
I don't know whether side effects is showing us that it is working but I do know that it can take weeks for our bodies to adjust to this medication and each time there is an increase in dosage the body has to adjust to that too. I took citalopram for several years and cannot remember having too many side effects initially. My problems started when I stopped taking them cold turkey and started back on them again, yoyo'ing with my dosage. I've had side effects this second time around that I cannot remember having before. Every time you increase or decrease you will have start up or withdrawal effects so don't do as I foolishly did, you live and learn.😊
Guest Guest
Posted
As i wait patiently, i will just ignore what my mind and body is doing as Kate had mentioned thats good advice! But if just if this is the med for me after time, i doubt i will go off of it only to have my symptoms come back and whammy me like in the past! i've read the symptoms can come back worse than before i started the cit and i sure as hell dont want that!
regards,
James
gemma77546 Guest
Posted
Hi, it will get better hang in there. I cant help with the dry eyes but for me it was horrendous sinus problems when i started back on the citalopram which i didn't have trouble with before. I'm on 30mg too which every time i upped my dose it took me a good three months to feel like i was getting somewhere, the morning anxiety was the last thing to go for me. I'm now four months on 30mg and it was May last year when i started back out on the 10mg. I'm now having weeks of feeling better rather than days. I just wish I'd not come off the citalopram in the first place as its taken longer to get better the second time round. You will feel better, stay strong I thought I'd never get through it, I was suicidal with the anxiety and I'm getting there slowly.x
Guest Guest
Posted
Sounds good to me.😊
Grounded Guest
Posted
Oh trust me I know! I wish there was a miracle pill that worked right away, and deep down I hoped that I would be one of the ones that said they got relief quickly. But I've come to face the fact that this could be a long journey and just enjoy the good days which are getting to be more and more often. Hang in there! Before you know it you can look back on all this and be glad you stuck it out. 😃
Oh by the way someone here on this forum once mentioned try not to count in days or weeks, but count in months it does help a little. Also, I've kept a journal from Day1 of how I felt, and any side effects that I was having so I can see how far I've come, that also worked for me too.
Guest Grounded
Posted
Hey grounded well i make it a habit to not count the days or weeks cuz i have a funny feeling its just causing me added stress that i dont need right now! I should start keeping a journal as well thats an awesome idea of where i was and where i am today! i will def keep that in mind ty!
regards,
James