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Advice on increasing dose

Posted , 8 users are following.

stephen35115
stephen35115

Hi all, I've been on Citalopram for just over 5 months now. I take 10mg every morning and after a hellish first few weeks I probably started to feel a bit better after a couple of months. I've definitely been able to cope better on the whole although anxiety has never been far away. Anyway I have started to get the same headaches ( stress headaches) I had before I was prescribed Citalopram and the nausea and tiredness is also returning. So my question is should I try to sit this out or go back to GP and up the dose? I desperately wanted to recover with the lowest dose but I don't want to get to where I was before. I'm also concerned about having to go through the horrible symptoms I had before if I up the dose. Any advice would be appreciated. Stephen

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • iris46
    iris46 stephen35115

    Posted

    Stephen....you MUST consult your doc....10mg of Cit is only a starting dose. If you increase your dose you will get some side effects but not for long. I started on 20 nearly 6 weeks ago. Increased to 30 at start of 2nd week and 40 in 3rd week. I'm feeling really good these last week or so. Good luck

    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 iris46

      Posted

      I was on 10mg for over 8 years...some peoples "therapy" level can be 10mg. 

      Everyone is different.  And you could be correct that 10mg may not be this persons effective dose.

      However, this person has only been on the drug for a couple months...and as I said....aside from pills if everything else is in balance...stress, exercise, rest, food and fluid intake...than possibly the consideration of raising the dose would be valuable.

  • Misssy2
    Misssy2 stephen35115

    Posted

    i have read many times on here...that people that up their dose...go back to feeling the general side effects from Citalopram and are miserable.

    I would stick with the 10mg...as it builds in your body anyway.

    I feel like us people with anxiety...jump to fast..to up doses....without just dealing with some symptoms...and letting the medication work.  Medication is not a magic pill but a little booster to help us manage our lives.

    We are still going to have headaches...good days...bad days....

    Maybe find better ways to manage the "headaches' like exercise or eating good....drinking lots of fluids....these are general suggestions that we don't follow or roll our eyes at...but they are the simple things that can really work.

    • stephen35115
      stephen35115 Misssy2

      Posted

      Hi Missy, thank you for your reply. My symptoms of headache and nausea I am pretty sure are related to stress as my body carries a lot of stress just now. What I was wondering was if an increase in dosage would help with the stress? I do exercise regularly, I sleep well enough and drink plenty of water, my diet could be better but this stress seems to accumulate all over my body until I start to get pretty unwell with it. I don't want to leave it until urine infections and extreme fatigue set in which has happened before. Any other helpful suggestions out with medication would also be welcomed. Stephen

    • viablex1
      viablex1 Misssy2

      Posted

      Well said thank you for saying this I also believe the medicine is to help you it is not a magic pill
    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 stephen35115

      Posted

      My only thought is "time"...it is definetly a 4 letter word.

      I personally would not jump my dosage...knowing that the side effects can cause me more stress.

       

  • janet05571
    janet05571 stephen35115

    Posted

    Hi

    I've been on Citalopram for 3 months and feel very similar to you. The headaches have returned and some nausea. I feel day to day situations I can deal with a little better. But sleep is a nightmare. My heart races and I start to overthink. I also take 10mg.

    I'm persevering at the moment. But if sleep continues to be a problem I'm not sure what to do.

    Good luck

    • stephen35115
      stephen35115 janet05571

      Posted

      Hi Janet, I can have some days where getting to sleep seems difficult but I use guided mindfulness apps which have really helped me. Without proper sleep I simply can't function. Stephen

  • arlene79
    arlene79 stephen35115

    Posted

    Hi. I had no problem going on it or upping my dose from 20 to 40mg. I had no nausea but tiredness was bad however i have other conditions that could have been cause too. I felt going up helped but after few weeks went back to feeling like i did on 20mg with slight anxiety but manageable.
    • janet05571
      janet05571 arlene79

      Posted

      And may I ask if you drink alcohol?

      I still have wine but not sure I should

    • iris46
      iris46 janet05571

      Posted

      Patient info leaflets for all ssri meds advise no alcohol....this is their way of covering themselves. My advice from a GP and a pharmacist is that alcohol does NOT interfere with the efficacy of an ssri. What alcohol can do in combination with meds is increase the risk of tiredness/falls, so do know your limit
    • arlene79
      arlene79 iris46

      Posted

      Alcohol does not seem to like me. However if i was at birthdays etc i would drink some and just got usual hangover. Make sure eaten well before consume. Dont drink too fast. Drink water before bed. It does make you drowsy and if you feel woozy then either stop or have soft drinks in between.
  • weenett
    weenett stephen35115

    Posted

    Id def recommend u c the gp even if u up the dose to 15 i was like u coped well on ten for yrs then bang needed upped they told me double it to 20 so i did well i was like a cat on a hot tin roof far to activating for me so i cut my self to 15 much better to cope with. Im in ur position this wk could feel things slipping back an i waited it out by yesterday i was hysterical and now need an emergancy appt tomorrow if u feel like ur slipping address it is my advice not that im saying ur me but it never hurts to ask for advice
  • Citaloman
    Citaloman stephen35115

    Posted

    Hi Stephen,

    The problem is many people say see your doc about it, but I have found that doctors are the least knowledgable when it come to citalopram. Hence, why people come to this website for help. After 5 months of being on 10mg and you are still are feeling the anxiety not far away, then an increase should deal with this. A normal theraputic dose is 20mg. Some people are on more or less, but from what I understand 20mg is what doctors put you on to start with, which can be started at say 10mg then 20 after a few weeks.

    • iris46
      iris46 Citaloman

      Posted

      Not true....the preferred treatment is to get the patient up to max therapeutic dose ASAP.
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