Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?

On day 15, think side effects are passing, I have been on cit years ago and due to increased anxiety (unbearable at times).....I read this forum every spare minute, such a stength......Anne, the breathing is helping, thank u for being so positive......I am pushing myself everyday and feeling a little calmer, looking forward to the full effect......luckily I have an amazing partner who is a tremendous support, I love this site and have clung to it for the last few weeks, so many amazing people on here, be strong everyone, cross the hurdles, I can't wait till the light shines brightly

Susie xx

Hi Susie,

You're so right! This group has been a huge help to me too. It's amazing how much peer support helps. My fiance is amazing but he was concerned by the fact that a drug requires people to need support to cope with it. But he sees what a big help the people here have been to me. I also appreciate having somewhere to discuss what has been happening with me without dumping it all on him (not that he would ever mind).

I'm still improving slowly. Got another couple of weeks off work so am hopeful that I'll be good by then. Am sleeping better, still rarely asleep before 2am but am getting blocks of sleep now, not naps. Sweats are decreasing.

Hope everyone is ok.

:-D

Hi Diane,

My partner is medically qualified, cit is one of the drugs he studied at length and is fully supportive of me taking it, he was familiar with the side effects which was in a way calming for me, he conducted a blind study test years ago with this tablet and the results were amazing, he explained to me that the cit retrains ur chemical balance in ur body, my adrenaline levels were running so high all the time and the tablet will balance this out......yesterday I had a great day, I had only a couple of episodes where I felt "weird" but Anne taught me to breathe my way out the situation which I do, the sweating, shivers, brain zaps, headaches and the anxiety seems to have reduced, I also had a giggle yesterday which I haven't done for what seems like forever since that happened........!!!!

Susie xx

Hi susie,

I know what you mean. Over Xmas I was so fatigued I could nearly get out of bed. Now I get up and think "right what am I going to do"? This morning I got up, had a shower, put on washing then did a load of food prep to make a big pot of soup. Just spoke to my fiance on the phone and he said I sounded like" the old me" and have been doing normal stuff without giving it a second thought.

Now that's progress!

:-D

Diane,

That's fantastic, well done u xxxx keeping busy is a good thing, but it's also good to relax too......I hope people who read this can see that we r all the same, and it can creep up on the most unexpected times of our lives and it's "perfectly normal" and not some of weakness ...... I have an amazing life, have everything I need or even want and the anxiety returned out of the blue.......it's nothing we have done wrong or anything it's just the mechanics of our system........there is no need for anyone to suffer, if it takes one tablet to bring my "system round" then he'll yeah I will take it for a normal feeling! Keep strong, so happy u r feeling so positive x

Susie xx

Hi Susie,

Am still having lots of "chill time" on the sofa too. Pacing myself as I have post viral fatigue which resulted in lots of nasty palpitations and nausea and crashing fatigue. I got stuck in an adrenaline cycle so started citalopram as was having anxiety response to the physical stuff. Got myself in a bit of a pickle worrying when I had dizziness and palpitations which in turn made them worse. 3 and a bit weeks in and things are definitely improving. I am using relaxation apps and also pacing techniques.

Need to keep moving because I found myself watching Jeremy kyle this morning...... :O

:-D

Hi,

I woke up this morning to dread yet again, even though I'd had a reasonable day yesterday.

I decided to see my GP she asked if it might be because I have committed to going back to work. I told her o didont know and that I wasn't sure what is the best thing to do.

Although week 6 of my increase to 40mg I think the prospect of work has tipped me back over the edge a little.

The GP made the decision for me. 4 more weeks off and start my new counselling next week. So need to incorporate getting myself mentally ready for work again through the sessions.

I hope this is the right thing to do? This will be my forth month off. I feel guilty not being at work.

Emma x

Hi Emma,

It's difficult, I'm going onto my 4th month off too but luckily I have a very supportive team who want me to only come back when I feel ready. I tried to go back before I was on citalopram but ended up having a nasty relapse. With hindsight I pushed myself too quickly and put pressure on myself. Now I feel that I go back when I'm ready and very slowly, just taking the pressure off myself seems to be making it easier.

I really think you shouldn't go back until you feel absolutely ready as it could make things worse. Better to be off slightly longer then be able to manage when you do then rush back and ended up sitting your recovery back. You've come so far...... There's no harm in taking a little longer to look after yourself.

:-D

I am taking my first dose tonight (10mg)....No ifs, ands or buts about it. I was feeling very excited and optimistic to begin, but as the time is dwindling down to dinner (when I plan to take it)...I am starting to feel so scared. Not panicked, just scared. I'm not even sure why.reading all the posts have been very inspiring and fills me with a great deal of optimism. I know there is nothing to be afraid of...but I am. Maybe it is a fear of the anxiety to begin with (this is all pretty new to me). Maybe there fear that the cit won't work. Who knows. I may post a bit over the next few days, just to get my thoughts out of my head. Even though I don't know any of you, I truly feel a sense of community and support, I tend to go it alone for every problem I have ever had..probably the exact reason I am in the predicament I am now...lol. Thank you again for all the support as I struggle with first steps of this journey....i know this is temporary and I have a whole wonderful life ahead of me. May you all be blessed with happiness and joy in your life.

Christy

Hi Christy,

It is your anxiety making you scared to start on Cit, I remember it well !!! In the end I decided I can be any worse than I am now and it wont kill me, so I popped in in my mouth and took a drink, swallowed it and moved on, started cleaning etc. and I was ok, I believe now that the side effects weren't much worse than what I was already suffering, just u want to be ok quickly.

Hope you have just popped it and now on the road to recovery xx

Keep in touch,

Anne x

Hi Susie

I am really glad you are using the breathing it will help you the rest of your life too, good to hear u had a wee giggle that's a step forward. Having a supportive partner is really helpful too, and its great he knows about Cit as what you said has helped me look at it different, as I usually think OMG when I take it, as I don't know enough about it but I also LOVE it at the same time as it has made me feel normal again. So keep in touch whenever you need to its good to hear how everyone is getting on.

Hey Diane, glad your feeling a bit better, and yes we all need to look after ourselves and if that means time off work then so be it, whatever it takes. Work will wait.

Emma whatever helps is the right thing to do, only time will tell and hopefully as its 6 weeks increase for you now it will soon give u full benefits xx be kind to your self, you deserve it.

Take care all stay strong, remember deep breathing and relax, check out tapping online, it helped me at through really bad times and calmed me right down so I could breath again. (it looks really silly LOL but its really good )

Anne XXXXX

Hi Anne, could you please tell me about the breathing techniques, I'm sorry I must have missed that, it seems to be helping Susie and like you it helped me to know her partners opinion of citalopram, I don't feel so bad about taking it now. xxx

Hi CMC,

No problem, what you do is breath in for a count of 7 and out just through pursed lips for a count of 11 some folk think of it like breathing in sunshine for count of 7 then breathing out darkness for a count of 11, breathing out for longer emits carbon dioxide and oxygenates your body. hence making it calm and relaxed. You should put your hand on your belly button and breath deep down into ur stomach and u should feel ur tummy go out when u breath in.................... I use it regurlarly, they say we should practice this type of breathing as often as we can remember to do it.

Yes it is reassuring to know Susies partner thinks Cit is goodTake care and let me know how you get on with the deep breathing.

Hi everyone,

I have been taking 10mg cit for nearly four weeks now, I saw an improvement after the side affects subsided but started to feel unwell again. I went back to my GP yesterday and she has now put them up to 20mg and I am now having the side affects again has any one else experienced this. I have been following this forum

which really helped me, it is nice to know I am not the only one that has this problem with anxiety.

Good luck to you all x

Anne,

I did it!!! I took my first dose. I'm an hour in and I haven't fallen over dead...lol.. I'm feeling jittery and nervous, but I know that's all in my head and still worried about what is going to happen to me. I'm going to make some hot tea, relax, and go to bed. Thank you for all the support.

Christy