Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?

Oh no Shane, what a shame I hope it all goes well tomorrow!

It's good they're on about referring you to a department with an open scanner Anne, I'm glad you won't have to go through a normal one again when it made you feel that bad.

I will, thanks!

Hi Holly, hope you got on well at the doctors today xx

Hi Shane hope ur second first day went well, and ur not too tired after it.

Hi Mark, hope ur getting on well these last few days!!

Hi Gillian hope ur getting on well coming off the Cit and reducing,

Take care guys,

Anne x

Thanks for the kind support peeps. Not having any side effects now except the lack of sleep. On Monday I managed to sleep for 6 hours, which is good but I still felt so tired I went back to bed a few hours after waking up and slept another 6. Still felt tired after that. Very strange. I might try switching to taking them in the morning, the only reason I take them at night is because that's when the doc said to take them lol. Hope you're all well

Hi Mark,

Glad ur doing well however lack of sleep can make u feel worse, my Doc told me that they are a stimulant so I shouldn't take at night as I may not sleep, so I take mine in the morning and sleep well, but yes I think we have all been tired when starting them, I yawned a lot lol, Shane changed to the morning and is sleeping much better now, so maybe worth a try, I am on Day 23 now so feeling better.

Take care and keep in touch as it really helps.

Anne

Hi Ive been on these for a week and I noticed a difference after a couple of days. I felt calmer and in control of my emotions but not with the usual zombie like feelings.

Im only on 10mg which I take at night but Im confident these will help me to control my anxiety. After months of fighting my condition alone without medication i only wished id tried these earlier. I have tried a number of other drugs without success and making me very zombie like. I'm not going to lie and say i have been side effect free but im now doing whats best for me.

Hang in there people!!

The thing with anxiety is the uncertainty of everything it chips away until it has you convinced you are daft. My advice would be don't give it house room it won't change anything good or bad. Easier said than done i know but sometimes if you make too much of something it does escalate. I was on 10mg of Citalopram for a short while last year and it did help my mood level. GP decided that i should come off it after 3 months and to this day i sometimes think i wish i was still on it. I could have went back to GP i know but after a very long time with anxiety/depression to a lesser degree compared to some folk i know and i did not want to be on medication if it was not really necessary. Bottom line is we just have to learn to manage the condition to suit ourselves. I did feel better taking it and if it helps why not. Try not to over analyse it is negative.

Hi mag ..

what u said makes sense I came off the Citalopram after a few months still dealing with anxiety and stress

and im starting to realise its how we handle these conditions at they come on is the key .

pills are ok short term u need to tune in to your energy and keep positive im doing meditation now and spiritual awakening to help me ..xxxxxx

Hi Lisa,

so glad they are helping you already that's good news, stick with them and look after number one, if you dont who will. take care.

Hi Mag and Angela, thanks for your comments it helps us other folk to realise we are not alone in this.

Cheers,

Anne

Hi guys

I posted earlier about leaving Cit for the herbal equivalence. Well turns out those weren't working for me either So I've been back to the doc's and she's put me on Paroxetine (paxil). Day 2 and no side effects as bad as I had on Cit..just a bit tired so maybe ive found the right thing for me.. now, like before Im wondering about withdrawals when it comes time to come off.

Has anyone tried this before Cit? and how was withdrawal?

I've heard its the hardest to come off - notorious for worst withdrawals..

HI Skyhigh

just read your post.. like u Cit wasn't really working for me even though I kept with it for a few months

I decided to not carry on even though my doc told me to.. that was a few months ago.. iam taking nothing to date I think I need a antidepressant with a sort of relaxant in it for myself has I was suffering from anxiety and for sure stress. if this medication feels right for u just take it don't worry ahead of yourself about the withdrawls coming off it just let it work first .let me know how u are doing on it I will be seeing my doc

soon . in the meantime I have been relying on relaxation methods I am not working now.so I have the time to do this ..

takecare x

I started taking it on a very low dose (2.5mg once daily) as I was worried about the side effects, since I suffer with severe social anxiety which is already very difficult to manage.

Here's my experience of the side effects, and how I manage them..

I have found by experimenting with the dose, that evenings (close to before bed) is the best time to take it for the least amount of side effects during the day time.

Here are a list of all the side effects I have experienced so far (after 3 weeks) even on this low dose are. I have rated them 1-10 in terms of how often they bother me (0 being not at all, 1 occasional, 10 being a lot)

1. Worsening of depression [7]

2. Worsening of anxiety [7]

3. A slight weakness/lethargic feeling [3]

4. Yawning [1]

5. Bruxism [2]

6. Slight appetite loss at times [2]

7. All the usual sexual side effects (desensitizing, delayed ejaculation, I find a benefit) [0]

8. Difficulity getting up in the mornings sometimes [2]

9. Dry mouth [1]

10. Headaches [1]

11. Increased libido (another benefit, bizarrely) [0]

12. Gastric disturbances [1]

Although it seems like a long list (maybe I've been unlucky getting so many), you can see that most of the side effects are relatively minor, apart from the worsening of depression and anxiety.

I put this down to the low dose I'm taking and I'm pretty sure if I was taking the standard 10mg-20mg, I'd be rating all the above much higher and would probably struggle on this med to keep going 6-8 weeks.

That's why I discussed it with my GP and we agreed, the best way to manage the side effects is to start on an ultra-low dose of 2.5mg and gradually build up the dose over many weeks and go slowly.

So now I'm up to 5mg this weekend, and so far there hasn't been a dramatic increase in the severity of the side effects, but all are still present (about 4 weeks into treatment).

Hope that reassures some of you, hopefully it hasn't scared anyone or put them off! With SSRI's you generally have to feel a bit lower, before you get better, so just prepare yourself and try to keep positive. I use exercise and movies to take my mind off it.

Be nice to yourselves xx

Oh, and one final comment I would make on the side effects, which is an increasing one, concerning the worsening of depression I mentioned and anxiety...

DEPRESSION

Already I'm feeling some benefit to the PHYSICAL symptoms of depression, i.e. I have more energy and I'm exercising again something I have struggled to do for months. I don't need to drink caffeine to get out of that zombie state. However, the MENTAL symptoms of depression have worsened, it's become more intense, darker, more prevalent in my mood and thinking, to the point of feeling hopelessness, dispair, tearful and even slightly suicidal at times. During this periods, I just tell myself to "man up" and do a workout or go for a run. I find that normal things which wouldn't normally affect me (even with depression) like watching a sad film or even listening to a sad song, can trigger an episode of deep depressive thinking.

ANXIETY

Oddly, the reverse seems to be the case with my social anxiety. i.e. The PHYSICAL symptoms have worsened, but the ability to cope MENTALLY in stressful social situations, has definitely improved. I feel I can handle myself better, make eye contact easier and the "fight or flight" response has diminished.

So it's like snakes and ladders.. there's some benefits and some downsides, but its still early days.. I feel positive overall that it's going to work out.

Hi gillian176, I also find I sleep better on this med. Insomania and irregular sleep cycles are something I've struggled with for years. That was mainly due to drinking loads of caffeine to deal with the lethargy of depression. My GP advised me to quit the caffeine. Sensible advice, but seemed unthinkable.

However as you said this med does help regulate your sleep cycle (makes you more inclined to sleep if taken before bed) and yet gives more energy during the daytime as it builds in your system over the first 2-3 weeks.

Hi Morphix,

It takes time to get there as we have all experienced so far, so just stick with it, u will make it.

Hi Shane how was your first week at work?

Hi Holly, hope all is good with you

Anne

Thanks Anne, I'm hanging in there.. not feeling too shabby today but let's see how I cope at 5mg for the rest of the week, it's only been 2 day :-) It's great having this site and other peoples experience and support, thanks again.

Paul