Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?

That's fantastic Diane, I was just thinking about where I was two weeks ago and where I am now and it's pretty mind blowing to think I honestly thought I'd never be able to go anywhere or enjoy myself again! I remember you struggled just going out in the car on Boxing Day and you've been to tesco and popped into work! Amazing!

Xx

Yeah, I have to keep reminding myself that even though today is not the best so far even a week ago this was the norm. And the better stuff has been increasing. Have booked myself in to try acupuncture starting a week on Monday so will see if that helps too.

:-)

Hi all

Good positive stuff mostly going on today which is great !!!

Beco we are determined to get you there so stay in touch and stay strong, we are all here for you.

Take care all

Anne xx

Hi Anne

Good to hear from you and of the progress you are making. I had some brain zaps but they have fizzled out thankfully, a little disconcerting at the time. Good luck with the CBT. Hope your tinnitus also improves. I've been a bit quiet as I've picked up a chest infection/bronchitis possibly from doing the visits to relatives before Christmas, one person in particular was suffering badly.

Doc has given advice on booking a Rheumy private appointment which I shall do tomorrow - it will be good to sort this pain out.

Meanwhile it is good to hear everyone's news on here - it is a bumpy ride on cit. Do take care, Beco, you will get better - keep going!

regards

Chris

Hi Chris,

It's good to hear from you, but not so good u have a chest infection on top of everything else, please make sure you take care of that, as a chest infection is what caused my initial illness of Arachnoiditis and I am stuck with it for life and suffer greatly with it.

Tinnitus is still there annoying me, back to Audiology on Wednesday, and CBT on Tuesday so things are moving thankfully. Hope ur on antibiotics for the chest. x

Take care

Anne

Hi I am new on here, I've been taking citalopram 10mg for a couple of months and have just gone up to 20mg. I was feeling a lot better so I'm wondering if I've made the right decision going up to 20mg. I am feeling pretty rubbish at the moment as the side effects have come back with increasing my dose; anxiety, headaches, tired, blurred vision, etc. also I've noticed that my eyesight has deteriorated quite rapidly recently and I'm worried that this is related to the medication. Has anyone else experienced this? I would love to hear from some people who have taken citalopram as no one I know understands how it can make you feel or my concerns about it. Thank you so much

Hi Kelly,

This is the place to get help and support as people have different experiences but there is always someone who will relate to what you are going through. I know my gp told me things get worse before they get better and citalopram seems to bring out the ways your anxiety manifests before it improves things. I am on 20mg (my starting dose) and have been for nearly 3 weeks so don't have any experience of dose increasing but lots of people here say it brings the side effects back every time they change dose.

As I'm sure they'll tell you. Read back on here and you'll see lots of the same.

Be reassured that you have a voice here and lots of sympathetic support.

:-D

Hi Kelly,

I've increased and decreased my dose several times (I wrote quite a long description of my ups and downs a week or so ago on here if you want to have a look) this is the first time I've had any real problems with it but I did have quite severe side effects this time around. I would say stick with it for at least 3 weeks before going back down. I haven't personally had blurred vision as a side effect but I have seen it on the list before of initial side effects. What time of day do you take it? Some people find taking it at bedtime helps as you sleep through the worst of the side effects (others prefer the morning as it disturbs their sleep) I've found bedtime works best for me (which is strange because I've taken them first thing in the morning for years now!)

Keep in touch xx

Hi Kelly welcome to our little group!

I had the same problem (so have many others it seems) when increasing the dose from 10mg to 20mg, the side effects can hit you hard, and unexpected. You can feel ok after a few weeks at 10mg as far as side effects go, then 20mg knocks you over.

I went up gradually starting from 2.5mg working up in 2.5mg doses to 10mg. I stayed at that dose for a month and then I increased the dose to 15mg overnight and felt no bad side effects, only minor. However when I tried to increase the dose to 20mg after being on 15mg for a couple of weeks, it proved way too much and I hand major anxiety, feeling yucky basically, lethargic and not good at all.

I lowered the dose back down to 10mg and felt fine after a couple of days. I've now moved up to 15mg and this seems to be my optimal dose. I have no real side effects (apart from drooling in sleep)..I dare not try 20mg again, and don't think it be worth it even, as I already feel fine at 15mg, no anxiety really and no depression.

As to whether you might the decision going to 20mg and whether it's worth sticking it out with the side effects..I think that depends on your own situation really.. how did you respond to the med at 10mg, you said felt a lot better, so I'm wondering why you moved to 20mg? Did you still have depression or anxiety at 10mg? Or were you like me, and just thought that perhaps 20mg would be the optimal therapeutic dose to be on for maximum benefit?

Nobody can take the place of your doctor when it comes to advising on dosage and what's best for you.. but my instinct and feeling on this med from being on it now 4 months nearly is that the least amount you can take with positive results, the better. So if 10mg is giving you enough benefit, I would stay at that dose. If you don't think you're getting the full benefit you could be, then perhaps discuss with your GP incrementing the dose up more gradually like I did. My GP said there's no harm in that and it's a good approach for those who are sensitive to SSRI meds or have problems with the side effects during the first few weeks.

There's two ways you can go about this..

#1 Take 15mg and see how you feel at that dose. If the side effects are tolerable, then stay at that dose for a while, until you don't notice any, then increase the dose again to 20mg if you feel you need to.

#2 If 15mg is too much and you have bad side effects, go even lower and slower (get 10mg tablets prescribed and cut them up into quarters ie 2.5mg doses)..Then you can take 12.5mg for 2-3 weeks, 15mg for 2-3 weeks, 17.5mg 2-3 weeks, until you reach 20mg.

Method #2 will take much longer (2+ months) to get to 20mg, but you'll find the side effects are much more manageable (if even noticeable) at each step as your body can adjust more easily.

Doubling the dose from 10mg is like a shock to the system. It really is like starting over on this med for some people I think so you have to go through weeks of quite severe side effects before your brain chemistry catches up gets used to that higher dose.

Thank you for your replys. I take it at bedtime as I find it makes me drowsy. I mainly suffer from depression, not really anxiety but I feel more anxious when I start taking citalopram. I did feel a lot better on 10mg but still not 100% and when I said this to my doctor he immediately recommended I go up to 20mg and said that 10mg was a very low dose. And like you said, I thought 20mg was the optimal dose. I'm sure I will feel better after the initial few weeks I am just concerned that when the time comes to come off the medication I might find it harder to adjust from a higher dose. I dont want to be on them forever.

I'm not British but I'm on this site anyway... Um, so I've been on Citalopram for about 2 years now, and I'm now on the 30 mg dosage. I am moving back home to Canada in February, so I've decided to start easing myself off of the medication. I have not informed the doctor about this, but probably will soon. For the last few days I've been taking only half a tablet, and feel no kind of withdrawal as of yet. I'm afraid that when I finally do start taking an even smaller dosage, however, that the brain zaps and fatigue will start. Or something worse? The reason I don't mind coming off the medication is because I'm not sure it's been helping me. I still feel anxiety and occasionally my PMS will get the better of me and I start crying uncontrollably and/or having suicidal thoughts.

So that's partly why I'm quitting the medication. Another reason is because I think my sadness and anxiety might have to do with the fact that I've been away from my family for so long and don't have many friends here to distract me from my thoughts. Even when they do invite me out, I often don't want to go.

Does anybody out there share my experience or have words of advice? I would love some support in this.

Hi Rachel, I can completely relate to how you feel with PMS, do you feel that it's as bad as it was before you were on medication? Have you tried any other antidepressants as maybe you would feel better on a different one? It would be probably be best to talk to the doctor about your different options. I think it would definately help to be near your friends and family as I definately couldn't of got through this experience without mine. I hope this helps

Hi Kelly

I increased my cit dose from 10mg to 20mg after two weeks. Yes, I did have some vision problems, particularly slightly blurred. It wasn't too bad, but noticeable as it was slightly uncomfortable working both eyes together in the medium distance e.g. tv. I wear glasses for reading. I may have imagined it, but I think there have been some strange vision 'flashes' but again not serious. I do have an increase in floaters, but they are not new and are to do with ageing eyes! Am currently waiting for a Rheumy appointment for suspected Rheum Arthritis, and will see what comes, but will then get my eyes tested just in case.

Welcome Rachel - we have no nationality boundaries on here! I cannot answer your question as have not gone down that route, but others here have.

Take care everyone

Chris

Hi Rachel,

I'd make sure you decrease the tablets under medical supervision. I have done it really slowly and still had problems. Also, if you're still having worrying thoughts and the citalopram hasn't helped then it might be helpful to speak to your doctor about this as you don't have to feel this way and there will be other approaches/medications/ therapies that might be more suitable for you. It might well be that the symptoms come from feeling lonely and far from home but there may be other factors involved that you haven't thought of. In my experience (personally and professionally) it's very rare for there to be just one causal factor of any mental health problems. Often people will pick out one that they're sure is the reason but it can turn out to be a bit of a red herring. It might well be worth exploring this further through a talking therapy to make sure your hypothesis is right and to see if there are any other factors/difficulties to take into consideration/overcome.

Take care and keep in touch on here if you need support

Xx

Hi Kelly,

Welcome to the best support forum I have ever used, so may folk to help and support that know what you are going through, and that helps. Well my story is very like yours, feeling much better when on the 10mg but not 100% so when I mentioned this to my doc he said to increase, I wouldn't at first then a consultant for tinnitus advised me the increase may help my ears, so I increased on the 20th December to 20mg, tinnitus still as bad and don't see any improvement as yet for my 100% however will stick it out and see what happens, getting lots of headaches and blurred vision and my left eye twitches at times, so hope that stops soon lol the biggest thing is that you stay strong and keep taking the Cit as you will get there.xx

Hi Rachel

welcome on here too everyone is welcome we are all in the same boat, and all looking for support to help us get there. Mrs VN is right in please only come down with the aid of your doc, as a few folk whom shared experiences on here were ok to start and then the withdrawals became unbearable as came off to quickly, but well done on trying to come off, and do see you doc to maybe take something different, going home will be a great help as this may well be responsible for some of your condition.

Keep in touch everyone and stay safe and stay strong.

Anne xx