Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?

It's so good to hear a success story Grace! I'm definitely feeling much better this last week or so. Yesterday I knocked my wing mirror off the car and found out it's going to be 140 quid to fix it, this time a week ago I'd have gone to pieces but I realised I'm back to my old optimistic self when I thought 'at least I wasn't hurt and I'm pleased that I took that so well!' I also went out for a meal and to the cinema last night which just wouldn't have happened this time a week ago! I really enjoyed myself! Please don't give up hope everyone.

I think I spoke too soon when I mentioned that my sleep was better, I've slept really badly the last two nights which has meant I've woken up feeling a little anxious in the morning but it passes quickly so I'm not worrying about it. I'm going to take a nytol tonight to hopefully get back into the swing of things. Glad to hear you've gone back to work successfully! I'm due back on 20th and so am nervous about it but I think that's natural. I think it's more my own feelings of shame that are making me worried in that I work with people with mental health problems a lot myself so I'm worrying that colleagues will thinkI was stupid to let it get to the point where I needed to be signed off work when I should no better, whereas I've had nothing but support and good wishes from them and the more realistic thought is that as they have a good understanding of mental health they will be understanding. My default thought is the first one so I have to keep reminding myself of the second!

Christine, I don't think you're being silly at all! It's disappointing to go to the GP and hope they'll give you some guidance and then you feel you have to spoon feed them to guidance to give you back! I'm sure he wouldn't have agreed to you taking the propanolol if it's wasn't a good idea. Have you taken one today? Has it helped at all?

Faraway girl,

When you say the sleep problem is causing you anxiety do you mean you're anxious about actually getting back to sleep or do you mean you're having intrusive or worrying thoughts about other things when you wake up? It sounds as though things have improved for you as I know you really struggled to sleep at all at first and were using zopiclone initially which is much stronger than nytol. It can be hard to see those improvements in the moment though.

Emma,

I know sometimes the sicky feelings in the morning can last a little longer. Mine seems to have subsided now. Things I've heard of people doing to combat this is to take the citalopram after some food (even if it's just a banana or a biscuit and also to take it around 6 or 7 pm so you'll (hopefully) be fast asleep during the sicky bit.

Hope you enjoy your day out with your daughter and friends, let us know how it goes!

Louise,

Welcome to the group! I'm sure you'll find lots of support and reassurance here. Everyone is really kind and supportive. There is absolutely no shame in having to take a tablet to feel well. If anything it shows you're a strong person and a great mum because you're taking positive action to help yourself so you can take good care of yourself and your kids. When I have thoughts like this I remind myself that if I was anaemic I'd take iron tablets or if I was diabetic I'd take insulin without feeling any shame! Don't worry about how long you'll be on the medication for now, it's not harmful to take long term with medical supervision. I've come to realise through this episode of illness that I just need to keep taking it. Other people just take it for a relatively short period and then come off and don't need it again. The general rule of thumb is to stay on it for six months from when you are symptom free and then decrease it gradually.

Hang in there and please keep in touch on here for support!

Hope everyone has a good day!

Xxx

Hi Mrs vn,

I worry about not going to sleep and also waking up and not being able to get back to sleep. I have been taking zopiclone for 2 nights then nytol for 2 nights. Have tried 1 night without and it was hell slept for 3 hours and felt rubbish day after. Before bad relapse i had bad sleep but dealt with it occasionally taking sleep meds. And now i,m worried that my sleep won,t come back. Even talking about it makes me feel anxious. Sorry for sounding very weak.

Told my friends today they were really good about. Been out with the dog and felt better for it. Sorry if I'm rambling.

Hey Grace,

If you are reading this could I ask if you took the zopiclone for 7 weeks? Just I seem to be in the same boat as you 3 weeks in and doubled my dose yesterday and still feeling crummy!

Of course you don't sound weak! Just fed up and worried! Do you have a good bedtime routine? That could hp you to have a good nights rest. It might be helpful to come up with a plan during the day for what you can do to get a better night's sleep, having a plan in place can really help the anxiety because it's hard to think straight in the moment and that feeds into the cycle of feeling anxious. A good night time routine where you relax and unwind can really help as well as deciding beforehand what to do when you wake up feeling anxious. If your other half wakes up when you do, you could try asking them to support/prompt you to do whatever it is you decide to do. Things that could help is getting up and reading a book and a cup of chamomile tea. (If your anxiety will allow it, I know when I was at my worst I felt rooted to the bed and couldn't physically move) it might seem counter intuitive to get out of bed when you should be sleeping but it will firstly break the anxiety cycle and will actually be more relaxing and restful than lying in bed panicking! It's probably best to keep the TV oraptop off though because the light from the screens can mimic daylight so your body wakes up more. There's also a new bach's rescue remedy for during the night which helps with racing thoughts. I found it really helped to calm me in the night. I kept it under the pillow so when I felt rooted to the bed it took minimal movement to use it. It tastes vile though! Even worse than the daytime one!

Magnesium supplements can also help with sleep and muscle relaxation. Epsom salts are a great way to get extra magnesium into your body so a bedtime bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil would be a great thing to do at bedtime to help you get a better night's sleep.

My mum gave me a CD by Jan Sadler called 'a good night's sleep' which helped me to get back off to sleep when I was struggling. I've just had a look and you can buy a download online.

I know others have mentioned it on here but deep breathing is really helpful to increase the oxygen to your brain which will counteract the panic response from the body. Concentrating on breathing in for a count of five or 6 (deep into the belly) and then breathing out for a count of 10-12. The longer out breath will expel more carbon dioxide and trigger the bodies relaxation response. If the counting is too much when you're feeling anxious then I find it helpful to say in my head 'I breathe in calm relaxation' on the inhale and 'I breath out stress and anxiety' on the exhale. I try to imagine the negative thoughts leaving my body as I breath out.

Sorry to have bombarded you with information but thought that you might be able to pick something helpful out of it!

Xxx

Hi Mrs VN,

No I'm afraid I haven't taken the propranalol yet today, he said to take them in the morning so will start tomorrow, I don't know what I am worried about as I took them together before, it was just the other way round, I was on the propranalol before going on the citalopram. I'm so glad you are feeling so much better.

Thanks Grace for your reassuring message, I'm sure it will help us all.

Wishing the best for you all. xx

Try not to worry about the worry Christine, It's a symptom of the anxiety. It sounds like the propanalol has helped you before so there's no reason it won't work again. Xx

Happy New Year to everyone! Hoping everyone is well or on their way to well. I have only posted a few times in November as I was struggling with a new "official" diagnosis of anxiety. I was given 10mg of cit, but wasn't comfortable taking it as I was convinced this acute anxiety would pass and I would be fine. Overall, my severe anxiety has past and I am feeling much better; however, I know I am not 100% myself. I realized....if I would have started them when they were prescribed....I would be good to go now. But my body and mind were just not ready.

After a serious sole search and self reflection, I decided I am starting my first dose on Friday. My biggest concern is side effects, but I am sure that is many peoples biggest concern. I finally realized that temporary side effects are nothing compared to lasting anxiety. For the first time in a while, I am so excited for my future. I know that in a few short months...I will be feeling so much better. Just for some background on my anxiety....I have always been a mildly anxious person. I am married 8 years. After about 2 years, my husband and I had some struggles. Shortly thereafter, I began having mild dizzy spells. They have continued on and off for years. Looking back, I managed the spells OK, but it did impact my desire to engage in social events. In November, I had another spell that lasted much longer than usual. I broke down and went to my doctors and explained the spells and the anxiety. He diagnosed vertigo (I am 100% positive that it is all anxiety). After the official anxiety diagnosis my symptoms just spiraled. On a whole, my anxiety is very mild in comparison too what others suffer through. But why even deal with mild anxiety if you don't have to. I was always so convinced I can handle life's struggles on my own. I now see that not everything is a choice. Like everyone on here....we did not CHOOSE to have anxiety, but we have it. No more denial...it's time for healing.

Again, my biggest concern is side effects and only the nausea part....I can handle everything else. I am starting on 10mg. Does anyone have tips or techniques they have found successful if I do become nauseated? I worry about being sick while at work. Luckily I have an awesome job that allows my to work at home and create my own schedule. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

Stay strong and be blessed!

Hi christy,

You might well not have any side effects at all. I took citalopram for about 4 years with none at all. (Even when I was on 40mg) I've been up and down with my dosage over that time and I've only had any side effects this time.

In terms of dealing with the nausea I would recommend taking the meds at bedtime so you sleep through the nausea and having them after food.

If you do have some nausea in the morning ginger or peppermint tea could help with that.

Also, some people use anti-nausea pills such as travel sickness pills or motilium, but I don't know how safe these are to take with citalopram so you'd have to check with the pharmacist or your GP. Some people find travel sickness wrist bands help but I've never tried any of these myself. My nausea passed fairly quickly when I switched to taking the meds at bedtime.

Good luck and well done for taking such a brave step!

Xx

Hi Grace so happy to hear you are doing well, bet its good to feel your self again, and you will also have a happy family whom were there for you. Love news like this !!!!

Take care and keep in touch xxxx

Anne

Hi Christy

Happy New Year to you too and all of us for some calm in our lives, Just to let you know I didn't feel any nausea as part of my side effects really I was no different to how I was when I started on Cit which was awful as so much anxiety about nothing and everything really weird but sorted now. I think you have a good attitude towards your anxiety and that will help you stay strong, so keep in touch so we know how your doing or just even if you need someone to talk to,

Take care and stay strong,

Anne x

Hi Anne

Just wondered how your appointments have gone this week - hopefully CBT will help and you will get somewhere with the tinnitus.

I have my first Rheumy appointment tomorrow evening, so hopefully will make progress.

To everyone else, particularly those who are in the first couple of weeks of cit, keep going, it can be quite hard and bumpy at times, but will settle and you will feel much better. All sorts of unsettling side effects crop up which can be quite disturbing and make you feel you are very ill. But they will pass.

On my cit Day 4 I woke up in the night with very high blood pressure and feeling on fire from head to foot. Very ill, and thought things were serious. Called 111 and they sent a paramedic because of what I described. It was called a panic attack although subsequently I'm pretty sure it was cit side effects and they virtually disappeared next day.

Hope this helps

take care everyone

Chris

Hi Chris.

Hope all goes well with your appointment tomorrow, let us know how you get on. My CBT is going well, 2nd appointment yesterday, and I feel I am asking more questions etc and seeing links to how I am feeling when I have high anxiety.

The specialists thinks I should be free of tinnitus when I have been on cit for some time and am coping better in general, I need to do relaxation stuff 5 days a week, she said the tinnitus is my bodies electric vibes moving thru my body (messages sent along neurons make electricity??) and my brain has tuned into it during my anxiety so it should get less noticeable as I go along, so here's hoping?? She gave me a relaxation machine to leave on 24/7 in the bedroom, and things to wear in my ears with white noise, not looking forward to that LOL maybe prefer ringing of tinnitus to white noise ha ha

Well all the best tomorrow and let me know how it goes

Anne x

Hi Anne

Well some good news there. The specialist may be right as I find stress can increase tinnitus temporarily. White noise shouldn't be too disturbing at the right volume. Not so dissimilar to listening to a large waterfall, can be relaxing.

take care

Chris

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your feedback. I was reading about the white noise and relaxation your specialist recommended. If you have a smartphone or iPad, I found 2 wonderful apps I would recommend. I'm not sure if they are available everywhere. I live in the US. They are called "sleep well with hypnosis" and "end anxiety with hypnosis". There is NO hypnosis involved (at least not that I can tell). There's a free version and a paid version. I actually paid for it. It has really been a nice treat at the end of the day. The sleep one doesn't make me fall asleep, but listening to that one and the the relaxation one has really been fantastic. If you are able, I highly recommend looking into apps like those.

Sending you positive thoughts with your progress.

Christy

Thanks Christy,

I will check these Apps out, anything to help me relax, hope you are doing ok stick in there it will all be worth it,

Take care

Anne