Back on Citalopram for 5 weeks and not feeling better! Advice please!
Posted , 6 users are following.
2 and a half years ago I went on 10mg of citalopram for anxiety and it seemed to kick in after a few weeks, including a lot of self-care. In June of this year (2020) I weened off them as was feeling great but since then have just spiralled into more anxiety and now depression. 5 weeks ago I came back on 10mg citalopram and 2 days ago I started 20mg as I have felt no difference and if anything feel more disassociated, exhausted and anxious than ever! I'm not sure if there are any improvements. I keep hoping to feel a bit better but it just doesnt seem to be happening. It worked for me before so i'm surprised it doesnt seem to be working now. I've also decided to cut out alcohol completely. Any help/support/advice would be amazing, thank you x
0 likes, 14 replies
randall28657 emily97887
Edited
I started on 20mg of citalopram back in January and within 2 weeks I felt like I had my anxiety issues beat. I suffer from health anxiety in a major way. I have a huge fear that every ache and pain is some sort of cancer.
So anyway, I felt like I had it beat about 2 weeks into the medication and I was wrong. I began having every side effect you can imagine on the med. So I dropped to 10mg, just started breaking my tablets in half. This seemed to work wonders for several months. I felt pretty much back to normal.
Fast forward to about a week or two ago and I have a ton of stomach issues, no energy, seem to be losing my appetite again. Its been a real struggle. I dont know where to go from here myself.
Like you I completely cut out alcohol. Not sure it has helped anything with my anxiety, but definitely no downfall to it.
I say all that to say this, I wish I had the answers.....but I don't. I'm struggling as well at the moment. The best advice I can give is to be kind to yourself, embrace people that understand what you're going through, and don't be afraid to reach out.
emily97887 randall28657
Posted
Thanks Randall - I wish we did have the answers, would be so nice to feel normal again!
Have you been back to your doctor since the stomach issues started? I got blood tests yesterday just to make sure there's not a deficiency or anything else wrong 😃
randall28657 emily97887
Posted
oh yeah I've had several rounds of blood work, chest x-rays, an endoscopy, and ultrasounds. so far so good on all of that. doc links my stomach issues to ibs. however, I have a follow up appointment Tuesday with the gi doc that did the endoscopy and I think there is a colonoscopy in my future as well just to rule anything sinister out.
it likely is ibs, but with my health anxious mind and heightened issues as of late I dont want to leave anything to chance.
iriris72096 emily97887
Posted
Hello Emily , my second time also on celexa starting 9 weeks apparently if the anxiety is worse like mine is this time it takes longer and waite 12 weeks and it will start to ease , that's what they are saying here I will go to 30 after 12 weeks and down the road slowly get back on 20 if I can. This is nothing like the first time I went on them , never had anxiety like this it's a real struggle but will get better ... so they say on here so happy to here that but so hard to beleive when you feel like this , we can get through anything after this is over , will just make you stronger.
emily97887 iriris72096
Posted
Hey there! Thanks so much for your response - the anxiety is definitely worse this time, after speaking with a few people who have gone through it they all say to wait longer too. I believe we can get through it, it's just waiting it out and maximising self-care while we do. What do you find helps you in the interim?
angela39244 emily97887
Posted
I find acupuncture and reflexology help it just makes you feel calmer
manny39794 iriris72096
Posted
and remember if they work for you tostay......on......them! Even when u feel you don't need them anymore, wondering what a 'med free life' would feel like again, don't!
stay.....on.....them
just my opinion speaking from my own personal experiences.......
iriris72096 manny39794
Posted
still feeling horrible anxiety after 10 weeks , starting to feel like it's not working on 20mg. don't know what to do?
iriris72096 manny39794
Posted
Hi Manny , if they work again will never go off again , thank you Manny for your support. x
manny39794 iriris72096
Edited
Hi iriris, ditto same here, I wont ever come off too and currently going to avoid the temptation to up my dose. I'm into week 3 now and still feeling worse. Its all waves of various things, anxiety in the mornings is killer atm mentally and physically but it changes through the day. when i have to rock my body sometimes it makes me feel like a mental case when i know its just adrenaline, anxiety symptoms. Also getting vivid draining complicated dreams. I get extreme lethargy too as the anxiety is soo exhausting on your body, a feeling of feeling dumb and stupid (i got 301 on scrabble yesterday so not soo bad lol) but my brain felt empty on anything else whilst i was playing that which felt a little unnerving. I just kept playing for 4 hours till it passed. I'm getting a bit agoraphobic too and I live right on the seafront here in Worthing Sussex. Finding a walk down the beach to be a daunting prospect atm and its right across the road. I have stunning seaviews from every room which helps a little at least... I just want to lose the anxiety and feel happier and more relaxed, be able to just sit and be able to enjoy my life and my savings with my mrs and want us both to feel like we do in our avatar pic...... Confusion, dry mouth and jaw tension, RLS comes and goes, I'd forgot how unpleasantly I suffer from the startup side effects of SSRIs .... At least my loo visits have calmed down, I pee'd 8 times in one hour a couple of days ago and over 20 times that day. I wondered where it was all coming from. This is all normal so i'm told, so I don't worry. I wonder why we have to go through all this just to feel some relief, it all takes months, it's all soo frustrating that it's not as quick as a headache pill. I was on Paxil for six years and that gave me anxiety, bad panic attacks and scarred me with it unfortunately. Never had them before Paxil, i was just depressed. So 4 years later I have accepted my chemistry has been changed permanently. I've tried Mirtazapine, Sertraline (both unbearable for me) and now Citalopram for the second time which for me has been manageable..... when you say you still have horrible anxiety have you had any relief at all? even for a day or two over your last 10 weeks?
iriris72096 manny39794
Posted
Hello Manny, thank you for your reply I sent one back but can't see the post. I have alot of the same symptoms as yourself horrid anxiety except for after 6 which I'm assuming is the cortisol /adrenalin. Goes up to get us up and going and down after about 4 to prepare us for sleep. I have never had stress like this when going on celexa years ago , just a little anxiety and occaisional panic attacks, after going off I now get some depression also. I am a Registered natural product adviser and there are a couple products that help a little with the anxiety part , yes the morning anxiety , clenched jaw , shakiness , rls is worse if I eat any stimulant like anything sugary. Yes I pee all the time it's the anxiety that does that. My hands and feet tingling and burn? So much fun to just feel normal again , my husband and I are retired now and like yourself want to travel so he's waiting on me (poor guy) the first time I went on Celexa I had 4 weeks and I was back feeling good and not to many side affects , oh boy. Well sounds like you have a beautiful home to be in for your recovery Manny , hoping we will both be out having anxiety free fun times very soon , this Summer wasn't the best because of what is happening in our world , but we will be back next summer so look out world lol. all the best to you and your Mrs. with this journey ttys.😆
manny39794 emily97887
Edited
cut out all caffeine, energy drinks and alcohol is always a good move. staying at 10mg 'might' have been a better idea too as 4 weeks is not long enough and upping just causes increased anxiety side effects amongst the others....
emily97887 manny39794
Posted
Thank you! My anxiety is quite severe at the moment and so i'm happy to try 20mg. At the recommendation of my doctor the first week I have done 1 day 10mg, 2nd day 20mg and so on. So i'm now through that and today is my first day on 20mg from now on. So far havent seen any improvement but hopeful! x
manny39794 emily97887
Posted
I'm rooting for you Emily.... stay strong.... Manny 😃