1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Citalopram

Blips after 6 months

Posted , 7 users are following.

lily56612
lily56612

I am a lady in my sixties and new to this forum.Needing some advice as to whether I should be having blips of anxiety after 6 months on 10mg Cit. I hav conquered my panic attacks now but am still having anxiety. Mostly health anxiety especially when I feel a bit "under the weather". Can"t seem to get a grip on it. HELP PLEASE.

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • katie03680
    katie03680 lily56612

    Posted

    I'd say it depends how frequent your attcks are. I was on 20mg cit for a about 4/5 months and having episodes every 2 or 3 days after 4 months. Since moving to 40mg it's down to about 1 every 10 days or so. We all have good and bad days. Maybe you should talk it through with your doctor. Good luck
  • linda05005
    linda05005 lily56612

    Posted

    Hello sorry to hear you are still having problems. Have you thought of perhaps approaching your GP with regard to increasing your dosage. It can sometimes take a while to get the correct dosage. I am having a nasty blip at the moment & I have been on 20mg of CIT for 11 weeks with a great improvement of my anxiety & mood . But. Due to this blip & discussion with my GP I have now started on 40mg so hope this will help. We can only try . Hope this helps a little. Also this Forum is amazing with lovely people giving you lovely support & kindness & also making you realise you are not alone
  • Justcurious76
    Justcurious76 lily56612

    Posted

    Maybe you should up your dosage. I started on 20 mlg and 6 to 8 months later my doctor doubled my dosage. But I also take 1 mlg xanax which helps me sleep. I usually only take one before bed, but if I start feeling anxious during the day I'll take a half of one. Klonophin is also a good medication for anxiety. I would definitely talk to my doctor about it. Good luck. I hope you get better.
  • susan02854
    susan02854 lily56612

    Posted

    I am a lady in my sixties and have been on cit 10mg for 6 months,I too seem to have found I don't get the panic disorder I used to suffer, but my anxiety comes back now and then, mostly mornings, when I feel the health anxiety I think it's probably cause I'm getting older,, and find if I divert myself by even making rea or washing up, it seems to lessen, I don't really want to increase the dose because I'm afraid of side effects again, has anyone else managed on 10mg?
    • lily56612
      lily56612 susan02854

      Posted

      Hello Susan. We seem to be suffering in the same way at the moment. I am reluctant to up my dose as well because the side effects I had in the beginning were unpleasant especially the shaky legs !!! Getting old doesn"t help either does it ???
  • lily56612
    lily56612

    Posted

    Thank you all for your advice. I think maybe a visit to my GP is a good idea. I have been doing so well and was upset at the setback with anxiety, I am understanding now by reading this forum that a lot of us have setbacks and they are worrying. Thankyou all again.
  • john059
    john059 lily56612

    Posted

    Stick with it Lily. I have been on Cit for 3 months(30 mg's) and just getting over cold/flu. I feel like crap and this stuff may not be doing the job right now. But I'm going to see my Doc for a physical tomo and discuss these meds with him then. Its been a hellova ride--feel good for a week then feel crappy for one or longer. Thats been the trip. But I wont give up. These blips have to stop sometime. So don't give up Lily. Theres light at the end of that tunnel!!!!!
  • David_21660
    David_21660 lily56612

    Posted

    Morning Lilly,

    I guess we're in the same age group (hanging on to 50something meself!).

    It may be that 10mg, although has been so far successful, may need a boost up to 20mg however, you must see your GP about increasing. I increased and have not looked back, okay I do get the odd down moment(s), but like you said with a little experience you can handle it as with the panic attacks.

    Health anxiety, that old friend! Many of us suffer from this, I called it my health paranoia phase. Now, that is not to say that there mightn't be something wrong. Again, the only thing you can do is talk with your GP about it - in fact one of our biggest lapses is not talking with our GP enough. My GP has been off sick since January and I saw her for the first time, since then, yesterday. She knows a lot about sticking plasters for the brain and sorted 6 months of minor problems out in 15 minutes! Hers really the best!

    Anyway, back to you. As I mentioned I had health paranoia and interestingly enough it was 5/6 months into being prescribed too. My GP sent me for loads of tests and I even had an ECG, all of which fortunately came back clear. So talk to your GP about that, in fact we all should be having regular appointments to keep them abreast of everything that is happening to us mentally, physically and in our lives. Sometimes when we are feeling and thinking better there may be blips and like I said the reason could be that you need to up yer dose, but always look at what happened to you leading up to the blip and see if, just in case, something triggered it off and how can you prevent or prepare for it again?

    More than likely Lily it may just be a combination of what we have talked about, but that ain't gospel and you must talk to your GP as well.

    In the meantine Welcome to the Club (it is all inclusive), there are some wonderful people here to help so, Keep reading (but try not to over think or worry), keep posting (no matter what it is) and aim to be a better you! Free of all the cr*p that brought you here in the first place, self help can be part of the recovery.

    (Anyway, most of us here like a good old chat and bit of gossip! Lol!)

    Always remember you are not the first, you are not alone and you will get better!

    Regards,

    David

    • lily56612
      lily56612 David_21660

      Posted

      Hi David. Thank you so much for your message. You are right in saying to have some general tests done with my GP. I have never had any so am thinking it will ease my mind a little so tht when I feel a bit unwell it is nothing serious, just possibly an ageing sympton coupled with health anxiety !! It is so reassuring to know that I am not alone, and that it has certainly helped me to know I can chat to people who have been through the same. As good as family and friends are, unless someone has actually experienced this illness it is impossible for them to understand completely. Thanks again.
    • David_21660
      David_21660 lily56612

      Posted

      Don't get me talking about me knees!

      Your welcome. It certainly does help having some one or people to talk to.

      Firstly, I was fortunate that my GP knows a lot about mental illness and sticking plasters for the brain (love that saying, which she penned).

      Secondly my girlfriend at the time, now my Fiancée, knew of, but little of such issues however, she started readiing articles on work related stress (my problem), this site and has becomevery knowledgable, understanding and my rock through it all, Bless he!.

      Thirdly, it kinda sorts out the wheat from the chaff as far as friends are concerned and in particular work colleagues or rather ex-so called work colleagues in my case. I removed myself from that which made me ill and have not looked back. I must stress (OH! NO!) I shall emphasise that it was not working that was the problem it was where I worked and some of those there.

      It sounds familiar re never had any, like you my visits to hospital were mainly in my younger years and illness apart from colds/flu that was about it. Didn't take tablets unless really necessary either.

      The age thing, well, little we can do about that, but we are younger than our parents and granparents these days so the worlds our oyster and we can go as far as we like (as long as me knees don't play up! Lol!).

      Take care!

      David

  • johmac
    johmac lily56612

    Posted

    Hi Lily and others

    Well, I'm part of the 60 club (just turned last Feb) so we can all commiserate about the age thing.  I started on 20mg last March so I'm not quite at 16 weeks. I think the psychiatrist is wanting to up my dose (I will see her next week). I don't know if I'm coming out of a blip (best friends b-in-law was killed in a motorcycle accident) and yesterday was the funeral. I didn't go as it was a bit far for me but I had one of the most miserable days of anxiety I've had in a long time and I think I took it harder than I realized. I just read that stressors can cause the a/d's to not work as well. I got home from a busy day and began crying so I think it was in part to blame. Also, I hadn't eaten much.  If I feel like this next week at my appt. I will likely take the higher dosage as this anxiety is getting the better of me. 

    Also, for those with a GP who is knowledgeable on the a/d's I think that's great, but in my humble opinion having a psychiatrist is the optimal path if you are able.  She told me after my assessment at our first meeing 3 weeks ago that I should stop taking any sleeping pills and even stop the melotonin. I said the melotonin is just a hormone and she said, 'were you taking it before' I said, no so she said stop taking it now.  I felt like she was taking charge of me and it felt good. 

    Looking forward to hearing from others (especially the over 60's LOL)

     

    • Justcurious76
      Justcurious76 johmac

      Posted

      I'm only 40, but I agree that you should stop taking the melatonin. ( I take it + tylenol pm). My doctor told me to stop taking it as well. She said your body will stop producing it's natural melatonin, which makes us sleepy. I would tell my doctor about the anxiety. I have bad anxiety and I'm suppose to take 1 mlg two times a day, but I take two at bedtime. I just have a hard time falling asleep and I've been thinking about seeing a threapist. I travel for a living tho and don't want to see one in every state and I never know when I'll be home or how long I'll stay. I also take 40 mlg celexa. It has helped me so much with my depression. I hope this helped. Sorry, I just rambled on

  • johmac
    johmac lily56612

    Posted

    Just wanted to add that  I told her I was only taking 1/4 of a sleeping pill and only about 6 times over the last month and she still said to stop. Can I just ask exactly what health anxiety is.  I'm guessing that it is people who have health issues and are anxious over them and also people who are afraid of certain health issues.

     

    • Justcurious76
      Justcurious76 johmac

      Posted

      I have no clue about that. Maybe she doesn't want you to have to depend on them?

    • lily56612
      lily56612 johmac

      Posted

      My explanation of health anxiety is that when you feel unwell or have aches and pains, you immediately think you have a serious health problem rather than just a simple complaint. And of   course when the anxiety and panic sets in you have the horrible symptoms that  panic attacks give. Its a vicious circle.. Regards Lily
    • john059
      john059 johmac

      Posted

      Hey there Johmac. Gonna be 60 soon and I just started an upped dose of 40 mg's of cit. Was telling my doc y'day that I have insomnia cause of these meds and I was taking melatonin to help me sleep. He said I may as well be pi***ng in the ocean. Lol. So I'm not taking it anymore. Just hope the upped dossage doesn't have too many side effects!!!!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.