1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Citalopram

Can Citalopram Make Me Feel Emotionless?

Posted , 5 users are following.

kaleigh77189
kaleigh77189

5 weeks in. If i'm not constantly worrying or anxious, I'm crying. Still. 

I know feel disconnected and emotionless. 

20 MG first 3 weeks. 40 mg last two. 

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • paddy22311
    paddy22311 kaleigh77189

    Posted

    Oh gosh, it,s truly awful what we go through. Hang on in there. It,s so long ago that I began Citalapram that I can,t remember how many weeks etc. It was a real trial finding one that worked for me.

    What worked for me last night was getting rid of the rumination by deciding what I,d think about, an event in the past that made me happy, before I went to bed.Thinking about how anxious I feel leaves me distraught X stops my sleeping.

    i lay there first doing my deep breathing exercise, followed by tensing X untensing muscles. Both exercises are basic stuff for dealing with stress. Then I started on the focusing of happy events , imaging every detail that I could remember.

    Last night at least, it helped me sleep. I,ll try it again tonight.

    Look up the Internet to find stuff that might work for you. Being as informed as you can be X letting people know how you feel seems important.

    • paddy22311
      paddy22311 betsy0603

      Posted

      Thanks Betsy. I,m feeling lousy at the moment though, have been all day apart from a few hours this pm.

      It,s amazing but I can keep on stressing even during a walk or even doing things that interest me now it seems. It is the third day of reinstating Cit to 2.5 mg.

      i really don,t know what to do next.

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 paddy22311

      Posted

      It sounds like the reinstatement isn't working and that you have become sensitized to cit.  I strongly recommend going to the SA site, creating an intro, and letting the moderators advise you.  They know more than the doctors, seriously.  You are in protracted withdrawal, and starting another AD won't stop it; you'll just be adding side effects of the new drug on top of withdrawal from cit.  So, please go there or to one of the other support sites listed on this page (includes info for SA, too):

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/withdrawing-from-antidepressants-and-benzos-safely-485891?page=0#1809368

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 kaleigh77189

      Posted

      Kaleigh, only you can decide whether proceeding is right for you.  There is apoint at which side effect severity is unreasonable and perhaps this isn't the drug for you.  However, being on it five weeks, it is not safe to just stop taking it; you would need to taper off.  What other ADs have you been on and what was your experience with them?

      Everyone's nervous system is different and it is very possible that your system is too activated by this drug.  

      20 mg is the minimum effective dose.  You might go back to that for now and see if things settle down.  Also speak with your doctor, of course.

  • Sparkly40
    Sparkly40 kaleigh77189

    Posted

    These are all side effects, citlaopram heightens ur anxiety before it starts to work, try not to worry it will get better xx
    • kaleigh77189
      kaleigh77189 Sparkly40

      Posted

      I'm thinking about stopping and trying Effexor instead. I can't take the wait. 
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 kaleigh77189

      Posted

      I would recommend searching this site for Effexor and seeing what peoples' experiences are, good and bad.  I've read several where they had increased anxiety on start up.  It is a very difficult one to get off of.  I was on it for 12 years and came off too fast last year, suffered 10 months of protracted withdrawal without realizing it and reinstated the minimum dose. I am now doing a micro-taper to come off.  Since extreme anxiety seems to be your reaction, discuss with your doctor if there are any that don't have a reputation for that kind of side effect on start-up.

      Mirtazapine is one that is more sedating, helps with sleep, can be helpful for anxiety, I believe, but has the side effect of weight gain.  I am also on this one, was put on it when I was in protracted withdrawal from Effexor, didn't ultimately work because of the withdrawal, so now I'm on both.  I had insomnia on Effexor. Gained weight on mirt.  I sleep wonderfully, though.  But, a bit of it might help.  It goes well with SSRIs. Discuss all of this with your doc.

  • IntelBrat
    IntelBrat kaleigh77189

    Posted

    I would not give up just yet...I started with 20 mgs on Oct 10, I committed myself because I was really bad...
    • IntelBrat
      IntelBrat

      Posted

      Sorry cut me off.....anyways Dr put me in a combo of Lorazepam and the Citi, before that it was Buspar but it got me more Anxious. I was so bad I couldn't even get out of the house...he just up my citi to 25mgs and I take the Lorazapam at night together and I sleep like a baby...I still feel strange at times but I'm happy to say that after 2 yrs I'm going back to work tomorrow. Hold on for a bit longer. Good luck
  • niki06854
    niki06854 kaleigh77189

    Posted

    It took me a few months to adjust to the citalopram. I felt quite spaced out but it settled down eventually and I felt better than ever. It's a waiting game, and if at the end of it you don't feel like it works move onto something that does. moving from 20 mg to 40 and then 40 to 60 and 60 back to 40 made no difference to me whatsoever

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.