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Citalopram: 20mg for 8 weeks then 30mg for 2 weeks - feel much worse!

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Hi everyone. First time posting here. I am worried that I feel much worse after an increase in my Citalopram dosage from 20mg to 30mg.

[u]Some symptoms I've been experiencing:[/u]

- insomnia and bad sleep during the night

- tiredness and "brain fog" during the day

- persistent anxiety and circular thoughts

- feeling reckless and self-destructive

- hopelessness, feeling lost and directionless

- unable to write or be creative for my studies

- panic attacks and chest pains, which have never subsided throughout my 10 weeks on Citalopram

Please can anyone offer some advice or share their experience. I just really want to know that it gets better and that my life will improve on the increased dose. I am really not coping right now and can't see a way forward.

Thank you.

5 likes, 913 replies

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  • matt38019
    matt38019 Guest

    Edited

    I just upped my dose of citalopram from 20 MG to 40 MG four days ago and I’m feeling pretty stinking awful. The backstory is, I went back on citalopram 20mg, after a brief break, about seven months ago. Getting back on the stuff was nothing short of hell, ie severe panic attacks, anxiety through the roof, lost 20 pounds (I was 240 to start, so no big deal), foggy brain, paranoia, racing thoughts. things started to normalize after about six weeks and I started to feel pretty good for a couple of months but I had some panic and anxiety episodes, so my doc upped the dose to 40 MG and now I am on day four and reliving the same nightmare from seven months ago. The only difference this time -- having been through So so recently recently -- is that I can sort of convince myself that it will pass another world actually is not closing in on me.

  • anthony08367
    anthony08367 Guest

    Edited

    I am similar to you. One week into changed dose from 20mg to 30mg. Feeling badly too. But get some comfort from this site. Lots of good information from people who have been through this. Hang in there!

  • anthony08367
    anthony08367 Guest

    Edited

    I was on Cit for 4 weeks at 20 mg and then increased to 30mg. its been almost 2 weeks now and like you the initial side affects returned. very tired, and anxiety returns when I wake up and subsides over the day. Chest pain too. I take my dose at 5pm.

    This is all new to me. Prior to diagnosis I didn't know what was going on with me. I was so despondent. So like you, I am still navigating unchartered waters. This forum really helps because chatting with people in similar situation means we all can relate. Most doctors can tell you what they know from patients, and training, but they themselves have not experienced it. Here at least we might see, as you said, a way forward.

    Best

    Anthony

  • emily54570
    emily54570 Guest

    Posted

    hello so I'm literally going through the same as you at the moment. I've been on citalopram for years I came of when I had my 2nd child, I went back on them and started back again on a 10mg I was doing amazing but unfortunately had a few anexity attacks so decided to up to 20mg with the gp. thought I'd be fine as been on them so long and never had side effects and my god I was wrong!

    my anxiety now has shot up to 10000 and my mornings are the worst it is so exstream and intense. it's just awful all day. I've never completed 2 weeks and I'm struggling big time and don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. feels like it's never going to stop. any advice please I really need some strength.

    • Benny69
      Benny69 emily54570

      Posted

      Hi Emily !!!

      The meds can take longer to kick in the 2nd time around .

      I was on 20 mg for 4 years and was doing fine until I had a bit real life stress in my personal and work life .

      My GP upped my dose by 10mg to 30 mg .

      That was 10 weeks ago and it's only in the last day or so I've seen some improvement in my anxiety - the first 8 weeks at the higher dose were horrendous ! - intrusive and obsessive thoughts / anxiety - awful .

      It tales months to recover - hang in there !

  • Saltire
    Saltire Guest

    Edited

    hello folks John age 67 here and so happy to meet y'all

    Been suffering most of my life with depression but no real anxiety to speak of in that time until 10 years ago when I had a sort of meltdown and anxiety reared it's head. I was "sorted " with Citalopram and some Diazepam. The Valium was only for a month or two but the Citalopram was for much longer until i felt i could do without them

    Fast forward 10 years and the anxiety and depression are crippling me and stays in bed in fear are sometimes the order of the day. I felt i owed it to myself and wife to seek some professional help and reached out to the doctor. She was wonderful BTW and suggested 20mg of Citalopram. Knowing all the horror stories of the initial effect of these drugs I started on 10mg only and for the past 4 weeks have been taking 20mg.

    Since starting the 20mg my anxiety and depressions have went through the roof and have come so close to quitting due to torture but thinking the light at the end of the tunnel could just be around the corner has kept me going,but for how long?. I am at my wits end and fear that no recovery is likely

    Indulge me for a moment please. These symptoms went up a level with the Citalopram....do they ring a bell with you....is this what anxiety and depression does to us or am i alone here with these thoughts?

    1. I am totally self absorbed and can think of nothing but myself for most of the time

      mostly "what if" illness things and worse case scenarios

    2. I have very little energy compared to my pre Citalopram days and no motivation for my normal exercise which i always managed
    3. Guilt is hurting too and it has been said that I am too hard on myself
    4. I appear to have bad mornings and come round a little at night
    5. Having to deal with something as trivial as a phone call or simple task around the house can fill me with sheer terror
    6. At my worst every thought or most of them are doom laden and negative and worse of all the feeling that i am going to be like this for life.
    7. Two weeks ago the kind doc gave me 5mg Diazepam to help me through. I took one in the morning and one at night and boy oh boy did i sleep for the first time in ages. Was like a zombie though around the home and have halved the Diazepams to 2.5mg twice a day and hope to stop, perhaps next week. Will see doc about that
    8. My dilemma........only 4 weeks into my 20mg program but seem to be getting nowhere, only a worsening of condition. Does the above symptoms appear par for the course with this illness and meds and should i stick it out that they may one day work for me? It must be the case that for some people all that suffering for weeks and months on end comes to nothing as the tablets are never going to work for that particular person

    Thank for listening my friends and the very best of luck and health to you

    Love

    John

    xx

    • Saltire
      Saltire

      Posted

      are you there dear Lady Katiecogs?

    • katecogs
      katecogs Saltire

      Posted

      Hi John

      Sorry you're suffering - yes all those symptoms you describe are absolutely typical of anxiety and the meds too. I'll message you and will explain a few things in detail for you.

      K

    • Saltire
      Saltire katecogs

      Edited

      Just a great big HUG and THANK YOU to Katecogs

      A special person

      Saltire/John

    • robbie499
      robbie499 katecogs

      Posted

      Hey Katie. Big fan of all your posts on here, they have helped me in my darkest moments, I sent you message a few weeks ago, just wondering if you had a chance to read it?

      Thanks so much!

    • robbie499
      robbie499 Saltire

      Edited

      Hi John. Sorry your having to go through all that, I totally get it.

      4 months I started having crippling anxiety and insomnia and then anxiety about insomnia and depression.

      I started on 5mg of citalopram and slowly over the months have worked my way up to 25mg. Slowly over those months, my anxiety decreased, but would come back after a week, then id have a good week, and then it would come back, I felt i was gonna be stuck like that forever. But I started noticing little changes. When the anxiety would come back, it would be scary, but not as bad as the 1st 2 months, in those months I would cry every day and just felt doomed. But now when it comes back, Ill feel some fear, but I can point to the days that I felt good and reminding myself that I am not always like this has really helped. I take little notes in my phone every day, I acknowledge the tough days and nights, but I try and point out the good things that have happened on those days, as a reminder to my future anxious self that it was not ALL bad. Also after a few months, the meds do start to work. As others have pointed out, it can take sometimes 6-8months to feel the full benefits, which initially I found scary, but as time went on and the anxiety decreased bit by bit, I was able to shift my thinking to "wow, if Ive improved a little after 3/4 months, things are gonna be way better in just a few more months"

      Now all this is not to say I am out of the woods completley yet, 2 weeks ago I had some rough days, but Im now on day 11 of feeling positive and havent had much anxiety, which to me, is amazing!

      Hope you start to feel a little better soon.

    • Saltire
      Saltire robbie499

      Posted

      Robbie

      Thank you very much Sir and I hope you continue to improve 😃

    • katecogs
      katecogs Saltire

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your kind words John 😃 xx

    • katecogs
      katecogs robbie499

      Posted

      Hi Robbie

      Sorry - didn’t see your post.

      I’ll get and answer your message to me now.

  • rachel95757
    rachel95757 Guest

    Posted

    Please can I have the details of the book I have seen referred to?

    Rachel

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