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

No - increasing your dose won't make you better any quicker than a smaller dose.  The meds don't work like that.  You can recover on 10mg, 20mg, 30 or 40 - each is personal to each individual and its a case of what suits your particular body.

At 7 weeks you're experiencing typical side effects still.  Depression is part of the whole package and it will resolve itself over time.  It took 6 months for me to recover - some people take less time and some even longer.  7 weeks is too early.  It can be 3-4 months before you begin to even notice any changes, though you've noticed one already - less crying.  Little by little things will change and you probably won't even notice it for a while as recovery creeps upon you.  Symptoms don't suddenly stop.

Anxiety and depression are very debilitating - but just keep on with the meds.  It does take a very long, long time but its so worth the wait.  What dose are you on at the moment?

I'll send you the link.

K x

Awww hi Gerrymoo - thanks so much 

I think everyone goes through exactly the same process (give or take different fears etc) but we can all recover from this - its just being shown the right way (the book ...... oh my) ..... and medication too.  You think completely different don't you once you're on the right path and especially when you're back to normal.

Its lovely to read how you're doing - we've both gone through the same and out the other side.  The meds really do work don't they 

K x

Thank You for the link and the wise words. I guess I'm impatient to feel better. I feel in limbo. Busy doing nothing and waiting. As I said before it is so reassuring to read about people further along their journey, and that there is light at the end of all this. Thanks again.

We're all impatient to get better and stop this horrible thing we suffer with - but you really do have to do the opposite and wait.  Impatience causes frustration and tension - exactly what anxiety thrives on.  Your body is crying out to relax and we all make the mistake of rushing about trying to get rid of it which is totally the wrong thing to do.  You can't run far ......

I had this thing for around 16 years until I learnt how to let go, pass through it AND found the right meds.  It will go - we can all overcome this, no matter how long you've had it or how deep you think you've got into it.

K x

It does take a long time doesn't it - and losing that fear of it returning has helped me stay anxiety free for many years now.  The book you found has been a godsend - it was something I'd learnt many moons ago but the book is so much more detailed - a wonderful find.  I call it my bible    xxxx

Katecogs I have been following your posts and would love the name of the book. I was on citalopram for years due to anxiety when I was pregnant with my son almost 7 years ago. Now pregnant with #2 and have been back on celexa since 13 weeks of my pregnancy. I have been increasing from 5 mg to now 30 mg for the last 3 weeks. I am really struggling and just feel like after almost 3 months I should be feeling better. How do you know when to perhaps switch medications? Celexa worked for me last time but now I am so worried it won't work again 😞

Hi Dani

I'll message you with the name of the book - I can't post it here or the Moderator will delete my post.

I took these meds twice and found the second time on them they took longer to work.  Many people have said that too.  So it may take much longer than 3 months, but I knew the meds worked for the once and had faith they'd work again.  They did.  There were many times second time around when I began to wonder if I needed to change meds, but I just kept on with them, and sure enough after a very long time I began to feel better again.

I always say that you don't need a big dose strength as you can recover on smaller doses, but everyone is different and different doses suit different people.  But you won't know if you need a smaller dose if you don't give it enough time.  You won't get there any quicker with a large dose - it probably takes a for 4-6 weeks for each one to settle.  I'd give the meds a good 6-8 months and stick with one dose.

We all think the same - worry the meds won't work again.  They will - it seems like that now, but patience pays off.

K x

coukd you send send me the name of the book you reference.  I have been managing anxiety for year (63 now) but we just received some bad health news about my husband and just like that it reared it’s head again.  Could use a little help.  Thanks for the great support you are providing people.

sharon

Hi Sharon

Yes I'll private message you.  Can't post the book name here as my post will be deleted.

K x

Hi again Sharon

I can't message you because you haven't enable it.  If you go to your Profile, click on Settings, then under Privacy Settings you need to click on 'Enable private messaging'.

K x

Hi Kate,

I am brand new to this forum and I have to say, reading your posts has helped me more than anything else. I'm on my 3rd time taking celexa 10mg. It luckily has worked quickly and wonderfully the last two times i've used it. I took 1 year off between the first and second time, and started taking again due to anxiety/depression returning. I was on 10mg for 4 years and did something very dumb by quitting completely cold turkey because I had convinced myself those thoughts/feelings were gone and would never return. I quit taking them sometime September of this year and actually was fine for a month, until I had a severe panic attack and downward spiraled. I started back on the 10mg exactly 8 weeks ago. The first two times I took celexa, it did not take nearly this long. Obviously I am sure since I quit cold turkey and this is my 3rd time taking it, it will take longer. I have had some good days, and I know I am doing better than I did 8 weeks ago. It is just hard when you have a few bad days and feel discouraged. I am just starting to worry maybe it will not fully work my 3rd time around. The physical symptoms have improved a lot, it is just the stuck/intrusive thoughts and depression that are terrible. Anyways, sorry to bother you, it is just nice to know other people have felt the same as I do and recovered! Do you mind sending me the book you mentioned above? Thanks so much! You're helping me and other people out more than you know:)

Hi Zoe

Glad my posts have been helping xx.

Yes quitting cold turkey really doesn’t help you at all - its nothing like just stopping antibiotics. To suddenly cease meds that work on your Serotonin will have a huge effect on your brain and it’ll go into withdrawal. Its very common to get a delayed withdrawal too which sounds like what happened to you.

Withdrawing slowly is so much kinder to your body and gives your brain time to adjust bit by bit.

But anyway, thats with hindsight, and we all learn things when taking these meds - I did too.

Taking meds a second time, or even third and subsequent times, does seem to take longer for many people (not all though). You might still be having withdrawal though (just guessing) so starting back on meds too could take a while for your body to sort itself out.

Whenever we have anxiety we will always have negative thoughts - its a side effect of anxiety. We all think the worst ie not recovering, meds won’t work yadah yadah …. and of course these thoughts will just make us more anxious. You can’t not think like that, but try and just let those thoughts come and go, don’t dwell on them, follow the thoughts up with a positive thought. I did, even though I couldn’t ‘feel’ the positiveness, but I thought it anway.

This is a temporary state until the meds start working. They will. Just give them lots of time and don’t try hurrying the dose or anything because you can’t. Your body will sort itself in its own time.

I’ve usually found when recovering that the physical symptoms go first and the intrusive thoughts etc follow later on. Those thoughts are just a side effect of anxiety remember, and they will fade as the anxiety fades. You won’t be stuck with them - and even when you are better those thoughts won’t bother you and they’ll just be forgotten about.

You’re not bothering me at all - thats what this lovely forum is for, so we can all help each other.

And yes I’ll message you with the infamous book xx ❤️

Hi Kate,

My celexa has been working wonderfully the past two years with hardly any anxiety whatsoever. A little over a month ago, I started taking 50mg of spironolactone for hormonal acne, and my anxiety has slowly been getting worse and worse. Before I started taking this, I was completely fine. I was just wondering if you have heard of this from anyone else on the site or have any knowledge/advice on the subject. Thanks so much for your help 😃

Hi Zoe

I know of Spironolactone but no idea if it has any interactions with Celexa, though have read some people have reported anxiety and panic attacks whilst taking it - but there is no actual study on this so can’t be confirmed.

Its worth talking to your doctor about this and maybe alter the dose or stop it to see if that changes? But do see your doctor.

Thanks Kate, I read the same as well. I am going to talk to the doctor about it for sure. Thanks again for the advice, you are awesome 😃

Hi Zoe

Hope its going well and you were able to sort something out with your doctor.

Hi Kate,

Thanks so much for checking in. I stopped taking the spironolactone and within a week I started feeling so much better. Not sure if it was 100% the cause of my anxiety, but I definitely think there is a correlation and it probably hasn't been researched that much yet. It is a diuretic, so not sure if it affected the absorption of celexa in the body or what, it could have just been hormonal as well. Something to keep in mind if you ever hear of anyone else having a similar issue! While I wish the medication was able to work for me, I would much rather be anxiety free 😃

Hi Katie i am new to this forum. Ive found it comforting reading replies you have to others and sharing hour experiences. about 4 weeks ago i had bad intrusive thoughts that just repeated in my mind daily it then got worse and the anxiety hit and my stumoch is in knots daily. 2.5 weeks ago the doctor put me 10mg citalpram and i felt slightly better, but 3 days ago i had a huge panic attack attack and have been worse everyday since. the doctor has now put me on 20mg and im on day 3 of 20mg. i find that the mornings are so hard my anxiety is so bad it makes me cry and i cant eat. its not until the afternoon that it eases a little. i just wondered when is it your meant to start feeling better again? next week i would have been on citalpram 4 weeks in total but cant see any difference just feel worse x

Hi Pje

Has all this started just 4 weeks ago?

This is very typical of anxiety - intrusive thoughts and panic attack are all part of the anxiety condition and is very common.

Anxiety usually starts from stress or trauma. Stress is normal and prepares us for fight or flight, and after the ‘danger’ has passed the body returns to normal and the adrenaline calms down, but too much stress over a long period time means adrenaline is constant and causes the body to be on constant high alert. Its like running a car flat out, foot hard down on the accelerator all the time - over time the car will break. Anxiety is just your body telling you its had enough and it needs to rest.

Anxiety and all its symptoms are frightening, and the sufferer usually tries everything to not feel this and goes on a quest of supressing it, avoiding things, fighting it and constantly searching online for an answer - or quick fix. This is the worst thing to do. We need to leave it alone as the body will heal itself - though I know its natural to try to sort it yourself.

Intrusive thoughts are a side effect of anxiety - and I know how frightening they can feel as that was something I suffered with.

A happy body produces happy thoughts, so it stands to reason an anxious body will produce anxious thoughts (intrusive thoughts). Your mind is automatically creating these thoughts, and the best thing to do is to just let it and try and leave them alone, let them be in your head and don’t head chat with them (why, what if etc etc). Don’t try stopping them or supressing them - just leave them alone - and don’t analyse them or get into trying to sort them out in your head. They will go in time.

Understand you will feel like this for a while yet, so try and go with it. You will heal.

Yes mornings are usually the worst time for anxiety sufferers, and it eases during the day. Over time this will ease off - but you need to give this a few months.

There is no quick fix - but you will heal. Its taken a long time for your body to become like this so it will need lots of time for it to heal.

The medicine will really help but 4 weeks on Citalopram isn’t long enough for you to feel any benefit yet. These type of meds usually take months, though it all depends on each individual. You won’t feel you’re getting better and won’t see your way forward, but you will be recovering ….. just that you won’t feel it for a while yet.

Recovery also seems to come in waves so don’t be alarmed when you have a bad time after you’ve felt good. It doesn’t mean you’ve slipped back, but its the way recovery works. Just keep going with the meds and just try to let things happen because you cannot hurry recovery whatever you do.

I know exactly how you feel and remember how frightening it felt. You will get over this - this is a temporary hiccup in your life.

Search for me on Google and I can talk more about this.

K x

Hi Kate

Thanks for replying so quickly.

Ive had anxiety on and off for years but never ever this bad , ive never suffered with unwanted thoughts either.

Your post makes so much sense and i do hope the medication kicks in soon.

Im finding it hard to relax at the moment and the constant stomach churning is awful.

from tomorrow i will try my best to get out and do some exercise .

also i agree with you, i have been googling and searching for answers which seems to make everything worse so will also stop this. x

Hi Pje

Have you taken SSRI’s before when you had anxiety?

Anxiety can change and different side effects emerge when you’ve never had them before. Unwanted thoughts do seem to be the side effect that distresses people the most.

The intrusive thoughts aren’t you - its your mind creating them, so try and let them come and go and don’t analyse them. The meds will help calm the anxiety and those intrusive thoughts will also start to become unimportant too.

Whilst searching for help is good, you can end up with so much information it becomes confusing and can add to your anxiety.

Hi Kate,

i have taken Citalpram before but a long time ago. I couldnt say if it worked as i wasnt consistent with them , but i have never had the anxiety as bad as i do now and didnt have any side effects from taking citalpram, whereas now i feel like the anxiety has heightened.

I think the thoughts have tipped me over the edge followed by the panic attacks, i try not to fight them but its a slow process.

the doctor said i should stay on 20mg of citalpram for another 4 weeks so i will try and do that x

Pje1986

Sorry for the late reply.

Yes you do need to be consistent with this medicine - it needs a constant supply.

Anxiety can take many different forms over time (panic, particular fears, intrusive thoughts, urges, and all different physical feelings) and there often never seems any rhyme or reason why it spikes, and quite honestly its irrelevant why it has started anyway.

Whatever has started it, it doesn’t matter. Its here now and the way is just forward now.

Whatever symptom you have (be it panic, thoughts etc) then they should all be treated the same, ie acceptance. Symptoms shouldn’t be separated or treated separately - though different, they are all symptoms of anxiety and treated the same - acceptance.

Acceptance means that whatever symptom you experience, try not to analyse it, let it happen, don’t fight it, let it come without paying it much attention, don’t try stopping it, and carry on with whatever you’re doing at the time.

By doing this you’re not showing it much attention and not making it important - over much time the symptom become unimportant, eases off and eventually stops happening. This process has to be repeated over and over for a long time.

Simple - but not easy I know.

You can practice this whilst on medication, and yes I reckon 20mg is a good dose.

How are things at the moment?

Hi Kate

Thanks for your reply.

your messages make so much sense and are very helpful.

I felt like i had got a bit better then last week i felt like i was back at square one again. i keep having a constant battle with myself thinking should i change meds, should i up the dose etc. some days do seem like a complete battle.

this week is week 7 on citalpram. The doctor said give it up to 8 weeks before we discuss again so im going to do that xx

Hi Pje

Yes those darned setbacks will make you feel like you’ve stepped back a few paces - but think of them as more like steps forward not back, as they’re part of recovery. In order to have setbacks means you must have had a good spell. These good spells grow over over time.

Anxiety will make you have that internal dialogue with yourself whether its negative thoughts, doubts, fearsome thoughts etc and its this dialogue (head chatter) that makes it worse.

Its hard to trust recovery because anxiety will tell you otherwise - it has a habit of making the worst out of every scenario, this is why I often say recovery seems blind because you can’t think, see or feel it, but trust in the process as its coming.

If you’d broken your leg you’d have pain for quite a while even though the bone is healing, so this is how anxiety is. You’ll feel the ‘pain’ of anxiety even though you’re taking medicine to help, and that ‘pain’ will subside over a long time.

It took me 6 months to recover on 20mg, though some people feel better quicker, some even longer. 8 weeks is good to have a review with your doctor but do be careful about having your dose increased or even swapped. It really, really does take many months, so fiddling around with your meds too soon could alter things.

Recovery doesn’t mean you’ll start feeling slightly better and it grows from there - its usually the smaller things that start happening first and those are overlooked (ie better appetite, improved sleep, an hour here or there feeling calmer). I found as each month passed I noticed small changes happening, but they are often so slight people don’t see them as recovery, and instead look for relief.

Try to not battle with yourself - if doubts about your meds crop up then just let them, and don’t get into a head chat about it. Leave well alone, keep going with the meds, trust in them, have lots of patience …… and when that patience runs out, dig a little deeper for some more, and you’ll begin to see results pay off eventually.

There’s nothing quick about any of this anxiety condition - it starts slow, recovery is slow, the meds are slow and withdrawal needs to be slow too.

But you’ll get there in the end 😃 x