Citalopram - 3 weeks in

Posted , 18 users are following.

HI everyone, I know this is probably a common question, but I was just hoping for some reassurance. I've been on citalopram for 3 weeks now, 17 days on 10mg and 4 days on 15mg. I'm definitely better than I was, and I'm back at work, but I feel that each day, sometimes from hour to hour, is a rollercoater of different feelings. I can feel great one minute then really low a few hours later. The mornings are usually the worst, then I generally seem to feel better after lunch.

Is this normal? I'm hoping it means the meds are starting to work and are trying to level me out. Do you think I'll start to feel better soon?

Thanks so much for reading xxxx

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  • Posted

    I had started taking at night and it kept me a wake all night. so not great for me. but maybe worth trying again
  • Posted

    Hi Inthewoods,

    I've been on Celexa for 5 months now and I still feel dreadful in the mornings. But once I get out of bed and get out of the house I feel like my usual self. I still don't know when and why these awful feelings occur in the ornings. Guys, have any ideas?

    DR

  • Posted

    Hi all,

    I assure you the morning terrors will go away, this was my worse time, but fine now, you just have to persevere, however no denying its tough, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, please do check out = Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram? so many folk at different stages on there and all so supportive, I take Cit in the morning as my doc says its a stimulant so it would keep me awake and as I wasn't sleeping that wasn't good for me, its good for those whom take it at night and can sleep well done, as sleep is so important to us for recovery.

    Take care all

    Anne

  • Posted

    Thanks Anne for your feedback! It is those dreadful morning fears and anxieties that make me want to flee and go back home (I live now in the U.S. but am originally from the Philippines.) The break-up with my partner a year ago has led me to this depression. But once I'm out of bed and go about doing my work I don't feel the same dread and panic anymore to leave and escape. Do people have that feeling sometimes of just dropping everything and fleeing to a far away secure and safe place?

    DR

  • Posted

    Hi DR

    I would safely say everyone of us has had this feeling at some stage, they say this anxiety comes form loosing people in ur life, you with ur break up, I lost my Mum, there is always some trauma to bring it on, and its really an awful thing, but I have defo come out the other side now, and couldn't have survived without Cit, so be strong and persevere you will get there, smile

    Anne x

  • Posted

    Hello .All

    I have been taking Cit for a couple of years now due to Depression and so low all the time and was finding day to day hard to deal with. .

    My GP Put me on Cit and I would not be without it. I asked my GP How long I could be on it and He said as long as I wish as it is not addictive which I am Pleased about .

    . It calms my Nerves and I don't bet anxious about things anymore. So it is all Positive for me .

    All the Best to all .Maria.

    • Posted

      Not sure if you're still active these days. But if you are, how long did it take you to get used to them and they actually began to work? I've had panic attacks for 11 years since I was 12 and just been asked to take cits. I refused medication for so long because I don't want it to eff me up but I haven't gotten round to taking them yet rolleyes dreading it.
  • Posted

    Hello everyone

    I am new to this site. I started taking 10mg citalopram on 22nd Feb for anxiety as I suffer from panic attacks, so I am now on day 25.

    I experienced the hightened anxiety, lack of appetite and insomnia for the first few weeks, but that went away and I was starting to feel ok. A little more normal, still with a hint of anxiety (but I have quite a stressful job and have recently just brought a house and am training for the London Marathon, so I assume all of the stress towards these things hasn't helped.)

    However, yesterday morning after leaving the gym, I seemed to hit a real LOW point and was feeling really depressed and hopeless and down. I then started to feel ok at about 11am and was fine throughout the day. I got home last night and made dinner and then sorted my stuff out for the next day and was feeling quite tired. However, when I was laying in bed, my mind started to race and I was thinking a lot of weird things which freaked me out. I then had an episode where I just couldnt stop crying as I felt so down and hopeless. I eventually got to sleep, but woke up this morning with the same feeling and I cant seem to shift it again. I cannot bare the thought of having another episode like I did last night. I feel like I am losing control and losing my mind and that is scaring me. I am all of a sudden extremely worried about anything and everything!

    I just wondered if this was normal after being on cit for as long as I have and wanted some reassurance that things will get better and other people have experienced this.

    I am totally willing to persevere with the cit but is this normal? Should I be feeling down like this? I never felt depressed before, only upset and frustrated with feeling so panicky and anxious!

    Vx

    • Posted

      Hi vicky,

      How did you get on after your blip? I hope everything levelled out for you? What does did you start on? Did you have to up it after the blip? I'm only on day 13. Most of the horrid sode effects have started to go but the insomnia hasn't! Did you take anything for that at the time? And the morning anxiety is BAD.

      Look forward to hearing from you. Hope you doing ok.

    • Posted

      Hi I've just gone back on them I'm on day 15 and day 9 of 20 mg I've had four out of five bad days when I feel I'm back to square one but my doc says it's still early days do hang in there my anxiety is worse in a morning and diazepam doesn't even calm it the insomnia is the worst but he's just given me 20 mg amatryptaline to see if that calms me down and helps me sleepĀ 
    • Posted

      Hi Sarah that is totally normal

      I had 4 days crap (feeling like I wasn't my self and I felt weird and my anxiety thoughts were racing constantly

      Then I was back to my normal self.

      This is you're body getting better and showing you you're on the mend but it will take time. It does get better

    • Posted

      I know it does Kathy it's just when I started on it 5 yrs ago didn't ever feel like this as I can remember
    • Posted

      Hey Sarah

      That is what I went though my self

      Years ago when I went on it I never had any side effects at all.......but this time around when I developed mild depression

      I got nauseous

      Loss of appetite

      (I was able to sleep though)

      Increases Anxiety thoughts

      But I stuck it out and it got better week by week.

      Them bad days are crappy but the good days you have is showing you you're on the mend

      I have had this

      I jumped up to 20 mil 2 weeks ago but I started to feel like i wasn't my

    • Posted

      Sorry I didn't finish lol

      I started to feel like I wasn't my self I felt weird

      So I dropped it down to 15 mil and I'm better on that. That feeling lasted 4 days and now I am back to my normal self being almost a week

      I've been on the medication for almost 6 weeks and I'm so much better

    • Posted

      Hi Kathy thanx for that think my anxiety worse this time than last and every little thing gets to me the days are just so long as my doc says I'm not fit for work but I've been off that long I'm anxious about going back it's just a vicious circle at the mo if I've not improved after weekend I'll talk to doc about lowering my dose.
    • Posted

      Anxiety sucks heaps and it's not fair we go through these types of illnesses

      See how you go for another week

      But if it's not getting better then go back to dr

    • Posted

      Hope you r ok

      I'm on day 22 now having swapped from fluoxetine

      I been off sick for 4 months now, i left my job after 3 months as that was part of my problem so now im on sickness benefit till i get sorted.

      Having slightly better moments atm but no real change, yesterday i found myself looking for jobs until my mum said i wasnt anywhere near ready.

      Find it hard to get through the days. Im a 34 year old mald and feel totally washed up. Dreading finding work and going to interviews etc. Not sure what to tell them when they ask why ive been off work for so long

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