citalopram

Hi Under pressure, you have taken the first step to get well and that is by admitting to your illness. With your Dr prescribing you cilalopram, they must deem you need help. The side affects are not nice, but once they subside they do work very well, as you hav probably read on this site. Good luck and best wishes for what ever you decide.

Hi, U.P. I've also been to the doctor today, same as you. I suspected that I've been clinically depressed for quite some time (years), but had learnt to (kinda) live with it. But recently I've come to the end of my tether with it all; it's all just been getting worse (the way depression affects you and the way you live life tends to send you in that direction, if you don't address it). I had a look online last night to see what symptoms I had, and found that I ticked a lot of boxes. This all confirmed what I suspected. Anyway, went to the doc today and she prescribed my Citalopram too. It's in the same family as Prozac - a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Don't worry, I've been on these before. They are no where near as intense as ecstasy, they work in quite a different way. The only similarity is that both drugs affect serotonin in the brain. Also, they'll take a while to take affect - days, or a week or two, or so. I watched this documentary the other day and found it pretty helpful. A group of artists (writers, painters, musicians) who suffer depression are given a course of Prozac to see how it affects their mood and their work. I can't post the link without being a member of this site, but if you search for \"Prozac Nation\" on Google video search then the full 40min documentary will appear about 4th on the list. Hope this helps. Keep us updated.

... and remember, any initial side-effects will usually subside after a few days. If they don't, go see your doctor.

[quote:44892ca819=\"Matthew29\"]Hi, U.P. I've also been to the doctor today, same as you. I suspected that I've been clinically depressed for quite some time (years), but had learnt to (kinda) live with it. But recently I've come to the end of my tether with it all; it's all just been getting worse (the way depression affects you and the way you live life tends to send you in that direction, if you don't address it). I had a look online last night to see what symptoms I had, and found that I ticked a lot of boxes. This all confirmed what I suspected. Anyway, went to the doc today and she prescribed my Citalopram too. It's in the same family as Prozac - a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Don't worry, I've been on these before. They are no where near as intense as ecstasy, they work in quite a different way. The only similarity is that both drugs affect serotonin in the brain. Also, they'll take a while to take affect - days, or a week or two, or so. I watched this documentary the other day and found it pretty helpful. A group of artists (writers, painters, musicians) who suffer depression are given a course of Prozac to see how it affects their mood and their work. I can't post the link without being a member of this site, but if you search for \"Prozac Nation\" on Google video search then the full 40min documentary will appear about 4th on the list. Hope this helps. Keep us updated.[/quote:44892ca819]

thank you for taking time out to reply, i still am little concerned, you said you taken prozac before but here you are again, i take it the drugs dont work, as the lyrics go!! do they work or do they just make you feel fine, they dont actually help you to understand the underlying cause of this friggin depression though do they, have you had counselling?

i am really trying to have positive thoughts now, and i strongly feel that i need to understand what is causing my depression before i can learn to deal with it, well treat it really, lack of communication with people is probably a big downsiide to my life at present, so that is my next step, thank you again for taking time, i think i need to find myself a counsellor and quick, will def. keep checking if you ok i think all us on here really need outsiders to talk to as bottling it up as i have done has prob caused me to be like this, anyway take care thank you

I was on Seroxat before, but I didn't stick to the course, missed pills out and stopped taking them after a couple of weeks. If I had completed the course, then maybe I wouldn't be in the situation I find myself in today.

At the end of the day I think it all depends on how you feel - your level/type of depression. If you are not too depressed and still possess the motivation and the will to address your problems without the help anti-depressants provide then maybe you'd be better off not taking them. Maybe you should see a psychiatrist before you take any pills, and see what they think you should do regarding whether or not you should take them. I think psychiatrists are more qualified to answer that question than GPs.

thats what i was thinking, i feel i need to source the problem before i can take the pills, as im already blotting out whatever the underlying cause is by smoking weed every day (which i done for 20yrs now) will the pills make much difference, is it worth it, i think i just need to speak to physciatrist 1st as you say, have apt with Dr thursday so im hoping he will refer me on,

thanks for your feedback and wish you all the best ,

I think you should stop smoking weed for a bit and see how that makes you feel. I smoked loads of the stuff, and it contributed to my depression. It makes me paranoid and withdrawn and un-sociable and content with life. Which is fine until you stop and realise you've been treading water and not getting anywhere with your life, progressing, etc. Then this \"wake-up\" realisation after years of smoking pot can make you even more depressed. Cut down on the weed or stop smoking it completely, this, I believe will be one of the most beneficial things you can do.

yeah i know your right, i've always worked in management and felt this a big stress reliever at the end of day, but since i quit i aint got no excuse to carry on smoking. im gonna give it a try, and also been looking at vitamin b deficiencies too, this triggers off depression/mood swings etc so gonna try and eat more foods containing vit b and see if that works too

catch up soon, take care, thankee again

Hi

I have been on Citralopram for about 10 months or so. It was proscribed for what felt like fairly acute anxiety caused by a number of factors including taking too much on and work stress, including dealing with repeated redundancies as a trade union rep.

It takes a while for the drug to work and although the symptoms become manageable within a few weeks, I found that the strongest triggers only stopped provoking a strong anxiety response within the last three months or so, after I confronted (diplomatically) one of the major causes of the anxiety attacks- a neighbour with a sub-woofer (or however that is spelt) that made my walls shake in the early hours. I should stress that the anxiety predated the arrival of the neighbours but they exacerbated it as I was already in a state for the other reasons, without knowing it.

I put off taking Citralopram for months during which time things just got worse. Since reluctantly starting the drug, things improved slowly. My experience is that the drug has helped a lot, but it takes time. It doesn't cure the underlying causes but it helps you to get your stength back so that you can face up to them and do something positive about it.

In terms of side effect, I have had a bit of taste in my mouth, some mild indegestion and feel a bit sluggish at times. Apart from the taste, the others may have occurred anyway due to all the stress and nervous energy being burnt.

Whether you take the Citralopram or not I would suggest that you try councilling - there may be a councilling service in your area - try the net. It would seem obvious to me that the weed is a no-no in your situation, but I don't indulge so I can't really judge.

Good luck.