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Citalopram 5 weeks 30 mg advice needed!!!

Posted , 4 users are following.

noa38590
noa38590

hi everyone.

since nov 2021 i decided to take citalopram for my anxiety. i took 10 mg for 2 weeks, 20 mg for 6 weeks and 30 mg for 5 weeks now because i felt nothing when i was on 20 mg.

because of my anxiety i stopped my studies for a while. now after all this weeks i still dont really know if i get the full benefit of an antidepressant. yesterday i had a sollicitation and sweat was dripping of my face because of the anxiety. i really felt embarresed.. should i switch medicines or not?? the fact that i went on a sollicitation is somewhat of an improvement. i would love to hear you guys' advice

ps dont mind my bad english.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • ian90586
    ian90586 noa38590

    Edited

    Hi,I assume you don't mean solicitation because that means prostitution or offering someone money to commit a crime.

    As far as the Citalopram goes, I would have advised you to stay on 20mg for a lot longer before increasing. All the worst effects of the medication occur in the first 12 weeks for a lot of people with anxiety. By increasing even more,that only increases the heightened anxiety from the medication which you sound like you are experiencing. If you had waited another 5-6 weeks on 20mg you would have then started to feel the benefits after your brain and system got used to the Citalopram. You can either stay on 30mg and last it out or reduce back to 20mg, you would have to make that decision,but I wouldn't swap because that would probably make things even tougher.

    • noa38590
      noa38590 ian90586

      Posted

      oops i meant an application for a job 🤭.

      i didnt know thst i could feel a benefit after the 6 weeks on 20 mg. my doctor adviced that if i domt feel improvement in my anxiety after all this time, that i should increase.

      what is reason for it taking so slow when you have anxiety?

      i wish i would stayrd on 20 mg before i increased. if i decreasr to 20 mg, i would experience some withdrawal right?

    • ian90586
      ian90586 noa38590

      Posted

      hi noa,you gave me a laugh anyway, that's an achievement ☺️. The more I read people's experience on these medications,the more I realise how different we all are. I was "corrected" yesterday for telling someone that 10mg was ineffective because they were on 10mg and their anxiety was gone. There will always be people who require less and people who require more,but on the whole 20mg is given by the pharmaceutical companies as the minimum effective dose after testing these medications.

      From my own experience on Citalopram and all the other SSRI'S,and a lot of other people with anxiety I've heard, plus what I have read,these medications should be given time to work. months rather than weeks. Unlike medications like benzodiazapines and others which work immediately and differently, antidepressants take time to increase the Serotonin in your brain. They are not putting extra Serotonin in your brain,they keep the Serotonin you already have for longer between nerve endings in the brain. The NHS website says these medications USUALLY take around 6 weeks to start working and remember that they are called antidepressants,not anti-anxiety, although they treat both. Anxiety is a condition caused by negative,worrying thoughts and not just a lack of serotonin in the brain. By having an anxious mind,all the what ifs, intrusive thoughts,the chatterbox that constantly plagues,causes Serotonin to deplete from the stress of worry. I will message you the name of a book which I found excellent and I urge you to do CBT, talking therapy, meditation and mindfulness,watch your diet carefully and exercise regularly alongside the medication.

      I have found the benefits from 20mg start around 11-12 weeks and improvement continues from then. I have heard a similar experience from other people. I always say give that dose time before deciding to increase,but that's my opinion from my experience,I am not a medical professional.

      If you do decrease from 30mg I would imagine you would experience some withdrawal,but it seems again from my experience because I was on 30mg,and others who reduce, it's not always so bad reducing from higher to medium doses. Everyone is different,so you wouldn't know until you did it. That is your decision.

    • denise1306
      denise1306 ian90586

      Posted

      Hi Ian, can you message me the name of the book please? Thank you.

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