Citalopram 6 weeks

Many thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it.

 ❤️

I’ve only been on it for 4 weeks I’m sooo dizzy 

What dose are you on?

Yes feeling dizzy can be a side effect for first few weeks - it usually eases off.  Each dose increase can also cause side effects again.

The dizziness should wear off.  Let your doctor know if it becomes a problem though.

Thank you so much for your reply! I am just very new to this and I am stressed out about it and I feel terrible!

It can be frightening for sure - and being stressed about it is what keeps you in the anxiety cycle.  Everyone does the same - I did until I learnt about anxiety and what to do and not to do.  Its always a shock when it hits you.

I've sent you a long message too. 

Thank you! 

Is the dizziness a side effect or a symptom off your aniexty? X

I think it is a combination of all of it! I did try 2mg of diazepam and I think it made it worse! I’m sticking to magtein and a super tiny dose dose of doxylamine! 

I feel dizzy too but iv been told i have an inner ear problem and been givin medication for the problem (witch isnt easing up) and with that bought a real bad attack off aniexty an left me no choice but to pretty much house bound myself iv been giving nothing els to help take the edge off the side effects tho? X

The Costco sleep aid is amazing for sleep and anxiety. I’ve been taking 1/4 to 1/5 of a pill at night! But I’m very sesnsative to medicine! Example I took 5mg of diazepam once and I was hammered for 24 hours! 

Doxilamine and celexa may cause dizziness...also dizziness is a side effect of celexa.and sometimes is also a symptom of anxiety..

Funny thing is I woke up feeling great this am! Maybe the new bed set I bought helped. Super heave goose down duvet felt so good! 

Good for you..that one day feeling good and next day feeling hammered is all part of recovery...but I hope you keep on feeling good ..that goose down is a must...

Yes, I told my girlfriends it’s my thunder blanket! It was worth the cost on amazon which reality is still not a lot! Thanks for all your help! 

That’s the tough part about this drug. One day you feel it may be helping you and the next your ready to dump it down the toilet.  I’ve been on it for 3 weeks and have yet to get 2 good days in a row. I’ll jump for joy if it ever happens. 

It will happen ..but very slowly..it's a very slow working med..don't get discouraged ..stay on one dose ..a higher dose doesn't mean a quick fix.. patience is the key here..

I’m on 10mg. Should I just stay at this dose? 

Yes I have been on ten for 18months .that suits me.it may suit you..the longer you stay on one dose the better..I know everyone says 20 is the therapeutic dose.but not for me.. twenty was too much...so I say give ten a chance..

Was given 20 Mg Citalopram by my PCP to go on top of 100Mg Imipramine at night.  She thinks I should get on the new drug and get off the Imipramine but really doesn’t know what to do. I’m going to try to get hold of someone tomorrow that can review my medication  and just get me on one or the other. Too much medicine is just as bad as none at all. Your never going to feel good when you can taste it all in your system the minute you awake.,Right now I just got too much in me. My guess is I should be tapering off the Imipramine at the same time but I want to hear it from someone that knows what to do before I start it. The toughest part is finding someone you can be confident in. 

Sounds fine! As I am very sensitive to meds anyways I bet 10 will suit me just fine! 

Get a hold of katecogs on this site I think she has experience with the old antidepressants and switching to celexa...type her name on the top .. katecogs

I'm also sensitive to meds..yes there is such a thing. .

Hi - I'm here 

Daniel - Imipramine is a tricyclic drug and Citalopram is an SSRI.  Before I was on SSRI's I was on Anafranil which was also a tricyclic drug and was switched straight over to SSRI's without any withdrawal.  3 weeks on the Citralopram is really early days and I suspect you're still going through the initial side effects of it.  You need to give this meds months before seeing any sign of improvement - and its really worth sticking it out.  I took tricyclics for years and years and within 6 months of being on SSRI's I'd recovered.

I know coming off SSRI's you must withdraw real slow, but don't think its the same for tricyclics (I might be wrong).  

I was on elavil witch was a tri and not problem just discontinuing it! Granted I was only on 10mg for sleep for 6 months. 

Thanks. I don’t mind the switch over but at the same time or soon I’d like to see about reducing the Imipramine little by little. I lived pretty good on Imipramine for over 35 years and I’m not crazy about taking the 2 antidepressants at once. My PCP just added the Citalopram without a plan to get off the other. I’m going to try to get someone tomorrow with experience that can review my Meds and get me on a plan I can be confident in. Today has been a good day buts it’s funny every other day is bad for I’m guessing 3 to 4 weeks now. Really just a tingling in my head that goes all day . Truly maddening.  Can’t believe I could create this on such an every other day basis. It’s sort of like the old Groundhog Movie with Bill Murray only every other. Tomorrow I’ll be opening my eyes and waiting for the bad day. I’m hoping like the movie the same old thing finally is over. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice. I was really looking for someone else that made the switch I’m attempting.,

If you wait for the bad day it will come! If you don’t wait for and just do your normal thing you will surprised how those bad days will go away! I have been in denial a lot about those bad days. Re asses your perspective. It’s amazing how much perspective plays a big role! Stay positive!  

Totally agreed with you...

I actually have been getting up every day and wait to see if the tingling begins. It’s been so consistent at every other day it’s mind boggling to me. It’s crazy to think my mind could pull off such a stunt..Right now no matter what I’m heading out tingling and all and facing whatever I have too. You can’t get better staying in. Thanks

It says online that you can start tapering the Imipramine slowly as the Citalopram is introduced. I’ve tried for a week to get someone to review my Meds but that’s getting to be on the side of impossible. Long time ago I tapered off 75 Mg a day of Librium down to the 5mg I’m on now a day. And I did that by myself. So my thoughts now are to taper of the Imipramine myself by cutting one of the 2 pills in half and going from 100 to 75 a night. Of course it could go one of 2 ways. I get better and save myself the therapy visits that I don’t really want anymore or things could get worse. I made a few more calls and got all answering machines and left messages. I’ll give it to tonight to see if someone returns one of my calls.,

Hi Kate,

I'm coming up to 8 weeks now and still don't feel a difference. The thing I am most concerned about is sleeping. It has got to a stage where I can't sleep without taking a sleeping pill. The anxiety at night time is awful. I will need to continue doing this, if I am to continue working. Do you think this is ok to do this until the meds kick in over the next few months? Thanks for your advice, I have read so many positive, supportive posts to other people on here. I am so grateful for them.

Hi Lucleils

8 weeks is still quite early when taking these meds - it can take 3-4 months for some people to start seeing any sign of improvement, though some feel better before this.  The meds can play havoc with your sleep pattern which is a common side effect - but one which usually rectifies after some time.  I'm assuming your doctor has prescribed the sleeping tablets and it would be best to check with him about how long they should be taken for - I've not taken sleeping tablets before so not sure about them.

I have however taken herbal over-the-counter meds before (called Kalms in the UK) which helped me relax and sleep.  If you did think about something like this then you'd really to check again with your doctor if its ok especially as you're already taking prescribed ones.

Other things to help sleep is to not use a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, computer or even a Kindle a few hours before bed because the light emitted from them can interfere with the sleep hormone Melatonin and keep you awake.  You need to wind down before bed - not waken the brain   Even now if I use my laptop before bed then I can't get to sleep for hours as my brain is wired.

Try not to sleep during the day, even if you're tired due to missing out on the nights sleep.  Try and save the sleep for the night.

Also some people do well having a hot milky drink before bed (not coffee), sprinkling lavender on the pillow, and doing some slow deep breathing too.

I also find that going to bed and reading with a torch starts making me sleepy.

Hope that helps - and I'm sure the insomnia will get sorted in the end though xxx

 

It’s funny you get this drug from your PCP and there’s no mention it could possibly take that long.  If I hadn’t heard that on here I’d have given up already on this after 3 weeks.  But with that info Im going to keep on going and hope for the best. 

No thats right - I think many professionals need retraining in this type of drug - its side effects, the duration it can take, withdrawal safety and withdrawal side effects.  I don't think anyone know how this condition feels to start with plus they don't know how it feels to take these meds either.  Its not like taking antibiotics where they start to work within a few days and you don't notice you're taking them either.  SSRI's hit you in the face and make your symptoms worse to start with and this confuses most people who take them.  Doctors don't know how it feels unless they try them themselves.

Also SSRI's affect people differently.  Some people have every side effect under the sun whilst another person might have just a few.  Also different people feel the side effects in different severities.  One SSRI will suit one person yet another SSRI suits another person.  There is no one meds for all and no one set of side effects for all either (or duration) so I expect Doctors get different feedbacks from their patients.

I do still think they should be made more aware though.

Yes thats it - a lot of people think these meds aren't for them because they don't see any improvement after a few weeks so give up.

It took me 6 months to recover - some people get better quicker than that and some longer.  Everyone is so individual.  My son took Fluoxetine a few years ago after a particularly difficult time and it took him 9 months to get well again.

Throughout recovery you don't just become well again.  You usually go through many blips (dips) and it feels like you're back at the beginning again.  This is just how the meds work and again it foxes people into thinking the meds aren't working and so the doctor increases the meds thinking that is what's needed.  It doesn't matter what dose you're on because you will still go through those blips.  A bigger dose doesn't mean it'll work quicker and it doesn't mean its what you need.  You can recover on a smaller dose - everyone suits a different dose.

But yes - keep persevering, through it all.  It really is slow.

 

❤❤❤

That would be very frustrating! At least you know you can plan things around that. I started to notice a pattern that I would feel good about every other day in the evenings. Then it became sporadic. Yesturday I had such a good and was hoping this was it. I was wrong today has been miserable so just fatigued and tired maybe I over did it yesturday. I did some yoga and went for a walk today and it didn’t do the trick! I was so hopeful it would do the trick. Hang in there we will all get better at one point. Ps I upped my dose to 15mg two days ago first night didn’t sleep that great but I had no nausea or any other symptoms. Just super tired. Any thoughts? 

Thank you today has been rough just sooo tired and fatigued! 

Upping your dose again will cause your symptoms.. remember what katecogs says upping your dose does not mean your going to get better any quicker... praying for your recovery..

Hi Lois was just reading through this post & just wondering what you meant by 20mg was too much for you ?! How did you know it was too much ?! Only reason I’m asking is I was on 10mg citalopram since 31st Oct then Dr’s increased it to 20mg by 18th Nov ! & today I’ve literally felt like giving up & stopping the tablets if I’m honest ! 

Sorry to but into conversation & wishing you all well !xx 😊

The side effects where to powerful .and since my phychiatrist knows iam sensitive to meds she said let's try downing the dosage .and bingo my body was able to tolarate the ten ..so we went for it ..I was running out of options trying other ssris.with no luck..as soon as one week I noticed the side effects lesson.all thought they where still there .they just weren't as intense..and slowly and gradually they disappeared..took me 8 months..

Hi Kate,

Thanks for all your advice so far. This week will mark 10 weeks on the therapeutic dose of citalopram (12 weeks altogether). It's hard to tell if things are improving, as my sleep is so bad. I have taken benzos and sleeping tablets, but all of them seem to have lost their effectiveness. The other night I did not sleep at all and last night maybe an hour or two, very interrupted (with a Xanax). It is so depressing and I don't know what to do. I have an appointment in a few weeks with a psychiatrist, but don't think I can have such bad sleep until then. I have been sleep deprived for months. Can you please advise?

Hi lucleils

It is hard to see if the meds are working - I didn't notice until around 3-4 months, and even then it was really subtle.  Insomnia really is tough isn't it - I had it for a bit.  Trouble is it can stress you and then we you about it as you desperately try and sleep, often making it worse.

Only things I can recommend are not using any form of computer, laptop, phone, tablet etc etc for a long time on end during the day, and definitely turn them off a couple of hours before bedtime because the light emitted from them interferes with your melatonin (sleep hormone).  Also I can't use my Kindle to read at night as it gives me a headache - so I go to bed on time, read with a torch (always makes me feel sleepy), use a bit of lavender essential oil mixed with a base oil and rub a dot under my nose / top lip and chest as its soothing as meant to aid sleep.  I have my window open all year round, blackout blind keeps the room really dark, I cover my digital clock as the light is annoying and have used soothing natural sounds to play really low in the background i.e. waves, trickling water, thunderstorm, rain, Tibetan singing bowl ....... all sounds which are comforting.

I also used over counter meds called Kalms (in the UK).  They help sleep too.  You do need to check with the Pharmacist or Doctor though as you're taking sleeping tablets etc so need to check if its safe.

But definitely don't use any laptop / phones etc.

The insomnia does usually rectify itself over time.

Hi Kate, 

I'm nearly twelve weeks on the therapeutic dose and I still feel the main symptom has not been addressed. I have read some of your other posts to different users and find your advice really helpful. Could I ask if you had obsessive thoughts before starting the SSRI? I find that I ruminate over certain things and wonder if the meds will ease these ruminations in time? 

Many thanks for your advice.

Hi Lucleils

Yes before I started SSRI's I had obsessive thoughts and that's the reason I was eventually put on these meds (and for anxiety too).  These thoughts are a side effect of anxiety ... without anxiety you wouldn't have these thoughts.  When we suffer with anxiety everything becomes over exaggerated, including thoughts ... and because we're super-sensitive when anxious we 'over-feel' these thoughts more than normal causing more anxiety, which then keeps us in a loop of anxiety / thoughts / anxiety etc etc.  Yes the medication will help to ease and finally stop these ruminations over time.

The meds help by hanging onto your serotonin which makes you feel calmer, helps to lift your spirits and because you're feeling calmer the anxiety calms and in turn the thoughts too.  An anxious body = anxious thoughts and a calm body = calm thoughts.

I thought I'd never be free of anxiety as I only had to think of certain things for my anxiety to flood over me, yet I found as I recovered those thoughts began not to bother me and even if I did think of them they didn't produce the pang of anxiety they once did.  Eventually the anxiety stopped and everything returned to normal.  I'd had anxiety / thoughts for 16 years ......... 

It took 6 months for me.

Once again, thank you for your advice. I am beginning to see some clarity with the meds, but it is very, very slow. We are so lucky to have you on this forum.

Aww thanks   Hope things are still improving xx