Posted , 9 users are following.
Posted , 9 users are following.
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Mark7004 hannah92247
Posted
Great for anxiety once you get through the first few weeks of side effects. For depression (which I don't suffer from any more) I was prescribed Fluroxetine. Ask your Dr which they recommend. If you do take Citalopram, make sure you do a bit of research as you may find your symptoms get worse before they get better.
hannah92247 Mark7004
Posted
Mark7004 hannah92247
Posted
Worst was the increased anxiety for 2-3 weeks. Insomnia, only slept for about 2 hours a night and loss of appetite. These all past after about 3-4 weeks. 8 weeks in I feel almost 'normal' but I do get the odd night sweat and reduced sex drive. Other than that I feel good compared to 8 weeks ago when I felt all was hopeless.
0wen hannah92247
Posted
I've been taking 10mg dosage for anxiety [not depression] for the past 2 months- 1st week most of the common side effects [drowsiness, tired feeling; sleep problems (insomnia);mild nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth; increased sweating, decreased sex drive, lack of appetite]. By the end of week 2 - only side effect present was lack of appetite which subsided by 3rd week [I had my appetite back].
Seems to be working for generalized anxiety and my baseline mood is neutral/positive as I don't get angry/upset anymore.
kyle99 hannah92247
Posted
Hi Hannah,
I have been on 10mg of Citalopram after being diagnosed with GAD and Depression back at the end of August this year. I silently suffered in my room and used many unhealthy coping mechanisms such as binge eating, compulsive computer gaming and taking my anger out on family (never physical, just verbal arguments).
After starting the Citalopram one thing that I realised was the gravity of the situation. You need to remember that this isn't a cure to everything it's meant to help you clear the clouds that are around the cause of your anxious thoughts, and if you already knew what caused it it's meant to give you some breathing room to develop ways to tackle the issues.
The side effects were awful, horrendous even I won't lie to you. No point in lying about what you are getting yourself into because it will be a big shock, I just wish my doctor told me bluntly what I was going to go through. My anxiety hit the worst it has been in my whole life, my appetite dissapeared, I had a constant mild nausea, numbing migraines, diarrhoea and a lot of other smaller side effects. Was it worth it? YES. YES. YES.
Trust me, I hated the first couple weeks I was on it. They were hell, but I would pay the price thousands more times if it meant I could isolate the cause of my anxiety and be able to effectively tackle it to a point where I am comfortable and slowly realising that my intrusive thoughts aren't my ruler. One thing I noticed was I was smiling much more, when out in public I would just keep smiling at people and you notice them smile back and it feels amazing just knowing you can integrate with society more and come out on the other end smiling instead of panicking and wanting to shut yourself off.
I was able to speak more, instead of having a massive mental debate in my mind about if it's appropriate to say something or if I am interrupting someone I just naturally had an ability to speak more and interact with others better and more comfortably. It doesn't make you euphoric or anything but makes you feel like you are yourself, and yourself at a comfortable and positive state of mind.
However, Citalopram isn't a miracle drug that cures all our mental illnesses. I still have to address my lifestyle as if I go back into that habit of being addicted to computer games and self-isolation I will just relapse into my old self and the struggle would've been for nothing. I found a lot about myself that I was just generally unhappy about in my life and stuff I didn't even know I was unhappy about. I have learnt that constantly pushing the boat out even just a tiny bit makes the next time that little bit easier. I strongly recommend therapy on top of the medication if you believe you need a lifestyle change as well as a healthy diet and plenty of social interaction as we're a very sociable race.
My general review:
- Side effects are difficult, but everyone reacts differently.
- Citalopram should be used on top of a lifestyle change.
- Be patient with it, give it a couple month to fully work.
- Would I stick to it? YES.
Hope this helped in any way possible and if you have any questions, please ask.
Kyle
kyle99
Posted
Take care,
Kyle
danny_99183 kyle99
Posted
This is a good summary of how I am transitioning to feeling good on the drug. Randomly about half way through the day I started feeling "good" after about 2 weeks of miserable side effects. The issue causing my anxiety didn't evaporate but I can slowly think about addressing it. Hoping that in the coming days the effect will get stronger, or I will have to up the dose after chatting with the doc (currently on 10mg). Just want to get to a point where I can remove myself from the things that worry me and tackle them in an objective manner without getting carried away with catastrophic ideas. This journey is a very rough one but I do feel anyone undertaking it really needs to stick it out and consult with their doc/physician with regards to a reasonable time frame before trying new things.
gillian176 kyle99
Posted
kyle99 danny_99183
Posted
When I started Citalopram I was under the assumption it would just make me carefree and miraculously fix all my worries in the world, but I was naive this time last month. It really is effective at giving you the space to think about how to tackle your problems. Personally mine was poor physical health, an inability to cope with change and rejection, being out in open places by myself and socialising. Having armed myself with the reason I got myself into such a state I was in has made me much calmer and I am focusing on living in the present and desensitising myself to small things that could go wrong, because as humans we're a very imperfect race so chasing perfection will only lead to you falling in a pit of despair.
I am entertaining the thought of going to 20mg, but I want to speak to my doctor on the follow up appointment I am having - because there are times where my worry will just randomly rear its head for a short while and this has happened multiple times a day. The overwhelming fear and sense of hopelessness stops me in my tracks and I am forced to stop what I am doing just to rationalise what I am feeling. I know I am in control of my life right now and I am able to cope but even right now my mind is racing with all the "What ifs".
Take care,
Kyle.
Cara424 hannah92247
Posted
This is very helpful to read others experience. I was on citalopram after having post pardum depression 6 yrs ago. Was on and off since than. Went off in April but now feeling anxious again. Always when some troubling event takes place. So now am on day 7. This so totally sucks. I take ativan in the afternoon if I just can' t cope. I was doing fine till I found out my brother in law left his wife after 35 yrs and than started worrying that that would happen to me. My relationship with my husband is ok but not great. So even though we talked, I'm still freaked out.
bethanie50616 hannah92247
Posted
Hello,
I am on my 11th day of taking these. Ive had some side effects, ive been throwing up and i seemed to get worse for a week and a half into taking them. My sleep has been fine. Ive had a dry mouth and my appetite was completely gone, also the 'morning anxiety' is a nightmare like a painful dread/anxiety/guilt feeling in the pit of my stomach. These have all eased slightly now, i havent thrown up in 3 days, im eating again and im starting to feel more hopefully and like i can get through this rather than feeling completely hopeless and suicidal like i was a few weeks ago. I up my dose to 20mg in a few days so a bit worried about if im gonna get all the side effects again but we'll see
Hope this helps
Bethanie
Grunthos hannah92247
Posted
Hi Hannah,
The most disturbing side-effects for me were diarrhoea, the inability to have an orgasm and vivid dreams. None of these ever resolve themselves until I come off Citalopram. I have been prescribed Cit three times over the last ten years for depression and more recently for anxiety as my partner had to undergo surgery. I'm now down to 10mg/day (from 40mg/day three months ago) and am looking forward to a normal life when I finally don't have to take Cit.
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