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Citalopram brand change, feeling awful...any connection?

Posted , 9 users are following.

claire33434
claire33434

Hi, I started back on citalopram 10mg on 29th Nov last year and the brand was "accord" I had a bad few weeks on it until side effects settled, then after 4 weeks the dose was increased to 20mg...Then after 5 days of increase the brand changed to "aurobindo" i carried on and things settled after a few weeks of bad side effects (I get increased anxiety when I start these meds) anyway, I had 3-4 good days once side effects settled but then 10 days before my period I dipped and was crying a lot and anxiety was there. Then once I started my period I seemed better. Had a better 3-4 days and a fantastic 3 days after that and really thought I'd turned a corner.

I woke up on Friday and had hardly any anxiety at all I'd been to the chemist to collect my new prescription and the brand had changed to "accord" again. Didn't think anything of it as I'd been on it when I started the 10mg. I took it on Friday morning and on sat morning I woke up really anxious and nervous, took it again sat morning and pushed through the day but didn't feel as good as day before...Sunday I felt rubbish, took in the morning as normal but by Sunday night I felt awful, took it again Monday morning and things just snowballed, anxiety through the roof, dry heaving in a morning, nauseous, burning stinging skin on my arms which I havnt had for 3 weeks + and panic again. It's just getting worse.

Could it be due to brand change? Or is it just coincidence and it's my anxiety? Iv spoken to pharmacist and she's going to change me back to the brand I was on before. Iv not taken my citalopram this morning as pharmacist told me not to and wait for the old brand I was on which should be ready today.

Anybody else found this with brand change or am I just reading too much in to it? X

0 likes, 22 replies

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  • debbie17569
    debbie17569 claire33434

    Edited

    Hi there.  You are at about the same stage as me.  I started end of November too, 10mg then to 20.  I then increased this week to 30 and my anxiety has gone through the roof again.  The pharmacy gave me an extra 10mg which is a different brand to the 20mg I take but ive just carried on.  I think its probably just the increase as a lot of people say you get an increase in anxiety when taking more.  Did your pharmacist say this could be an issue.  Ive seen people mention this before but surely they cannot issue a tablet which is different??!!  

    I am also on my period at the moment and that sends my anxiety sky high as well.  I dont know whether its all in my head, the tablets or possibly hormones/peri menopause!  x

    • claire33434
      claire33434 debbie17569

      Posted

      Hi, iv not had an increase in 6 weeks. It seemed to settle and then 10 days before my period my anxiety snowballed and my mood dropped a lot. Then I had a better week but the day after a change in brand I started to feel really bad! To the point I thought I was dying! I still don't feel right but Iv not taken that brand today and awaiting a different one. I had to take a 2mg diazepam at 3pm yesterday as I was so bad x

    • debbie17569
      debbie17569 claire33434

      Posted

      Funnily enough (or not!) I questioned everyone a few weeks ago on this point as I had a change of brand too and felt crap but I was due my period too.  Everyone said that they cannot mess with the strength of the drug etc as it would mess everyone up.  I did google it but got no definite answer! I'm going to carry on for the time being with my two different brands lol but will be really interested to see what happens when you get your usual ones.  Mine are Medreich 20mg and Accord 10mg, both from the same pharmacy. 

      I really don't know how to find out for sure but if different brands are doing that to people then the manufacturers or whoever need to sort it out, it's not good enough.  

      It could also be that you're just having a blip as we all call them.  I was great for two weeks, back to normal and then the period hit and all hell broke loose again. I calmed down but still had a nervy tummy on waking which has never gone. I have had a couple,of health scares in between caused by a doctor, all of which were fine so that didn't help. 

      Let me know how you get on xx

    • claire33434
      claire33434 debbie17569

      Posted

      Hi, it's not the strength of med that changes with the brand it's other ingredients from what they use to wrap the tablets and how they are pressed. The active ingredient can be metabolised differently apparently. Anyway....I got a new brand today "teva" as chemist couldn't get the one I wanted. I havnt taken the "accord" brand today I took the teva brand instead. I feel better than I did yesterday but now I don't know if it's because of that or because of the 2mg Diaz I took at 3pm yesterday still being in my system x

    • debbie17569
      debbie17569 claire33434

      Posted

      If it is that then that is so wrong especially for those of us who suffer anxiety. They should be made exactly the same way. Omg I feel so annoyed !!!

      i doubt it's the diazepam as after mine wear off after a few hours, I go back to feeling crap the next day. I am always worse in the morning but get better by the evening whether I take the diazepam or not.  These drugs certainly are a minefield!

      did you ask the chemist? X

    • wendy50918
      wendy50918 debbie17569

      Edited

      Hi ladies,

      I have to say that I took a bad reaction when my brand was changed I was suffering heightened anxiety feeling sick, running to the loo sweats and tingling over my body, and I questioned my brand, so I got it changed back to my usual brand and everything settled within 48 hrs back to how I was,

      So I found it defo made a difference,

      Wendy xx

    • claire33434
      claire33434 wendy50918

      Posted

      Thank you for that Wendy. Hoping it's the same for me. My anxiety was horrendous and it started off mild after the 2nd tablet and just got worse by the day x

    • debbie17569
      debbie17569 wendy50918

      Edited

      Hi Wendy

      i think I'm going to phone my pharmacy in the morning and see if I can get the same brand then. I cant tell right now as I've only increased in the last 3 days but my 20 is Medreich and my 20 is accord.  I also had Bristol at one point, all from the same pharmacy!!  I just find it incredible that manufacturers can mess around with what should be the same drug.  Surely that's playing with people's lives??!! What if it was a heart medication which is obviously important.  I really don't know what to think right now!!! If they are different, that is well out of order.  God, we suffer enough with this illness,  as it is! 

      How are you now anyway x

    • claire33434
      claire33434 debbie17569

      Posted

      Mine is always really bad in a morning. Sometimes get more relief in an evening but with new med, increase and periods Iv been pretty bad x
    • debbie17569
      debbie17569 claire33434

      Posted

      You sound exactly the same as me, mornings are awful, can't sit still and feel I have to get everything done, like a nervous energy but horrible stomach feeling. Starts to get better in the afternoon/evening and again, like you, periods start it all off again! I'm having a blood test tomorrow for menopause to see if it could be that x

    • claire33434
      claire33434 debbie17569

      Posted

      I'm having my hormones checked on the 21st to see if it's anything to do with that. Hope we both get some answers x

    • debbie17569
      debbie17569 claire33434

      Posted

      Yeah me too!! I can feel  the old me under the surface, it just won't come out!! Crazy stuff!, x

  • wendy50918
    wendy50918 claire33434

    Posted

    Hi again,

    Yes I get the accord make now the pharmacist has made a note on my records, Claire I just got worse and worse then when I spoke to my doctor she told me it could possibly be the different make, once I got the old make again I felt a difference after 24 hours but it took a couple of days to settle back down,

    Debbie it's is all still citalopram but it's the ingredients it's mixed with that are different, each company uses different ingredients (fillers/coating) and that's what can make people feel worse,

    I defo was worse, and I know it was the different brand that caused it, if you ask the pharmacist they will try and get you the same brand, it's worth trying

    I'm not too bad Debbie feeling quite flat at the moment, it's quite strange really,

    Wendy xx

    • claire33434
      claire33434 wendy50918

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply Wendy. It was the accord brand that made me feel worse, it was changed to the teva brand yesterday. Just hope this one works better.

      Wendy what mg citalopram do you take? And how long have you been on it? X

    • wendy50918
      wendy50918 claire33434

      Posted

      Hopefully it will, Claire your body must tolerate the other one better, you should feel a difference in a couple of days,

      I'm on 20mg of citalopram and have been on 20 for about 15 weeks now

      Wendy xx

    • nicola89914
      nicola89914 wendy50918

      Posted

      Hi. My brand of citalopram was changed from sovereign to accord. I have only taken 3 of the new ones and I have been having anxiety and panic attacks. I am going back to the sovereign brand tomorrow. I don't want to be poorly with my anxiety again its awful

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