1. Community
  2. Symptoms
  3. Sleep Problems

Citalopram/Celexa dosage adjustment affecting sleep

Posted , 4 users are following.

portugalthecam
portugalthecam

Not sure if anyone within this forum has had a similar issue as me, but I figured it was worth a shot..

I had been taking Citalopram for anxiety disorder for many years and recently thought I would try and go off of it since I had been feeling fine for so long.

However, decreasing my dosage eventually brought all of my anxiety symptoms right back, so I went back up to my original 40mg, which I had been on for years.

Due to all of the dosage adjustments, I think my sleep cycle got way screwed up and I've been dealing with a pretty awful bout of insomnia for a couple weeks now, which obviously worries me. Neither Ambien nor Xanax has helped much. I may try Belsomra.

I am just hoping that my brain will settle out again soon.

Has anyone on here experienced a similar issue before?

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Pipboy101
    Pipboy101 portugalthecam

    Posted

    So I was recently prescribed Celexa. And I find myself oversleeping. It has only been about two weeks but I don't like the way it feels. Did you have success with it? I'm sorry I'm off your topic

    • portugalthecam
      portugalthecam Pipboy101

      Posted

      It's been so long since I initially started taking it, like seven years ago or so, so I don't recall if I had that side effect with it, but I've always just been a sleepy person in general. You definitely need to give it more than a couple weeks to build up in your system and for side effects to wear off. I had great success with it for my anxiety disorder for many years!

  • liz62218
    liz62218 portugalthecam

    Posted

    I am on 20mg citrolepram but it doesn't make me sleep.  I have pounding heart through the night.  Does anything help?

    • portugalthecam
      portugalthecam liz62218

      Posted

      How long have you been taking it for? I was at at 40mg for several years and it worked great for me. It never really seemed to affect my sleeping much until now, when I tried messing with the dosage.
  • Lee1988
    Lee1988 portugalthecam

    Posted

    Citalopram affects sleep, that is well known. Slight changes in the dosage will also cause sleep disturbances. How bad is your anxiety? Could you cope without the drugs? In my opinion dealing with prolonged insomnia is worse than dealing with bouts of anxiety and the longer you are taking these drugs the worse your sleep is going to get.

    You have three options.

    1. Keep taking the citalopram for the rest of your life.

    2. Talk with your GP, explain that you want to come off the drug and try something 'milder' shall we say. There's thousands of anti-anxiety drugs on the market.

    3. Just wean yourself off it over time. Yes you will encounter anxiety and sleep problems but that is part of the process. If possible, take a few weeks off work and relax while your coming off it. Go to the gym or do yoga, eat right and drink lots of water. This will help trust me.

    There's actually a lot of supplements and even foods that help reduce anxiety but rather than me trying to list them all just search on Google 'natural anxiety cures' or something. They say even taking cold showers can reduce anxiety. Have a look.

    Best of luck,

    Lee.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.