Citalopram dreadful side effects - warning

Posted , 10 users are following.

Just need to share this - not to put people off Cit but but just to inform others of my experience. On 10mg Cit for five days following a bout of depression.  Side effects were horrendous. Exteme panic attacks (never had one in my life); being 'knocked out' and having to literally crawl to bed for 2 hours once or twice a day; nervousness, agitation and uncontrollable trembling; nausea; no appetite; tearful and sobbing; diarrhoea; sweating; depair. I dubbed it my 'torture tablet'. Rang GP who immediately took me off them stating that I must be very senstive to this medication. If you get all of these effects in five days my strong advice is to stop. You may actually save your own life....

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  • Posted

    They're actually normal side effects most people go through.  So many Doctors don't prepare patients for what they'll experience, and often patients don't read the medication leaflet either.  Nearly everyone who takes any type of SSRI is shocked at the severity of the side effects, but persevere and these do all disappear.  The benefits of this drug are so worth the dreadful side effects.

    These dreadful side effects usually last around 2-4 weeks, with some less severe ones lingering many weeks after that.  Recovery on this medication takes a long time and so much patience is needed.  You can't get better overnight - signs of improvement often start around 3-4 months and improve thereafter.

    There's many SSRI's and each are tailored to suit different people.  It's often trial and error finding one that suits you.  For me, after 10 years of suffering depression and nothing helped, I was put onto Citralopram and I recovered.  It took around 6 months.  Have been well for 15 years now.  

    I hope you're able to find something that will suit you.  Thinking of you all xx

     

  • Posted

    im scared to take sertline that was prescribed because i had horrible side effects from ciatlopram i took one and one only i came up with hives on my belly a hour later as a hypercondria its not really the best thing that can happen then i had burning under my skin like acid going through my veins in my arms and chest back of neck and back of head i thought i was having a heart attack and went into the biggest worse panic attack i have ever had my heart was beating so fast it hurt with every beat !

    the burnng lasted another 2 days and i also had a random drop feeling like i was going down a rollercoster this would happen every half a hour after stopping taking them muscle twitching started and thats not gone away im too scared to take the any tablets now and i was so positive when i took them i did not want them in the first place but i told myself if i take them i will be better im sure some people will be fine off them but i will never be trying them again my partner had them a couple years back for depression and he was great on them said he loved them its strange hope you find a new one x

  • Posted

    Hi Kieran - have just joined the "adverse club" took 4 x cit 20mg over 5 days.

    Terrible reaction.night Sweats / heart racing / very weak /

    Thru roof bp / panic attacks / insomnia.

    Nausea / no strength in legs / near passing out just after pill ingestion / whoosing inner ear tinnitus . How long did it take for your like symptoms to go away? I'm a bit better 2 day = 31 hours after 4th 20mg pill. Appreciate any other contributors experience ref Rec time - particularly ref

    Hi bp and "ear wooshing" best regards Simon

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