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Citalopram for IBS?

Posted , 7 users are following.

kim59492
kim59492

Im still not convinced I havce IBS but my gastro seems to think thats what it is....

He's prescribed me Citalopram 10mg to see if it helps.

Im one week into it and im thinking it wont work yet.

Anyone else taking it for IBS? what dosage and side effects, most importantly how long did it take to kick in and DID it actually help?

Thanks

 

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • steve76591
    steve76591 kim59492

    Posted

    Kim

    Snap, my doctor gave them to me about 18 months ago. I have to say they helped but, you still have to keep away from any food that triggers the problem off. 

    • kim59492
      kim59492 steve76591

      Posted

      How long was it until you noticed a difference ? What was difference. My main problem now is wind pain waking me up every morning. 
  • alexander_39124
    alexander_39124 kim59492

    Posted

    Hi no i haven't heard of that one?

    i take Nexiun twice a day Colese tablets 2/3 a day Buscopan 2/6 a day plus Gaviscon,Metamucil also 2 Probiotics tablets.

    I have had this IBS for 10 yrs now most time its okay but every now and then it comes back big time i have to put a hot water bottle on my tummy to try and clm it down.My Doctor says its not always the food that i eat, i eat small meals but he tells me its a type of bug the does'nt make my stomack work correctly.

    Thanks Alex.

  • delphine86543
    delphine86543 kim59492

    Posted

    Hello sweetheart, 

    Sorry to hear you suffer from this horrid bowel issues , I am on citalopram 40 mg a day for my mood swings as my hormones are all over the place and have severe ibs and I can honestly say that being on 40 mg a day as made no difference what's so ever to my ibs ??!??!!  😳😳😳 I'm confused as why your doctor prescribed you citalopram as it's mainly for mood swing , depression and hormones . I think you should ask for something else as trying to come off it is awful and I mean awful .. If u can do with our them don't take it Hun trust me . Ask for something else xxxxx

    • kim59492
      kim59492 delphine86543

      Posted

      I'm ply on 10mg a day. I've been on them three weeks. I believe he's put me on them because he thinks I'm anxious and they will calm my gut/ brain response. Which is total rubbish as I wouldn't be anxious if they could find out what's causing me to feel ill and I didn't constantly think it's stomach cancer because it's not going away after two years !!

      I don't want to be on this drug, it has made no difference at all, if anything it's messed up my sleep pattern even more. 

      I'm seeing the 3rd new Gastro doctor on Thursday. I am yet again paying £200 to see him privately. I'm at the end of my tether here, I have to get some answers soon so I can deal with whatever this is. sad((

  • delphine86543
    delphine86543 kim59492

    Posted

    Oh sweetheart I feel for you ... Have they giving you a endoscopy to rule anything out ?? Two years is a long time to suffer in silence 😩 it took me two years for them to give me a colonoscopy as I kept vomiting only to find out I got a hiatus hernia! Why should you pay though can't your own gp refer you to gastro consultant ?? Xxx
  • delphine86543
    delphine86543 kim59492

    Posted

    I forgot to mention , do you suffer from glutten intolerance or dairy ?? X
    • kim59492
      kim59492 delphine86543

      Posted

      I had an endo 2 yrs ago and recently had a HIDA scan and ultrasound. All normal. I'm not allergic to gluten or milk. I've been tested for that as well. 
    • delphine86543
      delphine86543 kim59492

      Posted

      Just a thought , have you ever been bitten by a tick??? Like you all my bloods are normal even though I'm crippled all over 😩 I do have a positive Lyme test 4 years ago and since then I have suffered as well as my skin , organs , joints , muscles , eye vision and neurological problems ... Xxx
    • kim59492
      kim59492 delphine86543

      Posted

      I live in the uk where lymes disease is almost unheard of. I don't think I have that. 
    • delphine86543
      delphine86543 kim59492

      Posted

      I live in the uk and Lyme disease is every where Hun it's kept secret as it's such an awful disease and it would ruined the nhs .. Google and see .. Please let me know what ur gastro says on Thursday and hope he can help you . Fingers cross xx
    • kim59492
      kim59492 delphine86543

      Posted

      Oh I thought it was an American thing !! Yes will let you know how I go. Thanks 
  • tina_70513
    tina_70513 kim59492

    Posted

    My doc prescribed me 20mg it took about 3 and half weeks to kick in and it did help with my pain better than anything else for about 3 months I think.it worked because I wasn't constantly thinking about the pain, but now I'm back to square 1 worrying I have something worse than ibs

    • kim59492
      kim59492 tina_70513

      Posted

      I have had stomach issues for around 4 yrs now. It was after a bad stomach infection and also doing a liquid only diet for 4 mths which was the most damaging thing I've ever done to my body. 

      I've had every test going almost. Ultrasounds, barium swallows, x ray, gall bladder scans, ovary scans, blood tests, you name it. 

      All came back clear. But I am still

      Having symptoms of bloated ness after a tiny meal, constipation, wind pain, general feeling of an upset stomach. Mostly wakes me in morning, usually settles slightly through the day. 

      I have seen two gastroenterologists , neither cared or bothered to get to bottom of it. So I've struggled on. 

      Till this week and I thought I have had enough of feeling like this. So I dipped into my savings and paid privately to see a third Gastro doctor whom I was recommended to who is an academic specifically for stomachs !!

      Off I went to see him, he sat with me for over an hour. The first thing he said to me ( quite sternly ) was you will only move forward with this complaint if you get that signpost out of your head that says I have cancer. ( I too am cancer phobic) but unlike you I can't read anything about cancer as I would probably freak right out. 

      He went on to explain that I have had numerous tests and that cancer is one of the easiest diseases to find on any given test. He said if you had cancer we would have probably found it from the very first test we did on you, and your blood tests would be out of whack too. 

      You have had numerous scans looking at your stomach and internal organs and they were fine and you DO NOT have cancer. So let it go. 

      He was in agreement I was suffering with abdo pain and discomfort. He said you most probably do have an irritable bowel but the anxiety is giving you a brain/ gut response. This is where because the brain is so powerful it can trigger these pains. I'm not imagining the pain it really is there but it's exasperated by my anxious thoughts about it being cancer. 

      He has put me on a child dosage of amytrypltiline as I really didn't want to take it at all. He told me to take probiotic yoghurt with linseed to soften my stool. He wants me to try some therapy eg: hypnotherapy to help control these anxious health worries. But the most important thing I came away with from this guy was the line "get that signpost about having cancer out of your head" I have constantly chanted that to myself since. Especially if I have some wind gripes. 

      _ 

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