Citalopram- Med Adjustent
Posted , 6 users are following.
I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for most of my life and probably will have to manage it for the rest of my life as I've tried so many different medications to assist. I even went off medication for some amount of time. I don't believe a medication will solve my issues fully, but I'm looking for another tool to my mental health tool kit and keep trying to find something that might help. Anyways, I've been on citalopram , 10mg for one week then 6 weeks at 20mg. Week 1-2 of 20mg had side effects of headache, worsen anxiety, inner restlessness, sleeping issues, lethargic, low mood, panicky, panic attacks, more irrational thoughts etc but it helped my mood/motivation. Then I felt even better for week 3-5 on 20mg as many of those effects went away, mood still good, but anxiety still present. Week 6 on 20mg started to feel awful panicky, panic attacks so doctor upped me to 30mg. Been on 30mg now for 10 days and feel lousy. Mood is low again, motivation down, anxiety still high, sleep issues, irrational thoughts, tingling face, lightheadedness making it all worse. It was encouraging for a couple of weeks or so, now back to feeling awful. Med adjustments are brutal, don't know how much more to give with this one. This is always the problem for me as I give many medications so much time, but it's really frustrating. Any suggestions?
0 likes, 14 replies
barb67030 kmjellyman
Posted
My anxiety was acute due to a very difficult divorce. I went to acupuncture 3x a week for 6-months and for me that was the key to my freedom from anxiety worth a try maybe
kmjellyman barb67030
Posted
My anxiety is chronic. I have tried acupuncture before, but not for that amount of time. My insurance doesn't cover it, so assuming that would be a pricey route. It is a good idea though.
dubry7605074 kmjellyman
Edited
My advice would be to stay on 20mg longer x 6 weeks is not enough time to settle x Drop to 20mg and give it time to adjust x Doctors increase dosages wayyyy too wuickly x these meds work very slowly and need time
june13407 dubry7605074
Posted
On 30mg it took 3 months to see any real results. I started on 10 then 20 then 30. Now nearly 9 months down the line I am back to my usual self you need to hang in on there these meds do work but they really do take time. My depression and anxiety were was really bad I had 3 months off of work and also suffered with health anxiety it was a nightmare and I have 2 young children. I would like to titrate down at some point in dosage but will leave it until this pandemic is over. Keep going you will improve.
Shorthair june13407
Posted
did you have terrible side effects each time you increased? i'm only at 10mg and felt better for a couple of weeks and not feeling very down again. ut's really hard keeping any sort of enthusiasm going, too.
kmjellyman dubry7605074
Edited
1000% agree about the doctors increasing too quickly. Everything feels rushed. As I mentioned, I felt better for a couple weeks or so on 20mg then had a bad week, and she increases it. I have an appointment this upcoming week, dropping down doesn't seem like a bad idea. Thanks for the feedback.
kmjellyman june13407
Posted
Wow, 3 months is a long time. Did you do 3 months on 10mg, then 3 months on 20 mg? And with two kids, wow you're a strong person. I took two months off from work. Month one was awful, month two was better, now back at work and I feel worse again. My psych thinks my job is playing a big role in my depression and anxiety, the pandemic doesn't help, but she put things in perspective....I actually started to feel better during the pandemic, then I go back to work and start to feel worse again. Thanks for the feedback.
kmjellyman Shorthair
Posted
I had terrible side effects at 10mg for about 7-10 days, then at 20mg for about 7-10 days again, mood and motivation got much better but anxiety still really high. Now side effects are back day 11 on 30mg, brain fog, anxiety, panicky at times, not sleeping well (which is making things worse because sleep is so key with physical and mental health). Shockingly, I exercise almost every single day, it's just as important to me as taking my medication. But, you're right, it's hard to be enthusiastic...I even told my doctors when I felt better during weeks 2-5 that I'm apprehensive to admit I feel good because I always seem to go back down and feel crappy. Thanks for the feedback.
june13407 kmjellyman
Posted
I had 3 months off of work and could not leave the house. Dreadful panic attacks,lost my swallow and could only have soup,yogurt etc for ages. I lost well over a stone in weight. My swallow is still not perfect but it has improved so much. I had alot of family support and my kids were my goal to get better. Keep fighting
kmjellyman june13407
Posted
Yeah. I will give it time. It's not easy day after day. Did you take a benzo at all during the toughest times?
dubry7605074 kmjellyman
Posted
Np x You saw improvement on 20mg, so that tells me it was working x You had a blip and it snowballed your mind into overthinkkng it x I'm almost 2 years in and still have off days x The most important thing is to realize its anxiety and stop it before it grows into a full blown panic attack x You are not alone as myself and many others suffer x Thank God for the meds
kmjellyman dubry7605074
Posted
Yes, very possible it's working. My psych thinks it is. I returned to my job after being out for two months, with the pandemic going on I'm only required to work 3 hours a day, but still my job has burnt me out in the past. I hate it. My doc. think that's a huge part of my problem mentally. Anyways, you're right it could have been a blip that snowballed. I talk to my med doctor on this upcoming Wednesday. We'll see if she recommends staying where I'm at or going down.
june13407 kmjellyman
Posted
You will have good days and bad days and many blips with this journey but all I can say is stick with it, it does improve.
kmjellyman
Posted
Virtual meeting with my doctor today. Still most of the same stuff going on as I mentioned a couple of days ago in my initial post. Also, brain fog is no joke, it's like I'm here and living but just feel so blah, like I'm drugged, which technically I am but it's not a fun feeling. And tinnitus has been going on since increased it to 30mg in one ear. Dr. wanted to put me on a beta blocker for my anxiety during the day but I declined since I already take a medication for hypertension and feel like some of my side effects might be from that medication and not citalopram. At this time, she said to stay on the 30mg and give it at least 3 more weeks (this would make 5 weeks total), I agreed and at the time she mentioned to switch if no positive progress. Doesn't 5 weeks seem too early or am I wrong? I thought all medication adjustments should be given 6-10 weeks?