Citalopram/ St jons wort/ 5-http

Thank you.  Cit worked very well foR me. But I really don't want to go back on it..I was rather step ford wifey....I feel I have low serotonin levels and always have. Maybe I need to see my Gp.  She suggested Stj at the beginning but it dismissed it as hokey 

barbara39684

iv been on citalam 6 weeks and want to come off and try 5-HTP did it help straight away 

I think it's the aftermath of dealing with both my parents dying at beginning of year and the long haul after ,finally selling the house etc but I can feel I am just not my bubbly self. I have everything in life to be grateful for but over thinking is my demon

ilast two nights I am taking the Stj two tablets first thing am. Just to see if that is better than one at nite one am 

i was becoming tearful and so anxious.not interested in things.  Acting out life

to be honest am not sure there is a difference in the tab times and maybe the mindfulness and meditation I try to do each day is what's helping. 

I have been strong in the past.  I want that back

do you know if u can just stop Stj and start 5-http.?

i was a little worried about various sites saying you take it for 2/3 months then have to stop it...I wonder why.. Did I read about heart valves somewhere? Barbara if u come off it even tho it's only been 6 weeks u need to do it slowly.  I took a year com I g off cit 20 mg carving it up with a pill cutter 

i must have been ok at some point as I threw away pkt old citalopram and stopped following the discussions.

i do find these forums helpful tho in these tricky times   Thanks 

barbara 39684

hi what forums do you use I fing morning unbearable

Just this one..I cudnt find another that was as good but I started my own discussion as u see,however I just been back on other discussions which was helpful were people are talking about dealing with things in life and sorting out the real problems

i find mornings worse too, by end of day sat watching TV or just being quiet and reading my kindle I feel more peaceful. I do think my mind overworks. I did read that the wife of some famous rock star didn't put a foot out of bed without listening to two meditations to start the day. I did that for a while and actually was good for me but then life got busy and I just forgot. I think it helped. Am usually a late riser but am off to Manchester and awoke early so decided to listen to three on my iPad and try a bit of mindfulness. There's lots of info and podcasts on that on the net .and on e readers 

if I cud sort myself with positive thinking and mindfulness I would prefer that. I go to the gym every day and I use the rescue spray at night as mentioned in other posts . It does help

Hi Barbara

Why do you want to come off your meds so soon?  6 weeks is way too early to see any benefit from them as it can be 3-4 months sometimes before you start feeling well.  Citalopram really works if you persevere with it.  It does take a long time to take effect.

However, coming off meds has to be done very slowly.  When I did it I reduced my meds by 5mg each time before reducing again - each time I allowed 2 weeks per reduction.  If you decide to stop you need to see your doctor.

Many doctors don't recognise or recommend 5-HTP as an aid to depression and anxiety, I think because they class it as an 'alternative medicine'.

5-HTP works quicker than SSRI's and there's no side effects either.  I really do recommend buying the book for guidance too - it explains how serotonin works - interesting.

Do see your doctor though ..... and keep in touch xx

barbara39684 I am havei g side effects still morning are horrible I just want it to stop. Thanks keep in touch please

Hi Gillian

Sorry to hear of your parents.  A very emotional time for you xx.  I know what you're going through as both my parents died within weeks of each other 6 years ago now - such an emotional time.  Selling the family home the same year was traumatic too - I must have cried every day for about a year ..... 

I've never taken St Johns Wort but I'm sure you can just stop them and start 5-HTP.  Might be best to Google it :-)

Citalopram can have an effect on the heart if taken in a large dose, that's why 40mg is now the maximum doseage.  This is perfectly safe.

Thinking of you Gillian in this difficult time for you x

Barbara, it's quite common to feel worse in the mornings.  If you decide to stay on Cit it will get better.  When I recovered on Cit, bad mornings were the last thing to disappear, but they did eventually.  When I began waking feeling great I knew I'd finally turned a corner.

K x

Mornings are always the worst.  I remember waking and the first thing that happened would be my anxiety would suddenly fire into action.

As I recovered on Cit, I found that after waking feeling awful, the day would get better and I'd feel well by the evening.  This pattern continued for quite a while until I finally started waking feeling happy.

Its a long long haul on Cit ..... but perseverance will lead to recovery.  It's a tough road getting through all the side effects, dealing with the depressive illness.  You have to mark progress month by month, not week by week.

 

barbara69684 hi how long did it take for the 5HTP to take to kick in ?

To be honest I dont know whether it was the Magnesium Citrate which worked better for me, as I noticed a difference when I started taking that, or it could have been that the 5htp had built up (over 2 weeks), not sure what worked, as I had anxiety rather than depression, and i think Magnesium is more for Anxiety and 5htp more for Depression (but I might be wrong), another good one is pantothenic acid which calms you down in about 1 hour, I also had acupuncture which was also very good, I basically tried anything and I am now happy to say it did work, but I really think that your body takes a while to re adjust to not taking the pills, and hopefully that is where I am now x

 

Worth trying anything, and maybe it was a combination of the medicines?  Anyway, glad to hear that whatever it was has worked for you.  I'll make note of the meds you mention too - always good to keep them in mind.

It does take your body time to adjust.  Takes around 3-4 months for the Cit to work and I reckon it take about the same time to readjust when coming off them too.

Glad it all settled for you in the end :-)

Thanks hun and thanks for your support along the way, for a time I was doubting ever getting back to normal lol, it is nice to come on here and reassure people that they will get there in the end, just takes time, still anxious but nothing like it was, and it can only get better and better x

 

This is a good site as there's much support here, something most people don't get.  Helps to talk to people who've been through the wringer or who are still going through it.

It does take time, and that's something a lot of people don't understand.  Anxiety and depression are so painful and all they want is immediate relief so can be very difficult playing the waiting game.

So many 'well' people really don't understand what depression an anxiety are and how crippling it is.

It does get better in time. xx

When I was on citalopram I felt worse for first two weeks then it was like alight had been turned on...I took a year coming off them tho

i think I was alright during that time but the drug plays with yr memory along with age related memory loss....so I can't remember! 

Gosh it's a real mix of chemicals to look at isn't it 

Still debating wether to go see my Gp and "own up" as it were! 

 

Yes it's amazing to feel like that when Citalopram starts to kick in.  I remember when I was first on them, it was months later when I was out at my regular dance class and I stopped mid flow and thought omg I haven't been thinking of 'it' whilst dancing and I feel quite happy.  It was weird and I kept sort of checking in on myself to see if it was real.  I woke the next day feeling depressed again, but I felt great again the next night.  And so it continued until I even started waking feeling happy.  It is like having a light switched on.

Yes my memory isn't what it used to be ...... maybe that's part age though.  I'm also not as organised as I used to be either and whereas it would have annoyed me once, I really don't care now.  I just kind of float along now, quite happy :-) :-)

My husband forgets a lot of things too, so between us it can be quite laughable at times lol.

Thats good taking a year to withdraw from Cit.  Longer the better.  Think it took me way over 6 months as wasn't in a hurry.

I intend coming off again completely next year.  Am only on 5mg now.

K x

My emotions are wildly fluctuating at present. I can so remember that feeling but wonder if it's one I can recreate by rethinking etc

do u feel the same way on 5 mg?

in a way it's a stigma thing for me to go back on or ask for help

have reduced my Stj this am back to one which I think is the actual dose, maybe I will slowly stop it. 

Wildly fluctuating emotions this morning .think I  Am going to order this 5-http. It comes with magnesium and see how I go 

you take it at night 

Emotions can be all over the place when you're not feeling right.  Yes I'm feeling ok taking only 5mg.  I initially started out on 20mg, and after taking it for years decided to reduce it to 10mg and felt quite well on that.  Am now on 5mg and again I'm still feeling well and have been on this dose for about 3 months now.  I'm intending to come off next year and go back on 5-HTP but will wait until after my daughters wedding.

People need medicine for all sorts of ailments - epilepsy, diabetes, blood pressure - and depression/anxiety is no different.  Meds are there to help, so if you find yourself struggling then it's best to get help before you get further into a hole.  I know I need meds for life, whether it's Citalopram or 5-HTP.

K x

Am just trying to decide wether I need the night time htp or the daytime one

I feel my serotonin levels have always been low and this may help better than Stj

I can have bad nights but recently have slept well using nite spray of rescue remedy and meditation drift off music

which one did you find worked? 

And What if anything did you make of this stop and review after 3 months..

 

I didn't know there were night or daytime 5-HTP's.  I just had a general one, bought from Holland & Barrett (if you're in the UK).  Don't forget to take l-tyrosine with it too.

I took mine in the morning as wanted to feel the benefit during the day, but I don't think it really makes any difference when you take it as it'll be in your system regardless.

Initially I stopped Cit as had taken it for 10 years and curiosity made me reduce them to see how I'd do, then when I'd taken the reduced amount for another 5 years decided to see how I got on reducing it further.  I researched natural methods and found 5-HTP so decided to give it a god a stopped Cit. I took 5-HTP and l-tyrosine for a year and felt quite well on them.  My son became really I'll just over a year ago now and the stress began to affect me, so I restarted Cit so that I didn't sink into a dark hole as I needed to stay well for him.  He's now better, and I've started the reduction again and intend to come off completely and restart 5-HTP next year after my daughters wedding.  Don't want to do it before in case I don't feel good.

Typos ..... don't know how god crept in there lol :-)

'give it a god a stopped Cit' should say 'give it a go and stopped Cit'

'My son became really I'll' should say 'my son became really ill'

Predictive text ... pah! 

That happens to me all the time

Yes am in uk. but I do think a lot of it's in my thinking as wen am complete occupied am ok

Have just made an apt to tell my gp tho as I feel I shud not just be doing all this myself. But as I can't get one for 10 days am tempted to get the 5-http. After all it's only £!

Much Cheaper on line by the way

My husband says he thinks it's just a low chemical thing so maybe I shud

You can take 5-HTP but not if you're on Citalopram.  Can't take both together.  It might be worth trying 5-HTP before going back into Cit though.  

Oh tell me about it - doctors pah!  Takes forever to get an appointment doesn't it.  When you're suffering and need help, it's not there.  Takes so long to see a doctor, then more time to see if meds work, and if you need a counsellor that can take 6 months!

When I was ill I also found that being occupied really helped, and especially when I was with people.  I started dance classes and became so absorbed in them when I was recovering on meds, and found I forgot all about my illness in class!  I continued to study dance for years and am now a dance teacher, hold classes and travel abroad too ..... whoever would have thought!  Exercise is so good for burning up excess anxiety and it releases endorphins, making you feel good.

​I totally agree with your husband re low chemicals.  Serotonin is our feel good hormone, and often depressed people have low levels of it.  Citalopram hangs onto our serotonin before it's reabsorbed into the brain, making us feel happy, whereas  5-HTP converts into serotonin, raising levels.  I know that I have low levels, and need either Cit or 5-HTP.  Without any meds I become really depressed.

Get a copy of the book called 5-HTP The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity by Michael T Murray ........ it's really interesting and talks about serotonin, low levels, how it's caused and of course all about 5-HTP.  Love reading it. 

Am fed up of googling 5htp! 

However it does say the effect wears off after a while so am not sure what to do now

anyone out there using 5-htp long term with effect...

tx 

How long have u been on 5-htp?

see my comment below where it says the effect wears off after a while

its also jolly expensive for just two months supply...

tx

It can lose effect but that's why you need to supplement it with l-tyrosine.  I took these for a year with success.  reading the book I suggested tells you all about, how to take it, and goes into it a bit scientifically.  It really is worth the read.

K x

Ok thanks for that kate, that's quite important isn't it. The books about £10 but will try the library . 

Yes, best to research it a bit before taking it.  It helped me loads though.  Hope you can find the book.  Maybe even eBay?

Yes I tried eBay.  Decided to try struggle on...in a positive way 😉😏 until see gp...sticking on one Stj a day instead of two and see how that goes ..were always looking for the answer aren't we...

Hope it goes ok for you then, and maybe when you see your GP you can discuss where you go from here.  

Yes es true, we're always looking for answers.  I did find my answer though in Citalopram which cured my 15 year illness ..... however, I'd like to be drug free sometime and just take a natural one.  So .... it'll be 5-HTP for me again next year

Very weIrdly I have been really good today. DeliberatY not looking to the past or thinking about the future

All I have done is reduce my Stj to one tablet as well as above

if I can achieve moments like this, it's good. ..very good In Fact! If only I can ,maintain it....

 

Hope it continues xx