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Citalopram Week 9

Posted , 3 users are following.

hayley68101
hayley68101

Hi guys,

on Citalopram now for 9 weeks for severe anxiety.

Starting to feel some improvement but wow it takes a while for these things to work, had a few horrible weeks with increased anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

My question is.....Why is that for some people this medication seems to work after a few weeks and for others a lot longer.

Its scary and frustrating, especially when your Doctor tells you you will be beeter in 4-6 weeks!

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • david40845
    david40845 hayley68101

    Edited

    The brain is a complicated thing is why really.

    People are prescribed citalopram for all different reasons, so that can be one, mild to severe anxiety and depression.

    Then anxiety manifests itself in different ways and people experience anxiety differently, about different things, which can then affect their thinking patterns while recovering on Citalopram.

    Throw in different people's thinking patterns. Some are naturally skeptical so might overthink their response to the medication, others may just not give it a second thought and recover quicker.

    From my own personal experience, I've been on Citalopram twice, and my speed of recovery on them was very different.

    First time I recovered on 10mg, I was suffering from medium anxiety that then turned into major depression. By 3 months I was feeling much better with occasional blips, then I don't know when it all turned around, but suddenly, it did.

    Second time around, this time around actually, I'm on 20mg for a sort of PTSD anxiety. Basically, started to feel those anxiety symptoms again and didn't want to go back to that hell hole, so started back on Citalopram. But this time it was quite a struggle for me, because I'd had that experience of being on them previously, so was constantly anxious and analysing if I was getting better, had I done the right thing going onto the meds, around and around in circles. Took me 4 and a bit months to start having whole days I was feeling good, and at around 5 and a half months, things finally got better.

    But know that it will get better. And I would say as long as you keep improving, little by little, stick with that dose and give it about 6 months to truly recover.

  • alan82302
    alan82302 hayley68101

    Posted

    Hi Hayley. Hope it has settled down with the tablets.

    I've replied to a few people about my experience and you're right, it effects different people in different ways.

    I took 20mg for a bit of depression at Xmas but the Citalopram didn't agree with me at all and had every side effect going, from nowhere I had major anxiety attacks that one day went on for 18 hours. I too was told to ride it out for six weeks, but at five weeks I stopped cold turkey and came off. Within two days I was better and I'm not taking anything now.

    They just didn't work for me with the side effects and sometimes it's hard to keep sticking with them when all the specialists are telling you to carry on.

    How's the situation now?

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