Citralopram- reassurance needed!

Thank you for such a lovely reply. I read reviews where people are saying they have recovered in a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks... I hang onto these and when I reach each milestone I'm disappointed!!

Its good to know I am still on the right track. I even sat and sobbed yesterday, scary, as so far away from the 'normal' me. Feel a little better today, nauseous, but that's pretty standard at the moment.

A week with more better days than bad is my next goal!

What a great forum this is, such a help to get some reassurance.

Stick with it Steve, stick with it!

Hi, I just wanted to say that back in 2018 I had a terrible time with anxiety. It was so bad that I felt that taking my life was the only way I could be at peace. Citalopram saved me. It takes time to settle in. It can happen so slowly that we don't always see the changes in ourselves. But as the weeks become months it really does get better. For me it eased to just been morning anxiety then a churning tummy when I woke up. But it will eventually stop. The side effects you're getting are completely normal and for me they completely went away. Just hang in there it will get easier. I come back onto this forum from time to time and try to be supportive as everyone helped me so much with advice when I needed it.

Hi Steve

3 weeks its very very short time. At that time some people just start having a side effects.

You have to look at your progress in months not weeks, and don't get disappointed, there is no such recovery to just wake up and feel 100% better. It is slow process with ups and downs on the way. Sometimes you will even feel that you are getting worse and will get scared, but you are not, thats just how the meds is balancing in your body. I am on 8 months today and still not 100%, morning anxiety for me still there.

But this forum was a life saver for me when i was waking up in the morning uncontrollably shaking with anxiety, scared i wont ever recover.

When you feel like crying, that's ok - cry, it releases tension and you might feel better.

But trust me, you are getting better and thats the way meds work, dont give up, just come here, have a chat and we will get through:)

Hi Gemma

How lovely of you to come and support people who is struggling and give them hope and reassurance. I have promised myself same thing, when i recover i will keep coming here and provide help and reassurance for whoever needs it. Its very scary and lonely time and reading what you said 100% resonates with me. I thought i would never be myself and living like that was not imaginable for me. But i found this forum, I found Katecogs who is angel sent us from above with her wisdom and kindness, and now i just completed 8 months on 20mg Fluoxetine and same as you i still have that annoying morning anxiety. But reading your post it gave me hope that even that one will go away:) Thank you Gemma, please keep coming here and give hope, it means the world to some people and honestly i believe even save their lives..

It certainly does get better over time. All these years later I now have no anxiety. I worry about day to day things as that's just life and my personality, but it never mounts to what myself and I'm sure many others on here would say is anxiety. Years ago I would've being having night sweats, little sleep, vomiting with morning anxiety, and feeling waves of panic. It was just awful. I will never come off the citalopram but that's okay as I am happy again and can live my life to its fullest. So it really does get better. x

I am so happy for you Gemma, enjoy your life and keep coming here to give hope to people who suffers with this condition, it could mean a world to someone..

I pray to God to recover and be happy again

Oh Gemma, I so want to be where you are. My wife keeps telling me this will be a distant memory soon. It seems so far out of if reach at the moment! As long as the weeks get easier I'll cope. I've started a diary of how I'm feeling each day. Back at the doctors Friday, so get some reassurance there too hopefully. Thank you for the support x

Ask your doctor to prescribe you something for nausea, thats what my doctor did. I lost 6 kilos in 2 weeks because was nauseous and lost all my appetite. But it will pass, and you will get your appetite back, dont be scared. When i was nauseous and could not eat it gave me even more anxiety, every day i was checking my weight on scales 10-20 times and cry because i thought i am wasting away and i am sick - thats what anxiety does to you. Then i bought a high protein powder and make smoothies - put youghurt, banana, nuts, seeds, whatever you like and just chug it 😃 Trust me, soon it will pass but something else could pop out - headache, foggines, dizziness, increase anxiety, depression, muscles tension, hands shakes, night sweats - yes i went through all those. So just remember - it is ok, that will pass.

Hi Steve, it will get easier I promise. I remember having what i called 'setbacks'. They did become less and less until they stop. It takes time for your body to get used to the citalopram . You will definitely get to where I am. I wrote off 2018 as the year of the anxiety but in all honesty, when you're stuck in that moment it feels like a whole year but looking back i had three to four weeks where I lost a ridiculous amount of weight and was at my worst. There was following weeks of occasional tough times and it gets better so very slowly that you don't always realize how far you've come. Keep writing the days down and you'll soon start to realize you're getting better. I wrote myself notes on the days when i was feeling better and stronger so that when I had a setback i could remind myself that the good days will come back and that I was getting there. Gemma

Thank you for this continued support, I really need it! Its hard to even remember good days when I'm feeling like this, although I know I have had some this week and last week. Just woken up scared, anxious, nauseous and worried about never being me again! My GP gave me 7 Diazepam that I have managed to make last this first month. I have 1 half, so 2.5mg left, but see him again tomorrow. Might take that to help get through today. I need some respite. Steve

I used diazepam in the beginning to help with the citalopram settling in. It really did help and yes if you can use it to get some respite that's a good thing as our brains really do need that time to have some calm so we can rest. Gemma

Thanks Gemma, sorry to keep bombarding you, but will 8 weeks in be better than 4, and so on, even a bit. My therapist reassured me it gets easier and i should notice some improvement in the next few weeks. Any little positive glimpse of the future being brighter helps.

I owe you massively for your help here!

it certainly does make a difference and I would say its slightly different for everyone but you should notice a difference. I found at the beginning that I couldn't drink alcohol when I started to feel relief as it did cause me some anxiety. But I can have a drink now and it doesn't make a difference. I used to find that tiredness could cause me anxiety in the early days but that got better once the citalopram settled in. As the weeks go by and it gets easier you can then ho a month a so eventually with no anxiety but once in a while it can just creep in. But just tell yourself its just a wave and it will soon pass and it used to mount to nothing more than just a slight wave of it. Now I don't get those waves any more. I hope this makes sense, but i can reassure you it definitely improves over time. Gemma

That's what I need to hear. People saying it will take 6 month, but thats for recovery I assume. I just want some improvement. I am on my 2nd bad day, no appetite, nauseous, anxious. I've just ordered a food supplement as I'm terrified of losing weight.

I had been drinking lots in an evening to give me some respite, then realised that was probably making things worse. I haven't had a drink now since Saturday.

If I can go 3 days, or even 2 without much or little anxiety, that will be a win at the moment!

Hi Steve

I am on my 9 months on 20mg Fluexitine. I can give you very long story of how id everything going but i just would like to give you some points how this recovery goes and i hope someone have gave me this advise when i started to take medication.

1. Please don't limit your recovery by any time frames, because if you are expecting to get better in 6 weeks and you are not - it will scare you, discourage and add to your anxiety - everyone is different and need different time to recover. Let this recovery come to you.
2. Avoid alcohol at the beginning of the treatment - its interfere with medication.
3. Morning anxiety, fear that you not recover - its not you, its medication balancing and anxiety is increased.
4. Don't worry about losing weight - i lost 6 kilos and was checking my weight 20 times a day shaking from anxiety in fear that i am wasting away - its all passed and you will be back to normal eating routine. Side effects will start to disappear soon, but not anxiety, not yet.
5. Recovery very slow, and when doctor said 4-6 weeks, think more as 4-6 months or more, look for small changes, but not yet - still too early.
6. Recovery goes in waves - better, bad, worst and terrible days. But soon better days will become good days, worst day gonna just be bad and etc.
7. When you think you are recovered and feeling good, "blip" or call it wave will come again and you will think you are getting sick again - it is not true:) . Its the way recovery goes ups and downs.
8. Usually, evenings start to be much more pleasant, and you will start to feel like your old self - but next morning you will back to feeling bad - its ok and normal - morning anxiety stays the longest.
9. Do not avoid doing things and live your life as usual even if you don't feel it, i know it is very hard but that's trains your brain that there is no danger, and you are ok.
10. Don't try to fix yourself, you are not broken or going mad - there is nothing to fix, you are ok, just on very high alert - anxiety, and you will recover.
11. Take vitamin D and group B supplements if you are low on them.

I was there, my recovery very long but it is getting better, believe me YOU WILL BE OK and then one day when you get better, you will come here and support people who just starting this journey and very scared like you was once before...

Thank you for this breakdown, but point 5 is sending me into despair! I'm not sure I can last that long... Are you saying 4-6 month to feel nearly recovered fully? Am I going to have good days before then? I am on my 3rd day now of feeling sick and anxious! I am now 4 weeks on cit and need to know that I'll notice some changes sooner than 4 month!! I need some good days sooner than 4 month away!

Steve everyone is different, you might start feeling better sooner than me, but you should not stress about it, because you will recover, just try to be patient and tell yourself - every day i am closer to recovery. I am pretty sure your side effects will start to subside soon, very slowly they will disappear one by one. Slowly you will have moments when you will feel like your old self, but then they will disappear , but they will be back again. Your body and nerves need time to heal, it is gradual process. Imagine you have broken leg, you wont be expecting to just wake up 2 weeks later and you can jump again right? Your leg will heal slowly, will take pain medications first, had bad nights, but then cast will be removed, you will start to move your toes, it will hurt like hell and you will need painkillers again. Then you will start physio, making first steps grinding your teeth, thinking you can not do that any more and you afraid you wont be able to ever walk again. But then you do first steps, after 2 weeks few more steps and after another few month you will start to walk. Than run. And then broken leg will be just distant memory. That's how recovery goes, even for anxiety 😃

Don't give up. One day you will be stronger than ever and very proud of yourself. Make me promise that when you recover, you will come here and will tell me - YOU TOLD ME SO.!!! 😃

I absolutely will do that! I promise and hope to be able to offer support as others have provided to me! I have been to the doctor today, 4 week review. Says I am on track and given me a few more diazepam to get me through the worst days. I try not yo use it too much, but am reassured that it's there is needed. Also advised upping from 15mg to 20mg. Do you think 5mg will revert me back to bad side effects again?

Awful spelling in my message... I blame the meds for that too... oh gosh, a joke!! I MADE A JOKE! Taking that as a positive!

Is it Citalopram right? As i have read a lot of posts from people taking this meds they have recovered on 15mg. I think you just need to give yourself a bit more time on the same dose to know if it is working for you. At 4 weeks i just started to have my side effects ! Personally, i would give at least 12 weeks to see is there any even tiny changes. Don't rush to increase 😃 As far as i know everyone reacts different to increase, you might not even have any side effects. I have started on 20mg of Fluoxetine, its lowest dose and i am staying on it, despite doctors advise to increase or change, it was some kind of "gut" feeling, if it makes sense.

Hahaha.. yep that's how recovery slowly begins - little joke, smile while watching something funny, willing to do something. Even though it could be few seconds - it is a progress 😃 Recovery creeps up very slowly, so slowly that we sometimes could not even feel it until you will be like - OH WOW I MADE A JOKE !!! hahahahaha

But always remember - it roller-coaster , it is up and down journey. Don't be scared when you feel bad again, just tell yourself - oh here we go again, and try to keep going with your life as usual no matter how hard it is, it will pass again 😃

Hi Steve. How are you today?

I had a great day yesterday (ranked in 8 out of 10 in my journal) but today my thoughts seemed to get to me...felt like i wanted to take a Lorazepam but i pushed through. Managed to go surfing with my kids this evening...now a couple of hours of calm, which i tend to get most evenings now.

I'm week 7/8 and its up and down. Helps to know im not alone.

We'll both get there.

Chris

Yep, that's right, that's how recovery starts - nice evenings. Slowly slowly you will have good hours, good days and then they will disappear and then come back again. But bad times will get shorter and less intense and good moments will get better and longer. God job .!!! Push it through , every day you are closer to be yourself again.

Yep, same. A good day felt like me. Nice to have some respite! Remember the good days!!!!

Just to add to my earlier reply this morning (woke up anxious, so it was a bit rushed and nervy). It's now 12:30pm and I've started feeling better from about 11ish again. Been for a lovely walk with my wife and feeling good, could this be 2 good days in a row!?!?

Yesterday was a great day too.

We're doing this Chris! Got to accept the morning anxiety at the moment, but not let that set the tone for the day!

Just to add to my earlier reply this morning (woke up anxious, so it was a bit rushed and nervy). It's now 12:30pm and I've started feeling better from about 11ish again. Been for a lovely walk with my wife and feeling good, could this be 2 good days in a row!?!?

Yesterday was a great day too.

We're doing this Chris! Got to accept the morning anxiety at the moment, but not let that set the tone for the day! You are now my recovery buddy!! 🙌😁

Hi Chris

yes that's right, that's how recovery creeps up on you - very slowly, few minutes or hours at the time. The anxiety you have woke up with does not mean all your day will be bad. But be ready that after "ups" always come "downs". Very important at that time to don't get scared and dishearten -its the way recovery goes, and good times will come back again. Be patient, give a lot of time and just go on with your life on daily basis - accept the way you are feeling right now, even if it is very uncomfortable and scary - it is temporary and you you are on the right way to recovery 😃