Posted , 6 users are following.
hello ive been taking 10mg of citralopram for anxitey for 4 days, at first i just felt sick and dry mouth. the more i take the stranger i feel, sick, dry mouth, anxious then feel calm and happy! today my arms and legs feel full of tension and shaky is this normal or am i going mad? should i stop taking them? cant speak to a dr for a week and really worried this is not normal
0 likes, 19 replies
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jessica61856 laura98341
Posted
Hello Laura,
I have been on Citalopram since mid August and I believe that it may just be your anxiety acting up or your body adjusting to the medication. I remember when I upped my dose from 20mg to 30mg I became really shaky and sweaty but my anxiety causes that as well so its so hard to tell if it was me or the meds. My doctor put me back on 20 mg just in case it was too strong of a dose. Then I was ok. After about 2 weeks my anxiety wasn't getting better so we tried to up to 30mg again. And this time I was ok. No side effects except for night sweats. After 4 weeks of being on 30 mg I am feeling a lot more like my self.
I say give it another week side effects tend to pass after 2 weeks. And we are not going crazy. Anxiety makes us feel that way. We have to remember that anxiety is just a normal feeling we're suppose to have but sometimes it goes haywire. You're going to be fine. I know because I was so bad and I never thought I'd see the light at the end of the tunnel. But you'll get there.
laura98341 jessica61856
Posted
thankyou so much for your reply that really makes me feel so much better. im so glad youre feeling better nice to know theres lights at the end! really thankyou for your reply youve put my mind at ease x
jessica61856 laura98341
Posted
You're welcome Laura glad I can make you feel better. I just know how scary it can be. I went on this forum and it was so helpful because everyone has experience on this medication. So I was given a lot of advice and encouragement. We really need that right now.
laura98341 jessica61856
Posted
thankyou i had a bad morning felt really hyper and shakey now im just sleepy, cant concentrate at work but reading the forum helps! out of intrest should i be working while getting used to these tablets?
jessica61856 laura98341
Posted
I'm sorry 😞 Just hang in there. I know that horrible feeling so well.
I am a stay at home mother. However when I was working a few years ago I had took a month off until the medication kicked in. I worked in a pharmacy so it was very important that I did my job right. Mistakes can be very bad in the pharmacy, so I took a leave.
Its really up to you. But just whatever you do don't let it stop you from doing other things. I know its so hard but you don't want it to shrink your world.
I spoke to my psychologist and she says when you are suffering from anxiety the worse thing you can do is avoid situations that cause it. I know its so hard because avoiding helps you feel better in the short term. But in the long term its only making our anxiety worse. I would always avoid situations and before I knew it I couldn't drive or leave my house ☹ Try to do things you normally would do before this no matter how hard or scary it is. And remember its just feeling and it will pass. I hope your day gets better. If you want pm me. I'm still on my way to recovery and we will get through this😊
laura98341 jessica61856
Posted
thankyou so much for your support, my dr has offered to change to sertraline as i can have this in a lower dose, less side effects so think i will try this. they have said i can start it straight away as i have only taken 5 of citralopram but even that worries me that they have told me wrong! i will carry on working its helping keeping me busy 😃 thankyou
jessica61856 laura98341
Posted
Aaw you'll be ok switching. Don't worry. These medications are kind of similar they are all SSRIs but do have some differences.
I was on fluoxetine and changed to sertraline without tapering off and I was fine. And just recently I was on Fluoxetine with horrible side effects but since I was on a high dose she tapered me off but I started the citalopram right away.
Thats good!!! And it makes the days go by quicker which means recovery comes quicker😁 Since I'm home, the days with this just dragged. So horrible!
You are very welcome. We need all the support we can get😁 it helps knowing you are not alone.
laura98341 jessica61856
Posted
oh wow thankyou so glad to know someone else thats swapped! yes defo my partner is been so supportive but never suffered with anxiety tries his best but finds it hard to understand. so greatful to have this forum! have a lovely evening 😃
jessica61856 laura98341
Posted
I'm so glad you have someone, that is so important. My husband is too! But like you said its hard for him to understand too lol. I told him I just need him for hugs and to tell me everything is going to be ok. You as well. One day will look back at all this and hopefully laugh about it😁
laura98341 jessica61856
Posted
so im on day 3 of sertraline so far so good not half as bad as i felt before only thing is i feel like ive got a tremor or shakes all over, will this pass or get worse? hoping nothing gets worse and these work!
ian90586 laura98341
Posted
When you suffer from anxiety it affects your nervous system throughout your whole body. Nerves become sensitised and cause a myriad of differing symptoms that can range from shaking muscles from tension to inner shaking etc. When you begin an SSRI medication,or increase a dosage,it will make things even worse for a period of time. How long and to what intensity is unique to the individual,along with any side effects from the medication on top. Over time as your system becomes used to the medication,things will calm down and it's then you will find the benefits of taking it and will feel much better. The improvements occur long term,not short term. 10mg is a very low dose and mostly people find that 20mg is the minimum therapeutic dosage to take.
laura98341 ian90586
Posted
thankyou so much that makes alot of sense. i feel better this afternoon. i am very sensitive to medication so started on a low dose first. thank you again
lynda84120 ian90586
Posted
thanks Ian for the post has helped me!
lynda84120 laura98341
Posted
hello Laura I am feeling like you too. I was on 20mg for 7 weeks and have been put on 40mg 2 days ago. feel super anxious and intrusive thoughts are not abating. reading the other post has given me hope also. we will get through!
sima36062 laura98341
Posted
Oh citalopram or any other SSRI can cause horrible side effects, all you can do is just push trough it because the medication helps a lot once it settles in your system. It took me about 6 months for the medication to start settling and then even longer until i felt the full effect. I was off from work for almost 2 months but it helped. No unfortunately i am going trough a blip 2 years in on antidepressants and it is horrible. You are not alone. Id suggest to allow time for the medication to work it does not take 6 weeks like they say on the packaging to work, its way longer. Switching medication can sometimes prolong the recovery, but its different for everyone and might be the right choice for you.
lynda84120 sima36062
Posted
thanks so much for your response. 1 week today on increased dose and feel like I'm back at day one! as you say need to keep pushing through!
laura98341 lynda84120
Posted
keep pushing you can do this x