swapping to sertraline in one day
Posted , 4 users are following.
i went to my docs on yesterday to discuss blood tests for autoimmune anemia, symptoms and so on. i mentioned the yawning is really bad and makes me feel like my body will just drop and that my anxiety gets worse some days, she has decided to swap me over to sertraline instead as she feels its better for anxiety.
however she has told me to stop taking the citalopram for a day and then start the sertraline the next. i havent taken citalopram since monday evening and was planning on starting the sertraline tomorrow evening (thursday). should i go ahead and take it tonight instead. i thought you couldnt just stop and had to tapper off? thats basically stopping cold turkey. i thought it was dangerous
ive also had my thyroid meds increased which i take in the morning, again have been told to not take this the same time as the sertraline. one in the morning and the other in the evening
0 likes, 9 replies
lois95799 emily52713
Posted
fire your doctor.you are absolutely correct she has made you go cold turkey.just remember that once you take the sertraline you are going to have startup sideeffects and withdrawals from celexa .best regards
marsh23433 emily52713
Posted
Hi Emily,having looked at my medical books it says that because you are still using ssri ,it is possible to stop one and start the other straight away as both are ssri .,however some people might still get a few side effects .the difference between the ssri is that the one your doctor has put you onto now dose not make you drowy or make you yarn so much.
emily52713
Posted
I didnread online that it was okay to do it, I took the sertralime last night, I've heard thay sertraline was the cause of people's death so I'm a bit reluctant to take them. im going for an ecg on Monday for fast heart and chest pain.
katecogs emily52713
Posted
Agree with both.
However, no matter what any doctors guidelines or medical text books say, the reality is the patient often suffers (and it does depend on how long you were taking Citalopram - the less time the easier it will be). Actually stopping an SSRI for a day is pointless because its not as if it'll be out of rhe system before you start another type of SSRI - doctors tend to cross taper instead.
Since you've stopped Citalopram, personally I wouldn't delay any further starting the other as the quicker you have less pill free days the better.
How long were you taking Citalopram?
emily52713 katecogs
Posted
I was only taking it for 2 and a half months, starting taking the sertraline last night. im prepared for symptoms anyway. citalopram was worse the first 2 weeks but I stuck it out. It's just the yawning that was draining. I'll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks
lois95799 emily52713
Posted
you did not give celexa long enough time for the side effects to subside.i wish i would of only had yawning thru the eight months it took me to recover.best regards
emily52713 lois95799
Posted
I think the main reason for swapping me over is because she said because it's anxiety i have sertraline is better for that . im not depressed at all just have panic attacks/worrying and heart symptoms most of the time.
katecogs emily52713
Posted
Yawning is a side effect and would suspect it would have petered out in time. Side effects are worse at the start and they ease off over time, some lasting a bit longer than others. As Lois says, 2 1/2 months isn't long enough.
Citalopram is for anxiety and panic, not just for depression. All SSRI's are for anxiety and do the same job.
It took me 6 months to recover on Citalopram.
lois95799 emily52713
Posted
thats exactly right.your description of symptoms was exactly me.i had severe anxiety /panic attacks and ten milligrams of celexa did the trick.i have never suffer from depression.my drama started because i thought i was having a heart attack.and that escalated to physical symptoms of everything in the book.best regards