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day 17

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pat80430
pat80430

Hi. I am on day 17. 10 mg for one week, 20mg thereafter.  I have been suffering anxiety following an illness for about 2 months now.  doctor prescribed citalopram. My anxiety had been worse, wakening up every hour with burning in arms and feet. Also constipated badly.  Can I expect these side effects to go away or do so need to considering changing my medicine.

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  • joseph12100
    joseph12100 pat80430

    Posted

    Hi Pat I've been in the same boat as you I've currently stopped taking cirtalapram after 3 months of use which I don't recommend the symptoms got worse every month is say the last month I started getting nasty headaches tention headaches and shooting pains I got so concerned I thought it was something sinister I googled affects of cirtalapram and there was a lot of people suffer just like I was so I decided to stop which did stop the headaches I found the symptoms got worse not better I am very worse at the moment that's from withdrawels all I can suggest is to speak to your GP and see what he says. The burning in your arms and feet I got that burning feeling in my left side of face it wasn't pleasant check out my profile and you will see a load of nice people giving me advice maybe you can take there's as well hope you get it sorted soon .

    • lois95799
      lois95799 joseph12100

      Posted

      Not all folks reacts to Medications like you..I for one had all your side effects ..but they subsided and iam happy the celexa work for me and millions of other folks around the world...so you didn't like your side effects..I also have a friend who took escitolapram and she had horrible side effects..switch to celexa and viola it help her..so you see what's good for some might not be good for others..go figure..

  • sue74917
    sue74917 pat80430

    Posted

    Hi, all I can say is what so many in here will tell you, they are side effects and will ease with time. You have only been on 20 for 10 days so too early yet . If you change meds now you will have to taper off and then start again on another, so back to square one really and you have invested 17 days already on these meds. It will get better with time, when I first went on this medication it only took 4 weeks of hell before I saw a vast improvement but this time it has been over 3 month's. I am a lot better, I can do everything I did before, go out on my own, go to work and even drive but still have the odd few hours when my motivation dips and mild anxiety sets in. Hang on in there, you will get there, if it gets too bad speak to your GP and as for the constipation, if you like prunes a couple of dried stone less should sort you out.

    • pat80430
      pat80430 sue74917

      Posted

      Hi Sue. I just posted that my GP reckoned I should come off the tablet considering the disturbed sleep but mainly the constipation.  I was having disturbed sleep before starting on citalopram so I can’t say that’s a side effect but I had hoped I’d see some improvement on this by now. The constipation is definitely new. My GP is very much “what do you want to do?”  I just want to get better. :-(
  • pat80430
    pat80430

    Posted

    Hi. Thanks for your advice.  Actually slept better this last night.  Seen my GP yesterday and he advised me to come off as the constipation was an issue.  I have had to take laxido over the last few weeks and even had to go as far as a suppository at one point. So from today I am down to 10 mg for a week and the. 5 every other day for a week. 
    • lois95799
      lois95799 pat80430

      Posted

      Be really careful with that weaning plan..it doesn't sound right..

    • sue74917
      sue74917 pat80430

      Posted

      Hi pat, glad you had a better nights sleep, as Lois said that does not sound right, you have been on the medication for 3 month's and 2 weeks is very quick. I hope you aren't, but you may be setting yourself up for some unwanted withdrawal side effects, if you trust your GP and bear in mind we are not medically trained, then I suppose you can go for it, personally I wouldn't do it that quick

    • pat80430
      pat80430 lois95799

      Posted

      Hi Lois

      What do you think is wrong with the plan? I have been on the medication for 18 days only.  1 weeks at 10 mg, then 9 days at 20mg, then today I started back down at 10mg for 1 week

    • lois95799
      lois95799 pat80430

      Posted

      I just think is too fast from experience I've had .. remembered the key here is to not suffer discontinuation symptoms..so the slower the better..I took effexor for one week and had discontinuation symptoms for two months not good..

    • pat80430
      pat80430 lois95799

      Posted

      Ok.  Does going from 20 to 10 sound sensible as a logical first step. I will review with GP after the weekend. 
    • Paula2019
      Paula2019 pat80430

      Posted

      Hi Pat, 10% tapers until you settle is recommended alot by experts on internet. Changing dosages so quickly could really trigger horrible withdrawal symptoms. Its confusing when doctors advise quick tapers I know, unfortunately alot of us have learnt the hard way. Reducing small dosages slowly and waiting until your body has adjusted before next taper is the best way. Why add to your anxiety? Dropping 50% to 10mg is way to much, you could try dropping by 2.5mg, either by a pill cutter or asking your GP for liquid version and your pharmicist can give you a syringe and show you how to work out dosages. I have seen umpteen doctors and have been told so many different things, like oh just come off them, oh you shouldnt get too many withdrawals stuff like that, they were wrong. I now have one doctor who knows how I am affected and she told me to only see her.
    • lois95799
      lois95799 pat80430

      Posted

      From what I know now going from 20 to ten is not logical..I went from twenty to ten and suffered from withdrawals..but then again iam still on ten and recovered..so more logical is 20to 15 to 10 to 5to 2.50.to 1.25..it depends how you are feeling on each dose to figure how long each taper should last.
  • pat80430
    pat80430

    Posted

    Just an update.  I am on my fourth day at 10mg and haven’t noticed any real change. In fact anxiety might be slight less. The source of my anxiety has been a viral chest infection in February that has developed into asthma.  I had a major flare up in asthma symptoms on Saturday night and ended up in A and E. 

    Doctor prescribed me with a sleeping tablet 3.5mg zopiclone.  Have taken it for two nights without much effect. 

    I also contacted a mental heath specialist as I wasn’t feeling GP was helping. The specialist recommended I chnage to Zoloft and also to take Quetiapine. Can I switch across to these new drugs immediately. 

    • pat80430
      pat80430

      Posted

      Any advice I can get ASAP I would really appreciate as I am seeing my GP this afternoon. 
    • Guest
      Guest pat80430

      Posted

      Hi Pat

      Both these new drugs you have been recommended interact with citalopram so speak to your GP about cross tapering whereby you gradually come off one med and slowly introduce the new med. I don't know if it would be possible but may be worth discussing it with your GP .

      From my own experience your citalopram hasn't had time to take effect yet, I would have stuck with 10mg for several more weeks. Going up after a week will heightened anxiety. I had anxiety when I increased from 10mg to 20mg, back on 10mgs.

      Just rememver, once you start these head meds it is not easy to come off them.

      Good luck whatever you decide!

    • lois95799
      lois95799 pat80430

      Posted

      I would stick to the celexa if I where you..are you taking any asthma meds? ..
    • lois95799
      lois95799

      Posted

      Also be aware of saroquel or any of the antipsychotics meds use for sleep they cause lots of gain weight and lots of other issues when gaining weight.
    • pat80430
      pat80430 lois95799

      Posted

      Hi Lois

      Thanks very much for your interest.  Yes I was diagnosed with asthma about 7 weeks ago now.  I had a spirometry test done.  My symptoms at that time were a mucus cough in my left lung.  My peak flow is extremely good for my age (600) and it has been consistent over the 7 weeks since diagnosis.  I have no other typical asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing or tightness, just a cough.  I have been on a 250 seritide inhaler and I was also on montelakust for a short while but it has been discontinued.  The inhaler hasn't made any difference to the mucus cough so far.  I had a CT scan last week which has come back perfectly normal just today so that is a huge relief.  

      As I said above my main problem is that I keep wakening every couple of hours with burning pains in the my legs and legs which I was putting down to anxiety.  I don't have much of a history of anxiety and not much of depression either.  I only noticed today that according to the Mayo clinic one of the common side effects of seritide inhaler is burning in hands, arms, feet or legs.  While I am definitely stressed and verging on anxious I am still not sure if the burning is been caused by anxiety or now perhaps a side effect of the inhaler.

    • lois95799
      lois95799 pat80430

      Posted

      If you are withdrawing from celexa the celexa also causes the burning feeling in your limbs..so it could be a combination of your inhaler and the celexa and the yoying around with your doses of Celexa could also be the problem..I also experience flu like ashma symptoms while first started with celexa but thank goodness it was the celexa giving me those side effects..
    • pat80430
      pat80430 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Jayn

      After another very anxious night I’ve decided to go with the recommendation of the mental health specialist and go into the Quetiapine and the Zoloft.  Have contacted the GP this morning and he was talking about just a straight switch over at this point. You talked about cross taper.  My pharmacist seems to think I can just switch over to new meds as well. 

    • Guest
      Guest pat80430

      Posted

      Hi Pat

      Sorry to hear you had another bad night.

      I would go with the experts if I were you otherwise you will be making yourself anxious about whether you should have listened to them. I didn't get on with Zoloft, I had blood in urine so had to stop a long time ago. I would be interested to hear how you get along with the new meds though because I am beginning to doubt Citalopram for me. I took a magnesium tablet 100mg last night and that helped me sleep.

      The heat isn't helping with anxiety for so many people.

      Hope you feel better soon!

      Regards

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