Definitely worth a try :)

On a slightly more practical note - my GP recommended just starting on 10mg a day for the first few days before taking the full 20mg dose, to prevent side effects.

I was a bit impatient and wanted to get the full effect asap, so I took half in the morning and half at night so my levels wouldn't get too high, but I'd still have a full dose each day.

Now I take my full 20mg every morning as I don't get any nausea or tiredness, but I think it might have affected my sleep (I woke up weirdly early the first day or so of taking it at night). My GP didn't seem to mind when I take it, so long as I'm consistent.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I've been staring at a packet of 20mg Citalopram since 17th Dec, being scared to start taking them because of side effects (I'm a lorry driver so being tired, spaced out etc is not big or clever).

Since reading your experience and as I don't have to go back to work until 4th Jan, I've decided to start taking half a tablet for a couple of days then half in the morning and half at night and if any side effects kick in which will affect my ability to do my job then I'll stop taking them and go back to the Doc's.

So thanks again and Happy New Year

Lyn

After reading your post Lyn I just wanted to assure you that I have had hardly any side effects by taking 10mg (cutting tablet in half) taking just 10mg a day... I'm on my 9th day. The only side effects are waves of nausea occasionally nothing else... I will be increasing my dosage to 20mg shortly.

I definitely agree that doing 10mg initially will cut out many of the side effects i.e. headaches etc. Lots of people on here have done the same... by increasing slowly to avoid bad side effects.

Thanks for that, I've just taken my first half tab so fingers crossed! x

Great to hear. Hope it goes well. Let us know how you're doing

Just taken my 3rd half tab. So far only side effects have been slight nausea about half hour after I've taken them and occasional very very mild headaches which last about 5 minutes.

I'm not sure if it's the med's cos I've only been taking this really small dose for 3 days but I'm feeling really calm and havn't burst into tears for no reason since starting them. Yesterday I even managed to talk about my lovley Mum (she died 4 years ago on 5th Jan) without breaking down.

I'm still a bit worried about taking the full 20mg so am going to stick with 10mg for the time being. The Doctor also advised me to go for conselling which I'll sort out next week.

On the whole I'm feeling really positive!

Thanks for your messages of support.

Lyn :-)

Hi Lyn, great news that you are not having too many side effects from the 10mg. I'm on Day 11 still on 10mg and the nausea seems to have stopped now.....I have good days then other days still have low moods. I'm going to continue on the 10mg for now to see how I feel after 2 weeks then make a decision to increase up to 20mg.

Counselling will definitely help you, I have started CBT counselling which has helped my anxiety quite a bit.

Hang on in there Lyn very positive comments after 3 days so imagine how you will feel once you have been on the tablets for a month or so :-)

Hi to all

Just wanted to comment after seeing Quitethefunkymonkeys experience.

I am on my 5th week of Citalopram and must say that after a slighty unpleasant first 2 weeks, where I felt a bit cloudy headed and couldnt concetrate very well at work.

Well I too feel I have reached a turning point and feel great, I can see things so clearly now, the reasons I have been so depressed and how silly it is to soldier on without accepting help. Its not the answer but it is a step in the right direction, giving you the boost you need to take care of yourself, be proud of who you are and take the first steps to being yourself again.

So...dont be put off-- def worth a try.

Hi All

A quick update to say that I'm still taking 10mg every morning, not noticing any side effects and on the whole I'm feeling good. On Wednesday it was 4 years since my lovley Mum died but I managed to get through the day with a sad/happy approach (if that makes sense)...and no tears!!!

I'm going to continue taking 10mg as while I'm feeling ok I don't see the point in upping the dose. Tried to sort out some counselling but can't afford it so I'm going to try some 'self-help' therapy.

Thanks to everyone for your support and comments and hope you are all feeling ok.

Lyn :-)

Hi Lyn,

Pleased to hear that you're doing so well

If you're interested in self-help techniques, it might be worth checking out a free online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme provided by some Australian university called MoodGYM .

I like it because it helped me to think about my problems and how I react to them in a very constructive light. I identified situations when I put myself down or think the worst and found ways to stop doing that.

I tried to put the link in this message, but can't because I'm not a registered member. It's pretty easy to find tho - the first result that comes up when you google MoodGYM.

Hope this helps,

Kit

Hi Kit

Thanks everso much for that, I'll definately check it out!

Lyn :-) x

Hi Kit/Lyn,

Just wanted to say a thanks for sharing your experiences on here - I think reading them have helped reassure me a bit too!

I've just started taking Citalopram and I'm on my 2nd day of 20mg doses. I wanted to look on here to try to find out more about if it was the right thing for me to take or not - I felt good about finally making the decision to go to my doctor about depression yesterday, but then when I told my boyfriend about it he had the reaction I was fearing about it - he just did not understand! I therefore got upset, and started to wonder if I'd done the right thing. My boyfriend could not understand why I'd just started crying - and I tried to explain that it was all part of the depression and that it is in fact an illness etc etc. His view is that I should just get out and exercise and eat healthy etc. which I know to be true, but that's exactly what I've been lacking the motivation to do. I feel like I've been in a viscious circle in my head for months/years! I am also a smoker (so is my boyfriend) and I really want to give up - but don't feel as if I'm in the right place to try to do that right now as I don't feel strong enough.

Reading your comments made me think that I should continue with taking the tablets and just see if they do help. I'm just going to get on with it and won't bring up the subject again with him, but just hope to prove him wrong!

Thanks Kit for your recommendation of the CBT self-help website. I will also give that a go. My doctor recommended a CBT group course that the NHS offer, but I don't really like the idea of going to a group thing.

So far, I'm not really aware of any major symptoms from taking Citalopram, but like (I think) Lyn said, I have had waves of increased nausea. Not sure about the tiredness/insomnia as I was having these symptoms anyway.

Would love to continue to hear of your experiences and it's good to hear you're getting some positive effects!

I find that part of the struggle is worrying about families and friends perceptions and attitudes towards it and I wondered whether or not to tell them. So far I've had mixed reviews which makes me regret telling them. It's not easy, but hopefully we'll get there!

All best wishes,

Albo

Hi Albo,

It's great to hear that you're taking positive steps, admitting that things aren't perfect and you can accept help.

I can see why it would be really disappointing and frustrating to have your boyfriend react like that. He's not a doctor and he doesn't know how you feel. Exercise and healthy eating are brilliant for your mood, and definitely worth getting into when you feel able. When I went to the psychiatrist, he was very positive about the effects of getting moving. While he said it would be a nice add-on, he said I should definitely continue with the counselling and medication.

I've not told any of my family about my depression because they have been a big part of it, and aren't hugely sympathetic in general. I'm really lucky to have access to a counsellor and great education staff. While I'm pretty hesitant to talk to most of my friends about what's been going on, I do have two that I trust, who seem to undestand that I don't want them to treat me any differently and prefer to speak about my problems on my own terms, only when I bring them up. But I guess that's just the way I need to handle it.

I'm still getting a lot out of counselling, realising that I have every right to my feelings and that I don't have to keep on bottling things up and put myself last every single time to spare everyone's feelings when they don't even seem to acknowledge I have any.

I'm now in my 10th week on citalopram, and feel like I've changed so much since this journey began.

I had a blip over the weekend when I didn't have my pills because I was away from home and had misplaced my pills, so was off them for 2 days. I was a bit worried about being off them so suddenly, but didn't notice any withdrawal effects or change in my mood. It made me wonder if I really needed the pills, if I should just stop them. Then again, studies show that if you stop them early you're at high risk of relapse, and I really don't want to backslide to where I used to be, so I'll just keep wandering on, hoping things can get even better.

All the best to everyone on here, sorry for going on so much,

Kit