Diazepam with Citalopram

Hi

I have been on citalorpam for 4 months and took a turn for the worse about 3 weeks ago delayed in going back to docs so was really bad when he saw me. He uped does to 20mg and added 3 x 2mg of diazepam i have been taking for 2 days now and not noticed any different did they start straight away for you?

Were they hard to come off?

Would love to hear your reply.

I hope you are feeling batter too.

Lizzy

Hi there Lizzy,

Sorry for delay in replying!

No offence intended, but you sound like maybe you aren't 'using' the medication as it's intended.

[b:a186388f8e]Only [/b:a186388f8e]take it when you are bad, *never* take it if you are okay... as the body adapts *damn quickly* and you wont receive any benefit from it. It's heavily addictive and you will keep having to 'up the dosage' every time you take it. I now have to take at least 10mg in one go for it to be any benefit (so they are giving me 5mg tabs). But they will only prescribe it occasionally!

It's an amazing drug (and one of the basic drugs required for any health care system, as stated by the WHO), but misuse and incorrect use will render it useless because of the human bodies adaptability and it's very addictive properties.

And if when you are bad, you can't feel any effect, just have a little more until you feel calmer. It is safe to have 10mg or slightly more in one go just as it isn't too often!

Hi Chris

Thanks for your reply my instructions were 3 x 2mg a day and no more I gave up after 4 days when they had no effect at all my Gp was a bit surprised when he saw me 3 days later as he thought they should have started to work by then. He then said it may take a few days for them to start to work.I gave them one last go the following day and then decided

what a waste off time and took the remaining weeks supply back to the chemist.

They were given for extreme anxiety to calm me down and slow my pulse rate, maybe the first dose was never strong enough in the first place. In the end i spent 2 weeks with no sleep really bad tremors and very fast pulse rate. I then had 2 OK days and then i was off again so cit was upped to 30mg which took about 2 weeks to start to work again the side effects are really bad so I have decided to try CBT if phych agrees to it. Having had hardly any sleep and rest for the last few weeks I have asked Gp to let me come off cit and see what happens and hopefully by the time I have weaned myself off cit i will be having CBT.

If not I'm sure i will be able to try another AD. spent 8 weeks on Prozac that was terrible.

I hope you are improving? thanks for replying. I wish you the best for the future.

Lizzy

Hi there Lizzy,

Your doctor sounds like a complete numnut.. who maybe doesn't even understand what Diazepam is and how it works :lol:

Diazepam kicks in within 30 minutes of taking it, and should make you feel slightly sedated and drowsy/groggy. Most effects wear off within a few hours (but it remains in your blood-stream for a long time). And as said before, tolerancy develops in a matter of DAYS if used daily.

It's not a drug which 'starts working after a few days' - it's an instant hit drug like Alcohol, Morphine etc.

For Diazepam to be most beneficial - it's probably best not to take it more than a couple of times a month when you feel very very anxious (borderline panic attack mode) - and you should probably take about 10mg (5 x 2mg tabs) in that event if 2mg has no effect.

I was started on 20mg Cit, upped to 30mg cit, upped to 40mg cit, now back down to 30mg cit - unfortunately doctors play with Citalopram and Prozac like sweeties because they are quite benign drugs with few noticable major side effects.

You seriously sound like you need a whole different class of [stronger] antidepressants like tricyclics, or a sedative AD like Trazodone (which is what they put me on now)... but then again, I'm not your GP!

(Although I sometimes think those of us on here hold more knowledge about our condition than the GP does! :lol: )

However, getting CBT is awesome, and many believe it's better than meds to solve depression! - I really hope that works out for you

Hi Chris

Thanks for your reply I think i have a much better understsanding of how it works now. Maybe its a good thing they didn't work as i am not sure i would want to stop taking them.

It took me 6 months to convince my Gp i had a problem. I am now worrying about how bad i will be in a few weeks as i haven't been free of my anxiety symptoms for over a year now. I think they are still cross with me as i took myself off Carbimazole for an overactive thyroid.(which is supose to be very dangerous, but no more so than wanting to commit suicide.) I hasten to add my thyroid has been normal for 11 months now.The Gp doesn't think i will get CBT its to do with cost!!!!!!!But i've got to try something.

I am considering paying for a private consultation as I have systemic Lupus which seems to me to be playing a part in all of this. The Gp is really in the dark on this one.

So how long have you been on your new stuff and is it working?

Tonight i'm going to try a bottle of wine as i haven't had a drink in 6months. No doubt i will pay for it in the morning. :roll:

Take care. If I get CBT i will let you know what its like.

Lizzy

Hi Lizzy I have been prescribed Diazepam to help me get off of my Antidepresants, they say the AD's are not addictive but visit the Mirtazipine page and you will see how hard it is for people to get off of it, I have been suffering with this illness for about four and a half years now and been on various drugs, I was originally at a high level of anxiety for every waking moment, I now feel normal (whatever that is) most of the time but have periods of low anxiety I am still quite low every morning but this improves during the day, I take a 2mg Diazepam most mornings as I wake about two hours before in want to get up (no trouble getting to sleep Mirt just knocks me out and thats just on a qtr of a 15MG tab I have come down from 45mg), not sure whether the Diazepam helps or not to be honest. my advice to anyone is to continue to see your doctor and reveiw the effects of the medication, this is something I wish I had done as quite a few of the problems I have had have been side effects of the meds.