Feeling like Citalopram might be "overkill".

Knowing what I know now after taking SSRI's for 25 year's and currently tapering off at 3-5% every 2-4+ week's, I would have NEVER taken. Alot of alternatives if you do your homework. SSRI's numb your brain and are like an umbrella in a controlled rain. You need to find the switch for it. Very difficult to get off and it does major changes to the brain.

Study up on Ann Blayk-Tracy and drug awareness on the truth about all SSRI's. Seek alternatives for your anxiety issues first on what you can do and you will thank yourself not poisoning your brain with these psych meds. All the doctors know to do is give a pill for your condition which is wrong.

Take care of yourself and good to hear your tests showed good.

Happy to hear your being proactive before trusting your doctor taking SSRI'S.

I would suggest you try other methods and only take the SSRI as a last resort.  Supplements [Magnesium/Calcium], Rescue Remedy, better diet/exercise, mindfulness, "Dare Response" method, etc.

When I went to the GP a few months - he prescribed me 10mg Citalopram which worked great to snuff out recent anxiety [auto accident/work related stress] within a few weeks but amplified my health related anxiety due to the drug's side effects / normal body quirks.   I soon learned out to reduce the anxiety by using Dare Response [similar to what you did with your panic attacks] and it's worked to help snuff out anxiety before it starts to build.

I'm currently weening off [~2.5mg a week] as I'm not depressed [the drug did cause a few depressive blips] and have tools/knowledge to control anxiety whenever it tries to show it's ugly face again. 

Hi Jeff.  Wow what a journey. I had a very close friend who suffered from anxiety after being made redundant and his beigest fear became having a heart attack despite a clean bill of health. I too self medicated with alcohol and cigarettes which short term helped but I always suffered later in the day.  I cant speak highly enough of this medication other then the initial side effects. It has changed my life for the better despite having to back on it 7 times over the last 20 years.  SO your thoughts seem to have a common thread amongst many sufferers of anxiety. My advice? Try them. Get through the initial few weeks of increased anxiety (Although you may not have this side effect) and see if it improves.  In this modern world of medication there is no need to suffer. Good luck and I hope it all works out for the best. Mark  

Hi!

I have suffered from anxiety for 10 years (im only 29). At times I have been able to deal with it really well. At other times I was a shell of the person I am today. I saw medication as a sign I had given up (I still struggle with it) but after a year in therapy I decided, with long consultation with my doctor/therapist, that it would be the right decision. My relationship was on its last legs, I was taking an excessive amount of time off work, despite how I felt inside about my resilience and ability to bounce back, what I was risking was too great. I have been on medication for 8 months and it has been the hardest 8 months of my life. I have been sick, depressed, taken to the depths of my darkest feelings, faced criticism from others and myself, still struggled with work and still almost lost my relationship. From that I can say that I am myself again. Not myself in a 'good period' but myself I had forgotten even existed. It feels great. Its still hard every day, I struggle with the side effects of medication (drowsiness, fuzzy memory, decreased sex drive) but I make the choice each day to stick with it. I also spend a lot of time working towards getting better - eating well, exercising, avoiding alcohol and drugs, meditating, doing other mindfulness exercises. My doctor says I will probably never get off my medication and I have had to come to terms with that fact - as well as not giving up hope that I will. But as she says, if you had diabetes - would you not treat it?

This is not an endorsement that you should try medication. I tell everyone (and so should every doctor) that you should exhaust every possible option to deal with anxiety before resorting to medication. There has been a great deal of research that suggests medication for mild anxiety is not better than meditation and mindfulness therapy. And even more research which says medication alone cannot cure or effectively treat anxiety - you must engage with therapy resources and meditation etc. This is a heavily researched subject so look into it. Read up about what it does to your brain and your body.

For a reference - I suffer from generalised anxiety disorder, OCD and depressive episodes. I take 30mg of citalopram daily.  You would not know it if you saw me. I have a highly qualified job, I have a loving relationship, I am fit and healthy and the vast majority of people in my life would not know I have or have ever suffered from anxiety. Its up to you to decide these things - and I certainly would never make such a big decision without consultation from my support group (family, partner, friends), medical professionals (therapists and doctors), and a bit of soul searching. You dont want to undertake this journey alone - whichever path you choose.

Best of luck Jeff!

What I've learned the hard way.

They do not work but only anesthesize the frontal cortex of the brain and blunt ALL emotions. They have hundreds of adverse effects and the longer that a person is taking antidepressants the more adverse effects can happen. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some people have issues with metabolizing serotonin and it floods the brain. Taking antidepressants only makes it worse for them. Antidepressants interfere with the metabolism of serotonin and can cause damage to any and every part of the brain and body. If you decide to get off of SSRI's, then it has to be done very slowly. Most doctors are uninformed about these drugs especially safe tapering. They take their patients off too quickly and they can end up with severe and protracted withdrawals. Recommend a taper of no more than a 5% decrease every two to four weeks. It is important to give the brain and body time to adjust to the chemical changes taking place. If depression and anxiety are not caused by trauma then it is believed that they are symptoms of something physically going in the body. It could be nutritional deficiencies or allergies, hormonal imbalances such as Thyroid disease or vitamin D deficiency, heavy metal toxins or chemicals, genetic defects such as the MTHFR gene defects and bad gut health. Antidepressants cause bad gut health because over 90% of all serotonin lies in the digestive tract. If you can find a good functional doctor that do the testing to find the root cause of your anxiety then you may be able to be helped better. Antidepressants only mask anxiety and depression and, in the end, cause anxiety and depression!