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Have been prescribed Citalopram 10mg - am uncertain

Posted , 3 users are following.

cathy060491
cathy060491

whether to start and my GP suggested I look at this webstie - having read the posts on the forum it seems there are horrible side effects both when starting and stopping which leaves me feeling terrified and not sure I want to start - any advice please?  My feeling at the moment is to ask my GP for alternate treatments for my depression/anxety such as counselling - any opinions ?  Thanks

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • don45258
    don45258 cathy060491

    Posted

    Hi I've been on citalopram for 6 months now and still struggling my advice would be try without it first unless you get despite some people do really well on this med and some struggle everyone's different but you won't know till you try it it's trail and error
    • cathy060491
      cathy060491 don45258

      Posted

      Thanks for your response Don - think I will try other methods without it - I can only see myself haing more anxiety about the side effects that would tip me even more over the edge......    will speak to my GP
  • gillian_1961
    gillian_1961 cathy060491

    Posted

    It depends how badly your depression and anxiety are affecting your life. Personally I got to the end of my tether and despite counselling, self help methods, hypnotherapy, reflexology etc etc I was still suffering badly and was finding it harder and harder to cope. I wasn't eating or drinking or sleeping and spent all day and most of the night in severe distress. I had reached the end of the line in trying to do it myself, I needed help. 

    I have been on citalopram 10mg (very low dose) for 2 months now and yes, the side effects were horrid to start with but no worse than I'd already been experiencing and I knew that eventually the tablets would help so I carried on taking them every morning even when I felt like giving up. 

    They are are not an overnight fix, but what they enabled me to do was to concentrate better on my CBT techniques and other self help methods which I hadn't been able to do properly due to being in a constant state of crippling anxiety. I am still battling through, I still have bad days when I can barely drag myself out of bed but it isn't constant like it was before, I do get some breaks and I'm hoping that eventually I will be able to live a life of reasonable normality. I am a way off that yet, but I'm determined to get better. 

    If if you feel that you are managing your depression and anxiety well and it does not impinge too much on your daily life then yes, I would say give the other methods a go first. But if you are struggling badly then personally it's a no-brainer - take the citalopram (perhaps start on a low dose) and use it alongside counselling and other self help methods. This has been proven to be the best treatment for depression and anxiety related conditions. 

    I would also also recommend a forum called No More Panic which has been fantastic for me and has made me realise just how many others are out there suffering from these debilitating and frightening illnesses. 

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 

    • cathy060491
      cathy060491 gillian_1961

      Posted

      Thanks for this Gillian - has given me things to consider - have yet to look for the NO More Panic forum - will do so now.  I just think that the notion of side effects in addition to what I'm already experiencing would be too much. 
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