Hi All I have been on citalopram for one and half week...

Hi

I have now been citalopram for 3 weeks, i went back to teh Doctor's this morning for an update. I can honestly say that i feel a lot better, not quite a 100% but im getting there. I still have the odd off day but i can cope with it a lot better now and i realise that it will take time! I still have the odd side effect, my short term memory is terrible!

I asked the doctor this morning about drinking, he said its fine in moderation, you may feel drunk quicker, but at least you'll have a cheaper night out! Basically they say not to drink as alcohol is a depressant.

Go on holiday and enjoy yourself! Im sure you deserve it!

[i:19320e8cfd]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:19320e8cfd]

Hi Thank you for your reply. its made me feel happy that someone is listening to me. Can I ask what doesage you are on and why. I am on it for depression and panic attacks. I have to take one pill in the morning then one in the evening the doctor said i can take two together but i am worried about falling a sleep at work. I had two weeks of works and I have been two weeks now some days are harder than others but i think if i am busy then it will keep my mind off things. Thanks for asking the doctor for me, one drink and I will be well away:lol:

[i:17f14ac198]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:17f14ac198]

Hi Tina

I am on them for depression, and im on 20mg a day. I have always believed that depression is not an illness and i did feel like a failure for not coping with what life has thrown at me, my long term boyfriend left me for someone else in January, then i was made redundant after 10 years service from the only job ive ever done. I now understand that depression and any other mental illness, is just that, an illness. I am still not working and life on the dole is getting me down, but citalopram is helping! Basically im not beating myself up about it now!

I think you are right in going to work, as it will help you to take your mind off things and concentrate on something else, your side effects will disappear in time, just bear with them, and im sure you will start to feel better in yourself! You will have days where you can't be bothered to do anything, but like me, you have to tell yourself that you will not be cured overnight, and that you are entitled to feel bad now and again.

Please keep in touch, i would like to know how you are getting on!

Chin up! We are in this together!

regards

Louise

[i:434c711e50]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:434c711e50]

Hi Louise

Thanks for your reply. I think it really helps to talk to someone who know what you are going through aswell. So do you have any side effects still or are you get back to normal.

I am here at working yawning away still!

I am sure you will find another job and another man when you are ready. I think men and jobs are the biggest pain in are life really but as women he have to have them. Then we feel crap when they go wrong. Just remember it's his lost. Do you have children I have two and I know they can tell something is wrong but I just tell them I have a bad belly.

When do you take your pills AM or PM.

Keep writing it good to talk.

Regards

Tina:lol:

[i:2d6ac7cde2]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:2d6ac7cde2]

Hi Tina

I agree with you, i also believe that it helps talking to someone who knows what we're going through. I do have friends to talk to, but because they are not suffering they can not understand fully where im coming from. I also don't like to feel a burden to them, they have they're own problems to deal with, they don't want to listen to me all the time! Even though they do tell me that this is not the case!

I still do suffer from a couple of side effects, my short term memory is crap! And i seem to be sweating loads, but that could be the weather! My doctor did say that this can be one of the side effects, and that the weather is not helping!

I did feel awful in the beginning, really tired, but couldn't sleep, very lethargic and that it felt like i was outside of my body looking in, if that makes any sense! I also felt sick, all these disappeared after about 10 days.

I used to take mine first thing in the morning, i now take them about lunch time.

Luckily i don't have children, it must be really difficult for you, caring for yourself and two others! How old are they?

How is work today? Have you told your employer about your depression and panic attacks? If so, how did they react? Im dreading getting a job, im not sure if i should tell my future employer (who ever that may be)! about my depression or not.

Have a good day!

Keep in touch

Louise

:lol:

[i:b56872325b]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:b56872325b]

Hi Louise

I am having a really good day I feel good and happy like I use to. But I know I could be down tomorrow but the good days will become longer and longer.

I have two boys aged 11 and 7, it is hard because I don't like them seeing me like this but i also put on a brave face in front of them.

I was off work for a week and a half and I told them it down to stress not just work but everything. My MD seemed to understand and told me to take the time off to get better. I am also having needles stuck in me which helps me relax and specail herbal tea. ( I think this also helps me sleep, but I still wake up in the night but I just don't open my eyes and thing of nice things.

For the first time last night I started to look forward to my holday so I hope that feeling will stay with me. And my husband is looking forward to go away but he just says he wants the old Tina back and he does not understand and I worry to much about everything.

You should talk to your friends that is what they are there for, but i understand if they have not been through it they would never understand. But good friends are a tower of strengh even if you just need a cuddle from them.

Well chin up mate! Have a great day!

Keep in touch

Tina:cheers:

Ps. for some reason I can't get on this site at home only at work. T X

[i:b9ed5d99d1]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:b9ed5d99d1]

Hello both

just been reading your comments and I just want to say... I have been through this as well, was suffering with anxiety, went from an out going person to someone who was scared and cried all the time. Been taking these tablets for 9 weeks now and things are so much better

I had the yawning all day and the bad memory, which is now getting back to normal

I would recommend talking as much as you can. If you don't have anyone, and sometimes you feel like your friends/family have heard to much, I found anumber on a webiste they provide trained counsellor and they were excellent, just sometimes you need someone to say you are normal, the number is ****

good luck and things do get better

As for the drink, take it easy, had a few the other night and can't remember getting home!!! definately a cheap night out!!

:lol:

[i:55496692b7]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:55496692b7]

(Sorry but Patient Admin have removed either a telephone number, an email address, and or web address, from this posting, as it is the policy of Patient UK not to publish these on this forum.

If you wish to communicate directly with people, you should register, for free, with the forum (click Register in the menu list below the green banner above). You and other registered members will then be able to communicate with each other via Private Messaging (PM) or e-mail.)

Hi Claire

Thanks for your comments it has helped to know there is good things to come & it made me laugh about the drink part. Just a note to say you can both e mail direct on ****

Speak to you soon.

Tina:cheers:

[i:36c3dd4b7f]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:36c3dd4b7f]

(Sorry but Patient Admin have removed either a telephone number, an email address, and or web address, from this posting, as it is the policy of Patient UK not to publish these on this forum.

If you wish to communicate directly with people, you should register, for free, with the forum (click Register in the menu list below the green banner above). You and other registered members will then be able to communicate with each other via Private Messaging (PM) or e-mail.)

Hi

Just a quick update. I am into my third week of taking the pills, and I feeling much better still no 100% yet( like normal most days.) Or should i say the good days are lasting longer. Still yawning most of the time, m,y sleep is getting better just a bit, not to sure if it's beacuse I am eating a bit more now days that it's giving me the energy to do the things like house work, children and work. I need to make a doctors appointment to see how long i need to stay on them for, but at the moment if they make me better that is all that matters to me.:ok:

[i:11d866676e]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:11d866676e]

Hi Tina

Sorry ive not been in touch for a couple of days. Glad to see that your good days are lasting longer!

I am now in my 5th week of taking citalopram and i definately am starting to feel better! Ive even got a job, i start on Monday. I do feel a bit apprehensive about it. Its a totally different job to what i did in the past, im also dreading the lack of short term memory! But then if i put it into prospective, i would be feeling apprehensive regardless of whether i had depression or not.

I did have a low day Saturday, but im not sure if that was because i knew i was going out in the evening for a friends hen night and i wasn't sure about the drinking thing! Well, i was careful and only a few, nothing like i normally drink and i was very drunk! some parts of the night past in a blur! But i can definately say i enjoyed it very much and was glad that i did make the effort! surprisingly, after the state i was in, i didn't have a hangover and my purse still had money in it! Always a bonus!

When i went to the doctors last week, he told me that i will be on them until next year, he did't specify when though, he gave me another 2 months supply and i have to go back just before, or sooner if i have any problems.

keep in touch, i enjoy reading your comments and i wish you well for the future.

Take care

Louise

:cheers:

[i:59d9f23f80]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:59d9f23f80]

Hi Lousie

Fab news about your job Well done you!!!. You will be fine change is always a bit worrying. As for your memory just write things down. People do that in a new job any way so no one will be shocked by it.

I have not had the guts to have a drink yet. But I did return back to the gym on Tuesday evening which was hard but I done it..

As for the time we need to stay on the pills i just think if they help so what. We are the brave people that have gone to the doctors because we know something is wrong not let it go on for years and do nothing about it.

I did think you had forgot me but i understand life goes on. And with your JOB news thats GREAT!!

Write back soon

T:ok:

[i:951b18cf4e]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:951b18cf4e]

Hi its Claire again.. hope you don't mind me joining your conversation.....

Congratulations on the new job...just shows that things do get better, and as they say, when you are at the bottom, the only way is up!!

Just wanted to say, I suffered with the memory thing, still not the best, but I dealt with it by writing everything down, otherwise i would go to Tesco and forget what I was going there for!! and it can get really frustrating!!!

But stick with it, talk as much as you can.... when you are having a bad day, read these comments and then you will know you are not alone!!

Good Luck everyone... Tina I will email you direct if thats ok

xc:D

[i:fd9f2b3a22]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:fd9f2b3a22]

Hi Clair

Yes of course you can e mail at home.

T:o

[i:a4149834a4]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:a4149834a4]

Interesting to hear about these side effects. My partner has just been on Citalopram for 2 weeks yesterday.

Since he started, he seems less down generally although still a bit panicy about going to work and what others think about him. But the really interesting thing is that he has been sleeping so much. Naps after work and coming to bed at the same time I do when he used to stay up a couple of hours after I went to sleep.

We didn't think about the drinking thing and shared a bottle of wine on Sunday. He seemed okay after that.

[i:d062a61df4]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:d062a61df4]

Hi Sandra

They say you sleep more when you are depressed. I was not really sleeping only a couple of hours per night if I was lucky ( but I think that was because I was worried about everything all the time and waking up having panic attacks) I was not eating then walking around like the living dead and shaking all the time. But since I have been on my happy pills ( as I call them ) I am sleeping much better. During the day I could just lay down and go to sleep but I keep on going thinking No if you carry on then I will sleep better of the nightime, and that seems to help plus eating regular no matter how little. This is about my 4th week on my pills and they do help and I don't care if no one understands why I need them. If they help me cope then that is all that matters to me. Lack of sex drive is a bit of a worry for me but I am sure I will get there.

It seems you are very surportive of your husband and that helps a great deal. I am sure it will be hard on you as well but just remember there is light at the end of the tunnel and he will start laughing again - promise.

Tina

[i:93faf712cc]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:93faf712cc]