Hi I m on citaloparm 6 weeks first 3 week 20mg and last 3 weeks 40 mg

Sorry but this is highly insulting to the many people who do not want to be ill and just want to resume some normality back in their life.

There are many people on here, and I am one of them, who get support and impartial advice and information from others who have benefitted from using citalopram. We also accept that others have not found it beneficial and their views are welcome also.

Please keep your distorted and unhelpful opinion to yourself instead of causing more worry and upset to other often vulnerable people.

Thank you

Im with you gerrymoo ... citalopram does help !!!

In a way you are correct; there is no "magic pill" or Holy Grail that will cure anxiety, you have to help yourself too and make the necessary changes in your life that caused the condition in the first place. But medication like citalopram and others gives many people (me included) a lifeline to enable them to start that process instead of being so crippled by anxiety and depression that all they can do is stay in bed all day feeling horrific. Yes it takes a long time before these tablets start working, and many people suffer dreadful side effects when starting the meds, but you have to persevere and help yourself too, nobody else can do this for you, it is a baptism of fire in many respects - but you WILL come out the other side stronger and more resilient than you were before. I have been on citalopram for 6 months now (3 months @ 10mg and 3 months @ 20mg) and I'm still not there yet. I recently had 2 completely anxiety free weeks when I felt that I'd finally cracked it after almost a year suffering dreadfully - and then suddenly wallop, I woke up one morning about a week ago right back to square one and I've been like it ever since. That's the nature of this condition, you are up and down like a yo-yo during recovery but that's perfectly normal and all part of the healing process. Keep fighting, never give up.

I agree, citalopram has been a life saver (literally) for many people and negative comments help nobody.

Hi Gillian

Sorry to hear you're having a blip, are things as bad as they were before you started taking citalopram and how are you managing the anxiety?

Just wondered also if you would consider it to be an indicator for a dose increase or will you just weather the storm and hope it passes soon?

Hi Gerrymoo, No I'm nowhere near as bad as I was before I started the citalopram. I thought I was going mad and was begging my doctor to put me in hospital because I didn't know what was happening to me having never suffered from anxiety before.

I'm coping with it by just getting on with my day and not allowing the anxiety to interfere with my plans. I find it easier to make a list of the things I need to do the next day (always feel much better in the evening, so more focused) and then stick to it. Not always easy though, but possible if I tell the anxiety to shove off, it's not going to stop me doing the things I want to do even if I feel dreadful. 

Yes, I have considered an increase but I'm going on holiday the week after next and I do want to be changing my dose until afterwards because of any side effects. I had to cancel the last holiday because my anxiety was too bad - I'd only been on Cit for about a month then and still very unwell - so I don't want to jeopardise this one by messing about with my meds, if that makes sense? 

Makes perfect sense, I've had to cancel few things cause I just couldn't even cope with the idea of being away. I'm off work sick at moment and had the worst year which eventually resulted in me being hit by brick which I now recognise as being anxiety. I didn't piece it together at first but it was very frightening . This was my first experience of anxiety too. I think it's cause I stopped tramadol and went cold turkey which was terrible. Tramadol has synthetic opiate painkiller and I've since found out it also has an ssri component so I think my serotonin levels crashed.

I've been on 10mg citalopram for 3 weeks and 20mg now for 3.5 wks. It's been terrible with the side effects but think they are dwindling now but still have awful insomnia. I'm also paying for cbt myself. Like you I was desperate and thought I needed to be admitted. I'm so glad your feeling better despite the blip. There are so many horror stories on here it's hard not to take note of them but I didn't have an alternative to medication I was desperate!

Why are mornings always the worst? It seems to be the case whatever time of day people take their citalopram, I take mine about 8-9pm.

Hope you have a great holiday!!

Your view is very ignorant of the experience of those that suffer with very upsetting and debilitating depression and anxiety. I know many people whose life has literally been saved by meds.

For those that can recover without them that is great and ideal but fir some that is not possible.

I can only assume that you have never been that unwell and I hope you never are.

Sharing our experience and offering support is essential. These meds are no quick fix.

Please keep your attitude to places where people are not so vulnerable and may not be so potentially destructive.

Hi again Gerrymoo, 

They say that the last thing to disappear during recovery is morning anxiety, mine is still there after 6 months but not anywhere near as bad as it was in the beginning. I still spend the first half an hour dry heaving and jittery, but if it is a work day (I started volunteering 2 days per week with Age UK which was something I could never have done before) then I'm much better. If I

dont have anything planned it seems to relish in that and won't leave me alone. I'm getting bloody angry with it now if truth be known, it has ruined the past year of my life, my hair has fallen out, I've lost almost 3 stones in weight and wrinkles have appeared in the most unusual of places!!! I swear at it now, tell it to "Foxtrot Oscar" off and leave me the hell alone. That seems to help if only to release some of the anger and frustration I am feeling with this bloody thing. 

Well said Sarah! Until you have personally experienced the living hell that is anxiety and depression you can never truly understand how devastating and soul destroying it can be. And it can hit you out of the blue too, I had never suffered with any mental illness in all my 55 years when I was struck down with it one day last year. It came as such a shock that I honestly thought I had a terminal illness like a brain tumour, or perhaps it was dementia or ALS, I told my doctor I thought I was dying and she replied no you're not, you have anxiety! 

Hi Gillian

Yes I try and plan my week to be doing something each day ( whilst I'm off sick). I'm not used to having so much time on my hands.

It's a bit of an art handling the intrusion of anxiety in my life and when it escalated at start up and dose increase i thought I was going mad it was so overwhelming and frightening.

Just a thought which links with something my sister said, she works in mental health. She is convinced that hormones and the menopause might have triggered this or at least made it worse. I am a very similar age to you and just wondered if your GP had said anything ? We're you ever given any additional medication to help you cope with the anxiety?

X ps your comment made me laugh !!

Oh yes, I'm convinced of it. I am 3 years post meno and up until last year didn't really have any symptoms apart from night sweats. I have been on HRT since February but have had problems with it (bleeding etc) I've had a scan and a biopsy which came back normal thank God, and when I get back from holiday I'm going to have the mirena coil fitted to try to stop the bleeding. I'm sure the menopause has got a lot to do with how I feel.

I suppose it's still the end result isn't it that we still have to cope with this crushing anxiety whatever the cause! I've had no menopausal symptoms apart from feeling a bit hot now and again but this anxiety was so sudden - frightening! I wonder if HRT would improve the anxiety at all? It's all very complicated, I just knew I needed something cause my anxiety was escalating fast. That's when I started the citalopram and was given diazepam as well although not touched them for a while .

I was exactly the same, no symptoms really until the anxiety hit. Declining oestrogen levels can cause so many symptoms including crippling anxiety, depression, mood swings, insomnia, aches and pains etc. Perhaps a low dose of hrt will help you?

I had all my bloods done a couple of times but not for a while and the last lot didn't include oestrogen. I think I may ask my gp about repeating them all. Does HRT and citalopram combine well or would the same benefit just come from having the citalopram?

I always thought I'd try and avoid HRT unless I was desperate, might do a bit of reading around the subject. Wonder why they didn't suggest that first?