How long until meds kick in?

Posted , 4 users are following.

i had to come off hrt cold turkey a few weeks ago. within a week i was plunged into a constant state of high anxiety. at the time i was taking a 1/2 a 10mg citalopram tablet. i upped to 20mg, then because i was still feeling so bad upped to 40mg. my dr didnt tell me not to, and is aware of what i have done. it has been about 3 weeks now on 40mg and i dont notice any benefit yet. do you think i need to give it more time? do you think its too high dose?? im desperate for relief. never felt so bad in my life.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello,

    Increasing the dosage of meds and saying my doctor didn't tell me not to is maybe not the best idea at all. We are not doctors and don't know what effects different dosages have.

    Certain meds can cause anxiety for the first few weeks (I for one can't tolerate citalopram because my anxiety goes through the roof) I would say the best bet is to speak to your doctor or pharmacist and ask what to do and what you could take to get through the anxiety or if you might need to try another med.

    Good luck x

  • Posted

    This is a question you need to put to your doctor. We are not doctors.

    Best of luck and hang on in there.

  • Posted

    i know it was stupid to increase them on my own. i really was in a bad desperate place.

    i have spoken to my dr and he says to keep going with the citalopram at this dose as it could take 6-8 weeks to fully feel the benefit. i have back up diazepam if i need it, but im trying to hold off on that one.

    thankyou for taking the time to reply.

  • Edited

    Hi,

    I can relate to the frustration of waiting for meds to kick in. I'm on citalopram too and until 5 days ago I was on 20mg. Have now gone up to 30mg to help me with my current anxiety levels.

    It does take time for them to kick in and I know you are trying to avoid taking diazepam but for me it's the best thing to do. The diazepam will ease the symptoms within 20 minutes and although google will say it lasts for about 5 hours it actually stays in your system longer. I had a particularly bad day on Wednesday, I took 5mg diazepam and I didn't need to take anymore after that, it is now Monday evening. The best advice for me was 'don't struggle if you don't have too'. The doctor has prescribed the diazepam for a reason.

    Hope this helps.

    • Posted

      gemma, how long have you been on the citalopram?

      i think im nearly on week 5 with them now..... and to be honest the last couple of days have been awful. i was so jittery this morning i took one of the diazepam... but they are only 2mg and they just took the edge off for a couple of hours.

  • Posted

    i had a better couple of days wednesday and thursday... but yesterday i had a really scary reaction to my husbands breathing ( misophonia ) i thought i was going to faint.... so today im back to square one. i feel such an anxious mess, and now the misophonia has reared its ugly head im totally at a loss.

    misophonia is a type of sound sensitivity condition. certain noises can trigger an adverse reaction in the sufferer. mine is usually mild and just down to people eating noisily... but since this anxiety episode its turned into people sniffing....... and now the way my husband breathes.

    im constantly in fight or flight.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.