Is it usual to feel depressed when treating anxiety with citalopram?

yes, me also Neil,   here i'm having morning anxiety, but then in the day i feel down and quite flat, kind of not really with it, along with some depersonalisation and derealisation

i have only been on citalopram one month though, and the theraputic 20mg dose for only about 3 weeks, so this is to be expected.  it sounds like you are still going through the adjustments also, especially considering it's early days for you at your new dose.  try not to give it any extra attention ok.  that's what i have been reading about lately.  try to accept you dont feel particularly well but then that's that, no need to put all of your energy and attention inwards trying to figure things out, when all you need is some more time ok, your body will adjust just fine and you will feel better in no time

Hi Neil. Sorry to hear how you are feeling. It's the end of the week. Could you be overtired? I've been reading a lot of stuff about how lack of sleep makes anxiety worse and vice versa. I'm especially tired these last two days and not even sure if it's related to the propranolol/ citalopram combo. So many things to factor in it's hard to know what might be the most important affecting you right now. Just try and rest and don't over analyse I've found that by doing that my body does actually relax.

Best wishes

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I hope it is just an 'adjustment phase' because this isnt a particularly nice feeling to feel. Nothing is interesting and being at home and not asleep just feels tedious.

What exactly is ur interpretation of depersonalisation and derealisation...because its hard to understand in my opinion...

I WISH i cld just relax and ride this out!

i think for depersonalisation, the easiest way to describe that is, you dont feel like yourself, so you just feel like you are not 'with it' and know that its not the usual way you feel (so for example, you might feel a bit 'spaced out' and not feeling 'normal'.. sort of like you are in your body, but you dont feel centered or very stable, so end up not being able to connect with anything, such as things/hobbies you used to enjoy

for derealisation i would say it feels like your surroundings and things outside of you seem or feel odd,  perhaps almost like you are in a movie, rather than actually feeling normal and normally 'placed' or 'positioned' in the world (sort of like, there is you, and then there is everything else outside of you, of which feels very distant!)

i think for both of these disturbances, they generally come down to the fact that the person experiencing these feelings is quite introverted at the moment (pre-occupied with that is going on inside them and their anxiety and so on), so everything else seems very external because you are pointing inwards on yourself rather than functioning in a more 'normal' way (which is less interest in yourself and more interest in external things)

these are very common symptoms to feel and are commonly felt when getting used to antidepressants, because there are changes going on inside us so we cany help but be quite focused on ourselves and every last feeling we experience.  dont worry things certainly get better.  soon the body and mind just move forwards from that stuff, so there's no reason to worry, it's just part of (in our case) adjusting to citalopram

rest assured Neil that for the last few months i have totally lost interest in everything including the hobbies and things i used to like, and even things like music, which i cant stand at the moment and so now i dont turn on my radio on in my car etc.   but its slowly getting better and im starting to become interested in things again.  its all part of the depression/anxiety, the recovery, and adjusting to new meds etc;  all the changes going on inside us causes us to be a on a bit of a rollercoaster at the moment such as periods of anxiety or periods of depression, or other feelings like the depersonalisation and derealisastion,  but everything does settle down and you do feel normal again and it's a wonderful day when it comes, and it WILL come

Liz..yes maybe..but i think its more than that. And yes overthinking can make it worse but anxiety loves to make me overthink lol.

You are right..lots of factors to consider i just hope this feeling goes away very soon.

Liz..yes maybe..but i think its more than that. And yes overthinking can make it worse but anxiety loves to make me overthink lol.

You are right..lots of factors to consider i just hope this feeling goes away very soon.

Thanktou...that is a great explanation and i certainly can relate to both. Preoccupied is also a great way to describe how i feel at the moment (altho less so now the anxiety has eased...hmmm..maybe thats why i feel bored..because my mind is not on overdrive from the anxiety)

I cannot WAIT to move forward from this and get some 'life' and 'zest' back!

Omg i can relate to this too! I could not tolerate music at all except for classical and relaxation stuff. I couldnt have my car stereo on either it just fuels my nerves. Altho.. in the last few days it has become more bearable and im trying to reintroduce it slowly but can only have it on for short periods!

hey Neil i will send you a private message about something good you can read (i'm not able to post links or mention books here in the main forum as it gets removed)