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Just started citalopram, will i be ok?

Posted , 6 users are following.

donna198021
donna198021

Hi iv just started citalopram today after being on sertraline 100mg for 8 months which was making my anxiety worse. So my doctor has changed me to citalopram 10mg to start with. I am on medication for anxiety and intrusive/obsessive thoughts. The thing is i am very scared incase my old thoughts come back, as i managed to dismiss them and overcome quite a lot of them myself. And also the worry of starting new medication as well, the what ifs! What if i dont sleep? What if i get worse? Has anyone else tried citalopram? Im waiting for cbt therapy as well. Thanks

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • kezjane
    kezjane donna198021

    Posted

    I've been on citalopram 10mg for a week now and so far so good. No terrible side effects except I feel very tired but I also take propranolol so it could be that or the combination. I'm hopeful it will work for my anxiety but if it doesn't I shall be back to see my gp to change to something else. I'm going up to 20mg in a weeks time.

  • dyslexic15020
    dyslexic15020 donna198021

    Posted

    citalopram   is a good ssri.   i would have wanted its younger brother escitalopram  but they dont like to give it its expencive , you will start on 10mg they may put you up to 20mg  thats same strenth as your last med sertraline
  • diane524
    diane524 donna198021

    Posted

    I was on 10mg for weeks then bumped to 30mg after 8 weeks.

    I only had two side effects - lack of appetite and,my anxiety increased so they gave me something for that.

    Now i am feeling better than I have in a while.

  • jacku16091
    jacku16091 donna198021

    Posted

    Hi Dinna I started on citalapram 8 week ago 10mg but I been having bad intrusive thoughts not all the time was sent see consultant who told me to up to 20mg as 10mg baby dose - I have yet to up to 20 but taking 15mg cutting one my 10mg in half I started that on Thursday I worry all the time taking any tablets but I n ed to give it a go as couldn't carry on like I was I feel a little better today so I think they are helping I also have diazapam 2mg 2 times day not took today at all so must be improvement I start CBT 19th August / the phychatrist said citalapram good medication so I have to trust him he specialist;

    I sure they work for you Donna did sertraline not help love xx

    • donna198021
      donna198021 jacku16091

      Posted

      Thank you for all your replies, the sertraline helped a bit at first and then after a while it just wasnt helping my anxiety at all i felt like a nervous wreck on it. I had been on it a while back for 8 years, so maybe that could be why. I had escitalopram as well which was fantastic last year but seemed to just stop working after about 8 months, which was disappointing as the highest dose of that is 20mg. If i did well on that i suppose i will probably be ok on this? Its the starting all over again thing, intrusive thoughts really are horrible!
    • jacku16091
      jacku16091 donna198021

      Posted

      Thanks Donna I sure they will help you ,I have heard lots of good things about citalapram we will do good anxiety and intrusive thoughts not nice keep in contact with us all let us no how you are xx
    • donna198021
      donna198021 jacku16091

      Posted

      Thank you i will, i hope everyone gets on well with theirs too. ☺️
  • karen45912
    karen45912 donna198021

    Posted

    I took citalopram about four years ago - I started (and finished) on a 20mg dose. I have to say it was a godsend for me. It lowered my anxiety so much. I will say that I felt worse for a couple of days when I started taking it - but maybe that is normal for this type of drug - and then started to feel a lot less anxious.

    At the time, I was only given three sessions of CBT because they were so understaffed and, let's be honest, there isn't much of a focus on mental health in the NHS. That's one thing I should have got more of as I have slipped into negative thinking patterns and am back with the anxiety..

    • jacku16091
      jacku16091 karen45912

      Posted

      Sorry to hear that are you back on any medication to help you Karen or could you start CBT again hope you feel better soon x
    • karen45912
      karen45912 jacku16091

      Posted

      Thanks. I haven't started the medication again yet, that's still to come. I've started therapy, although it's not CBT. First time round my anxiety seemed to come out of nowhere and I didn't know what it was. This time round I know why it happened but I still wasn't prepared for it.

  • karen45912
    karen45912 donna198021

    Posted

    How's it going so far? I start taking citalopram again tonight, along with valium - which I've never taken before. Fingers crossed.

    • donna198021
      donna198021 karen45912

      Posted

      Hi this is my second day taking citalopram, had a bit of a wobble today, panic and anxiety. But im ok now. Feel a bit dozy actually. Im worried incase i cant sleep! How long have you been taking yours? X
    • karen45912
      karen45912 donna198021

      Posted

      How are you feeling now? I feel worse after taking it last night and trying to decide whether to continue.
    • donna198021
      donna198021 karen45912

      Posted

      I feel absolutely awful karen, spaced out, anxiety is very high infact higher than its ever been. Cant concentrate on anything. Feel like im shaking inside. Im at the doctors tomorrow as i dont think i can cope with this. Are you feeling the same? X
    • karen45912
      karen45912 donna198021

      Posted

      I have only taken one pill so far at night, and now I've decided to switch to mornings as I had such a bad night's sleep. It definitely made my anxiety really high and made me feel so spaced out as well. I asked the doctor and he said that these may just normal side effects so to carry on going and we'll reassess after a few days. I do remember feeling worse for the first few days after taking it a few years ago and then it got better, but I was in a different situation then, with no real intrusive thoughts and my family around me so it was much easier for me to get out and about and have good days. I

    • donna198021
      donna198021 karen45912

      Posted

      Hi karen iv just been to the doctors this morning and she told me exactly the same thing, she said having anxiety at the start of treatment is a good sign that the medication will actually work for you. And to try and stick it out for 2 weeks to see if it settles down first. The spaced out feeling has calmed down a bit now just the really bad anxiety after taking the citalopram. I havnt took one today as iv been too scared. But will continue again tomoro day number 5 and try rough it out as best i can. Iv had a few scary thoughts not as much as i expected though, still horrible to say the least. Why do thoughts make you feel like such a horrible person sometimes they make me cry!
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