Light headed/dizzy

Posted , 9 users are following.

Hi everyone, I posted on here the other week regarding my increase from 10mg to 20mg. 

I thought my side effects were starting to calm down however today after taking my tablet I am feeling very dizzy & spaced out. I am into my 3rd week of the dose increase. My tiredness & headaches are easing but I can’t shake this light headed feeling. Should I maybe try taking the medication at night time? 

Thanks - laura 😊

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  • Posted

    I have always taken my tablet at night so that I sleep through any side effects.I do tend to wake up for a hour or so at first.But its not so bad now.I am in my 9th month on it.
    • Posted

      Thanks for your messages everyone. I’m back at the doctors tomorrow so will see how it turn so out! - I’m going to get signed off work from again as it’s just to much at the moment, I’m expecting miracles & it’s only been 5 weeks. The side effects I’m feeling are pretty scary in all honesty so whilst I’m still struggling with them it probably isn’t wise to be trying to go do a full days work also. I think I’m suffering more with health anxiety at the moment as every little twinge I take to google to see if it’s ‘normal’ - I even managed to convince myself I have a brain tumour after the side effects of this medication. Thankfully I’m not suffering the depression side of this illness, just horrible anxiety that I feel will never go away! I really appreciate all your messages, it really helps me realise I’m not alone with this & there’s light at the end of a very long tunnel x

  • Edited

    laura,

    I know this question and thread is incredibly old, but I just wondered if you ever figured out if it was the citalopram that was causing you the dizzy, spells or what I call them, dizzy, woozy feeling. i've been on citalopram for quite some time went off them at the end of 2016 and then had really bad withdrawals finally went back on them in February 2017. It seems since that time I have had dizzy spells or this woozy feeling like I am drunk or something. through the years I've been told that maybe it was ear viruses that were happening and bothering my balance system, but I would never have ear infections. Then I was told at one point it was may be allergies. Then I was told the dizziness was my anxiety. I was on 10 mg most of the time that I have taken it but at the end of 2022 my doctor had convinced me that maybe it was my anxiety and we should up the meds. I did go up to 15 and then to 20 but it didn't ever help the dizziness it just caused more dizziness as well as other horrible side effects. I always feel like I'm drugged now I am back to 10 again and right now it is November 2023. I'm going through the usual side effects and of course the dizziness I am on day 17 of going back to 10. My concern is that maybe I have just been taking too much of it and that is what is causing the dizziness, even though it is a very low-dose , I saw your post and I could relate to all of it. Like I said, I don't know if you are on this anymore but if you are please respond thank you so much and I hope you are doing well.

  • Posted

    i had the dizziness and it went after about 3 weeks of 20mg before that 10mg and 15mg didnt touch the dizziness I'm on my 4th week of 20mg and now I'm having anxiety and anxious and a bit of dizzinessis feeling wich is horrible I know its just a blip hoping doctor gives me valium to get through this part of the journey, your dizziness will go eventually

    • Edited

      Shane,

      Is your dizziness a side effect of meds or part of your anxiety? If it's part of your anxiety.....do you get it often?

    • Posted

      hi, its part of my anxiety the dizziness went but it comes back now and again like it came back yesterday and i had it this morning then it went again, I'm on week 11 on 20mg citalopram and I'm still having side effects I don't know weather to up my dose, lower my dose or switch meds I have spoken to the doctor just after Christmas and he said to change meds but I told him I'd like to wait until week 12 to see if the side effects go but they haven't the jaw clenching is the worst but the dizziness has gone, but it does come back now and again .

    • Posted

      Did you get dizziness from anxiety often before citalopram?

      What does your dizziness feel like? Mine is like a woozy/drunk kind of feeling I also get a lot of brain fog and my eyes feel like sometimes I am wearing somebody else's prescription, glasses or something.

      it's good to hear that. Yours has gone away and only get it now and again. Because maybe you can work on getting rid of it through other tools like therapy.

      I understand about not wanting to change meds, I definitely do not want to have to do that either. I am now on day 22 of 15 mg of citalopram. what side effects are plaguing you at this point? Do you think they are side effects or do you think it is that the citalopram at 20 mg so far isn't taking care of your anxiety? I don't think I would lower the meds… I tried that as well and then I just got withdrawal type symptoms. It's a frustrating process.

    • Posted

      also..i had the jaw clenching...more so on lower dose of 10 it comes and goes now. But sometimes it was really bad and my neck was so stiff and sore as well as my shoulders. At the time my doctor said that we could add BuSpar, just a tiny dose at bedtime as that is supposed to get rid of the jaw clenching. My jaw stuff has pretty much gone away on 15 mg so I didn't add the BuSpar… But just a thought.

    • Posted

      well the dizziness just came on me slowly last spring in hot weather i just assumed i had too much sun but i kept having it exactly as you described it i told the doctor its like ive drunk a pint fast and walked outside in the fresh air not exactly dizzy but feeling slight off balance it went then at the end of july , this was before taking medication then it came back with a bang the end of sep going into October this is when I went really ill the dizziness chronic fatigue I could feel my diaphragm move inside when I was breathing really weird feeling everything was happening to me I had every test under the sun 2 doctors cam back and said you've had a complete physical and mental breakdown and a 3rd said to me it looks like long covid and that thers been alot of strong healthy individuals going really ill and there's been no findings of anything wrong with them and that these people who was able to fight off covid really easy are now coming down with long covid so I'm not sure if I've had a break down or it's long covid that has caused a breakdown

    • Posted

      im on my 15th week on 20mg and im still getting the jaw clenching achy teeth and jaw and face seriously considering weaning off it just dont think it agrees with me at all

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