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Not too sure what to do

Posted , 6 users are following.

Sally_Sure
Sally_Sure

Hi All,

i've been suffering from anxiety for about 3 months and it has been getting worse and making me depressed.

I went to the doctors and they gave me Citalopram as it helps depresion and anxiety.

I've been taking it for only 2 days and i'm feeling 10 times worse than before I started taking it. I know it takes a while to start working, but i'm feeling on edge constantly and very sickly. I'm booked the week off work as I can't cope with feeling like this at work.

My mum is very against it and wants me to stop taking them but i'm not sure what to do. should I stick to it and see what happens or should I try sometime else?

I've been told that St Andrews wort might be able to help, but I really don't know what to do.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Stiltman
    Stiltman

    Posted

    If you decide to stick with Citalopram, you do need to give it more time. It's quite common to feel worse before you feel any better. You probably need to give it four weeks for beneficial effects to develop.

    You don't mention what dose you have been prescribed. I would guess it's 10 or 20 mg as you are just starting. GP's will try to keep the theraputic dose (the level at which you feel better) as low as they can and normally prescribe up to a maximum 60 mg by staged increases.

    If you have started on 20mg, your symptoms may well be your body adjusting to the drug. If they are too horrible, speak to your doctor and ask if you can reduce the dose while your body adjusts. In any event, you should see him a couple of weeks after you have started Citalopram so he/she can monitor your progress.

    There are other AD's available if Citalopram doesn't work but they all take time to work and will each if their own side effect profile - there's no 'magic bullet' I'm afraid.

    If you do decide that AD's are not for you and you want to try a herbal remedy like St Johns Wort then DON'T take it at the same time as Citalopram (or any other AD for that matter) as to do so can cause a condition called Serotonin toxicity which can be very serious.

    Your GP will be able to advise you how long you should wait after stopping Citalopram before taking a herbal remedy.

    Kind regards

  • kimoli
    kimoli

    Posted

    hi sally,give them a little more time hunni.I to take these for anxiety and panic attacks and it took a good few weeks to kick in but when they did they really helped me..ive been on them for nearly 3 years now.Its something i live with but the tablets do help me..if after a few weeks they dont work for you then at least you tried them..good luck x

    Hi stiltman havnt been on here for a while hope your good i remember when i first came on here you were a great help to me too x

  • Sally_Sure
    Sally_Sure

    Posted

    Thanks for your advice guys! I agree with you both i'm going to try stick it out and see where I am in a few weeks.

    The doctor has give me 20mg so if I don't feel any better when I need to go back to work next week I might see if I can reduce the dose.

    Not sure when the best time is to take them but i've been taking them in the morning and it's been putting me off my food for most of the day and making me really sleepy, so i'm going to try taking them in an evening to see if that helps.

    I've not been on a forum like this before, so thank you both for getting back to me smile

  • Stiltman
    Stiltman

    Posted

    Good luck Sally, I hope whatever you decide to do it works out well for you and you make a speedy recovery.

    Hi Kim, great to hear you're doing well smile . I'm very much an occasional contributor on here these days - on a whole cocktail of drugs now and concentration very poor :roll: - it'll all work out one day I hope!!

    All the best.

  • LAH
    LAH

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I have just started to take Citalopram, last week, on visiting my NHS gp and they were no help at all, i am very lucky to have access to private medical assistance as i work in the medical industry.

    I have been given 20mg or citalopram, but the doctor said to take half a tablet for the first 6 days to ease me in and also prescribed me XANAX - 0.25mg as these help with any anxiety and have been a great help for me.

    I have to take one in the morning and 2 at night as I suffer with lack of sleep.

    I have found that being able to have access to someone who knows me personally as well as a patients a much nicer experience and I trusted them to prescribe me the right and most effective.

    hope this helps???

  • dazzleress
    dazzleress

    Posted

    Hi Sally Sure

    Iam 32 and have been on citalopram for 5 yrs now and they work fine for me but they do take time to work at least 2 weeks, so try and hang in there smile .Its hard i know but u will find something that will work for u, i tryed 2 others before i settled on these remember everyone is diffrent. One bit of advice i can give u is ur not alone so talk if u can to people and take each day as it comes, today might b crap but 2morrow might be better!!! Things will get better i promise, just takes time.

  • Lizy
    Lizy

    Posted

    Hi

    I'm just begining week 3 with cit 10mg and I am feeling terrible, every time I try cit they upset my stomach. The longest I managed was 4 months at the begining of last year.

    Has anyone managed to overcome the stomach pain and heart burn while on the cit and the loss of appetite?

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