Please Help! I am a new member and been on citalopram for 4 months now

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hello everyone. I have been diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder. I am very concerned of what is happening with me.

Actually I have been taking Citalopram 20 mg for 16 weeks which means 4 months now, and like 2 months after I start taking it I started to feel like a difference in my condition I had good days my panic attacks stopped and I thought I was recovering I had my confidence back also to go somewhere near...not far at all.

Then suddenly like a week ago I had a very bad panic attack again and since that day I started again with this episodes of palpitations and nervousness sweating in hands all the time also I am feeling like a heavy heart or chest which is so uncomfortable ...I really don't know what to do.

I have read that we can get blips but I really don't know how can I feel sick suddenly after doing well for some days.

I really need someone to help me and guide me. Or if anyone has been in a similar situation? What should I do?

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4 Replies

  • Edited

    Hi, I've been on citalopram for years and i'm on my second blip just now. I originally started on 20mg which really helped with my depression/panic attacks, then years later I had my first blip where I had to increase it to 25mg again it did help me but just recently I have been through a lot of stress and have started having really bad panic attacks so doc advised to increase to 30mg. I had really bad side effects so cut the tablet to 2.5mg which it has taken me two weeks to slightly feel better along with taking diazepram when I need it. I think its pretty normal to have blips, i know it can be scary and think your going backwards, that's how I've been feeling but when I read some of posts it gives me reassurance that we will get better, it is a very lonely journey. Maybe speak to your doc re. dosage. Stay strong. 😊

    • Posted

      Thank you very much for replying.

      so you had this blip but was years later I am experiencing it within this 4 months ... sometimes I feel like maybe its not a blip and the medication is not working or causing me this symptoms its so so confusing and hard..

      I was really afraid since I did not know that clearly about the blips. It so hard to handle after you feel a bit better and then all of a sudden you feel again the symptoms coming... I really don't want to increase medication because I remember when I started it I was in a really dark place those first weeks..and I am afraid if I increase I will get the side effects again....hope it eases for me soon

  • Posted

    hi sami !

    Your nervous system is recovering and still adjusting to the med. It has always taken me about 3 months to feel a little better and around 6 months or longer to get back to myself and it just keeps getting better after that. i have been here a few times but I am no dr. this is just my experience.

    I am currently in a tough place also after tapering down and starting back up on dose.

    If there is no life or health threat i would hold at that 20 mg for at least a few more months. same dose same time everyday.

    when drs and everyone says recover in x weeks just change that to months. we are all different and some do recover in weeks but from what i see its months mostly.

    excercise and mindfulness breathing

    hang on!

    • Posted

      I really really hope this is the case. I have really suffered a lot and I know all of us does in this situation but its so so hard to live with it. I hope it is a blip and i could get better and better and then recover completely with this medication.

      Can you share a bit of your experience?

      I mean I got really scared because I had this bad panic attack after feeling much better and that got me bad because i was thinking I will not have panic attack anymore or at least not so soon.

      Can I ask if you also had any panic attack in your blip like inicially when you had your first blip?

      Then after that panic attack I am constantly feeling the palpitations again which are really scary also...so its like a rollercoaster so so annoying. Sometimes it really feels so lonely like i am the only one feeling all those symptoms and like I am going crazy.

      I hope you could share your experience and thank you very much for replying.

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