Side effects on Day 1 of increase?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hi everyone! I have been on 10mg of Citalopram for panic disorder for about a month, and my doctor decided to increase me to 20mg. I am on Day 1 of the increase and I am feeling so tired, weak, nauseous and lightheaded. I feel weird and am struggling with some derealization/depersonalization at work (one of my main and most triggering anxiety and panic symptoms). I am also having occasional twitches/body jerks.

Is it normal/possible to already have these symptoms on Day 1 of an increase? It is scaring me that I suddenly feel so awful. I had side effects when I first started as well, but they had gone away.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    I had side effects on day 1 of going up to 20mg from 10mg but mine was that my anxiety got a lot worse. I'm on week seven and I'm trying to hang in there but I did take diazepam to get me through the first week. I then turned a bit of a corner but have currently had a bit of a setback. This is my second time on citalopram and I remember the side effects been worse the first time round but I hung in there for three to four weeks and it did get better for me and eventually the anxiety did too. We are all different so it takes us all different times I just wish I'd never stopped taking the citalopram and I wouldn't be going through this right now. X

  • Posted

    Very normal:-). Unfortunately, the side effects are usually there each time we increase the dosage.

    ?For me, the side effects were worst the first 2, maybe 3 weeks, then slowly started to diminish. It wasn't an overnight thing, but much more gradual.

  • Posted

    Hi Whitney,

    My feelings are that your dosage has been increased too quickly.  Citalopram builds up in the system over a period of around ten days (it takes ten days for your system to get rid of each tablet so Cit builds up day by day) and then it takes the brain a few more weeks to get used to the drug.  After ten days the amount in your system peaks at 2.5 times your dose because of the way it builds up and decreases to around 1.5 times your dose before you take the next tablet.

    Increasing or decreasing the dose should be done gradually not just doubled at your doctor's whim.

    Maybe alternating 10mg and 20mg daily for a couple of months would help you avoid too many side-effects

  • Posted

    yes,it is possible ,don't think that by going up a dose the side effects don't occur,when you go up  to the next dosage ,you can get side effects until the dosage builds up again

    • Posted

      Split your dosage ten in the morning ten in the evening more kind to your system..until you stabilize..
    • Posted

      I've had a chat with my doctor this morning and he's suggested that I go up to 30mg from 20mg. It's week seven at 20mg for me and I've told him that I'm terrified of going up a dose as I don't want my anxiety to increase. I'm also taking 3.5mg of ziplocone at night so I don't have panic attacks at night. So the doctor told me it won't harm me to stay in the ziplocone for a while until it settles but I really am terrified of going to 30mg.

    • Posted

      If your doctor is suggesting to go to thiry do it slowly as in go to 25 for a few weeks then perhaps 30..but if I where you I wait on the twenty ..it's a crap shoot with these meds. At least you have the ziplocone..that ain't going to harm you..some folks don't do well with ssris and they have to take ziplocone or xanex for the rest of there life's...

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