Starting 20mg Citalopram today reassurance please x
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi all. I am due to start 20mg of Citalopram today due to anxiety and i have had panic attacks over last 2 months, one so severe ended up in A&E. I am on edge alot of the time and constantly worrying about health and any niggle i get i over analyse and then worry/panic.
My symptoms are when i cant catch my breath i panic then get irrational, palpitations, dizziness like i will pass out, shear panic and dread of dying and out of control just on edge,
The reason i am going to take them is i had a huge panic attack on motorway whilst driving out of blue and that has scared me. I am okay the majority of the time and can manage my worries but other times my anxietyand panic comes from nowhere, usually when i am most relaxed of an evening and i just want to feel worry free and normal self again.
I think covid has been a major trigger for me plus 3 years ago i had to resuscitate my brother in law with my sister who was only 36 and that has really had an impact on me. Sadly he passed away and alongside that i was having ivf which sadly i miscarried so i have had a lot of trauma. I just looked after my sister and her son and kept busy with life, being a mum and work and covid has made me stop and think and fear of illness i think has hit. I have worked throughout as an Assistant Headteacher in a SEN school which has been very scary and the thought of catching it and passing it on has exasperated by anxiety and panic.
I decided i needed some support but now am anxious about the side affects of the pills as they sound awful.
Any reassurance welcome. Thank you x
0 likes, 3 replies
sun47 emily85501
Edited
hello emily have you started taking the citalopram yet, if so how is it going?
these tablets can certainly be very good for people regarding helping them reduce worrying thoughts, anxiety, panic, fear and so on.
it might be an idea to consider with your doctor (perhaps you could discuss it with him or her), starting on 10mg first of citalopram for a week at least, as this means it does give your body a bit more time to adjust to the medication when first starting up, as for many of us (me included), it can make you feel worse at first as your body adjusts to it.
emily85501 sun47
Posted
Hi. Yes i managed to start yesterday after worrying about a reaction.
i felt very dick, dizzy and a bit spaced out yesterday. Felt like pressure on my chest too. Last night i felt panicky in bed but managed yo breathe through it and usually sleep really well but woke up numerous times in a panic but did fall back to sleep.
Today the same really although feel more on edge and chest heavy and palpitations which i dont normally get aside from a panic attack. Been resting all afternoon.
Hoping tomorrow eases more and less on edge.
How long do side effects normally last?
Thank you for your response.
sun47 emily85501
Posted
hey emily, that's what i felt also when starting, i felt chest heavy like you say and also felt like my body had an increase in anxiety and tension flowing through it. for me i experienced this for about a week or so before it eased down.
this stage you are experiencing varies between people. some people will have these startup side effects for a number of days and others may have it for weeks. it's really impossible to guess how long your adjustment phase will be but well done for getting started as at least now you are on the right path forwards.