Success on Citalopram😁
Posted , 115 users are following.
I just wanted to feed back to you all how wonderful I am feeling week12 on citalopram 20 mg
This is my second time on this drug since 2013. With hindsight I should never really have come off it but stayed at a very low dose .
I spent hours..again ...researching the internet in the early stages. This time it took 6 weeks until I started to feel better. It had taken only 2 the first time
Yes I had all the side effects and felt much much worse whilst my brain waited to rewire itself in those initial weeks
It may not be the drug for everyone but it's worked wonders for me
So I just wanted to comfort and give empathy to those of you out there who are still on their journey
My path is now much straighter
Good luck all
43 likes, 689 replies
sulma72566 gillian176
Edited
Really needed to read this today Gillian. I am 6 and 1/2 weeks in and have really been struggling the past few days....also have a 3 and 1/2 month old baby to look after!
I have had some good days and windows of feeling better sometimes on not so great days but the bad days are horrendous. Bad thoughts, can't eat, fatigue. Just so hard.
Hoping to have more frequent better days and less severe bad days soon as determined not to up the dosage from 20mg. GPs are quick to suggest this but I couldn't cope with side effects and starting the clock again so need to just soldier on.
thanks for your encouraging post xx
gillian176 sulma72566
Edited
i so empathise
i am still on 20 mg and intend to stay on it
stay where you are
dont upthe dose
it does take time
my second time took 9 weeks
these are very hard times which makes it much harder
i felt really bad last week and my husband said maybe u need a higher dose
no i said its just everything going on in the world and we were doing two weeks quarantine having escaped elsewhere
an good now
sticj with it
be kind to yrself
exercise
i do yoga every day
take care
it will pass in these horrid times
emily97887 gillian176
Edited
Thank you so much for this - am week 4 into being on the drug for the second time (10mg first time round, 20mg for second) and ive heard it can take a lot longer the second time round so really appreciate this update. You don't often get people with successful stories post on here, I guess because they've moved on by then and don't require as much support! Thanks again x
manny39794 emily97887
Posted
Hi Emily, this is my second time too, day 8. only 10mg this time and i've found the side effects to be much more tolerable than the 20mg and 30mg i was on last time. Last time I came off it as it didn't seem to be doing much after around 6 months ( but it was i just didn't realise it) but this time, so far, I have actually noticed an improvement. This is 4 years after seroxat withdrawal and also after a year of 0mg of anything which might be a reason I can feel an improvement already. Anyway, good luck in your journey too.......
gillian176 emily97887
Edited
I think its important to give back what you got from others
these are very tricky weird times
good luck
manny39794 gillian176
Posted
Great news Gillian sooo pleased for you. 😃
One of the biggest mistakes people do is come off them when they think they are ok or don't need them anymore, or want to be med free. I am guilty too. but I have now accepted I must be on something to assist my levels and erradicate this permanent anxiety that ironically another ssri seroxat has scarred me with. I feel now 4 years later I should have not come off it and instead stayed at the lowest 10mg but i wanted to be med free! my mistake.. but here I am instead back on citalopram giving it another try at 10mg and have noticed between the starting side effects some improvements already on only day 8. Wishing you well Gillian, Manny x
gillian176 manny39794
Posted
ha ha yes so true
at the start of lock down i thought oh i could reduce to 10 from
20
my BF said err why ??
no point trying to score points
its tricky enough as is at the monent
gillian176 manny39794
Posted
i was just reading your post again and thinking yes so true
just stay on it
awful times at the moment
blake30994 gillian176
Edited
hi gillian, i think i relate to you. A few years ago i started taking citalopram for panic attacks and feeling anxious/uneasy in situations i felt blocked in (drive-thrus/barber chairs) it was a rough couple of weeks getting used to the side effects but it the end it did help. I started on 20mg then upped it to 30mg after a couple of weeks and stayed there for around 3-4 years, always took it at night before i went to bed and worked great for years. Last few months i thought i could do without as i felt okay without and sometimes even forgot to tke my dose for days at a time. i gradually weaned down from 30-20 then to 10 every other day then stopped taking altogether beginning of july. in august i started feeling panicky in those blocked in situations again so i decided to start taking 10mg again on 07 sept, and it was like starting from square one. stayed on 10mg until the 23 sept then upped it to 20mg, side effects all over again. its now 18 days on 20mg, only bad ones now are increased anxiety in the morning, almost impossible to get out of bed. absolutey no appeitte and insomnia. day time is tough but tend to feel better in the evenings/night.
Guess im just looking for reassurance not to give up and switch meds as i know citalopram has worked for me before. Also have ativan and clonazepam to help when things get real rough. Thank you for making this thread!
blake30994
Posted
should also mention i take my dose in the morning now as when i started again i could not sleep and felt anxious and nauseous. this second time around seems alot harder and makes me feel helpless as i thought it would work right away again since it was only a couple months since i stopped and started again.
gillian176 blake30994
Edited
hello blake
i just knew what was coming next when u said u were starting to feel great and ? stop.....
goodness yes u r my story ,,,
you will not do it again .....but to anyone else reading this.... go straight t to 20mg
thats the therapeutic dose
dont mess with 10 mg
Covid is not helping anyone as its adding in a layer of insecurity and anxiety
We left the Uk in march to stopover in the canarys
we were locked in in true strong spanish style 3 days later
Weirdly i coped well and thought maybe this is the time to try get down to 10 mg
It was better managed out there and i felt really good
Then i thought no ... i need this chemical like a diabetic needs insulin
i became aware of that some years ago .. but we all forget and think we can cope without
we cant
i take mine first thing too
place it on a little saucer last thing at night so i dont forget
i changed to am also
same reason
you will be ok and trust me we have all felt like you
mornings are harder for me too
you have to preplan your day the night before
A strategy for the day
i exercise on you tube pilates or yoga or cardio or two of them every morning
Im allowed one cup of coffee then i have to do it
trust me it works
if your working still thats going to keep you occupied
Try a morning walk in nature type enviroment
if its sunny get out with a book and sit in it
As a bad feeling comes over you take a deep breath couple of times
yesterday i woke up feeling so awful worrying and being anxious about things i truly felt like it did way back
but i put my coping strategys in
painted a radiator that needed doing... tasks raise the hormone levels
did a few jobs read my book
made a cake bread and prepped supper and was much improved
Im going to send you some useful articles i found helpful
trust me keep going you will get through this
we are not alone
gillian176
Posted
sorry if i have repeated any of those
i have tp go back and read them myself at times
blake30994 gillian176
Posted
Thanks Gillian, wondering if you had any issues with your appetite or sleep as i find that is really effecting my days. Its not until the evening or late at night where i start to become hungry so i try to eat as much as i can then as im already losing weight?
i know exercise might help but i have no energy/motivation to do so
gillian176 blake30994
Posted
not really
i can always eat
covid keeps me awake
these problems should pass in time
no one likes exercise but its just become a must do habit and does help
i struggle myself at times
54321,do it
stephanie79407 gillian176
Edited
hi, i am new to this website so i apologize if im posting in the wrong place. im about to start citalopram again i've been on it in the past but always quit after a few days because of the side effects.. i'm wondering if anyone else had insomnia that eventually got better continuing on the citalopram? thanks
gillian176 stephanie79407
Posted
hello stephani
tell me someone who hasnt had that problem
its enough to put you off isnt it
i had it both times i went on it
but try taking it first thing in the morning as you wake
have it out by your bed ready
i moved mine to am a few weeks into the course as i felt that might help me
if youve already started pm just shuttle it round a few hours over couple of days
i think i did 3 am and 6am then as now 8/9 am
i was awake around those times !
its a common side effect along with others but benefits outweigh the problems for me
blake30994 stephanie79407
Edited
hi stephanie, yes insomnia is a common side effect. im on day 20 and still have insomnia, but it is not nearly as bad as when i started. first couple weeks i would struggle to fall and stay asleep, which adds to anxiety. I switched to taking in the morning. still have trouble falling asleep, not getting tired until around midnight but find it easier to stay asleep. I listen to deep sleep music while in bed and find it helps to drown out any thoughts and makes me sleep faster. Only issue now is feel sleepy in the morning.
stephanie79407 gillian176
Edited
thanks that's really helpful. i appreciate the advice. Makes me feel better about taking it
stephanie79407 blake30994
Posted
thanks for your reply. that makes me feel better. much appreciated