The reason why we feel worse at first
Posted , 10 users are following.
I've posted this before a couple of years back but here's a laymans guide to what happens when we first start taking citalopram.
You take your first pill and immediately there is more serotonin, the feel good hormone available in your brain, so why do I feel crap?
The answer is receptors, at first your receptors see more serotonin available and say, Hey! there's too much serotonin here and release less to where it is needed, this is why you get side effects and feel worse.
After repeated dosing for several weeks sometimes less in some people, the receptors see this increased serotonin as normal and become desensitised, they give up the fight and slowly start releasing serotonin to where it is needed and slowly we start to feel better.
Once you begin to feel better this then feeds off itself and recovery comes.
Last year I upped my dose in the middle of March, 12 weeks later I was fully recovered. Most of the improvements came in the last month. One thing to look out for is sleep, when your natural sleep quality improves then recovery is not too far around the corner.
4 likes, 80 replies
mary0601 mark89813
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Thanks for this explanation. I'm on week 6 of 20 mg Cit. 10 weeks total on ssri (was on sertraline 1st) and finally my dry mouth is easing up! My insomnia is better. Now I feel tired and could sleep 14 hours! One extreme to the next but I'll take it! Interesting to know that once the sleep pattern is back to normal, recovery is close. Yay
laura36585 mark89813
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mark89813 laura36585
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Yes, the extra anxiety is caused by your receptors throttling back serotonin release as they think there is too much, once they become desensitised by continued dosing then the serotonin will get to where it is needed and you will begin to feel better. It's difficult to put a timescale on how long that takes, some lucky people get better in a few weeks. For me it's about 12 weeks.
ben85017 mark89813
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manny39794 ben85017
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laura36585 manny39794
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ben85017 manny39794
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manny39794 laura36585
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I’m on 30mg now Laura for last 15 days before that 20mg. Like Lois said you need to STAY on the same consistent dose for 3 months to really know if it’s the right amount. Now I’ve upped to 30 I think I need to stay here. I’ve been able to get onto an excercise bike recently and did 10km calmly yesterday fighting this exhaustion feeling that’s quite overwhelming. But excercise is a very important part of our recover... I’m yawning excessively as I write this which send jelly like tremors down my arms to my weak achy hands 😑 but it’s just the meds, I know that and it better than the panic attacks and extreme anxiety 1,000,000%. I can cope with the physical symptoms. The psychological ones are the scary and most disturbing ones which have been reduced👍
manny39794 ben85017
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We’re together in this bro 💪 fear and racing thoughts, catastophising, feelings of doom and hopelessness are much harder to deal with than a dry mouth! When I read someone wants to come of citalopram because of something annoying like a dry mouth, I wonder about the severity of condition and their mental turmoil.
lois95799 manny39794
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laura36585 manny39794
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manny39794 laura36585
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lois95799 manny39794
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For quite a few months..these doctors playing with the doses it's absurd..if they only knew ......
ben85017 manny39794
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i wish it was only dry much i would be attached myslef to a tube of water ,, we fighting diffrent psychotic symptoms site effects much harder!!! Today i thout lets go for a nice walk 🌞 out there by the time i get to the door for some vitamin d IT STARTED RAIN ??
laura36585 ben85017
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laura36585 manny39794
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lois95799 laura36585
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ben85017 laura36585
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thats all we hope tomorrow will be better !! and day after and the week after and the month after and finally the year after ,, then if we feel gd cuming of cit will be a beging of withdraws 😧🤷???
lois95799 ben85017
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That's exactly the route ben.but I ain't going to yield. To withdrawals because I'm celexa for ever..hell no...lol
lois95799 ben85017
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ben85017 lois95799
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lois95799 ben85017
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Enjoy .. because I ain't going thru that see saw again...I have convinced my self that iam feeling great because of the celexa..no way in hell iam going thru withdrawal to only jump on the wagon again.. absolutely not..
gilip lois95799
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laura36585 gilip
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ben85017 laura36585
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mary0601 manny39794
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Not sure if your comment was directed towards me but I feel compelled to respond. I posted before about my doctor wanting to pull me off of Cit due to the severity of my dry mouth (amongst other crappy side effects). It wasn't just a little annoying side effect. I had tried everything I could to ease that. My gums and teeth hurt and was affecting my quality of life. Lucky for you, you haven't had this issue or you wouldn't be so quick to judge. You can wonder all you like about the condition or severity of my (or whoever you were speaking of) mental turmoil but when you actually post your judgemental critiques of someone you do not know, that is hurtful and counterproductive to the reason why this forum exists. We (or should I say, most of us) all joined this forum to discuss our issues with Cit and glean some useful info from others who perhaps have been through something similar. I find your comment very insensitive.
manny39794 mary0601
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lois95799 ben85017
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lois95799 manny39794
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If members on here where more specific with there celexa issues ..we will all be more understanding ...we are not phychics to be able to respond to something some one might not like unless they are specific..I don't you if anyone has children or not..i don't know how many side effects people are suffering with unless you post it..so people chill out..and if you feel sensitive about other peoples replys ..be more specific..that way there's no confusion...that goes for every body..peace always Lois...
mark89813 manny39794
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I'm on day 53, feeling brighter than I was but my anxiety levels are still too high. I suffer from SAD and lots of bright sunshine helps me along with meds.
manny39794 lois95799
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Thanks Lois, exactly what you said. I of course meant not to insensitive to anyone. We’re here for each other at the end of the day.... 🙂
lois95799 manny39794
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manny39794 lois95799
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Here’s one about doctors for you. I went to one at my local surgery when I decided I needed to be back on something, this time being Citalopram. I told him I was formally on Paxil for six years and he said....wait for it.......................”what is Paxil?” 🙄. My confidence in him went through the floor I can tell you.
lois95799 manny39794
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gilip manny39794
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gilip lois95799
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lois95799 gilip
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Just try to stay on same dosage..your morning anxiety will pass ..it's always the last to go... praying for you...good luck
manny39794 lois95799
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I am coming to the end of week 7 too. Yesterday and the day before I felt the side effects were much reduced and anxiety too had calmed a bit. Today not so good :-(. This afternoon in particular I had increased anxiety followed by a totally dibilitating exhaustion episode where I could not even move. I felt like a puppet string doll. I still do a bit but not as much. I spoke all funny as my facial muscles were all droopy, my legs and arm felt like lead and strangest of all I felt dead in the brain ( no thoughts so to speak). This was ironically not frightening but also unexpected. I’ve managed to pick up the phone and type this now but earlier I couldn’t hold anything as I lay flopped on the bed shattered for no reason.... and all this two days before end of week 7 🙄. Nearly 4 wks @ 20, 3 wks @ 30! Sigh!
manny39794 gilip
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I meant no harm to anyone gilip. I’m no bully👍....I was the one who was bullied at school. In fact, it’s that kind of human behaviour that creates low self esteem, isolation and anxiety and depression in those who are bullies. If only kids at school knew the damage at the time they are causing when they pick on the weaker minded more anxious and/or less fortunate pupils, they would know not to do it. My experience on citalopram is unknown. As is everyone’s. But it is required I’ve accepted that I must be helped this way, it’s not a choice it’s a necessity. As is my contribution to this place and the good people who inhabit these pages, giving each other strength and support. I am good in the know that some people like yourself have found my input and sharing of my symptoms to be helpful 🙂. It’s a good feeling.... and that’s what we all need right, good feelings so thank you for your kind words 😉
lois95799 manny39794
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Yes Manny ..all that you mentioned about side effects are all too real..but from my experience of the side effects they all diminish slowwwwwly within 8months ...I still get a little twitch here n there ..but is manegable..and I'll take that anytime and not suffer from anxiety..
manny39794 laura36585
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manny39794 lois95799
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This is good to know Lois. Thank you for sharing and reassuring us xx😘
manny39794 lois95799
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🙄🙄🙄 not very prefesssional of her was it. Considering the potency of these meds they should know at least all their generic alternate names of the market leaders, well I think so anyway. I was particularly surprised mine didn’t know about Paxil as it was a controversial drug with panorama and the like making documentaries about its negative effects in younger brains =countless suicides and as we’ve mentioned before inducing uncontrolllable rage in others, one poor guy killed his 11 year old as he entered psychosis caused by Paxil😕 poor man.... did you ever take venlafaxine in the end?
manny39794 gilip
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You and I are running in tandem. At the 7 week stage 🙂. Well done for reaching this far!
gilip manny39794
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gilip manny39794
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manny39794 gilip
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Yep I noticed the increase from 20-30 for sure, think I still am tbh.....I just wanted it done but I can see your approach ‘might’ work. When on paxil I withdrew from 40 to 0 over 9 months. The last 5mg were the worst. It comes in liquid form so you can go in tiny quantity drops. When I went from 5ml to 4ml that was the most scary crazy confusing time for me. I did 1ml drop each two weeks..... in the end I switched to sertraline to get off. A year on I tried sertraline again but 3 days in i was losing my mind so I stopped it. Guess what I’m trying to say is even small dose changes can make. Difference..... I wish you well 🙂. I went to 30 purely because my doc thinks it’s ok as I need a bit more than the therapeutic dose. Let’s hope she is right.
mark89813 manny39794
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lois95799 manny39794
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manny39794 mark89813
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manny39794 lois95799
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That’s really good to know that a dose of 10mg has sorted you out Lois🙂. Now I’m at 30 I’m guessing I should stick it out at 30 unless something terrible happens in the meantime. I’d prefer to be on 10mg if I knew it would do the job, more is not necessarily better as you say! I’ve spent a lot of time in here this evening after my awfully disabling afternoon. Thanks all for the company and reading 🙂 17 posts today and I even bothered to update my profile with a little recent pic of myself kinda smiling...
manny39794 ben85017
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gilip manny39794
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lois95799 manny39794
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Yes I lasted 6days...the vision problems where insane ..I couldn't look at anything bright it would hurt my eyes...and the pain in the back of my calves was horrible ..
mark89813 gilip
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I'm on 22.5mgs as well, I may go up to 25, we'll see. Every dose increase for me is like starting again.
gilip mark89813
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lois95799 mark89813
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That's insane coming off only to go back on..that causes more havoc than actually staying on them.. you can stay on them for the rest of your life..just saying...
mark89813 gilip
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I do, but the dose creeps up by 2.5mgs or 5mgs every SAD season, I started on 5mg and recovered on it too. I got up to 40mgs a few years back but then had a year with no SAD at all and I slowly went off the meds completely. The withdrawal wasn't too bad for me. I was well for the best part of 2 years and then the meds merry go round started again.
In the summer proper I'm a completely different person, happy go lucky, calm and productive at work. SAD is a sod but with meds and sun it always goes away.