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Visual disturbances and Citalopram

Posted , 7 users are following.

erin22088
erin22088

I was recently on Citalopram 10mg (today wouldve been day 11). The only side effect I had in the first couple of days was my anxiety increased a bit. On day 8 I woke with a headache, nausea, dizziness and visual disturbance which were all constant. I rang our national healthline (I'm in NZ) and the nurse said to take day 8 dose and if symptoms don't improve go see the doctor so went to the doctor the next day. The doctor said it was unlikely due to the medication as if it was I wouldve experienced this in the first couple of days ( I thought day 8 wouldve been considered early) ive been off them since day 9 so for 2 days and I still have nausea, slight dizziness and constant visual disturbance, which almost feels like i am going to get a migraine however that doesnt happen. has anyone experienced constant visual disturbances while on citalopram? how long did it take to resolve?.and has anyone been on Cit for a short amount of time but still experience withdrawals?

Oh and I was on Citalopram back in 2008 with only the increased anxiety in the first couple of days as a side effect.

Thank you for your input  smile

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • julia154
    julia154 erin22088

    Posted

    well 10 mg is  small does erin, im on 40mg now started on 20 but like you say i was full of anxiety with 20mg , put them down to 10 mg was fine. then back to 20mg then 40 now though saying this ive been on them for 8 years now. so think im used to them now. its like any anti depressant it takes time to work. dont give up im sure any one would tell you this. side affects go with any type of medication.  dont worry to much  .if they dont suit you go see about it.  theres loads of other things to take . good luck 
  • Jojoxxx
    Jojoxxx erin22088

    Posted

    Hi Erin. I'm on cit 30mg. I had visual disturbances too. I spoke to the doctor and said same as you. It comes and goes I find. It's irritating. I've been on it for about 6 weeks now since they've upped the dosage to 30. It's bareable and not as bad as what it was when they first increased. I also go glasses which helped me to focus. I didn't beed them for everyday things like driving or reading, but if in tired and my I get visuals. They help me focus. I also tried eye drops because they said my eyes were dry. Hope this helps
    • erin22088
      erin22088 Jojoxxx

      Posted

      Hi Jojo, thank you for your message. I have been off the Citalopram for 3 days now (took it for 8 days) however I still have constant visual disturbance and nausea, headache. Even though my doctor doesn't think these are side effects I don't think its coincidental that these effects have come on early while taking Cit. I'm wondering if I need a good detox as maybe its still in my system causing these things to happen. Can I ask what sort of visual disturbance you experience? thanks
    • Jojoxxx
      Jojoxxx erin22088

      Posted

      I have like grainy vision. Sometimes I find it hard to focus when surrounded by a lot of people just looks like a big blur. I also get patches of like yellow and different colours but that's not very often. I also get streams coming from light pretty much all the time. Sometimes it's best to try and work with the tablets and bare with it. They take a very long time to settle approximately 4 weeks x
  • collette21317
    collette21317 erin22088

    Posted

    i have been on citalapram nearly 3 weeks only 5mg .it as made my vision really blurry . i was on this years ago nether had this .is this a side affect ..because i have ad loads of them

  • manny39794
    manny39794 erin22088

    Edited

    Hi, i'm on day 9 10mg cit and finding it a lot harder to read my phone as its all the more blurry... just another side effect. when I was on Seroxat, it made me see things, shadows, kaleidoscopes and triangle overlapping shifting 3D shapes when I closed my eyes....

    • lois95799
      lois95799 manny39794

      Posted

      i totally had that on celexa.but it all subsided.how you feeling manny.?

    • manny39794
      manny39794 lois95799

      Edited

      Hi Lois thanks for asking. still feeling extremely tired. had nasty morning jitters still today but it has settled and i'm calm at the moment thank goodness. after the jitters passed i felt like somebody was twisting my gut inside (more so than the usual nausea) and felt like i had a rock up my bottom that was getting bigger. it was soo painful, i didnt know where to put myself, but after an hour it passed and i didnt even go if you know what i mean... really odd.. Yesterday I had to pee 23 times, yes i am counting as of thurday as i go soo much. today 14 so far so still need to be close to the loo... i remember this from last time so i'm not concerned. still got the jaw yawns too but the nausea is less intense too today which is good. I'm readying myself for anything else which may come along, symptoms that may reappear or worsen....

      note to everyone, starting on 10mg is much easier than starting on 20mg!

      thanks again for asking xx

  • paige05374
    paige05374 erin22088

    Posted

    hi,

    i had this problem with my vision thats why came off citalopram after 8 days of being on them. 3 weeks later my vision still dont feel the same! because ive had 4 eye tests and everything was fine they are putting it down to anxiety

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