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When is the best time to up dose of citalopram

Posted , 4 users are following.

kerry84695
kerry84695

I know that people say that it can take ages to start to work, however at what stage did you increase your dose (if you have) was there any side effects and did it make any difference?

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • don45258
    don45258 kerry84695

    Posted

    Hi

    I'm thinking the same its been 7 weeks now on 20mg from what people on here have told me they say hang in there it can take months not weeks to feel better I'm just going to stick it out a bit longer.

    What are you suffering from the most ?

    • sue68612
      sue68612 don45258

      Posted

      HI Don

      I just read your post and see you've been on citalopram 7 weeks. Are you still havin side effects? I'm on 4 weeks and still having nausea in the mornings and trouble sleeping, although last night I did sleep better. I was just wondering how much longer before I feel like I can function again. Don't feel like doing hardly anything.

      Thank you.

    • don45258
      don45258 sue68612

      Posted

      Hi sue

      The side effects have gone now (unless anxiety is a side effect 😃)sleep is a lot better deppression is better it's just mornings wake up with anxiety and intrusive thoughts from what people say on here it's still early days can take up to 12 weeks to feel them kick In hang in their .

      Have you tried Cbt ?

    • sue68612
      sue68612

      Posted

      Also Don,

      At what week were you when your side effects went away? I was just wandering how much longer they are gonna last. Don't feel like doing hardly anything. Just trying to get through each day. It's really so hard.

    • kerry84695
      kerry84695 sue68612

      Posted

      Ard you feeling worse now than before you started? If so you should discuss it with your doctor as I would have though that most side effects would be getting better
    • don45258
      don45258 sue68612

      Posted

      It's a talking therapy it works good for some people ask your doctor they can put u on the right track. It took me about 4 weeks for side effects to slow down but remember everyone's different is this you first Time on ad's ?
    • sue68612
      sue68612 don45258

      Posted

      No. I was on it and thought I was doing better and quit taking them. The doctor told me to start taking them again. When I started them before I was real sick anyway with thyroid problems aND I was having sleeping problems and anxiety, so I really don't know how long it was because of thyroid or citrolopram.
    • don45258
      don45258 sue68612

      Posted

      Did you just stop taking them or did u taper off ?
    • sue68612
      sue68612 don45258

      Posted

      I just stopped taking them. Didn't seem to have any withdrawal symptoms.
    • don45258
      don45258 sue68612

      Posted

      You really sould taper off these drugs how long was it before you started to feel bad again ?
  • kerry84695
    kerry84695

    Posted

    Only 4 weeks, I also know that they can take ages to work, but I was wondering would they work quicker if we up the dose sooner? Are we suffering when we didn't need to? I'm seeing gp on Wednesday for a review.

    I'm not wanting to increase yet was just interested to hear others opinions

  • Sourgirl
    Sourgirl kerry84695

    Posted

    Hi Kerry, sorry to hear you're suffering. I will answer based on the assumption that you're currently on 20mg. It is my opinion (and I am not a doctor) that you should not rush to up your dose in the hope that it will make the meds work more quickly, as this will not necessarily be the case can cause other issues. For example, if you are suffering from side effects such as increased anxiety, intrusive thoughts, feelings of hopelessness etc then increasing your dose may intensify these and make problems worse in the short term. I would give it a few more weeks on 20mg before considering increasing your dosage. As most people on this forum will tell you, citalopram takes a long time to take effect - it took 12 weeks before I was feeling 'back to my old self' and I still have the odd wobble. I know its so difficult, but try to be a patient as you can. I did take 40mg for a few days very early on hoping, like you, I would get more relief, but - for me - this had absolutely the opposite effect - my side effects were hideous and I felt mentally very unwell indeed. However, everyone is different and I would encourage you to talk things over with your doctor if you feel the need. Very best of luck to you Kerry.
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