Do I need to go up to 20mg? Had a bad blip

Hi everyone. I am on day 24 of Celexa (started at 5 mg, went up to 10 after a week). Mostly side effects have been yawning, lack of appetite, jaw clenching and some mood swings, but overal, I did get some relief from anxiety and even had a few days where I felt really happy and excited about life. Those days were great!

However, I was in a very high stress situation with my parents yesterday and it seemed like I suddenly fell right back into where I was before I started the meds. I cried most of the day and just felt devastated, lost my appetite, etc. The day before was great -- I felt positive and had a great appetite all day. This sounds like a blip.

Since it seems like the 10mg is working half the time, I feel like I should try to go up, but it's also only been three weeks and I know it can take six or more to feel the full effects. Anyone have advice? Also, what happened yesterday made me scared its not working. And I don't want to think that!

slow down, allow more time for positive affects however 20mg is the probable theraputic dose. Speak to your Doc.

Best of luck

Hi there,

Im on day 13 of 10mg. I have started to see an effect but still waking early, cant sleep and basically feeling pretty crap on a morning. I have been wondering this myself? The majority of the SE seem to have gone although I woke up this morning with the runs again and retched but only once.

I am hoping this starts to wear off as the day goes on. Had a canny few days before this morning and however it is not as bad as it has been I just want some morning relief and a full nights sleep!!!

I am currently re-applying for my job and the interview is a week today! I think all this has been caused by the stress of having all this to go through and at the time my hubby was going through the same thing. I am hoping once I get all of this crap sorted in my life this horrible thing will go.

Hope you feel better today!! We do get good days and bad days. Its horrible but it does show the meds are kind of working!!

Take care.

Kendra x

Thanks to both of you for your replies! Kendra, I had a lot of those same symptoms earlier on (week one and two), especially the gagging which is awful! I slept mostly well in the first few weeks but now I seem to be waking early and right now it's 3 am here and I've woken after four hours of sleep. Not sure what to expect next from these meds, but I'm trying to hang in there. Best of luck with your interview and I hope you start to get some relief soon too...

We are going to have blips now and again and if you had a very stressful situation with your parents then you will be feeling like this.

I think I am feeling worse on a morning because of this job situation and the near its all getting I am getting worried and anxious about it.

The thing is I was already worried and anxious before I was ill. So I have probably made myself this way because of all the stress. Thats probably what happened to you yesterday.

You will probably feel much better agaim in a day or so when it has all calmed down.

Kendra x

same here...on day 13 of citalopram and if it wasnt for the hope given in here i would have stopped taken them immediately...been a living hell and im praying they kick in soon but im confident they will...it helps to know im not alone on the first 2 weeks of hell of side effects from these but saying that id recommend them as a few weeks of hell is better than months and months of misery...i too would like extra reassurance that they will kick in!! have to also take propranolol and diazapam...not good as 2 months ago i was a strong confident leader of a woman who everyone turned too...now i cant barely walk to my local shop without jumping out of my skin and cant bare to wake up in a morning as i know the day will consist of lazing in front of the tv barely able to watch anything remotely upsetting...even certain story lines in the soaps kick my anxiety off...just an utter living hell at the moment but a humbling experience and when i recover i will certainly be taking things much more easier!! thnk u people for the posts in these forums...they have got me thru a torturous time but hoping now as week 2 of citalopram begins then so will my life again xxx

Almost two weeks now... started 10 mg first week, just completing 2d week at 20 mg... the side effects are not absolutely horrible, but have noticed butterflies in my gut, some constipation, a little clenching, spaced out... some of this could also be the Klonopan given me as a 'while you wait' measure... also I feel a lot more destitute in my mood.... it was prescribed for out of control anxiety but living with that for months will MAKE one depressed I figure, so it is hard to know if I am feeling more depressed as a side effect artifact or just that... it's all so depressing! However I will be hanging tight too... I really do have some trepidation about SSRIs because I am a musician and musicians feed off their feeling for their music... it might not bee a good fit, however the anxiety has been so exhausting there's not seeming to be a better choice right now... well other than not having to work and winning the lottery and flying to Rio or Fiji or something, getting a massage every day, walking on the beach endlessly with the surf churning and so on... I dare say that would do it. Oh, sorry...! Well that was a nice nap wasn't it! Hang tight, let's hope it kicks in and also let's hope it gives us some peace and we make a smooth transition back off this stuff (well that is my goal ASAP) All best -- Val