Alternative SSRIs

I was recently prescribed my first SSRI- citalopram. I had a very bad experience on it, which i think may have lead to a fairly long term deterioration in my mental wellbeing as I experienced my first panic attacks for many years on it and am now scared of these coming back.

My question is if anyone who has had a bad reaction on an SSRI has since tried other SSRIs and had positive results. Should I be trying to find a drug that works, or is my experience on citalopram a good indication that SSRIs in general are not for me?

The question also applies to anyone who tried SSRIs and had bad reactions and has since tried SJW. Is SJW free of the side effects and increased anxiety that SSRIs often cause in the first weeks. Has anyone found SJW to cause increased anxiety or panic attacks.

My experience with citalopram has lead me to be very scared of trying any more drugs, as I fear another episode of drug induced psychosis could have severe consequences on my long term mental health - I am just about holding it together at the moment but feel I am very close to the edge!

Appologies if these topics have been covered elsewhere, I have only been reading on here for a few days.

Thank you.

Hello.

I am afraid that I haven't tried any SSRIs apart from Citalopram, but wondered how long ago you were prescribed it? You said 'recently', but not how long ago.

For the first two weeks I was on Citalopram (20mg/day) I had pretty bad side effects. Felt awful (really ill, barely ate), felt depressed and anxious, could barely get out of bed etc. These side effects DID SUBSIDE after a couple of weeks, and I have none now - my GP warned me about them and said that although not everyone gets them, they could take up to a month or so to go away in some cases. She advised that if they got too bad I should halve my dose for a few days until things got back on track, but persevere with the tablets for the first month. I did halve my dose just for a couple of days after about a week of feeling like crap, and it did help.

Having said that, I understand from my GP that Citalopram doesn't suit everyone, and there are alternatives, and that a negative result with one doesn't mean you can't find another SSRI that suits you.

Good luck with it! You are not alone!



"Some days I wonder why I bother chewing through the leather straps."

hi gribbley. i only managed citalopram for 3 days. first day took 20mg and felt very ill and anxious, so went down to 10mg. 2nd and 3rd days were a bit better, but woke up on 4th day in what i can only describe as a psychotic state. I know the sides are supposed to pass after a few weeks but i couldnt survive feeling like that for a few weeks. maybe i could deal with a couple of days, but a couple of weeks no way.

i lost 5 years of my life and the girl of my dreams to extreme anxiety (couldnt leave the house for 2 of those years!) a long time ago, and since then have suffered from depression on and off but never had problems with panic attacks or OCDs again. experiencing a major panic attack on citalopram feels like its opened up a door to the way i felt back then, and it has really scared me.

i found panic attacks to be self-feeding, when i was agoraphobic it was the fear of having a panic attack that actually caused a panic attack. given my past, i cant see how taking a medication that causes my panic attacks to resurface after so long can be good for my mental state, even if its only in the short term. i realised i had actually repressed a lot of my memories of that time in my life, and even being reminded of how it feels to be in that state has put the fear into me really badly because i know i simply couldnt go through all that again.

sorry, i know that was a bit long winded and not really on topic, but finding this forum is basically the first time i've ever really told anyone about any of this stuff!

Hi eddie,Im on citalopram and the first two weeks were hell,until my body got used to them.I have been on others that didnt agree with me.Its a case of finding one that suits you.Sometimes you have to give a few weeks to settle down.

Ellen XX

Hi Eddie

I had a similar experience to you and have vowed not to touch SSRI's again. I went off my nut for 3 days, didn't sleep, didn't eat, manic. I've been on SJW for just 10 days now...a bit early to tell if it works but i suspect it's starting to. There have been no side effects whatsoever and certainly no increased anxiety or reoccurence of pa's that I have largely managed to control of late. There's a wealth of info on the web about SJW....99% of it positive and comparing it favourably to prescribed anti-deps. I'd thoroughly recommend giving it a go and assure you that there is no need to be scared of any adverse reactions.

Hope this helps

Sean

hi eddie..
all i can do is echo the others...I was put on prozac which was awful...then was switched and was advised i would feel worse (thats not comforting) for a few weeks...but i put up with it..sure enough it does get better then as a month or two months go by...its alot better...im now at the stage after 6 years the meds have stopped working so need an alternative...and fear as you do that it'll take a while to finf the right one..
im also doing CBT and reading clare weeks....
hope tha thelps