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Thread: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

  1. #1

    Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    I've been lurking on this site for a little while now, reading a lot of post about depression and medication. Most of it very very reassuring. Well I eventually went to the doctors 11 days ago and he prescribed 20mg Citalopram. I was doing fine on it until the 7th tablet, (a thursday) then four hours after taking it I felt horrible.

    I was shaking uncontrollably, my heart was pounding so hard and fast I thought it was going to pop out my chest, I vomited 3 times in 15 minutes and then had really bad diarrhoea, my chest was tight, my head was spinning, but the most horrible feeling was the blood boiling sensation, i felt like i was on fire, like i was burning from the inside out. I was so convinced i was burning up i was throwing cold water over myself. My other half was really worried and called an ambulance, the paramedics said I was having a server panic attack as a reaction to Citalopram. I eventually started to calm down about 45 minutes later, the paramedics stayed for about an hour, i then tried to sleep but was sat up all night in a real spaced out, yet hyper state.

    Friday I booked an appointment to see my doctor and told him what had happened, he said that it may well happen again, but that it should settle down with the next week or so and to keep at it, I didn't feel to bad during the day on Friday a bit shakey but decided that if i felt that way again at least i would know what it was and that it would pass and i would be ok and over and done with in under and hour. So friday night I took another tablet, then four hours later i started feeling bad again. Oh well i thought, lets get this over and done with, I sat in bed breathing nice and deep and slowly and telling myself that nothing bad was going to happen and that the feeling would soon pass, all the time I was shaking and swaying and rocking back and forth and i was once again on fire inside about 20 minutes later the feelings started to pass so I lied down to go to sleep, within 30 seconds I was on fire again, my heart was racing and I couldn't breath, I started rocking and swaying and I was rubbing my arms and legs, not out of choice, I couldn't stop it. My other half sat up with and I was like this all night, the feelings would slowly die down and within 30 seconds peak again, by 5am I was exhausted, I somehow managed to get out of bed and went down stairs where i walked up and down the living room, swinging my arms and humming and rubbing my arms and hands. My head was spinning, i was dizzy and couldn't breath properly. I was begging my other half to help me but when he said he would get help, i completely freaked and told him not to because i would be taken away and locked up and they would take the children away.

    This continued all day saturday, to the point that saturday night i went outside in our little street and walked around our little green area for hours in the cold because i felt like i was on fire, i couldn't go back in the house, as i felt sooooo hot and was sure if i went in i was going to die. I didn't take a tablet saturday night, instead i sat up all night in front of the tv, pacing the living room, shaking at best, feeling suicidal at worst.

    Come sunday morning i was soooo exhausted i'm not sure how i was still standing, but i still couldn't keep still, i spent most of the day locked in the back room swaying to and fro and feeling so paniced and stressed, but the suicidal thoughts had gone thank god. I was still having horrible waves of being on fire and chest tightening and heart racing, but they weren't lasting as long and weren't quite as frequent.

    Sunday late afternoon, early evening, I was feeling a little better. Still very anxious and shakey and feelings of not being in control, but overall a lot more relaxed. Didn't take sundays tablet. Again sat up most of the night sunday, feeling very spaced out and panicy, but must of actually fallen asleep around 430am as my daughter woke me up at 615am.

    Monday was a lot better, felt more normal, still feelings of dread and panic and had a couple of small panic attacks but was overall able to cope ok with the help of my other half.

    Other half had to go back to work today, so i was on my own with the 3 kids, but i managed, still very very shakey and upset. Had a panic attack on the way home from picking my little boy up from school, had to practically run home, got in throw up and then had really bad diarrhoea and got that horrible blood burning sensation back for about 20 minutes and was struggling to get my breath, but it passed and i've been ok ish since.

    Still having feelings of real anxiety and panic and still shaking but feeling so much better than i did. I'm never putting another anti d in my body again. I'm never going to risk feeling like that, being like that ever again or putting my wonderful partner and children though that ever again. It was the most terrifying thing i have ever been through in my life and i wouldn't wish it on anyone.

    I'm going to have a read through this site on natural and alternative remedies. I'm hoping i will find something.

    Take care all and good luck to each and everyone of you on the road to beating/coping with depression.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    328

    Re: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    Wow!! That's quite some reaction.

    I don't know really what to suggest. It's pretty common to find the second week on cit is the worst, that was certainly my experience, I had a fairly unpleasant time of it. It's difficult to know how much of your experience is attributable to a panic attack and how much to cit.

    If your doctor is happy that you continue on cit which you say he is then my advice would be to accept you're going to have a bad few days and really stick with it. Taking the tablets erratically will definitely make things worse. I appreciate it's a hard situation, but you either need to take them or not take them. Given your GP's advice, I would stick at it, it will pass and I've spent a few nights on the lounge floor with my partner telling me everything will be OK.

    I really feel for you. Cit has made a fantastic difference for me, it was so worth going through the side-effects to get where I am now.

    Try and keep as relaxed as you can and keep taking the pills as prescribed. If you still feel the same in a week, see your GP again and discuss trying something different.



    Chris
    __________________
    One foot in front of another will get me there.

    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf" - Jon Kabat-Zinn
    “You lose your grip and then you slip, Into the masterpiece.” - Leonard Cohen

  3. #3

    Re: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    Hi Chris

    I should have said, I spoke with my doctor today again and he has told me not to take them, he said i've had an extreme reaction and possibly something called seratonin syndrome, will be looking this up as i'm unsure what it is, he did explain over the phone, but not much went in. He's also booked me an appointment with the counsellor, which i'm looking forward to (does that sound strange?)

    I've never had a panic attack before, so am assuming that everything i experienced was as a result of the tablets.

    I'm glad that they are working for you, but i'm not going to give them another go. I will be looking for alternative remedies.

    Thanks for your reply and all the best

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    109

    Re: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    That happened to me but it was an hour after taking the first tablet. I only managed 3 days, during the 3 days I phoned nhs direct twice, went to the emergency docs and ended up at a&e, horrible, horrible tablets well for me anyway! im on sertraline now and although I suffered bad side effects when I first started them it wasnt as bad as the citalopram, I persevered with them and have been on them now for 4 months and feel loads better.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    328

    Re: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    Quote Originally Posted by Emjxxx View Post
    He's also booked me an appointment with the counsellor, which i'm looking forward to (does that sound strange?)
    Sounds like your GP is doing a good job, I'm sorry cit hasn't worked for you, but well done for trying as hard as you did with it. That sort of dedication will see you through this

    Getting the medication (if any) right can be a bit of a journey, but so is getting better, you just need to work at it.

    I think being excited about seeing your counsellor is a really really positive thing, brilliant

    Chris x
    __________________
    One foot in front of another will get me there.

    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf" - Jon Kabat-Zinn
    “You lose your grip and then you slip, Into the masterpiece.” - Leonard Cohen

  6. #6

    Re: Has anyone had a really bad reaction to Cit?, I have :(

    i've had adverse reactions to citalopram, venlafaxine, a tri-cyclic called clomipramine and the beta blocker propranalol, all taken on seperate occasions. The symptoms occured 20 minutes after taking each one and included intense nausea, vomiting, dizzyness, dry mouth, panic attacks and a wierd sensation like someone flushing my veins with ice cold water, also on citalopram i had a hallucanation 2 big hands appeard and handed me a little black and white kitten, iv since stopped all meds after it took me 3 days to get back to normal after stopping them, im going to my first cbt meeting this week to try that.

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