I want your Success stories!

[steveo]

I love this website and I have used this forum so many times over the years.

Often though people, and myself included, can get so caught up in all the negative stories. Obviously people who are very very successful with no side effects coming either on or off Citalopram, wouldn't need the support of others on such a webiste, so I'm very grateful for this site!!

But I would like to hear peoples stories about starting up Citalopram. It worked very well for me for 10 years, so well infact that I came off it! I relapsed very badly and had to be put back on the medication at the start of Jan. Since then I've just been suffering extremely badly from anxiety and depression and thing's don't seem to be lifting.

I understand I'm going through some dosage changes and I do need to give it time, but I would LOVE to hear peoples stories about how they felt first taking the medication and how long it took for them to feel a real difference and maybe if anyone had any dosage issues etc. No horror stories on here please! Just the good ones I could really really do with them right now!!

Thank you so much xxx

Steven

---------- Post added at 19:33 ---------- Previous post was at 19:31 ----------

Would love to make this a sticky too so everyone on here can read them straight away without searching through the slightly more negative stories! Let me know admins! x

[steveo]

Such a shame to see absolutely no success stories

[nicola1980]

Hi i had enormous success with citalopram for years, i led a panic/anxiety free life to the point i tapered off but then i crashed again and unfortunatly cit didn't work for me second time around apparantly this is quite common according to my physchatrist but first time around it was fantastic, im now on venlafaxine xx

[ruthless]

Hi Stevo
Escitalopram helped me so much, and for so many years that I didn't even think of myself as a depressed or anxious person

[saro]

Nearly 7 years ago I was really bad with agrophobia, I didn't know what it was, why I had it or how to control it. It was the scariest time of my life. After months of being scared to sleep and falling deep into depression I decided to go and speak to the doctor because my life was starting to be put on hold.

The doctor put me on a CBT course which I would recommend to anyone because if it doesn't cure you anxiety, it definitely gives you information and tools that are an essential part of the recovery. However, I was really bad, losing weight, scared to eat, scared to walk down my own street. The only safe place for me was home and my car. I was in a full time secretarial job at the hospital but I just couldn't get there anymore so I had to give this up.

A few months later, I went back to the GP told him the CBT was helping but I needed more support. He put me on Citalopram 20mg to start with and this later increased to 40mg. Gradually after about the 3 month mark things started to turn around. I started to build confidence in myself and walking a little bit further away from my house each time I went out, setting myself targets and achieving them.

I am currently just finishing my degree and last year I went to Spain, which was an amazing achievement for me. This year I am attempting America. Fingers crossed.

Its all about trial and error, keep going with it and never giving up. I'm hoping to come off the Citalopram towards the end of this year but I think its given me a great start and the right foundations to progress and live without it.

Would recommend it to anyone along with CBT.

Sarah

[steveo]

That's great. I'm very concerned by hearing that Citalopram hasn't worked second time around for Nicola1980 though as I am on my second time round of Citalopram!

Keep the great stories coming!

[saro]

I did come off it at one point within the 7 years and went back to it after thinking I was better. It worked the same for me, both times pretty quickly after 3 months.

[oh no_1]

citalopram was the first meds i ever ever went on and i felt so fantastic after 3 weeks!!!!

[Primula]

Been taking citalopram for 9 years. Came off it 2 years ago and unfortunately had to restart. Took about 12 weeks to kick in properly. Reduced to 10mg last year, and was fine until this January, gone up to 40mg since then, and I'm in the same position as you, hoping it will work again. My doc assures it me it will. After this if it works, I plan on staying on it for life, as no amount of CBT has been able to shift the anxiety this time, and believe me I have given it my very best shot.

[steveo]

Sounds like we are very similar Primula! I plan to stay on mine for life too due to having anxiety for almost the whole of my life, plus a very long family history of it. That little tablet was doing me very well! My biggest mistake was coming off the tablet. I guess I need to give it more time to start working and meet me half way!