Day 17 of citalopram and I'm in hell

[Twisted_fairytales]

I've had anxiety on and off my whole life but after a bad 18 months it's reached a whole new level. It's mainly focused around my fear of being sick but it has progressed on from that to anxiety attacks.

So I decided to start on citalopram after feeling panicky and tearful for weeks. He warned me I might feel worse at first but nothing could have prepared me for just how ill and low I am feeling. I wasn't depressed before but I feel lower now than I ever have. I've been googling like mad and know that all the side effects I'm experiencing are normal. However, I still feel.like I'm the only one who's going through this and I feel like I'm driving myself slightly mad as all I can think about are my symptoms. I just want to run away from myself if that makes any sense.

So I'm feeling jittery, agitated, tearful, tense, teeth clenching, sick, gagging/dry mouth, achy legs and arms, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, lack of desire to do ANYTHING, headaches, strange tight stomach that I can't seem to relax, queasy tummy, gnawing fake type of hunger feeling, sense of unease, panic attacks, sense of hopelessness, really down, feeling like I want this all to end (not suicidal) just completey and utterly miserable with all the side effects. It's over two weeks now please tell me that this is all normal. I have never felt like this in my life and I just want me back as I feel like a completely different person at the moment and I absolutely hate it.

[cattia]

I would maybe give it a bit longer if you can stand it. I was on prozac years ago and the side effects were hell for the first two weeks but they did die down and after four weeks I felt a million times better. However recently I tried to go back on meds and I tried Sertraline. I felt just like you describe and after four weeks the side effects were not much better and there was no improvement. I quit them and I feel much better without. You should see st least some slight improvement in side effects after another week or so. It's so hard with these drugs to know how long to give them as they don't start working for ages.

[Twisted_fairytales]

Thank you for your responses. I have my follow up Dr's appointment today so I will mention all of this. I think four weeks is a good length of time to give it before making a decision. But right now that feels like an eternity. I'm actually dreading Christmas if this is how I'm going to feel during it��

---------- Post added at 06:52 ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 ----------

Raindrops when did the gag feeling and teeth clenching stop for you?

[Twisted_fairytales]

Yes I get the yawning which is making the gag thing worse. I'm so tired and lethargic too. I really hope it goes, at the moment it feels.like it will be like this forever.

[Ethansmom]

I took citalopram for a few months and it made me get all the symptoms you are experiencing. In the end, it did nothing for me. Now i'm on pristiq and am a the two week mark at the therapeutic dose and I feel a bit more anxious. It's very energizing (which can be good and bad). I feel a sense of unease as well. I hate feeling like this!