Upping the dose

[andrewc]

Hi Will
Dont despair it still takes 10-14 days on the increased dose to fell the benefits. Stay with them because 6-8weeks on you will feel the full benefit and the side effects if any will go.

Best regards

Andy

[hopeful]

Hi Will,

I agree with Andy.Remember to keep thinking positive too .
julie x

[joannap]

hi will

i am personally against upping meds as is my gp. i am on 20mg but occasionally have a blip where old my anxiety symptoms return - the thing that continues these blips however is our reaction to it - we immediately panic and think - oh my god its coming back, i'm getting worse, i need more meds etc when really all we need to do is to accept it and work through the symptoms.

my gp explained that the trouble with upping the dose is that what happens if you keep upping it but then keep having these blips? that the meds are not the answer as such - they are only designed as a crutch for you to deal with the anxiety symptoms yourself - this is where cbt/positive self talk etc comes in. passing through a blip whilst remaining on the same dose of citalopram works wonders for your self confidence and mastery over anxiety symptoms much more then reaching for more meds can ever do. xx

[Richie]

Hi there Wil
you are probably going to be fine as there have been no bad side effects after taking 40mg for the four days now, I jumped pretty quickly from 20 to 60 as i was hoping for fast results but it doesn't work that way! It was so bad so dropped to 40 and felt much better
Keep going nothing to lose luv Richie xxxxxxxxxxx

[willp]

Hi Joanna and Richie,

Thanks for your support. What you say makes perfect sense and I agree that meds should be used in conjuction with appropriate therapies. It's far easier to get meds on the NHS than it is to get CBT, though I am on a waiting list for a CBT group course in my area, and I'm doing the online CBT at Living Life To The Full.

I'm still quite new to all this and the blip freaked me out a bit but I'm learning to cope with it all. When I went back to my GP I don't think she really knew what to do other than raise the dose of the medication but I'm learning from experience and from this forum how to manage in other ways.

Thanks again,

Will

[andrewc]

Hi Will

Everybody is an individual case when it comes to these medications. The dose of Citalopram can vary from 10mg - 60mg depending on the individual. The first and foremost aim is to bring the anxiety under control be it with medication and then to get to the root of the problem via therapy. So if your doctor advised you to step up the dose trust their opinion. See how you go in a week or so and then you yourself will be the best judge on your improvement.

Best regards

Andy

[joannap]

hi will - my blips freak me out too but i am getting much better at overcoming them and so will you xx

[willp]

Thanks, it's getting better already and it feels good to be doing something about it. Just recognising the problem has made a big difference.

Thanks for your advice and kind words.

Will