Citalopram and sleeping

[Ross44]

Hi,

I have been on Citalopram for just over 4 wks now and for the first few weeks throught I was doing well but over the last 10 days my feelings of panic have come back and I have started to shoot upright in the middle of the night feeling my heart is about to stop beating and then go into a panic attack. Has anyone else experienced feelings like this? I have also started to take 20g rather than 10g today and am worried things are going to get worse! Any advice would be great! Thank you!

[suzy-sue]

You might feel a little bit more anxious and tired again ,but the side effects arent usually as bad as the start.The drug is already in your system.You need to practice some deep breathing techniques that you do when you wake up &feel like that.The more afraid of the symptoms you are ,the worse the attacks get. I would strongly recommend you read Claire Weekes Self help for your nerves this is available from the nmp shop,there is also some free downloads available.If you dont feel afraid ,{no one dies of panic!)you wont have a panic attack. I know its easier said than done but it does work ,if you are prepared to work at it.I havnt had a panic attack since the end of November, I used to wake up with the same as you and felt like my heart was doing somersaults.Your Dr could give you Beta blockers to stop that ,but it is possible to get rid of it yourself. Let us know how you are doing,Sue

[PanicStriken]

Yes, I know what you are feeling. I had that happen to me last night. I got in bed worrying about my heart and eventually it became elevated (heartrate) and it turned into a mild panic attack. The medication and my own self stopped it from going into a severe event. I took deep breaths and had my mom reassure me. The feeling that your heart is gonna stop is definitely something I can relate to. You become so hypersensitive to your heartbeat that any mild flutter or skip that happens to us all becomes a major federal case. But you gotta remember you are not dying and we are here for you! I doubt it will get worse. I haven't had a panic attack in over 3 weeks until just recently and it was very mild.

[Anxious-in-Canada]

Day 22 (20mg dose) Seems that I am gettong back to myself again...still a little low on the motivation but have to work on it.

Just had 5 days off with the family so that helped me recharge a little.

Just posting so people will know my experience, (which has been not bad at all!) so those of you just starting out keep the faith that you will get through the initial side effects soon.

Cheers