Citalopram side effects?

[cailz]

Hi I have been on Citalopram 20mg since Friday and i'm feeling really ill with them, they just keep making me sick, dizzy, feeling really strange and drowsy.

[Scrubbs]

Hi, I've just taken my first citalopram and waiting to see what happens. Thanks guys for giving me some preparation for what to expect. I have a condition called vasovagal syncope which causes me to pass out frequently. Not life threatening but very inconvenient and embarrassing. I also have a very demanding high pressure job which means I get up every morning shaking like a leaf and with my guts tied up in knots. I guess I suffer panic attacks - mainly because I worry about the syncope. A vicious circle because stress and anxiety make the syncope more likely. Anyway lets see how the Citalopram goes.

[laila]

Hi,i,ve been on citalopram for just over 3 months.....and yeah side affects for me was awfull...felt sick,really bad headaches,more panic attacks and so on....but now after sticking with them i feel soooooo good and so much like i used to be its great!!! Just stick them out the first 2-3 weeks are the worst i found for takin them,but after that and side affects slowly going i started to feel fine!!!! Hope this helps....:-)

[kirbyas]

I was prescribed citalopram 20mg about 7 weeks ago for anxiety. I reluctantly decided to take them as my anxiety was affecting me to the point I was signed off work (still am!). I started taking 10mg as concerned about side effects. They made me feel physically worse than I did already, but persevered and after day 10 I began taking the 20mg dose. Again made me feel quite rotton, nauseus, upset stomach dizzy, sleepy and zombie like! However they did sort of calm me to the point that i was feeling little emotion. I am a busy mum of 3 and felt very detatched .... no good for me!

A few days ago I felt I could not put up with the side effects any longer and decided to reduce the dose. I dropped to 10mg and felt dreadful for 3 days, nauseus and more dizzy than previous. Today feeling quite depressed and scared so increased dose to 15mgs. I am hoping these feelings are due to the fact that I have reduced the citalopram. I really do not know what to do for the best. I hate the way they make me feel, but coming off them after only a few weeks is scarey aswell. Any advise would be really appreciated.

Oh and this site has been a blessing. I have never been on a chat room before, but I am visitng it daily for reassurance!

[ojpacey123]

ive just been prescribed 20mg of citalopram after being diagnosed with moderate depression. is this normal? i havent taken any yet after reading some of the side effects described on this forum, so im really undecided on what to do. if anyone could give me some advice id be really grateful!

[lapixiefairy]

Hi ojpacey123, I too was prescribed Citalopram for moderate depression, 20mg, about 3 weeks ago. I was also terrified to start them after having a wee look on this forum but as everyone says the side effects are different for everyone and people are more likely to share teir bad experiences than their good. I took 10mg for 8 days (just halfing the tablet) then upped to 20mg and I had very little side effects. I did get a few bad headaches and felt a bit nauseus but aside from that I've been fine. I do feel a little more like my old self now and I'm hopeful that things will get better. Only you can decide if these meds are right for you but I'm glad that I started them. Good Luck whatever you decide!

[ojpacey123]

thanks, i think ill probably do what youve done and try halving the dosage at first. hope they carry on workin for you

[sweetpea24]

I was 10mg for about 4 weeks and was fine with that, maybe a little increase in my anxiety but that was about it then my Dr upt this to 20mg and after one day of taking the 20mg i was feeling nauseus and had a strange feeling in my stomach then after around 3 days the feeling got worse and i also began to feel overwhelmingly tired, also constipation, a loss of appetite, belching, swallon tummy and sleeping for long periods of time, but the most common thing is the tiredness and the discomfort in my upper abdorman, a small feeling of indigestion but mostly feeling a bit sicky, it comes and goes throughout the day.

I'm just wondering has anybody else had side effects like this or do u think it could be unrelated?

[deb71]

ive just been prescribed 20mg of citalopram after being diagnosed with moderate depression. is this normal? i havent taken any yet after reading some of the side effects described on this forum, so im really undecided on what to do. if anyone could give me some advice id be really grateful!

Hi have been taking 20mg for 1 week now and have had the usual symptoms of tiredeness, feeling spaced out, mild nausea. On the 5th day I had a nasty panic attack which started with a feeling of extreme heat in my throut and then I felt very faint and then was violently sick. I am hoping that this was a one off as if it happens again I will be so worried about going out to public places incase it happens again that I may start to avoid situations.

[cwoz82]

Hi,
I was prescribed Citalopram 10mg for panic/anxiety disorder (absolutely no depressive feelings!) just over two weeks ago and told to increase at 14 days if i felt no response. I increased to 20mg 4 days ago after feeling no response in my general day to day anxiety. I have had few negative side effects, in fact i have been taking my pill at 5.30pm and crashing out solidly at 9pm and sleeping all night, only trouble is waking in the morning and feeling like my head is on a DJ's turntable but it goes away with some breakfast and a cup of tea. However, a few nights in the first week i had some disturbing dreams which have woken me to a state of panic, one left me fearful to go to sleep for a couple of nights. Having increased my does 4 days ago, i awoke at 4.15am this morning with my heart pounding so hard it was pumping my night clothes, i felt faint and my blood was running cold, it left me completely shaken and unable to go back to sleep. I'm hoping this is just an extension of the troubling dreams issue in the first week (being the first week after increasing my dose).
My mother has been on Citalopram for 4 years and can't remember the side effects and she was on 40mg from the get go...i have faith that the side effects will dissipate and be a fading memory soon!