Citalopram side effects?

[Deebee020]

Hey all

Many thanks for your replies. I am going to try the Citalopram on Sunday. So wish me luck!

After opening up to a couple of friends I found that they have take Citalopram in the past and both found it to be good, except one of them said she was sleepy all the time. But no major side effects besides. I also have a great flatmate who has offered to keep an eye on me. And Andy's post makes sense, normal pain killers have just as many warnings. I guess it's the lesser of two evils, either kill myself with anxiety or get poisoned by medicine while at least fighting to get my life back. I'm going to go with the latter, because if it works it'll be great to be me again.

Cheers
D
x

[petmad]

I have now been on Citalopram for just over a week, to start with I felt terrible with nauseas, tiredness, couldn't sleep at night and stomach pains but now I feel much better, I was prescribed 20mgs but broke them in half and have been taking 10mgs because of the ill feelings I have had. I am now thinking of taking the 20mgs again as i feel my body has adjusted.
I don't feel a great deal different but I do feel calmer and not so anxious and worried about the slightest thing.
I was also worried about going on meds but if they make me feel better and I am a nicer person to all around me, then its worth it!
Everyone is different and its definately worth a go.

take care x

[mojopin]

hi people..

most people here have mentioned common side effects at the start of taking citalopram , nausea, tremors, ect actually anxiety is heightened for a while but just be patient its worth it, as has been said it hasnt worked for everyone but i have been taking it 10 years now -20mg- , just recently stopped ( thanks to the advice of my dull gp ) but felt very s**tty indeed so started again now i am getting some cold rushes , but i know that this will pass....as after one week i was dealing with things better and felt more in control...

people with severe anxiety will notice a pretty much immediate effect

one thing you shouldnt do though is worry about these symptoms at the start as if you read the instructions and have spoken to your shrink/doc you will see they are quite normal...

good luck!



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[purple to black]

Im hoping to start Citalopram tomorrow :( wish i didnt have too as im terrified to say the least, im anxious already and im scared of going into panic when i do take one. 3/4 days of increased anxiety compared to a lifetime of this horrible illness...i know what one seems more logical but try telling my brain that lol.

[andymac]

Hi - I'm a newbie to all of this, and the experiences posted here are a great help. I've been prescribed 10mg of Citalopram and haven't opened the box since buying them on Saturday. Like most of us I'm worried that the initial side effects will have an even greater effect on my situation (marital, professional etc.) than my condition already has, but I guess the long-term situation is what's important. Perhaps my wife will actually recognise that I've got a problem (that's a whole new thread... might search for that later).
What's scarey are the posts talking of 10 years of reliance on this drug, which is something I really want to avoid, but I need to deal with it, so I think I'm going to take them.
Thanks again for all the info.
Take care
Andy

[horlicks]

I have just started taking citalopram four days ago. My doctor prescribed 20mg but I think this is too high, as I feel sick and have stomach pains. I wont be able to see my doctor for a few days now, as I work awkward hours, but I wonder if it is o.k. to cut a tablet in two and take half to see if this is better.

[Deebee020]

Hey all!

I've been on Citalopram from 10 days now. It's going ok. The first night was hard, I couldn't sleep and the headache was unbearable. But then after that it just went very suddenly (I still get headaches but not so bad). Then I hit nausea and heavy heavy tiredness along with feeling very spaced out. The nausea and spaced-out-ness passed after about day 5. I did feel some mild anxiety increase but nothing unbearable. For the last three days I have suffered and upset stomach but today it is not so bad. I can't say I am completly anxiety free, but I have been told it can take up to two or three weeks for the medication to take full effect.

I find that I sleep very restlessly now and often wake up-the go back to sleep- the wake - then sleep again. As well as tossing and turning a lot and having vivid dreams. I used to be a very still quiet sleeper so this is new for me. Although I am not lacking in sleep, and I do feel rested, it's just a different sleep pattern.

The worst thing is the tiredness and lethargy. I love running, the gym etc but I am finding it very hard to get motiviated to do it and when I do go I have a very poor work out performance - my joints and muscles just hurt so much. Study-wise I've been focusing better though. Likewise, I've been coping well with London's packed morning transport system.

I was so scared to take this drug (see posts above) but it's no way near as bad as the leaflets make out, and I even started on 20 mg. It's just a matter of riding it out if you fall within the normal range of side effects.

So don't let side-effects put you off this medication.

D
xox

[Shone]

this thread has been very interesting, like most on here i was prescribed Citalopram, i was wary at first and didnt take it for 3 days after reading about all the side effects and the people that had suffered badly on it, but i decided i had gone to the doctor this time because i couldnt cope any more with the anxiety attacks and she would not give me something that would not help so i started them, this was just over 5 weeks ago. yes the side effects the first couple of weeks were hard, i even considered stopping taking them but i kept telling myself it was just the meds and i was fine, now i am so glad i am on them at the moment, i am sleeping well for the first time in ages, even if i do wake a few times a night sometimes, but the best benefit is the fact that i actually feel like me again. I guess they work for some and maybe not for others, but keep trying or go back to the GP, dont suffer. I admire all the people that have managed to 'pull themselves together' or cope withour meds, they are very strong people and some day i hope that will be me again, but for now, the meds are helping me cope.

[mojopin]

hi andy 10 mg is not a huge dose , so it should be even easier to come off,,,good luck...

[mollymandy]

Hi all,

I have been taking Citalopram for a week now and although clearly some people do have very bad side effects, for those worried about taking it - I have found that starting with a 10mg dose has not made me feel too bad at all. I have felt slightly sick at times and had some headaches, but nothing more than that. My doctor did emphasise that it is really important to start with 10mg (which she told me to take for 10 days) and not 20mg as it does give your body time to adjust - so think that this is really important as lots of people seem to have been started off on 20mg.
I also was worried about the long term effects of not wanting to come off this medication, but having talked to my doctor - who specialises in anxiety - she suggested that with this prescription you should be able to come off it within the year as it should change the way your body reacts to situations and not make you need the drug to face problems.... maybe this is just very optimistic of her!

Fingers crossed though that this med starts to work! thanks for all the info from you all.......

x M