when do you give up`

[joy]

Eight weeks ago I started on 10mg cip, weeks 2/3 were good then it crashed so 3 weeks ago it was upped to 20mg, Week 2 was good now its crashed again Not helped by my husband goinginto hospital next week for a knee replacement and I.m worrried about being alone.
Does anyone thing Cip is likely to work, I've tried most of all the other a/ds with nosuccess.

Joy

[nicola1980]

Hi ive been taking citalopram 12 weeks today and have gradually increased to 30mg and its only been the last wk that ive noticed a difference, i had a blip yesterday afternoon for a few hours but apart from that i really feel im getting there so please don't give up yet, i was so close to giving up especially as i suffered awful side effects, your bound to feel anxious with your husband going into hospital for his op and with u being on ur own but u will get through it, just give the meds a bit longer xx

[pinkdove]

yes as nicola said give it time, it works wonders for me, good luck to your husband, and i'm sure you will cope, i think it is quite normal for you to feel amxious just now, but you can do it. good luck x

[joy]

hi pink dove
how long have you been on ciprilex and how long did it take to work

joy

[pinkdove]

i have been taking cit now for 13 months, for the second time, and it took a good month before i started to feel any benefit, but it did work, there were times when i thought it would'nt, but i'm so glad i stuck with it. good luck x

[joy]

Still waiting to feel better,can't believe the med is going to work

Joy

[nicola1980]

How long you been taking it now? The mental health nurse told me cit takes 2-3 to get into your system then another 4ish wks 4 the dose to stabilise, i increased to 30mg nearly 4 wks ago and had a brilliant wk so far x x

[Jackspratt51]

I started with Panic Attacks following a really turbulent flight from Chicago to Heathrow. Thought I was going to die for sure. I've been on and off ssri med's ever since.
Never had any major side effects or problems coming off them slowly.

Been on Cit for 2 years (up to 40mg) but doc took me off it as I need aspirin (contraindicated) about 12 months back. Started with panic's again several weeks ago - tried to self-control them - no luck. New doc put me on 5mg ESCit. just over 2 weeks ago.
Had 2-3 days side effects - now feeling much better. I think the 5mg is only just controlling the attacks but its sooooo much better than the attacks.
Give them time, follow the advice and good luck!
J

[joy]

Dear Nicola

I',m on ciprelex not citalopram so the dosages are different.They are supposed to be more or less the same tho. I had 5 weeks on a low dose then upped 3 weeks ago. Was ok the first couple of weeks on the higher dose but having a really bad week now I dont understand it

Thanks Jack for your reply

Joy

[Jmac]

Hi Joy,

It is very common to have ups and downs while adjusting to Cipralex. I've been on 10mgs for 14 weeks and have had lots of good weeks but also some very frustrating down times. Some down times last only a day or two but the most recent one lasted almost 2 weeks with only a few days of relief during that 2 weeks. My doc says very normal and quite common and nothing to worry about. He says look at it in 3 - 4 week chunks. If 3 out of 4 weeks of time I'm feeling mostly well, the meds are working at the dose. If less than that, we might consider upping by 5mg. Make sense?

After 2 weeks of inconsistent relief during this last episode, I'm on day 4 of "whew, I'm glad that's over". I just remind myself that this will come and go. In any case, the down periods are much more manageable than before the cipralex and I'm ever so grateful for that.

You'll find it's quite common among NMP medication users to feel these ups and downs Check out Anxious in Canada's thread. It's what keeps me going through the downs - or "blips" as they're known.

Take care and hang in there.

JMac

[nicola1980]

Dear Nicola

I',m on ciprelex not citalopram so the dosages are different.They are supposed to be more or less the same tho. I had 5 weeks on a low dose then upped 3 weeks ago. Was ok the first couple of weeks on the higher dose but having a really bad week now I dont understand it

Thanks Jack for your reply

Joy
You could be on a too higher dose maybe?? its common if your taking too much than u need then you get the adverse reaction, may be worth speaking to your doc xx

[joy]

Now on 7 weeks of 20mg ciprilex and still waking
in a panic and anxiety most of the day. Fortunately it eased over Xmas when my family were here so I'm disappointed to feel so bad again.Is this normal? I have an apt with the shrink on Friday ican hardly wait

[joy]

the anxiety is getting worse every day, what can i do

joy

[Jmac]

Hi Joy,

I've been on cip for just over 5 months and still have periods of anxiety - blips - one of which was during December that lasted just over 2 weeks. I thought the meds had stopped working but my pdoc says again, it's normal, common and to be expected during recovery. What I've found helpful during those times - had another 3 day blip just before Christmas day - is to keep in mind that it will pass which it always does. When I look over my recovery journal, I can see that over the past 5 months, there have been at least as many - if not more days that I have felt well rather than not and that is encouraging.

Again, check out Anxious in Canada's cipralex thread. You'll likely notice similarities between what you're feeling and his experiences.

Take care.

[joy]

I admire anxious in canadas patience and yours come to that,I feel dreadful today and dont think I should after this time. It seems to be a more popular drug in Canada than England as no one from England is answering me but very pleased you are.

Joy

[loreen]

Hello Joy

I am answering your post as you said no one from England has responded.I was on escitalopram for 3 months after stopping sertraline .I researched on line before asking my doctor for this med and had high hopes for it.However I have found that what may be a life saver for one person can be the exact opposite for someone else.
I have suffered from anxiety and panic for along time but never depression.I found myself in a very black hole with escitalopram and it got worse as time went by.This increased my anxiety and the whole situation was a nightmare.
I am now on different meds and the depression has completly gone.
Remember we are all different,and it is only by trial and error you find the right treatment.xx

[joy]

Oh dear Loreen thats not what i wanted to hear. Rather hoped for some positive posts. However I havent got depression so hopefully I'm not following your footsteps

Thanks for answering anyway

Joy