View Full Version : Are you taking Citralopram and Mirtazipine and how has helped you
Hi ,
Been seriously depressed since May Last year following the loss of my business and financial problems , was hospitalised following a breakdown and started Mirtazipine which worked well for several months.
August last year anxiety kicked in , was prescribed Dimazepan ( a quick fix I think ) , but two months of taking that and pain killers Tramadol for last 3 years due to severe pain in my back ended up in a terrible mess and had a serious depressive episode End October which resulted me in being hospitalised again for 12 weeks.
Whilst in hospital they started giving me Olanzipine ( an anti pyschotic ) which I took readily as at that time I never understood the constant thoughts racing through my head at that time were actually a result from anxiety, these were taken for 4-5 weeks and the effects of them were terrible , couldnt concentrate , people talking to me I couldnt take in what they were saying , severe suicidal thoughts to the point I begged that it was stopped and the Doctor agreed , over night Dimazepam , Tramadol , Olanzipine were all stopped ... hell of a week that was but following found although I was still very depressed and suffering very bad anxiety I was more alert and could make sense of things better as well as everyone saying I looked better ( look yes , felt No ). So 12 weeks and still back at square one , still on Mirtazipine and they agreed that although they had been no apparant change in my mood or anxiety , being in Hospital was not doing me any good either and they decided to organise CBT which I started last week.
Despite my asking for my medication to be changed this has falling on deaf ears ( I think they want to keep things as they are for the CBT ) , but nethertheless I am suffering very badly on the anxiety , so much I had to take a dimazepam yesterday as I couldnt get things back under control by myself and speaking to GP he said yes take one and if not OK come in today and see him ( this I didnt do as despite being as bad was determined to fight it - this is what my pyscologist has instructed me to do ) but again anxiety that bad had to take medication again today , this given me fear that maybe falling into my old ways or the start of and a thing Im determined not to do ....... so
the thought in my head is ..
I cant keep taking Dimazepam to keep the anxiety under control and thinking even OK to take and perhaps its a blip, tomorrow will be better ( as we know at times it rarely is when in this mind set ) is really just kidding myself on.
I dont know of anything else that helps on the anxiety front ( Now taking Co Codamol 30 500 for back , it helps a little probaly the codeine but not long term solution as addictive and I want to take for my back not fall into another trap with those either )
Mirtazipine not helping with anxiety or depression but most nights allows me to sleep.
Citalopram I see a lot have benefited from it for their anxiety and depression
Should I ask my Doc if he would be willing to let me try the new Medication approach ? or even combine with the current Mirtazipine.
Does anyone have any other suggestions re an alternative for the Anxiety ( Im taking Atenolol , a beta blocker which helps some days on the physical side , no heart pounding , no sweaty palms ), but my Anxiety remains just minus these two symptoms.
Im at a loss , but know something has to be done , be it short term or long term and obviously not wanting to conflict with the CBT.
The CBT I appreciate is an approach to resolve the anxiety or teach how to control but having only started and knowing will take some time , have to cope now best I can or address the issue of anxiety now as each day it is 24 hours constant ....
Thoughts constant , pounding up and down , agitated and restless , shaking my head etc , constantly fighting by doing relaxation etc , just constant right now and has been the last week.
Sorry so long ... but felt best to explain how Im feeling best I can .
So any helpful responses would be appreciated or anybody on this combination with similar anxiety and depresion problems would be interesting for me to consider my approach with my GP next week
william wallace
20-01-12, 22:16
Hi Bignik, sorry to hear you're having such a rough time. I've been taking Citalopram since last August for anxiety and depression. I dont think much of it as an antidepressant, but it certainly kicked my anxiety right into the back of the net.
I've also read that it combines very well with mirtazipine. Cocodamol not a good idea long term like you say, it's got a fair bit of morphine in it, very addictive. Have you tried Diclophenac or Voltarol? This is a fantastic anti-inflamatory for back/hip/knee pain.
I'm in Forfar Angus. Which part of Gods country are you in?
WW
Hi , yes take diclofenac also but does nothing for the pain I find, come to think of it co codamol doesnt either when playing up bad , I suffer bad with protruding discs L1 - L5 region.
the combination yes I kind of got that feeling about them both also , seen a few people on them , the anxiety is my main issue at the moment and I feel if cant get that under control I am going to have very little chance trying to overcome the depression side of things , getting to the point I just cant leave the house anymore.
Im from Glasgow
william wallace
20-01-12, 22:35
If I lived in Glasgow I wouldnt want to leave the house:)
Just kiddin mate, my favourite bar is believe it or not, the Beer Cafe in Candleriggs. Spent a few evenings there the last couple of years, even met Michelle McManus in there, lovely girl. Theres a real nice Indian restaurant across the road from it called the Dahkin, very expensive but first class food.
Anyway, you have to get out of the house Nik, you dont want to add agoraphobia to the list of problems, and end up a peely wally recluse. Might be worth asking your GP about a course of Citalopram but be warned, like any other SSRI it takes a while to kick in and has some shitty side effects.
WW
yes I know , this is whats worrying me If anxiety problem left too long and not stopped in its tracks the effect it may have on me , its not I dont want to go out its just when I do anxiety goes sky high , I cant even understand why it does , its the same in the house but I know if in the house I have what little tools I have to try combat it etc
Was your anxiety very bad ? and did citalopram stop it in its tracks , I think there has to be a medication solution to it whilst Im getting my CBT
william wallace
20-01-12, 23:54
My anxiety/depression was bad enough that I thought I would have to go into hospital for my own safety. My family persuaded me not to because the wards were full of Bubbleheads, I'm sure you know what that means. I was signed off work and stayed home for three months. The family were fantastic and made sure that I wasnt alone for any more than a few hours, and if I was the phone was going constantly. I had a notion to take the petrol mower to the greenhouse, along with a bottle of malt and a book, fire it up and drink and read until, well you get the picture.
I started taking Citalopram in late August I think, started on 20 and worked up to 30 after a few weeks. Early in October I noticed that the anxiety wasnt so bad and by the end of the first week it had gone completely. I've had brief glipses of anxiety since but nothing I cant handle. The other side of the coin however, is that the depression has crept in over the last couple of months, nothing too drastic, not suicidal or even close, but it's never far away. I cant say that Citalopram stopped it in its tracks, but it worked for my anxiety problems and lots of other folks:)
thanks for the speedy reply , the anxiety is what Im looking to fix foremost , the depression side has its foundation which I know very little I can do about and no pill will fix overnight , but I feel the anxiety itself as well as being so distressing is making my depression worse , as all I can think about is when will this anxiety end, If I cant get the anxiety under control I feel very little I can do at the moment to try get out of the depression. Ive been out of work since last May ( never been unemployed the previous 28 years ) but there is no way whilst anxiety so bad I could even consider working and the longer Im not working its just adding fuel to the fire.
Ive been hospitalised twice since May last year and being there didnt help me for sure.
Im lucky I have a very supportive wife and the kids at home so feel a lot safer here than in any hospital ward, looking at others with their own problems .. it just makes one worse I think.
I think I will discuss with the Doc , pen and paper and a list so I dont forget what to say etc
william wallace
21-01-12, 00:45
The list very important Nik, every detail and dont be embarrassed if it takes a while. Think about the number of times that your appointment has been delayed due to someone going past the allocated 10 minutes, or make a double appointment.
I was hospitalised back in 1992 for a couple of weeks. Dont know about you but I found the mental heath staff to be a shower of shite. The male nurse that was asigned to me was only interested in patients that had a vagina and showed no interest in me whatsoever. The rest of the staff were'nt much better, and just sat on their arses all day drinking tea. I never ate a meal in a fortnight and there was nothing on my notes about it because no-one had noticed. Most of them were in a worse state than the patients they were supposed to be looking after, due to their megalomania, as I said, shower o shite. I'd rather get the Mrs to handcuff me to a radiator than go into a mental ward again.
You're obviously quite educated for a Wegian, and have a good understanding of whats going on, you'll get through this:D
In fairness the staff were actually good. for days on days I kept trying to tell them what was wrong with me , I can only describe it as groundhog day , and every day I told them this , I recall just like a broken record was how I used to describe myself ... actually it was one of the charge nurses after 2 months of the nightmare advised the shrink , them to try a new drug on me . chlorpromazine 25mg which was an anti pyschotic that specifically attached its self to dopamine receptors in the brain , it wasnt a cure but that actually stopped the constant thoughts I was having from whirling around in my head enough and anxiety, to give me the break in the vicious circle I was trapped in at the time and for me couldnt understand. I truly felt I was going mad ( never understood at that time it was actually the anxiety causing these thoughts to the level they were as this part of anxiety I hadnt experienced before hospital ).
What did concern me during my stay was the effect other patients were having on me , although unwell I could understand some of them were very very unwell and that just reinforced to me that I too was very unwell.
And thanks for the educated wegie comment LOL , nice to know my education wasnt wasted :P
Now if only I could sleep LOL
william wallace
21-01-12, 10:10
Mornin Nik.
Speaking of sleep, when I was really bad last July August time, I was awake most mornings at 4am and just lie there for hours worrying about all manner of pish.
ATM I can go to bed at 11-12 and sleep till 9-10am. I think it's the Citalopram that helped, or the fact that the anxiety has all but gone due to the Citalopram
You were very fortunate to have staff take an interest in you Nik, as I said the staff that were supposed to be looking after the folks in that ward just saw patients as an inconvenience between going to work and collecting their wages at the end of the month. I was in a ward with all sorts of folks. Bipolar, schizophrenia, a girl who had cut her wrists so many times that they had to amputate her arm, and she still managed to do the other one. There was a guy in a wheelchair that just simply didnt want to be there any more, and constantly, calmly asked for a stanley blade. That said, I had more help, and learned more about what was wrong with me from them than from the staff and shrinks.
WW AKA Gordon.
Wow this has reinforced my fear of mental hospitals! I go to day therapy at a clinic where there are in patients and it is really nice. It's not a locked ward though. I think they are much more suited to people with depression and anxiety rather than the big ones. Sad to hear you both had to go through that. There is no way I would have coped in there!
So sorry to hear you're feeling bad. In regards to sleep, before I had any treatment or diagnosis, I would sleep very little and wake up 5 + times during the night, every night, without fail.
Since June I've been on Citalopram 20mg which has made a big difference in my life! I feel so much better, so much HAPPIER. One thing I'd like to point out is that this happiness doesn't feel artificial, such as that you would experience with Xanax or other drugs. I still get very sad when appropriate, but I find my 'reflexes' to anxiety triggers are more well-managed. I don't let little things eat me up. I don't hold grudges the same way I used to.
Oh- and did I mention that I CAN SLEEP. For the first while of being on citalopram I slept way too much- all the time. But eventually I got back into the swing of things and now I sleep all night- wake up feeling happy and well rested. I take my dose in the AM when I wake up.
The cital helps me with depression in the sense that I am not always running through all the TERRIBLE thoughts I have. Like I said I still have bad days, sad days, etc. Even the same panicky feelings. One problem I have is with moderate self-mutilation in the form of cutting which I still do on the odd occasion. I think I need therapy in conjunction with medications to fully help that- But I've been waiting on a group therapy waiting list since June.
I really suggest you try Cital- Even for a while until you can manage yourself. You owe it to your family but more importantly, yourself.
Best of luck
william wallace
21-01-12, 12:27
Yes but Catherine, I was in that place 20 years ago. Not quite the dark ages but care in these places has come a long way since then. Another point is that many of these institutions have been closed down due to the new drugs being much more efficient, and care in the community. The one I was in has been made into luxury flats and an old folks home. My nephew lives there. (I dont visit very often):D
I know I know. My friend works at one near me and she says she sits and watches TV with them and it's actually quite boring. they have different wards for severity too so people who can focus aren't put with um.. ones that can't and have to be sedated.
It's funny I now get annoyed when I hear people call other people crazy or nuts or mad! I'm like no they are still the same as you! They still think the same as you.
I have definately learnt a lot since becoming 'ill'. As I say to my friends I have a mental illness but don't consider myself mental just a little bit special :)
william wallace
21-01-12, 14:26
Funny you should say that Catherine, because when I was made redundant and having a meeting with HR and bosses they were talking to me as if I was a child. I put my hand up and said hold it right there. "I have mental health issues, but do not think for one millisecond that I'm stupid. You want to get rid of me fine, no problem, but £4200 is a joke, best you think again or I'll see you at the tribunal. I walked out with £7400". Could have taken them for a lot more at a tribunal but didnt need the stress:mad:
Yes but Catherine, I was in that place 20 years ago. Not quite the dark ages but care in these places has come a long way since then. Another point is that many of these institutions have been closed down due to the new drugs being much more efficient, and care in the community. The one I was in has been made into luxury flats and an old folks home. My nephew lives there. (I dont visit very often):D
Wow Gordon we seem to share much. I , too, was in such a place twenty years ago. I have been trying to write about my experience to exorcise some demons that are still hidden deep inside me.....
Obviously we weren't in the same one lol :blush:
william wallace
21-01-12, 14:59
Wow Gordon we seem to share much. I , too, was in such a place twenty years ago. I have been trying to write about my experience to exorcise some demons that are still hidden deep inside me.....
Obviously we weren't in the same one lol :blush:
Nobody going to judge you here Kate. If it makes you feel better, just write it down:winks:if you're not ready, doesnt matter:hugs:
I'm trying to write a book! Lol
william wallace
21-01-12, 15:23
:doh:
well seen GP today and my old leg bouncing up and down reared its ugly head due to anxiety , he has refereed me back to my Psychatrist as in his opinion Im deteriating , but hes a nice guy gave me a prescription of dimazapam to see me through but Im going to keep fighting best I can rather than take the easy way of just popping those things. I did however have to take one yesterday and one today , only one mind you hes allowing me 3 a day , so we will see what outcome is next week and what he feels best to change me to if anything
Well shrink this Tuesday to discuss poss med changes , will advise outcome
Cit it is and to take 20mg to start along with my mirtazipine to see how I get on , so fingers crossed
william wallace
07-02-12, 17:51
Fingers crossed for you bignik:)
New shrink also , a lovely nice Indian Pyschiatrist , I hadnt even mentioned the Cit . gave her my 2 page spiel of how I was feeling , and she patiently read it over and actually commented me on it ( its a thing I always have to do , sadly with my anxiety my mind races and I always forget so I always make sure a ouple of days beforehand when calm I seize the moment to take notes ), " very helpful she said " , so it made me a little happier
Anyway we discussed what meds been on before and how I wanted to ditch the dimazepam etc , told her the only med that had worked was amiltriptline 20 years ago when I had a depressive episode .. and she came up with Cit as an add on to see how I get on
Ive to start 20mg in the mornings and she will review in 6 weeks and Ive to keep taking the mirtazipine meanwhile , so like you say WW lets hope this is the one that at least gets me to a level where I can pick myself up from , I know there is no magic pill out there , but maybe this and my CBT sessions will let a light in to this very dark tunnel at the moment.
oh nearly forgot ... what you reckon , split the tabe for first few days to see how settles in , I do freak out a bit when side effects happen ( dont tell me of any LOL , or sure enough it will plant the seed )
william wallace
07-02-12, 19:55
No harm in splitting them for the first few days until you start to get some on board, but the sooner you get it down you the sooner your anxiety should subside. I doubt that you would have much side effects because although Mirtazepine is a tetracyclic it's going to have most of the compounds that make up Citalopram.
Good luck with it, I'm particularly interested because I might go down the same route myself.
Regards, Gordon.
Will keep you updated Gordon
Finally got the script , was advised to start in the morning and if find makes me sleepy change to night , but to be honest if makes me sleepy in the am even if Ive had a nights sleep it will be fine not as if I have a job to go to and mornings always bad for me my senses are that heightened I feel as if my eyes are going to pop out their sockets.
So fingers crossed its a start to recovery or at least enough to clear the smog and despair to a level where I can get myself up and functioning a bit , small steps as they say
william wallace
10-02-12, 18:51
Best of luck with that Bignik, hope it's a turning point for you:)
well dont know if all in my head or what , but trying to split the tablet to take 10mg , it broke too much so just swallowed the 20mg , and anxiety today was through the roof , I managed yesterday and was adamant today to take no dimazepam but by 6.00pm I was climbing the walls.
Surely first tablet shouldnt be having such an effect or should it , perhaps me feeding the anxiety with it being new medication more reasonable as the answer , but I a little unsure ( being the big jessie that I am ).
Just my senses so heightened at the moment everything is unsettling me.
william wallace
11-02-12, 20:41
Sorry to read that Bignik, maybe you just have to roll with it for a few days until you get used to them. And if the Diazepam calms things down for you just get it down you.
No point feeling like a guitar string if you dont need to:winks:
thanks , yeah I think I will over the next few days if I have to till things settle a bit
well 4 days in , yesterday spent in bed with a terrible sweat and anxiety high , hardly slept last night woke up 3 am and couldnt get back to sleep and again anxiety high but took dimazepam to keep me going and going to try and not go to sleep till late tonight so at least I get a sleep hopefully , Ive got my CPN tomorrow who I spoke to today and she thinks perhaps side effects.
My senses are very high so anything new I can find unsettling but will have to hang with it and give it some time of course
oh and a stoncker of an headache , like dehydrated , but Ive been drinking plenty
well 9 days in been a little rough but things changed earlier this evening dont know if the medication starting to work or finally managing to achieve the muscle relaxation cd , felt as if I was a wound up spring just being released ... boing ..... I felt that relaxed it felt strange I wasnt used to it ( unless I had took a diazepam which not had one for 6 days ) , thats the problem being unwell , and a cold , and new medication you dont know what is doing what ... so Im hoping perhaps being unwound a little will yield a better sleep , cause I am knackered .. only average 4-5 hours sleep last couple of weeks and my eyes are crusty ....
3 weeks in depression seems better, but no change in anxiety, but been suffering badly last few days with flashbacks , over 2 weeks off the diazepam :) , although wish I could pop one just now and sadly still only 4-5 hours sleep , Im that tired Ive gave myself a black eye rubbing my eyes so much. I think the lack of sleep keeps up Im gonna have to speak to the doc ... sleep without dreaming please
now over 4 weeks and depression much better , anxiety still struggling but been having lots of trauma flashbacks which isnt helping the anxiety again. Sleep seems to have improved now , just gotta get this anxiety under control , they going to give me a new medication rather than the diazepam just to see if it will give me a break so I can at least get out the house and have a semi normal day hopefully
oh headaches now gone also :) thankfully as was taking co codamol 30/500 to sort and dont want hooked on those either.
william wallace
05-03-12, 20:34
Good to read that you're on the mend Nik:)
yes getting there Gordon I think , had 7th session of CBT today, bring back a lot of old bad memories back but piecing them together. Pyschologist going to speak to Shrink to see if I get get back on chlorpromazine again to help with the anxiety and agitation and if I can get that sorted it willgive me a break and hopefully put me on a level footing so at least I can feel confident I will wake up in the morning and be able to plan and do something and get out the house for a change , as I said to her today if I can have one day of peace , then surely a second will follow and then start building up my confidence a bit ... Im a desperate man , I want out the house and get back to working again , all this time and ruminating is driving me bonkers
still early days she said on CBT and shes not even going to touch the trauma aspects until I can walk ito her office without being a nervous and agitated wreck.
william wallace
06-03-12, 11:03
It's a shame that I live so far away Nik, because I'd have no problem going for a wander up Sauchiehall Street with you, especially that noodle bar with the ducks and roast pork hanging in the window, always go there when I'm in Weegeeland.
Regards, Gordon.
peking duck and roast pork .......... your such a tease :)
william wallace
06-03-12, 20:25
Comfort food mate, I don't even need to be hungry to eat that:D
well shrink today and I have to come off mirtazipine and they are increasing the citalopram , one week 30mg then 2nd week 15mg then 3rd week no mirtazipine , they are then looking at starting me on lithium along with the citalopram to see if they can get this very flat mood sorted as well as the anxiety
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