20mg worries

[krisdeancooper]

I started Citalopram 20mg today and had a massive panic attack when they started kicking in which lead me to A&E. I was sweating, shaking, feeling achy everywhere, going dizzy and having a hard time breathing. I'm not sure how much of it actually had to do with the tablets and how much was my anxiety but it scared me a lot. Most of these symptoms subsided while I was talking to the nurse. The nurse I was talking to said I should just wait for it to wear off and either lower my dose or come off it completely so I was planning to stop tomorrow. Is this a normal reaction and should I be worried?

I'm kind of worried about going to sleep in case I don't wake up or something so I'm needing some reassurance. I still feel a bit shaken and have nobody to talk to at the moment so any help would be wonderful. Thanks for all your help!!

[nicola1980]

Hi, i also take cit and i would strongly recommend starting off on 10mg, i struggled starting off on just 10 so i dread to think what i would have been like on 20! unfortunatly nearly always these meds make us feel 10 times worse before we get better, my anxiety and panics went through the roof when i started them but my doc prescribed me some diazepam which was a godsend, these side effects will pass i promise you xx

[krisdeancooper]

I did have 10mg last year for around 2 weeks but i didn't really notice any changes for the better or worse from those. To be honest it seemed like I was taking a placebo haha. I had those with 10mg propranolol so maybe that's why i had no side effects. The problem is I nearly lost my job today because my boss had to take me to the hospital and in my line of work you can't have panic attacks or you risk injuring yourself or someone around you. I'm just wondering if it would be ok to go to sleep and whether it's ok to not take any more until I get to see my doctor for advice on monday? Thanks a lot.

[stamags]

Hi

I am on my third week of citalopram and was taking 10mg for first two weeks. Upped dose to 15mg on monday and been feeling a bit more anxious since. Side effects first week were much as you described but found this eased off into the second week, have to admit I do feel alot better and not nearly so anxious or panicky. Think I was more worried about the list of side effects that I was even more anxious than usual.

[nicola1980]

you'll be fine to go to sleep and id cut your dose down to 10mg untill you see your doctor, hope you feel better soon xx

[krisdeancooper]

Ok I'l try that mate, thank you. I'm starting to get a head ache now and it's worrying me even more. I've done so well up till now with anxiety and I question why I even took the meds when I'd nearly overcome it anyway!! Is the headache nothing to worry about either? I don't like taking chances when it comes to meds.

[J0sHi]

citalopram didnt suit me at all. I started at 20mg -mistake got all giddy at about 2am and then sudden waves of intense nausea and wanting to puke.

I had everything wrong with me on that, persisted on it for 4weeks then packed it up. Honestly if your still getting side effects on 10mgs after 2weeks Id pack it up.

Theres tolerable and theres intolerable, dont stick intolerable out. I had to take around 3meds on top of cit just to continue the med, an anti-histamine for nausea, diazapam for restlessness and sleeping meds.

[krisdeancooper]

I didn't have any side effects with the 10mg but they didn't seem to work either so I stopped those months ago. I just started 20mg at 7:30 this morning (so 13 hours ago) and I didn't like the reaction. I was scared it might be serotonin syndrome but the doctor said it seemed to be a normal reaction and I should lower the dose or stop. I just want to know that I'll be ok.

[bobcattake2]

Hello

i started of on 20mg about 3 months ago ist few days were interseting to say the least but im glad i did it as got my life back, on tuesday my dr lowered the dose to 10mg to start weaning me off them so one 10mg every day for a month then the follwing month one every other day then stop.

I also had cbt as well and that helped too.

good luck i was sceptical but glad i did it xx:winks:

[Southcoastmum]

I just took my first 10mg today, with plans to move to 20mg in a few weeks. Im not sure if it was the anxiety of taking them but I wasnt able to make it in to work, and has spent the day feeling low and anxious.

Ill find it helpful to read how others have responded and coped with it.

Thanks

[Sophie123]

I started 2 weeks ago on 20mg but felt so bad I lowered it to 10mg. I am going to raise the dose back to 20mg tomorrow. My symptoms are getting better so I think if you can stick it out the meds will help you. I have taken Cit before and it does make you feel a lot worse before you feel better but it does work if you can get through the initial side effects. I am still struggling with anxiety a bit but I am going to try and keep with it

[pooh]

Hi I started citalopram 2 months ago. I was initially issued 5 mg diazepam from the onset of starting. 10mgs for 4 days then up to 20mgs of cit. I had every side effect listed plus some and the intensity of it was quite literally off the scale. My diazepam was upped to 15 mgs a day to counter the side effects and within weeks I was finding I didn't need to take any diazepam most of the time. The side effects do subside (well they did for me). My own personal experience of SSRI's is that they take a good wee bitty longer to work than the leaflet tells you they will. I was actually discussing this with my Health Visitor yesterday, they should let the people who have taken them write those information things up LOL The medication is really just a tool in a box of a whole range of things for example, CBT, EFT etc that will aid your recovery. I know it's scary and can be overwhelming. Best thing to do is discuss it with your doctor. There are other tablets that you can be prescribed to help you get over this initial phase of feeling worse before feeling better. If you read through the posts in the forum you will find you are a long way from alone in what you are experiencing. Hope this helps :)

Pooh x

[oneofus]

If you haven't taken cit before when you first take it the placebo effect can be very large. I felt fantastic on my first day, thought the med was a wonder drug but a couple of days in I was back to where I was. It took about 4 weeks before the effects became noticeable; I began talking more on my mobile, started humming music etc.

Humming or whistling music apparently is a very common sign of cit working well. So just hope you can hold a tune or you may not hold on to your friends :)

One of us

[Charnwood Fox]

I went straight onto 20mg per day. I felt worse for a week or so, but then things settled down.
I feel 10 times better than before I started a couple of months back. Still a way to go, doc is talking about upping the dose.