Does anyone know.......

[miniminx]

how long roughly this will take.....
i started on 40mg of citalopram by mistake it seems and my anxiety got worse, ive been to my gp and along with you wonderful people he said 40mg was too much to start on.....
so now after 17 days of 40mg im now only on 20mg as from yesterday.
im still anxious most of the day , try as i might to shake it off it wont go...
so is this still side effects. or am i now on not a high enough dose?
any help greatly appreciated . ill repay you all with my help when im back on the straight and narrow xxxxxxxx

[radoel]

I think its side effects - you can get them when starting/coming off cit as well as when changing dosage. Now you are on a fixed dose it should start to settle. x

[miniminx]

Thankyou xxxx :) i sure hope so, i want to be well again

[Julianne]

The way I see it is this (and I have been on and off this type of meds for many years) 17 days is not long since it takes at least 21 days for it to fully kick in so dropping to 20mg from just 40mg after 17 days should not be a big shock to your system.

I think, however, you have anxiety on a level which needs to be treated in more ways than just taking Citalopram. I feel you might benefit from CBT for example. You do though, need to give the Citalopram more time to work and to kick in but there is no need to worry about dropping form 40mg to 20mg, it will all quickly balance out. This is not the kind of med that gives you a high, it works selectively on the serotonin in the brain and it works gradually, not suddenly so try to relax about it, there is no need for panic okay?

with love and a big hug :)

[miniminx]

Thankyou ,yes as i strarted on 40mg i had exacerbated the side effects and my anxiety was awful , more than it was before the pills!! im just hoping they work soon as ive had my anxiety for 21 days now on pills for 18, im going for cbt soon too xx

[soulcrosses]

It's very common to experience heightened anxiety initially as a side effect of Citalopram.. Especially when you start off with such a high dose! Even if 40mg is what you'll end up on, everyone usually starts off at around 10-20mg. Your body needs to adjust to the drug and I imagine your heightened anxiety is a result of your body being in shock. Give yourself a week to adjust and you should be fine :)