progress finally after 7 weeks!!

[jenny kilden]

hey all-
i had a panic attack at the beginning of april and it spiralled into anxiety disorder and a small bit of depression thrown in for good measure, the doc put me on 10mg of citalopram and was taking that for 5 weeks - and i can honestly say i felt awful ! i had every side effect going - sleepiness nights, chatterbox talking rubbish, shakes, sweating, nauseous, no appetite - lost a stone!!, anxious, depressed, many of times i felt like this is now my life and il never get better - i was breaking down in tears nearly everyday sobbing!! i had all these side effects for 4 weeks - the doc put me up to 20mg after 5 weeks, and lo and behold - yup - more side effects - nauseous every morning and crying again, and the shakes.
but............ finally after 2 weeks on the 20mg - i have finally today woke up and feel ok!! no nausea!! and no chatter box!! feeling good - we even went to great yarmouth the weekend with our 2 children , which was really nice - didn't feel anxious at all - just the nauseous in the mornings ( well the nausea started as soon as i opened my eyes until about 6 in the evening) but i battled through - and here i am!!

so to anyone out there who is struggling on the meds - stick with it - it is awful - trust me i know! but it does eventually get better.
onwards and upwards for me x

[lauz_lea]

Thanks for your post Jenny, my GP prescribed me 10mg cit today for 4 weeks after not doing so well a few months ago on a couple of other meds. I really hope to have some success with cit.

Well done for sticking it out, I intend to persevere and hope they work.

[jenny kilden]

the side effects are not pleasant at all - but do try and stick with it because it does get better - took me 7 weeks!!! if i can battle thru it anyone can
you should be fine with them - ride it out.
you'll feel better soon - keep ya chin up

[LAURA48]

Hi Jenny - thanks for posting that and am really pleased you are starting to feel much better. This will be my 5th week on Cit 3 days on 10 then 3 weeks on 20mg now 40mg - my anxiety has certainly got worse at 40 - am into my second week - having a lot of acidity but the tiredness and headaches have gone and the tearfulness doesn't seem as bad as before.

I have had to jump up to 40mg on a psychiatrist's request as it does seem to be raised quickly - I know they will take time to work as Prozac before took 12 weeks - that was to feel really well. = and the side effects on those were horrendous much worse than Citalopram! but thanks for a positive post.

Laura

[jenny kilden]

awww laura - 20 - 40 thats a big jump - i hope the side effects aint too bad for you - you should defo start to see some results soon - so just keep battling forward.
the last 2 days i have felt really sleepy on my cit - hope that will wear off soon.
read the citalopram survival guide on here - its really good and really positive - i read it nearly everyday.

[LAURA48]

Hi Jenny - yes that survival guide is good isn't it? Oh I had the tiredness last week - not too bad this week! I know the 20 to 40 is too big a jump imo but I asked the psychiatrist if I could go to 30mg and he said NO! no point! defo has increased anxiety along with stomach acidity - really uncomfortable - got my Rennie's Ice to hand! but definitely agree they don't work quick - don't mind too much as long as the wait is worthwhile!

Hope you feel much better soon too!

Take care Laura

[jenny kilden]

well i hope 40 works for you soon - its horrible feeling the way we do - mine was just totally out of the blue - its just awful. i can't wait for the day when i can look back and say "omg did that really happen , was i really that bad"
x

[southey]

Hey Jenny, great to hear the Cit is doing the biz :yesyes: Looks like the 20mg is right for you? Yes it's great to one day look back and see how unreasonable we were with ourselves and I'm sure you will very soon.

Same as me I started on 10mg and upped it to 20mg. I didn't have the experience of one day waking and feeling good but more of a gradual lifting of mood and reduced anxiety day by day. I take mine in the morning and get a bit jittery for a while still but by the afternoon and evening I'm quite fine. I'm in week 2 of 20mg and about a month in total and feel so much better:shades:

Hi Laura hope you start feeling good soon, yes a 20mg jump may be a bit rough and I sympathize:hugs:

I wouldn't discount 30mg point blank. Only you know how you feel. 40mg may work well and I hope it does for you but also it may be too much? I have read on this site of people, maybe in the survival guide, that found 40mg not right and 30mg much better? It's always an option and hopefully along with your psych can work it out?

Steve:)

[jenny kilden]

the survival guide is really good - i read t most days - and yes it does say about 30mg being good. I'm hoping 20mg is going to be ok for me, i too have been on 20mg for just 2 weeks and now the side effects have nearly all gone I'm generally getting better dy to day.
well done southey for feeling good and sticking with it - its a bitch at first aint it!! lol - and unless people have been thru this no one understands.
i hope we can all look back soon and think - 'yes i done it!"

[LAURA48]

Hey Jenny, great to hear the Cit is doing the biz :yesyes: Looks like the 20mg is right for you? Yes it's great to one day look back and see how unreasonable we were with ourselves and I'm sure you will very soon.

Same as me I started on 10mg and upped it to 20mg. I didn't have the experience of one day waking and feeling good but more of a gradual lifting of mood and reduced anxiety day by day. I take mine in the morning and get a bit jittery for a while still but by the afternoon and evening I'm quite fine. I'm in week 2 of 20mg and about a month in total and feel so much better:shades:

Hi Laura hope you start feeling good soon, yes a 20mg jump may be a bit rough and I sympathize:hugs:

I wouldn't discount 30mg point blank. Only you know how you feel. 40mg may work well and I hope it does for you but also it may be too much? I have read on this site of people, maybe in the survival guide, that found 40mg not right and 30mg much better? It's always an option and hopefully along with your psych can work it out?

Steve:)

Hi Steve

Thanks for your comments - the thing is at this stage it is side effects - sure of that as was made to increase far too quickly under his advice - so at the moment I will have to ride it out - may be if I am still having problems in a few weeks then I will drop down.

Oh it is such a waiting game - going to ask GP for some lansoprazole tomorrow - some say there is an interaction but have phoned pharmacies and they say it is fine together - as long as not taken at the same time?

Mentally I feel a bit better though - hope Jenny the tirednes will go but do take in the evening.

Take care Laura

---------- Post added at 17:13 ---------- Previous post was at 17:09 ----------

I know from 15 years ago when I first started Prozac - had every side effect going - and this dsypesia thing then! thought I am never going to get well and really thought that but hey - things improved got a full time job, passed my driving test - first time! got married, moved house - so just goes to show - good things will happen to us all:yesyes:

[suzeelew]

I started cit 10 mg on 2nd april then 20mgs ten days later. I suffered the most horrendous side effects n only for ppl on here I would have given up. After 6 weeks of utter help suddenly the sun came out and I thought that was it....cured. then wham!!! Last Sunday was hit by most horrendous panic and anxiety and daily got worse until I increased meds myself to 30 mgs in utter desparation as dr closed til Wednesday..I've put letter thru ssurgery letter box asking for official increase to 30... been taking more diaz and propranolol and feel really frightened...im in my 40s and have never known anything like this..I need to understand how a strong independant woman like myself can become a shaking or frightened wreck unable to cope with my children voices, story lines on soaps, can't read a magazine or even cooe with speaking in the phone to my own mother...how does this happen suddenly out of the blue? X