CITALOPRAM 20mg

[TJ1952]

hi all I am on day 3 of citalopram on a 20mg dose............at the moment I feel a little lightheaded and my eyes are heavy but other than that nothing else untoward..............already my tearfulness seems to have abated but is it just wishful thinking that the pills helping already or is it because we have some sunshine at last? What I wondered was once yr on this sort of medication, how long does one normally have to stay on it for...............a month, a year, 10 years or will I need them for ever. I wont mind as anything is better than feeling so low that I didnt want to be here anymore - crying 24/7 - being scared of dying was a biggie............I have custody of my two grandsons ages 6 and 11 and I worry big time what will happen to them if and when I die.........terribly terribly low.............anyway its great to find a site like this one where we can all chat and compare notes. Thanks guys.

[Monostich]

I've read on some websites that Citalopram can start working within days for some people. Usually it takes between 3-6 weeks to start seeing benefits of an SSRI like Citalopram though but you might be one of the lucky people!

No-one knows how long you'll have to stay on it. I was prescribed Fluoxetine (Prozac) when I had my first panic attack at the age of 21 and was on them for around 4 months and don't even remember stopping taking them.

A few years later my anxiety returned and I went back to the doctor who presribed me Paroxetine. I was on this for 5 years and it did a fantastic job like the Prozac at helping me feel 'normal' again.

These drugs are good and really do help most people that are prescribed them.

Good luck with it all.

[TJSMITH]

hi there
I found by week 3 i was functioning again but first 2 of those i was only on 10mg it really help lift the depression but i have been swopped to sertraline after 3 months for anxiety.
Good luck definately helped me with depression that i sunk into due to all the anxiety syptoms i had xx

[Hawthorn]

Heya

I think that's a 'how long is a piece of string' question. My sister only needed them for six months, whereas my mum takes them usually for half the year, then she comes off, then she goes back on...it's been that way for years. For me, it's been suggested that I stay on them since within a couple of months of stopping them I hit rock bottom again.

Hopefully for you it will be a few months only thing :) Not that I've had any ill effects and I've taken them for most of my adult life. I just know that sometimes it's a pain to be on medication, when whilst you're taking them you feel ok :P

Be strong for those kiddos :) good luck!

[TJ1952]

It helps coming on this site and chatting to like minded people I have to say......I dont see many people as all the mums at school are naturally younger than me but the ones that do speak are really nice and friendly....so it doesnt help having no social life or friends. This morning was - dare I say it - brilliant! My 6 years old grandson came in to wake me up...he was shaking my face saying get up nanny...I carried on pretending I was asleep lol so he then went under the duvet (good job I wear jimjams) and bit my blooming toes............well to cut a long story short, I was actually laughing out lol and playing with him....that in itself lately is a miracle but at 5.30 in the morning well what can I say.....the meds are definately kicking in although I still feel like crying but for some reason they wont come out so I feel sort of detached and in a haze - at least it was great seeing my boys laughing with me though (the 11 year old heard us and come and joined in). laughter is the best cure for anything.......................let hope this carrys on xx HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY.

[Monostich]

That's great news - keep us updated with everything. I am 2 days behind you (I am on Day 2 today) so would be interested to see how you get on :)

[Andysgirl68]

I'm on day 3 of 20 mg Citalopram today. So far i've had the dry mouth and a headache when I wake up (as I did on Amitriptyline), and also diarrhea for the first two days, but that seems to have eased today. I can't say I feel anything much yet, apart from a bit 'wide-eyed' and detached. I hope they work, as i've spent the past 15 years feeling sad, tearful and regretful, and just thinking I was a miserable so and so :blush:

[TJ1952]

That's great news - keep us updated with everything. I am 2 days behind you (I am on Day 2 today) so would be interested to see how you get on :)

Hi hun....another day but not another smile as yet......feel little down today but not in floods of tears though so thats an improvement but one thing to look out for, and I didnt know I was doing it until the kids pointed it out, I am clenching my jaw and sort of grinding my back teeth together - its really weird.....heard this is one of the side effects but hopefully not a permanent one. Lots of people on these pills seem to be getting diarhea too but i'm not one of them (actually wish I were, I alway suffer from constipation):blush: Fingers crossed for a good day for both of us. Hope yr doing ok do far. xxx

[LAURA48]

Hi

I am into my 7th week of Citalopram - jumping to 40mg (again) tomorrow. I was in a very very bad way before taking them. I had been on Prozac for 15 great years -and eliminated my OCD 100 per cent but it stopped working in Oct after some trauma.

My anxiety has been so bad I have developed Gastritis - so that hasn't helped. The past 7 weeks has been rocky - tears, depression, etc, but I had that when starting the Prozac - so feel it is fairly normal for me. Still waiting for major lift off but this usually happens around the 12th week mark!

In view of the length of time you want to be on them - personally if these work will stay on them for years! as for OCD medication is needed.

Stick with them are you on 20mg dose. I started on 20mg for 2 weeks and then my psychiatrist bumped me up to 40mg - imo far too soon - so went back down to 30mg for 2 weeks before increasing again tomorrow.

Good luck - afraid we just need patience - easier said than done!

Laura

---------- Post added at 09:43 ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 ----------

You could always ask you GP for some diazepam whilst starting SSRIs - that would be a reasonable request - say for 2 weeks.

[Monostich]

Hi hun....another day but not another smile as yet......feel little down today but not in floods of tears though so thats an improvement but one thing to look out for, and I didnt know I was doing it until the kids pointed it out, I am clenching my jaw and sort of grinding my back teeth together - its really weird.....heard this is one of the side effects but hopefully not a permanent one. Lots of people on these pills seem to be getting diarhea too but i'm not one of them (actually wish I were, I alway suffer from constipation):blush: Fingers crossed for a good day for both of us. Hope yr doing ok do far. xxx

I am feeling terrible today. I also am grinding my jaw, have NO appetite (have just force some soup down me), feel incredibly anxious, can't sleep etc etc

I am getting the side effects quite hard. But I did with Prozac and Paroxetine before.

I wish I was one of those people who don't get the side effects!

[TJ1952]

ah bless you monostitch and I so hope yr soon reaping the benefits of the pills. My appetite was and is usually zero and I usually just eat cos I know I have too (I should so be a size 10)...but tonight as I am feeling frightfully anxious I have just eaten 3 pks of hoola hoops from the kids stack............I never eat crisps or biscuits or stuff like that so feeling pretty damm sick now...............hopefully bed soon and sleep

[Monostich]

How are you doing today?

[TJ1952]

its been nearly two weeks now since I started these pills and I admit to feeling a little better especially as I am not crying every five minutes but for some reason I cant stop my mind working overtime.....whenever I sit down for relax then my brain goes into overdrive........I seem to worrying about the future of my grandchildren, about doing the housework, oh dear those windows need a clean and even what 'ifs' all the bloody time. Is this going to stay with me for ever now I ask myself, then I worry about that too..........my poor mother is at her last stages now and is expected to pass away anytime soon and I worry about how I am going to cope with it all.............after all that brain action, I then go onto not being able to catch my breath, it seems that I can feel my own heart beating. All this even happens in the middle of the night when I wake up, then I cant get back to sleep. It's early days on the citalopram I realise that but can anybody advise me as to whether all this will actually stop in time - I cant keep busy busy busy 24/7 I am 60 years old for goodness sake and need to sit down and rest occassionally. Thanks everybody. x

[joy]

These what ifs drive you mad dont they

Joy