Just started Citalopram and worried

[IN_THE_DARK]

Hi everyone

I'm new here. My doc has started me on 10mg of Citalopram for anxiety/depression and I've been on it 3 days and I'm finding the experiencing a bit frightening.

I keep getting a very strange spaced out feeling with a bit of depersonalisation going on. I noticed it when I was having a wash when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and felt really strange, and wasn't sure if I was really stood there looking at myself in the mirror. Other things I have been getting is a fluttery heart on and off which makes me feel more anxious, and an even more paranoid depressed mood, with feelings of impeding doom. Another weird thing I've been experiencing is constant yawning and feeling a little like I have vertigo. I've lost my appetite too which concerns me.

Please tell me this gets better. :weep:

I'm questioning whether is the right medicine for me. It's been a long, long, time since I was last on antidepressants, so I don't remember going through any of this stuff.

[Sparkle1984]

Welcome to the forums. 3 days is very early into the course of medication so it's not suprising you're still getting side effects. I'm also on 10mg and for the first 5 days or so I had side effects like insomnia and nausea (which meant that I hardly ate anything for the first few days, even though I felt hungry). I also had a rapid heart beat for the first couple of weeks. On the morning of Day 3, I felt very low and my existential anxiety had got worse (when I questioned the purpose of life if we're all going to end up dying anyway) - that was a horrible feeling but thankfully it wore off within a couple of days. Most of the side effects did gradually wear off for me in less than a week.

By Week 3, my mood was a lot more stable and I felt happier in myself, even though I did still have some underlying anxiety it didn't bother me so much. It took me until Week 11 until I felt the full effects of the medication. I'm on Week 13 now. I was also attending a 6-week CBT Stress Control course, which was really helpful for me. My course has finished now but it taught me lots of useful techniques for controlling my anxiety and managing my thoughts better.

I think what you are going through is normal for the first few days - it's common for people to get worse before they start to feel better.

Keep going and I hope you will feel better soon. :)

[IN_THE_DARK]

Welcome to the forums. 3 days is very early into the course of medication so it's not suprising you're still getting side effects. I'm also on 10mg and for the first 5 days or so I had side effects like insomnia and nausea (which meant that I hardly ate anything for the first few days, even though I felt hungry). I also had a rapid heart beat for the first couple of weeks. On the morning of Day 3, I felt very low and my existential anxiety had got worse (when I questioned the purpose of life if we're all going to end up dying anyway) - that was a horrible feeling but thankfully it wore off within a couple of days. Most of the side effects did gradually wear off for me in less than a week.

By Week 3, my mood was a lot more stable and I felt happier in myself, even though I did still have some underlying anxiety it didn't bother me so much. It took me until Week 11 until I felt the full effects of the medication. I'm on Week 13 now. I was also attending a 6-week CBT Stress Control course, which was really helpful for me. My course has finished now but it taught me lots of useful techniques for controlling my anxiety and managing my thoughts better.

I think what you are going through is normal for the first few days - it's common for people to get worse before they start to feel better.

Keep going and I hope you will feel better soon. :)

Wow, thank you, I now feel a little bit more assured.

It's interesting you said about Day 3 with worse depression - this is EXACTLY what I have felt all day. I haven't felt this low in ages. As the day has progressed, I am feeling a little bit better this evening. Earlier I was extremely low and felt my whole life was upside down. I'm glad it's just a phase with adjusting to the Citalopram.

Hopefully things will start getting better each day.