Citalopram-worth taking yes or no?

[nok_tok]

i was recently re-pescribed Citalopram by my g.p....i tried them a few years ago but stopped after a few days as i felt really low (almost suicidal) after taking them...i was told they take a while to kick in and after a week or so will work well...

thing is...am i just masking the problem...?

i told my gp i would give them another try but dont dare as of yet....

[KK77]

Yes you do have to give it a chance... Several weeks at least. But if you feel 'suicidal' in the meantime make sure you seek help immediately.

I would give it another shot.

[little scientist]

What KK said!

Citalopram has worked wonders for me. The first time I was on it, I had the most stable 18 months of the past 8 years of my life.

This is my second time on it, and this time it has taken a lot longer for it to be effective, but I am really feeling the benefits of it now (12 weeks in). The first week was the hardest, I had some very very dark thoughts when I was moved up to 20mg, but these were short lived and I had someone with me to comfort me, and the thoughts soon wore off and I was able to continue with the citalopram.

Persistence is the key with SSRIs, they are not fast acting and can take weeks to become effective. Give them another try :)

[bignik]

earlier this year when feeling suicidal and on mirtazipine it was changed to citralopram and made all the difference. I was in such a state it wasnt thinking about suicide , I was planning it etc , the Citralopram once stablised on 40mg kept the idea at bay and still does some 11 months later , so my opinion is a big yes.

Remember if that low and feel suicidal get to your local A & E anytime of day , all A & E's have mental assessment teams and they will be able to assess you, dont let the thought over rule your mind rememeber its just a thought, you just have to conquest it

[claire_2910]

Ah a big decision. I was given Citalopram by my GP a few weeks back as I felt extremely low and had thoughts of not being here (without medication!) I took one and went to bed, that night I woke up and was a mess and felt horrendous, that bad I stopped. Wat happened was, I went counselling and came away and forced myself to make a difference without the medication. 4 weeks later I am feeling much much better. Your mind is a powerful thing xxxx

[Tyke]

I was on Sertraline and it took about 4-6 weeks before I started to get the benefit. Initially I did feel worse due to side effects. It does seem like a long time to wait when you feel so awful, but for me it did prove worth it in the end.

If you feel that a serious side effect for you was increased suicidal thoughts maybe you should mention that to your GP first? It might be worth trying a different anti-depressant. On the other hand it may be that you would have been that depressed whether you had been on Citalopram or not. It can be difficult to know which it is.

Tyke :)