Should it have got better by now?

[cmc46]

Hi, I have recently gone back on citalopram, 3 weeks on 10 mg and have been on 20mg since Monday, the last 3 weeks have been terrible and they seem to have got worse since increasing the dose, I didn't think I would suffer many side effects as I didn't come off of it completely just went down to 5mg and then started to go back up as I felt myself panicking again, first time round I can't remember having side effects like this, high anxiety, feeling sick, no appetite, seems like every nerve in my body is pounding, feel exhausted but can't relax and only get about 2 hours proper sleep a night. I am now in my 5th week and thought it would be starting to get better by now. First time round I was taking propranalol as well, does any one know if this would have helped with the side effects?

[Tero]

It's a little difficult to separate sise effects, anxiety effects and placebo effects. When I was on 10mg I had a big placebo effect. In hindsight!

Best to stick to some constant dose or none at all and report to the doctor. Some people actually get no benefit from citalopram but do get side effects.

The variable dose is not a solution.

Take care!

[cmc46]

Thank you Tero, I wondered if it has been worse this time because I have been weaning off through this year and now I am increasing again so maybe my body is finding it too much, I'm hoping that now I am 20 and hoping to stay on it if it works this time it will settle down.

[teej]

I've stuck it out with 20mg for 7 weeks and never changed the dose. I seem to have had an amount of success but still feeling I could do with an extra bit of help and am planning when I can move up to 30mg (I've been given permission by the doctor). Have to admit I'm nervous about changing though.

[cmc46]

I can't go above 20 being over 65 as that is the highest dose so I am hoping it will work, it did last time and I even felt fine on 10mg all summer I just wish I hadn't tried to go down to 5 but then we live and learn.

[cheshirecatqee]

I had the exact same thing when I went on cit the second time, the side effects were terrible and it took about 3 months to settle.

[Sedaw1]

I'd try just sticking to the same dose for a while. Every time you change your dose, you body has to try adjust again. I believe that most people need at least 20mg to notice a difference. I too have been on 20mg for just over a week and haven't noticed any change yet, infant it's a lot worse. But I know that you have to give it at least 3-6 weeks for your body to adjust and for it to kick in.

[cmc46]

Hi Sedaw, I think that is probably the trouble I have been going down for months and now going back up my body doesn't know where it is. Like you I feel worse since before increasing the dose than before, I know I'm being very impatient, 5 weeks isn't that long.
Hope things get better for you.

Cheshirecatqee - I read somewhere before that it takes longer to act second time around.

Christine.

[cheshirecatqee]

I would agree with that as it did take longer to act for me. I switched from cit to mitrazipine stopped for a week tried clomazipine got night terrors stopped that and went back to cit so the seratonin never left my system and it still took about 3 months for cit to stabilise me and the side effects to stop :(

[lifeissweet]

HI I was on 20mg for 5 years before going up to 30mg. This is my 6th week of 30's and I d agree that it took longer to have an affect than it did the first time...id say 3 weeks ish the first (or once the terrible side effects subside) and Id say its working full strength now x

[Sedaw1]

I'm on day 15 of 20mg and my anxiety is still bad. I am averaging 4 hours sleep a night, have night sweats, wake up with horrible anxiety and dread and the whole day I have head pressure.

On top of everything my partner of 9 years has just split from me.

I'm getting scared and worried that the meds aren't working. Most people say they feel like they are getting better after 2 weeks but I don't feel any better.

[EdnaLegume]

I'm on day 15 of 20mg and my anxiety is still bad. I am averaging 4 hours sleep a night, have night sweats, wake up with horrible anxiety and dread and the whole day I have head pressure.

On top of everything my partner of 9 years has just split from me.

I'm getting scared and worried that the meds aren't working. Most people say they feel like they are getting better after 2 weeks but I don't feel any better.

I have spent nearly all day every day for the past 12 days reading everything I can about celexa. I think feeling better after 2 weeks is rare. Happens, but not likely. Most feel relief from side effects in the 4-6 week mark. I'm also experiencing the same side effects as you, and also when I let my mind wander, begin to question if I can hold on much longer.

My doctor did give me xanax at the same time as my celexa script but I found it didn't last long enough and almost seemed to make the anxiety worse after it wore off. I only tried it for 2 or 3 days. I've now switched to klonopin and while it's early, I'm thinking it's a better fit to help me through the side effects while the celexa gets to work.

[cmc46]

Hi Sedaw,

Like you I am worrying that it won't work this time round, am I right in thinking that you have been on cit before as well?

I am so sorry to hear that your partner has split with you, that isn't going to help you, my partner does get very fed up with me I must admit and I know I get him down.

Like Edna says it is rare to feel better after 2 weeks and the doctor told me it would take a few weeks before kicking in, it just seems like it is forever.

Christine.

[teej]

I think the problem is that for the people this drug works for at 2 weeks are probably not posting on the internet about how it works. They're probably happily frolicking in a field somewhere feeling great.

I think if I were to draw a pie chart of people who have citalopram prescribed to them I'd make the following segments:

* People who take it for 5 days and think it doesn't work and quit.
* People who take it for < 30 days, think it doesn't work and quit.
* People who persist in taking for 3 months and feel better.
* People who this drug works within 30 days.
* People who this drug works for within 2 weeks.

I'd love to see some percentages with those segments.

For me it's been two months with ups and downs. A lot of my ups and downs seem to be driven by external stress too.

I'm feeling good today though!

[mollys]

Me too on Cit for five weeks now and every day I have terrible side affects.I was given Valium to help on the bad days,but found that they made me very sleepy,so I began to take half and that kinda helped.Only last night I made the mistake of having a few glasses of wine and to day I am suffering for that,still feel drunk and afraid to take meds in case they make me worse.:hugs:Sending you hugs we all need them.

[teej]

Only last night I made the mistake of having a few glasses of wine and to day I am suffering for that,still feel drunk and afraid to take meds in case they make me worse.

I posted on another thread about drinking. I'm a committed drinker - I went dry in October and relapsed on Christmas day (been on cit for 2 months) and I felt utterly wrecked on boxing day. Seems the alcohol brought on the startup symptoms of the citalopram again. I felt like I had the alcoholic shakes and it didn't go away for about 4 days.

I was going to post a new thread about it but was quite ashamed about it... maybe I should? :blush:

[cmc46]

Hi, I am now on day 15 of 20mg and things are just not getting any better, today I just feel that I have no energy at all and it is such an effort to do things but I am still making myself do housework, take the dogs out as I still find it hard to relax, if that makes sense, has any one else felt like this, I really can't remember feeling like this first time around and I am beginning to wonder if it is going to work this time.

[teej]

It has literally taken me two months to stabilise onto 20mg and it was not until my third week that I had a handful of moderately good days. Sadly 15 days is not that long for cit it seems. This is my third time on citalopram in 10 years (to my recollection).

Keep on fighting.

[cmc46]

Thanks teej, before being on 20mg for 15 days I was on 10mg for 3 weeks so I was hoping to see some improvement by now, this is my second time and I am sure it had started to work quicker before. My worry is that it won't work for me this time but if you have been on it 3 times it obviously worked for you second time round, I didn't actually come right off of it but got down to 5mg and knew things weren't right so started to go back up.
Thanks again.

[teej]

Ironically I think it's worked better this third time than the previous two.

I find if I change the dosages (either by missing a pill or taking too many) it messes me up for a good few weeks. Maybe I'm quite sensitive to the medication? :wacko: