Changing your brain

[Waldenpond]

I've been prescribed Citalopram for my extreme anxiety - particularly health anxiety - but I keep putting it off, even though it could be a very good move.

For those of you who have taken Citalopram for reasons similar to mine, whether successful or unsuccessful - I'd like to hear you try to describe what effect it had on you. Did it make you a calmer person? A happier person? Did it blunt your fears?

At the moment I'm taking Diazepam, which works extremely well, but I don't want to take it every day. Citalopram is becoming more appealing, but I'd like to hear some accounts before I go ahead. I want to understand what it can do - to what extent it can 'change my brain'. Will it perhaps make me worry less, as Diazepam seems to do (although I know they're very different drugs).

[jharden]

The citalopram survival guide that's in this forum is a great place to start! It's stickied at the top of this forum.

I'm currently one month in to my citalopram journey. I originally suffered from depression which ended up causing terrible anxiety. Often depression and anxiety exist alongside each other. I'm on 20mg each day and it's been up and down. I experienced trouble sleeping, vivid dreams, diarrhoea and headaches during the first couple of weeks - these side effects are common and won't harm you. Weeks three and four were free of side effects and I felt much better.

I'm onto week 5 now. I've noticed that my mood has improved greatly but my anxiety is still pretty persistent. I seem to bounce back quicker and I haven't had a cry since I started treatment. However I'm still a bit all over the place. I'm not going to think about changing anything up until I've finished 12 weeks.

You shouldn't feel fear about trying citalopram. It's one of the more 'gentle' SSRIs and it has helped loads of people. If you do decide to take it, don't muck around with the dosage and be patient. It needs anywhere between 8-12 weeks of daily use before you can start to assess it's effectiveness.

[dafni]

My answer is to run as far as you can from benzos and ad. I had anxiety and fears, now im a numb zombie.

[weplant]

I've been prescribed Citalopram for my extreme anxiety - particularly health anxiety - but I keep putting it off, even though it could be a very good move.

For those of you who have taken Citalopram for reasons similar to mine, whether successful or unsuccessful - I'd like to hear you try to describe what effect it had on you. Did it make you a calmer person? A happier person? Did it blunt your fears?

At the moment I'm taking Diazepam, which works extremely well, but I don't want to take it every day. Citalopram is becoming more appealing, but I'd like to hear some accounts before I go ahead. I want to understand what it can do - to what extent it can 'change my brain'. Will it perhaps make me worry less, as Diazepam seems to do (although I know they're very different drugs).
Hi. I suffer from severe anxiety/panic health anxiety and now depression. I have a very big fear toward meds..I started on cit 4 weeks ago, but I am on the liquid form, this way I can go up very slowly. Ask your doc about giving you the liquid form. I am very sensititive to meds and typically need a lower dose than most. It has also been proven that most people do fine on 5mg as opposed to 20mg. . I started at .5ml which is 1 mg. I am now on 5mg..The first week or so I had bad nausea, but that has subsided. My biggest problem now is the dizziness, and I feel like my body has electricty running thru it..However, I am not giving up..From what I understand these are normal SE's to go thru for a while, and if there is a possiblity that I will be able to leave my house again,I am going to give it a shot..I know cit has helped a lot of people, just have to hang in there..you can private message me if you like...debbie

[Zeitgeist]

Hi there,

It's been an interesting ride,

I have worked my way through a gamut of side effects, the first few weeks takes quite a bit of grit to get through, but I can honestly say it has helped massively.

So how do I feel now on the other side as it were and what has it done.

So I still feel quite tired, I am on 40mg a day which can leave you fatigued, in some ways nought it may be the tail end of the anxiety going.

Mentally it does feel different, I used to have a lot of anger and difficulty controlling it, it has been increasingly clear that this was due to anxiety and hyper vigilance. I now find myself marvelling at how I can cooly and calmly react to a situation where previously I would of Ben hugely snappy.

I was worried when people said they were numb and no longer felt emotions, this isn't the case for me, I have moved from overwhelmed and out of control of emotions to in control and able to feel them without pain, like having cold sensitivity removed from my teeth.

My mind works differently, I am not worried by things I would of been and this has the benefit of also having removed self imposed barriers and inhibitions where previously I would of overthought and talked myself out of doing hings I am now much more easy going and open to spontaneity, my bank manager may not agree this us a good hing, but I am enjoying it.

So overall worth the ride, but don't underestimate how hard the first few weeks will be, hey are, but they are worth it.

[Marty_67]

Totally agree with Zeit.

It sure is a bumpy ride. I am at week 18, I feel loads better but I still suffer a little anxiety from time to time...beats a panic attack though, which seem to now be a rare event.

Cit has helped me get a more balanced view on life and I do feel all the better for it :)