Feeling great after 3 days of Citalopram!

[Stevezapp]

I started taking Citalopram three days ago.
Last night I picked my Brother and Girlfriend up from work (they work at the same place). My GF got in the back of the car and my Brother got in the front, he smiled at me goofy as hell and all of a sudden I couldn't stop laughing! I just wanted to smile and laugh all the time - it was like I was high or something!
It lasted for about 3 hours (while I was walking round boots the chemist (funny as hell - laughing at everything).
Now I still feel pretty good this morning and been feeling pretty good since I started taking these things (10mg), and I think it is a pure placebo effect, but its working!
Is this normal?
I think this is just what its like to feel good again, i've had anxiety for four years now, so its been a while since I felt normal and of course i'm worried that because I feel normal - i'm gonna crash and burn really badly and freak out.
My GF is just telling me to go with the flow and not worry!! Sound advice?
Cheers guys,
Steve :D

[hogwarts]

Ok Steve i have got Citalopram but i am a bit worried about taking them my doctor gave them me about 12 months ago still haven't tried them yet what do you think i should do/


Gareth.

[Stevezapp]

Hey Gareth,
I don't think i'm the right person to be answering that!
I was prescribed Citalopram about a year ago, but never took it.
I got worse over the last year.
They say that different things work for different people. If you have tried other things and they haven't worked, then yes, I think you might have to give the medicine a go, but if there are other remidies (CBT/relaxation techniques/councelling etc) that you havent tried, you might feel more comforatable trying them (I'd have to wait ages to see a councillor and relaxation tech's don't work for me).
All I know is that i'm only 3 1/2 days into using drugs and to be honest - they seems to be helping already, but if you refer to my original post, i'm not to sure about the effects they're having on me.
I'd ask one of the forum administrators or senior members of the site for their advice - i've only been with this site for a few days, but they all seem really nice.
I hope any of that helped.
Steve ;)

[carolyn]

Hi guys,

I have suffered panic for more than 10 years now and citalopram was the only thing that has made me feel like i should have been feeling for all those years (normal). My advice is to give it a go.

cmurphy

[bubblygirl]

hi guys ive been on 20mg of citalopram for 2 months now and theyve changed my life. for the first two weeks i had the worst side effects but since they went ive been going from strength to strength. its like youve been given your freedom back. i was very unsure about taking meds and didnt really want to but had to do something and its the best thing i ever did i say go for it you have nothing to lose.

Sarah x

[Stevezapp]

Hey Sarah,
Did you have any councelling or CBT while you've been on the citalopram or did you feel better with just the drugs?
Steve x

[bubblygirl]

I was never keen on counselling but since taking the meds its made me realise i do need counselling as i still have issues with confidence and low self asteem. I don't seem to have much belief in myself so i am now going to do counselling as i feel it will help me to move on completely. for me the meds have helped me so much with going out im going to places i never used to like going to and im totally relaxed about it which is so nice and i actually enjoy going out now i only used to go out if had too. Good luck to you all x

[Rollingperson]

Hi Sarah, You give me such hope! I started taking Citalopram this week and am going up to 20mg on Tuesday. Like Steve I already feel better, and have had a positive week, though to be honest I havnt socialised very much so maybe that is why. I hope, like you, I will be able to feel more relaxed and sociable and not hide away from the world as much.
Kerry x

"Why do lovers, choose others,
we circle entwine one another,
in that mask that we wear with each other.
Oh my God how I looked in the mirror,
I looked at a hollow picture,
it was something I could frame"

[bubblygirl]

the change in me is amazing even my doctor said its so nice to see you smiling and your so lucky not to have side effects they effected me badly for the first 2 weeks but im glad i stuck with it. and im socialising so much more now i hate staying in now lol.they really have changed my life ive been such a mess for so long and now i see the light its great to have my freedom back. x

[Stevezapp]

OMG...
I went to a huge shopping centre last night, and at one point actually enjoyed it.
A strange thing is happening at the moment.
I'm accepting all the anxious thoughts i'm having and then just dismissing them, something I couldn't do before (like a lot of people, i'd dwell on them and scare the crap out of myself).
I feel good today - and noticing the time in between me being worried is increasing.
I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much, but I feel great!!
Sorry to go on, I just wanna tell people that for the first time in four years I actually feel good.
I know how it feels for it to seem hopeless and that there's no escape, but none of this is permanent. We'll all be better soon!!
Steve xx

[Nick1981]

Hi,
The actual effects of Citalopram wont be evident for at least a couple of weeks but because we can take something to help we tell our selves we will be ok and therefore will begin to feel better anyway.
I suffered from quite strong side effects to begin with but stuck with it and have now been taking Citalopram for about 7 mts. The best thing I found was that when I managed to go out to a crowded place I felt really pleased and exited and therefore better!!! It almost became an addiction to challenge my fears because of the highs I felt when I succeeded.
Nick

"It does get better"

[Gail32]

I was also prescribed these tablets whilst I was going through abad relationship but never took them.
I now find myself in another bad realtionship but i think its my insecuries and low self asteem which makes my relationships go wrong.
I might go back to my doctor now and get some more and take them, you sound so happy !
x

[Magpie]

Hi Gail, I think you were probably right not to take the Citalopram if you think the problems you're having are caused by insecurity and low self-esteem. In cases where anxiety is caused by thought patterns, meds are good to give you breathing space if your situation becomes unbearable but they won't actually solve anything.

If these thought patterns are something you'd like to change, there's a lot you can do, from behavioural therapy to self-help. Even something as simple as reading a self-help book (lots of people on this site seem to favour Claire Weekes' books) could really change things around! Hope it all works out for you anyhow.

[mirry]

isnt it great that these pills have helped you all,
I coulndt take these pills at all, I had severe side effects and terrible visual disturbances which made me totally freak out and that was while also on diazepam. I felt like I was a druggy , totally druged up and not knowing what I WAS DOING. It was pure hell and something Id never experianced in my whole life. Now Ive been given some other pills but im still too afraid to try them incase i go thru the same ordeal.

[normalwisdom]

I have been on citalopram for 2 months now and feel so "normal" I have driven places I hadn't driven too even before my anx! I just feel they have taken the edge off of everything and at the mo getting out and about is what i need to do and I JFDI. Even been out on my own to pubs n thing (sad I know:shrug: )

[mushroomcloud]

Hi,

By sheer luck i came across this website and have noticed that you guys have talked a lot about the side effects of citalopram.
I started taking them 3 days ago and have felt nauseous and spaced out since. It comes in waves, and i am finding it very hard to eat.

Has anybody else experienced this? I don't suppose it's too late to stop taking them after three days is it? I feel worse now than i did before. Help!

Mush

[normalwisdom]

Hi Mush

I would advise that you keep taking them I felt awful for the first 2 weeks felt a lot worse than I did without them but I kept on taking them and feel fine now:yesyes: .

BTW my appetite went after starting taking citalopram but getting better now not a bad thing for me!!!

[mirry]

Mush , i was on them for 4 days and just like you was so sickly, it was awful and my anxiety went thru the roof, I was curled up in a ball in the car screaming with fear.....It was absolutely awful and I felt mental :wacko: .
I still worry it will happen again, I thinks its made my anxiety problems worse in some ways cos I just cant forget how bad i was.

Only you can know how bad you feel and what you should do, I wish you all the best and hopefully it will get better.

[CMR]

Well after being stubborn for 3 months and trying to manage my PND for the third time alone without tablets, then other family problems came up at new year which added to my anxiety and misery and it got so bad this week I was found in our room crying, wailing and finally screaming until I was faced down in a pillow full of snot, tears, sweat and drool (I know,classy eh?) Enough was enough

So I decided to start my Citalopram. I have to take 20mg once a day and im on day 2 now and it may just be a placebo but I swear I feel better already. Rather than a million racing thoughts at once my thoughts seem linear all of a sudden, like one thing at a time, not scattered, and its such a freeing feeling.

Walking around Sainsburies today (usually a stressful nightmare) I felt like I was running at a slower pace, like all I was doing was concentrating on one item at a time, nothing around me affected me as it normaly does. It feels as if my sensitivity and anxiety have been turned down one little notch... nothing major, just subtle. Then I got home and played with my youngest two children for an hour, without a single thought of housework, jobs to do, what I could be doing etc. Just fully focused on the one thing I was doing and enjoying it, no distractions. Liberating.

Like I said earlier, could be placebo, or the big screaming release that helped, but I really believe I can feel the subtle changes already with Citalopram and its given me hope, something Ive not felt in years

:)

[Lucy_lu]

I too am on day 3 and so far I feel good! little bit of the shakes but on the whole I feel positive which I haven't done fr a long while . Maybe it is a placebo affect but either way I like it. other people have said when starting they felt tired fuzzy head lack of motivation etc but I felt like that all the time anyway . think I feel a massive sence of relief now I know things are on the up. :) stay positive hope this good feeling continues! X

[teej]

Different people react in different ways. My first two weeks on them was absolutely awful and I had to be put on librium to counter the side effects. I had no appetite and my depression became blacker than it has ever been.

I did notice though that within 5 days of beginning to take the pills my social anxiety and general non-depression anxiety lifted greatly.

I have persisted in taking these and last week was the best week. I really felt I was coming back normality.

Unfortunately I had a blip yesterday and have gone backwards a bit but I'm going to keep persisting. There's going to be ups and downs as there is in life.

I think though the best thing I did when the side effects got bad in that first week was to speak with my GP so he could help and I recommend anyone struggling to do that.