Best Citolopram dosage for severe anxiety

[elibabez]

Hello I was wondering if you could help me
I was on citalopram for some time and it helped great 80 per cent of the time, 20 per cent though it didn't work,
this was after almost a year
I was on 10mg

I am thinking of upping the dose but in the past, when i ask the doctor he just put it up to 20mg, which actually tended to make me feel worse, so i was moved back to 10mg.

Whenever i look on yahoo answers and forums, the common feeling seems to be you take 40 for anxiety, am i correct?

Whilst obviously i know i need to get the doctors approval first, i would like to know what works best for people with anxiety
thanks a lot, also this is my first post (well my first was my introduction so this is like my first post which isnt introduction) so hello everyone :yesyes:

Thanks

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi and welcome to NMP :welcome:

My GP put me straight onto 20mg for anxiety and said that was the standard therapeutic dose. 40mg is the max dose thesedays but you don't need to go all the way up to that and if you have a read of the threads on the Citalopram board, a sub board of the Medication board, you will see people on 10, 20, 30 and 40. It would be worth posting on there too so some other people spot your thread.

Increasing your dose is very likely to mean side effects for the normal period which can be 4-6 weeks. However, that doesn't means it's all bad for that long as it can decrease during that period as you start to get used to it. So, if it made you worse during that period and you didn't wait to see if it changed, it could have just been the side effects period. I've noticed a few people who have been on 10mg that have asked why they are having side effects moving to 20mg when they had little starting at 10mg.

[SurfingWaves]

Hi I have been on 10mg for only 15 days but my anxiety has been reduce about 60% although I had a blip yesterday and felt pretty worried with racing thoughts etc. I have started 20mg this morning and so far so good although the side effects like tiredness have hit me the last hour.

I believe that increased anxiety is side effect when upping a dosage. How long did you try at 20mg for? you may need to ride it out for a month or so?

[RosieBelle]

Hi :)
I'm on Citalopram too, at 20mg. Since being on it, I have not had severe anxiety or panic, even when I've been triggered. The thing is, when you change the dosage, the side-effects can cause increased anxiety, so that may be why you felt worse as the side-effects take a while to settle down.
Maybe you could try 20mg again and just ride the side-effects out.
Hope this helps :)

Take care :hugs:

[mark84]

As Terry said you'll see a wide variety of doses, up until a couple of years ago people couldbe on as much as 60mg, but the most common dosages are 20, 30 and 40mg. I'm on 30, 20 worked intermittently for me, some days fine others were terrible, but 30 seems to have levelled it more. I don't know what it'd be like on 40, I'd guess I personally wouldnt get anymore relief on 40 than 30, just a hunch though.
You've got to find what works for you, 20 is a great starting place though.

[Rennie1989]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your problem.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

[elibabez]

Hi everyone, and hi rennie who was the last poster
i apologise for not responding sooner, but when i made the initial OP, i forgot about it
i`m so used to posting on anxietyforum.net the main one, and nobody responds,
i couldnt believe people are so much more friendly on this website and helpful.

A little update, i bumped myself up to 40mg myself, because the 10/20mg that the doctor had recommended in the past, wasnt working too well.

The first couple of days my anxiety was at an all time high - through the roof!
My heart was racing, i had no appetite etc.

Since yesturday aftermoon, i have felt much better and i think i will stick with 40mg

i am also having c b t i think it is, although there is a waiting list before the therapy starts -- i will be having another thread on that therapy thing when i get more time to write on here.

I will also be not just making my own thread but also replying to other peoples threads and try to help their anxiety because we are all in this together

Big Hugs

:hugs:

[Logan_Five]

I'm on 40mg a day and it works well for me. Only downside is tiredness (I tend to nap through the day, most days), but I can live with that. :)

[elibabez]

I'm on 40mg a day and it works well for me. Only downside is tiredness (I tend to nap through the day, most days), but I can live with that. :)

well i have been taking 30 now for a few days and i am fine
im not sure if it is due to going through a good period of time -- tend to usually have 3 good weeks followed by half a very bad week

or if it is due to the dosage im taking.

I would be continuing with 40mg but i dont have enough citolopram a month for that, and as i am only on 30mg, the doctor would want to know why i am running out of a months worse in just a couple of weeks

i will stick with 30 for now and give it a month or two

by and large the last week has been good but it could be down to my annoying housemate nor bothering me.