Advice on changing antidepressant for HA

[ShaunRyder]

As some of you may know I am back on the boards worrying about all sorts, I have been on my current meds 20mg citalopram for just over a year and I don't feel they have really worked for me.

I am planning to go to my GP next week to discuss things, would they change the make/brand of antidepressant? If so, has anyone else had to change? What did a change in meds do for you?

[MyNameIsTerry]

They might just try an increase. They could try 30mg or go up to the 40mg max. They tend to switch rather than increase first when the adverse effects aren't worth increasing the dose.

I've never had an increase, 20mg of Citalopram was OK for me but my current med has never really been helpful. But I know some of the people on the Citalopram board have said 20mg wasn't enough but they felt a big change going up a dose.

If you have seen some improvement on this dose then I suspect they will want to see if increasing it increases the improvement.

A brand change is unlikely since it is essentially the same med and whilst some people feel differences, its hit & miss. Pharmacies often buy in from different manufacturers anyway so we sometimes end up chopping & changing between different brands, generics, etc.

[swgrl09]

Increasing may help, like Terry says. I am on lexapro (escitalopram) and at the full dose, it has helped my anxiety and HA a lot. Mostly has helped with my obsessive thoughts about health, as I think my HA has some OCD characteristics.

[kellie39]

does citalopram really help for health anxiety? i was on it for depression a few years ago and at the min im having anxiety over health and its knocked me for 6, ive been tot he docs and they have reassured me that nothing is wrong and im trying really hard to let that info sink in my head which it is a bit but my body is still on edge, shaky, weak, hot and sweaty (is this normal?)
i asked my doc is citalopram would help and she said if i wanted to try it i could but i took it for 2 nights and it make me worse than i was before so i didnt take any more.

not sure if i should try again or see if the symptoms settle down?

any advice would be fantastic

[swgrl09]

If you do try any med, you have to commit to riding out the start up side effects, which will pass. For some it takes a few weeks, some two months. But in my case with lexapro it was worth it.