Question about Citalopram

[anxious1]

I have been Citalopram 20mg, but i am really worried about taking them due to a bad reaction to Sertaline. Has anyone taken any of these before as the doctor dosent give much advice on them. Thanks in advance

[MyNameIsTerry]

All SSRI/SNRI's have got a list of side effects as long as your arm and they are often very similar. However, if you have a bad reaction to one, it doesn't mean you will to the others as these things just happen to some people. So, you will only know if you try them.

However, a useful piece of advice I wish I had known about (I wasn't on here back then) is how many GP's start people on 10mg to ease them in. Going straight onto the starting therapeutic dose of 20mg can mean harsher side effects.

If you give yourself over a week on 10mg first, it can make it a bit easier. I should also say I've seen threads on here by people who have struggled doing that too as the 20mg was harsh to them so again it's still individual BUT at least on 10mg you can suss out the harshness a bit first and be on a less impacting dose should you struggle.

I went straight on 20mg and my GP told me very little. Back then I had just started with GAD. The first 2 days I had nausea, which is a known issue you can avoid if taken with food as it's a specific Serotonin gut receptor that causes this with Citalopram. After that I really badly struggled with mood, sleep and inability to eat despite feeling very hungry. Once I had something to help me sleep though, this greatly lessened and I could cope with the side effects. By week 3 they were noticeably decreasing anyway but it took 2-3 months to feel any benefits.

So, don't be put off. It's worth a try. There are many people who say it has helped them and it did help me greatly after that. When I relapsed (had been off Citalopram 6 months) my GP decided on trying a SNRI and I really wish I had refused and asked to go back on the Citalopram as my current med has been nothing but a nightmare.

[anxious1]

Thanks for that terry. I will give the 10mg a try. Thanks for the great advice

[Shazamataz]

I'd say start at 10 mg for a week and then go up to 20. I didn't cope with sertraline either and went on citalopram. That said by week three I felt worse than ever and was transferred onto mirtazapine.

Give it a go at 10 mg. That way it minimises any side effects.