View Full Version : 7 weeks on citalopram - update
To my friends on here and any new readers, I have just returned from a visit with my doctor and thought I would update.
I have now completed 7 weeks on citalopram at 20mg.
As we all know the first few weeks are very hard with side effects, by week 5 I was out of my lowest mood and was able to achieve more, including leaving the house.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to shake the extreme anxiety and in the past week it has really brought my mood down again. All the usual thoughts, will I ever be myself again... Why is this medication not working... It's week 7 I was told 4-6 weeks...
Doctor really feels that 20mg is too low and I need to aim for 40mg, we decided that the jump straight to 40 might be a little rough on me so we met in the middle and as of today I will be taking 30mg.
He also suggested that I now take my medication in the morning rather than at night to avoid becoming dependent on zopiclone. He has also prescribed me klonopin to get through the side effects of the dosage increase. I previously kept ativan on hand for these situations but I'm now requiring more to get any relief.
As expected im quite scared to increase in fear of the horrible side effects but it may be just what I need to get me closer to where I want to be and to feel normal and anxiety free again.
Wish me luck in my next step and fingers crossed this is the answer.. Only time will tell
Beckie4567
16-03-16, 22:30
Good luck stick with it I hope they work for u ��
Suziewuzie
16-03-16, 22:45
Thanks for sharing how it went - I'm genuinley interested to hear about everyones progress! I really hope you don't get too severe side effects, but I bet you manage them just fine you know? You sound like you're quite positive about the change & you have the klonopin there if you need it. Keep us posted! X
LiveAboveIt
16-03-16, 23:26
Thats interesting... Im considering lowering my dose from 20mg to 10mg because its making me manic everyday. Dealing with a lot of intrusive/racing thoughts and bad mental confusion that I didnt have beforehand. Does responding to SSRIs with mania have to mean you have some sort of bipolar disorder?
---------- Post added at 18:26 ---------- Previous post was at 18:25 ----------
I really hope you do well on 30mg, Jay. Let us know, buddy.
I do try and keep positive Suzie. I'm disappointed at this stage that I can't say things have been completely successful but on the other hand it could only be a dose increase that gets me over the line. When it all starts so low I guess it's a long way to the top and this might be why it takes longer for some of us. I also think researching and knowing too much completely takes away any positive placebo effect that can really get the ball rolling for a successful recovery
LiveAboveIt
17-03-16, 02:39
I agree completely about the research idea, Jay. Its the devil, sometimes. On a positive note, I have read about a ton of people that just upped their dose and started feeling immediately better within days.
Hey Jay, good luck with the increase mate, this could be exactly what you need to get you there. He sounds like my doctor, wanting you to get to 40 and it's a good idea to try 30 first. We are all here for you and I'm wishing you the best of luck.
The klonopin is much better than the ativan! 0.5mg calmed me for the whole evening, it's good to have that for a short while, while I adjust to the increase
I'm really hoping my doctor gives me something when i increase next week :-/
I guess all you can really say is people you have talked to going through similar situations have found relief from a short term use of a benzo. My doctor is good in that sense, he rather not see me suffering. Other doctors I have seen in the past won't even humour the thought of a benzo. Guess it's hard for them to know when they haven't gone through it
My doctor is really nice, always hugs me before I leave so I'm hopeful he will, he offered them last year when I first started the cit and I said no being the idiot I am.
I get a handshake from my doctor... Maybe I should ask for the hug lol
My doctor is from the UK, I'll suggest to him that hugging is common between doctor and patient back home and it's time to bring it to Alberta, Canada
I'm sure he will totally agree with you and it will be hugs all round!!
Do you know what benzo you're after? I think either Lorazepam or Diazepam would be the options. Usually a GP would offer Diazepam and a psychiatrist Lorazepam. I took Lorazepam for a month, and then move to Diazepam (2 months so far). Still on 12mg a day for the time being, but might be time to start reducing soon.
I'm going on a 3 day holiday. Jump on a plane this afternoon. Meds in hand. Let's hope for a good time and plenty of distraction
Diaz more than likely but Ill see how I go!!!
Nice one Jay, where you going? Hope you have a really great time!
I'm a big basketball fan and my team the Boston Celtics are playing in Toronto tomorrow. So off to Toronto and Niagara falls. It's a present from my room mate, I think she has felt sorry for me seeing me struggle a bit lately. I'm trying to be excited, it's so hard
Aww that's really nice of her... It's understandable that you are trying to be excited but just go and don't expect anything and think that the change of scenery will do you good!
Both my boys play rugby, the older one professionally (very British) so tend to spend most of my weekends watching that!
They both play league, although my eldest has played union as well.
Oh that's great! I don't know if you guys ever watch nrl but before I moved from Australia I was one of those guys at the matches holding the big banners and flags
That's awesome!! Nrl crazy in our house and I don't really have a choice lol although with both of them playing I've come to really enjoy it. It's super league here and the town I'm from has 2 teams so it's huge rivalry!
LiveAboveIt
18-03-16, 00:53
How are you doing on your increase so far, Jay?
Feeling pretty good. I'm on vacation so my mind is exploring and distracted. Haven't felt any worse with the increase and having only 0.5mg klonopin per evening just to take the edge. When I'm back go work Monday I will have more of an idea
LiveAboveIt
18-03-16, 18:05
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your vacation, Jay!
LiveAboveIt
21-03-16, 19:28
How are you handling the increase, Jay? I notice you arent around near as much.
I'm here, was on a 3 day vacation.. Was good to get my mind off things.
5 days on increased dose now... Haven't noticed any additional side effects... But haven't noticed any improvement from then. May be still a bit early, I'm not sure how long a dose increase takes before you see results of any kind
Usually about 5 days before I notice side effects on cit.
hopefully you won't get any
It's nice this little community of 'citters' banding together to help each other out :)
I've just switched over to mirt but am staying part of the 'cit family' lol
My weekly doctor appointment is tomorrow, I'll add an update for the cit fam then lol
Suziewuzie
22-03-16, 15:08
Yeah let us know Jay :) love hearing how everyone is getting on.
To my cit fam
Week 8 update -
So I just got back from the doctor, he is very happy with my progress. For those who don't know I increased my dosage from 20 to 30mg exactly a week ago, as well as changing to taking the med in the morning rather then evening. Surprisingly I haven't suffered any further side effects from the increase which I'm very happy about.
My low mood is all but gone, but an intense anxiety remains. The good news is in the past few days I have had small windows where the anxiety has actually lifted and I have felt normal for the first time in many months.. These windows only last 30 mins or so and there is no consistency but I make the most of them and surely it's a sign. Doctor thinks this is very positive and an indication that the cit is beginning to take more effect.
He wants me to remain on 30mg as he said it can take a further few weeks for the new dose to settle.. This gives me hope that there is improvement to be made on the forward step that's occurred just recently.
Klonopin still on hand for evenings when things seem a little worse but haven't needed it during the day for 4 days now.
Fingers crossed and good luck to you all also
Jay that is fantastic news and sounds really positive! :-)
Keep going, sounds like you are really getting somewhere.
To my cit fam
Week 8 update -
So I just got back from the doctor, he is very happy with my progress. For those who don't know I increased my dosage from 20 to 30mg exactly a week ago, as well as changing to taking the med in the morning rather then evening. Surprisingly I haven't suffered any further side effects from the increase which I'm very happy about.
My low mood is all but gone, but an intense anxiety remains. The good news is in the past few days I have had small windows where the anxiety has actually lifted and I have felt normal for the first time in many months.. These windows only last 30 mins or so and there is no consistency but I make the most of them and surely it's a sign. Doctor thinks this is very positive and an indication that the cit is beginning to take more effect.
He wants me to remain on 30mg as he said it can take a further few weeks for the new dose to settle.. This gives me hope that there is improvement to be made on the forward step that's occurred just recently.
Klonopin still on hand for evenings when things seem a little worse but haven't needed it during the day for 4 days now.
Fingers crossed and good luck to you all also
Awesome Jay, nice one and glad to hear your positive progress. Stick with it and you will be back to your old self in no time!
I am on day 11 (20mg) and I'm suffering a foggy thick head with a nasty headache that has stuck around for the past 2 days. My mood is very low indeed, and my outlook at the moment is very negative and I have no energy to speak of. My emotions are all over the place again. However I have experienced all of this before, especially the headaches so I know its the med side effects although this doesn't make it anymore easy to handle.:weep:
Keep up the progress!
Rich
Suziewuzie
24-03-16, 10:25
That's really positive Jay :) I hope these windows start getting longer for you. That's how I feel too, windows of feeling normal.
The windows are such a tease aren't they
Suziewuzie
24-03-16, 15:11
They are! I think Huzzah I'm feeling normal - quick, plan loads of fun things to do! Then the day comes and I'm like URGH, what was I thinking...
Yeh the evening tends to be my come down... But remember to even be feeling up to doing things is a major step. Look back to yourself before the medication or at the beginning. That's what I do and I can see the changes
I got prescribed this meds three weeks ago now and as I have been on it three other times and my doctor took me off, I know how horrible start up is which is why I am too afraid to just go for it!! All my GP will prescribe alongside is a beta blocker which is crap. I was going to just take one quater of a pill and see how I got on and slowly go up and always have needed 40mg too in th epast to take my anxiety away but it actually takes around 4 months for me to get well on this meds and no others ever work at all!!!
Hi Karen. You're post it's disappointing in the sense that you are at the beginning again but I have found relief in knowing that there is others out there that it has taken some time to respond completely to the medication. I'm just over 9 weeks on and still battling the anxiety.
It you don't mind me asking.... On the 2 other occasions you were on this medication, how long did it take you to reach the 40mg dose and then once on how long did it take to alleviate the anxiety. I'm this far in and don't want to change meds again. I'm at 30mg so have that little bit of room to move still.
Thank you
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