Should I stop citalopram?

[Luelle]

Hi again, I know I only posted yesterday. Been on 20mg citalopram for anxiety for 4 weeks now. First week on 20mg, 2nd week on 10mg, 3rd week on 10mg,20mg and now on day 6 of 20mg. Before I started this medication I just had anxiety in some situations like dreading going to parties, getting on busy buses, sometimes panicky in supermarket queues. Since I started these tablets I started getting really intrusive thoughts, first week was hell, no eating, sleeping and had thoughts that I might hurt someone. These went after I dropped to 10mg but I'm having constant negative mind chatter everyday. Is this a side effect or the meds or is this my anxiety ? I've never in my life had intrusive thoughts or constant mind chatter. I'm seriously thinking of stopping now, as I'm pretty sure I could have just managed with proponolol and cbt. I'm so scared this negative thinking/constant mind chatter will never go away. I think if I stop cit they might go ? I feel so frustrated and pretty hopeless right now.

[Victory2016]

Hi Luelle,

You need to stick with one dose for at least 6-12 weeks to really determine if the cit is going to work for you. You are messing with your brain with making so many dose changes in a short amount of time. You may go through some ups and downs, but that is normal. Just stick with it. There are some other members here who went through the same thing with the mind chatter and it will go away. I am sure you will hear from them on here.

Is this your first time on an SSRI?

[Luelle]

Thanks, I'll try an stick it out at 20mg for a while. Just so scary as I never had the scary thoughts and mind chatter before starting this medication. Yes I had anxiety about some things, but never been this bad. I've been on fluoxetine 40mg about 2 years ago, then switched to citalopram a few weeks after as the fluoxetine was knocking me out and it helped and stayed on it for about 18 months. Managed no meds for over 2 years till now.I don't know why this time round it's making me feel like this, perhaps it won't work a 2nd time round ? Feeling like I'll be stuck like this forever x

[Victory2016]

You will not be stuck like this forever! It is a long road to recovery, but you will get their. Just keep talking on here with any support you need. This board is pretty active. Did the doc switch you right over from fluoxetine to Citalopram? If so you could be getting withdrawal from the fluoxetine and start up effects from the Citalopram. Def give it a few weeks and see how you feel.

I was only saying that Cit may not work for me because this is my 3rd time going on it. Sometimes going on and off the same drug multiple times it loses its effectiveness. So if I switch to another drug I will probably have more success.

[Luelle]

I started on fluoxetine a a few years back for only a few weeks then switched to citalopram afterwards as fluoxetine made me too tired and numb to function. Citalopram did help I think, it certainly took the edge off anyway. I decided to stop taking citalopram about 2 years a go as I didn't think I needed it anymore and coped ok without it. I've been back on it for 4 weeks now, and feel a lot worse then I ever have. Anxiety and worry is through the roof. When can I expect to see some improvement ? Have you switched meds and seen an improvement?

[Victory2016]

I was only off the Cit for 6 months and now trying for the 3rd time. They worked well the last two times I was on it. I made the mistake of coming off of them. Yes i seemed to have very bad side effects this time too. The first 2-3 weeks were the worst. After that things should start to calm down. What you are describing is normal. A lot of us on this board experienced the same start up side effects.

I would not worry you had a long bout without the Cit, so it should work for you again. I think its when you go off and go back on them in a short time frame like I did that sometime they are not as effective. They are still helping me, but not like they did the last two times.

I was also on lexapro once and seemed to work just as good as the Cit. I see a new psychiatrist next Friday, so I am curious to see if he just wants to up my dose or change meds.

I also have thyoid and hormonal issues too, so that does not help my situation.

Just hang in there!!!

---------- Post added at 15:39 ---------- Previous post was at 15:36 ----------

Did your doc prescribe you a benzo to help with the start up side effects? If not I would ask for one to help you until the Cit kicks in....

[Luelle]

Thank you, your right i got to hang in therr. Just feeling like im going crazy most days and that my life is on hold. I'm going to tough it out, and if in say a couple of months I don't see an improvement then I'll think about changing meds or coming off. I rang the docs again today and they've given me diazepam to help me cope in the short term. I hope it goes well for you with your new psychiatrist.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Have a look at these threads about intrusive thoughts and someone who posts on here a fair bit who had the same when starting Cit:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=185074

I've put a link in there to another thread explaining how some of us experience intrusive thoughts.

Please don't worry about how her GP sent her to A&E, it was a total overreaction and the psychiatrist said it wasn't necessary. I'm just making you awarwe in case reading that could be triggering for you.

There are tons of threads about intrusive thoughts on the OCD board, it's been a good 95% of all threads raised since I joined. But please read the link in that thread because it will explain how such thoughts are opposite to true character and why you won't act on them, as well as how to deal with them.

[Luelle]

Thanks Terry. I just can't determine if it's the citalopram causing the negative mind chatter/thoughts or my anxiety. I can't help but feel citalopram has caused this, and the longer I stay on it the worse it will be. The thoughts screwed up a job i started a few weeks a go as they were aimed at the poor girl training me (I had a repeated thought saying hit her). I got scared and freaked out as it was my first day in the new job and first day the thoughts started. I never went back as I thought I was going for crazy! The next week was worse, i couldnt eat or sleep for 10 days and thoughts started about hudting my husband or dog. Now I'm off work and petrified of looking at jobs or starting a new job as I'm so scared the harming thoughts will come back. I just want to wake up one day and not have them and worry about everything.

[KeeKee]

Luelle I took Fluoxetine for probably around 4 years, then come off for 5 months as I had just started college etc and was feeling good. Then I needed to go back on and they never worked in the same way. I ended up having to switch to a different med (I also developed anxiety etc whilst taking Fluoxetine the 2nd time, something I've read can happen when reinstating) and I've read somewhere that some people can't take the same med again for whatever reason.
I'd definitely say stick with it for another 2-4 weeks though, I've always been advised 6-8 weeks to know if a med will work for you.
Citalopram never worked for me, although I did manage sticking with it for 5 months. I had depersonalisation that lasted months that ultimately made me swap to another med. We are all so different.

[Luelle]

Doctor wants me to stick with them for another 4 weeks and take quetiapine at night to help me sleep and reduce the constant racing thoughts. She said it's a case of trial and error with anidepressents and that I will know in a month if they are going to work or not. My patience is wearing thin though. Not one day do I have any positive thoughts, or see myself getting any better. I see myself never being able to work again and my marriage going down the pan because of it. My mind keeps going round in circles and it's truly dreadful.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks Terry. I just can't determine if it's the citalopram causing the negative mind chatter/thoughts or my anxiety. I can't help but feel citalopram has caused this, and the longer I stay on it the worse it will be. The thoughts screwed up a job i started a few weeks a go as they were aimed at the poor girl training me (I had a repeated thought saying hit her). I got scared and freaked out as it was my first day in the new job and first day the thoughts started. I never went back as I thought I was going for crazy! The next week was worse, i couldnt eat or sleep for 10 days and thoughts started about hudting my husband or dog. Now I'm off work and petrified of looking at jobs or starting a new job as I'm so scared the harming thoughts will come back. I just want to wake up one day and not have them and worry about everything.

I would say that is more the Cit and it's onset side effects.

If you experience issues you never did before then it is either the Cit itself (see the leaflet) or as a result of heightened anxiety as a result of the Cit. Both of these will go as you pass out of the other side of the side effects window.

The intrusive thoughts are gone, so that's some evidence. Plus you didn't have a problem with them before starting the med which is the best evidence for a connection. Maybe the mind chatter will go next?

[Luelle]

I sure hope it does ! If it doesn't go in 2-4 weeks then I'm going to stop taking citalopram slowly by tapering off, and will have to hit the gym hard and rely on proponolol. I woke up this morning verging on a panick attack and have felt quite shakey in my hands all day. I'm having councelling at the moment which is helping me a lot with my thoughts identifying them anyway but it doesn't help them stop or repeating themselves all day long. I feel so alien at the moment, i certainly prefferd my old self. I read an article that suggests ssri's don't actually help if you suffer from social anxiety, which is what I have. Its theory is people with social anxiety may produce too much serotonin, maybe that's why I'm reacting so badly and having such terrible anxiety ? But then I've been on fluoxetine and citalopram before and haven't had a problem. I guess the next 2-4 weeks will tell.