View Full Version : Switching meds to?
Hi guys,
I'm looking for some advice after a few rubbish months. I have been on citalopram on and off for 12years (more on than off), then I had a relapse of depression and anxiety which was a heavy episode. My dr messed with my dosage and basically I didn't respond so I decided to see a psychiatrist. She kept me on 30mg citalopram but added in seroquel at 25mg. So I was told to take half of this which I did then after a week take 25mg, I did this and today I felt like a complete zombie and the more I read up on this I'm not happy with all the side effects.
No one has tried changing to another ssri which to me would seem the obvious choice. Has anyone else switched meds to success? If so which med did you find most useful?
Thanks
Hi Debs! Maybe you need to give it a little more time to work. I have just started taking Mirtazapine. It really made be feel groggy after the first day. I slept all night and into the morning the next day. It has gotten better though and the sleepy feeling lifts. Sometimes I still feel a bit weird, but on the whole I feel better. I have only been taking it for a week. I would say wait at least a week or two and see how you go before changing. The meds take a while to work and for the side effects to calm down. I don't think you would be doing yourself any favours by jumping from one pill to the next without giving it a proper go. If you change meds, you will be in a similar position of having to wait a few weeks to see if they work. It is your decision in the end though. Good luck on your journey. Tracy
Hi Mermaid,
I have been on the half dose a week so far and I'll continue on that for a bit longer but I'm not happy to stay at the higher dose just now. I've just read so much in studies saying this should be used as a last resort and has very little evidence to support its use for anxiety and depression.
I'm a bit at a loss just now.
Shazamataz
15-08-16, 02:17
Hi Mermaid,
I have been on the half dose a week so far and I'll continue on that for a bit longer but I'm not happy to stay at the higher dose just now. I've just read so much in studies saying this should be used as a last resort and has very little evidence to support its use for anxiety and depression.
I'm a bit at a loss just now.
Hi Debs, I tried seroquel/quetiapine and it didn't help me at all, didn't even make me sleep.
It's not a normal med for anxiety, it's relatively short acting as far as I can tell and is used in low doses for sleep instead of benzos.
Maybe ask about switching meds if the cilatopram is no longer working? I thought that's the first thing they'd try?
Seroquel helps my anxiety but I know other people who it didn't help. Used to be on citropram helped for a long time. Everybody is differentm
Hi Debs, I tried seroquel/quetiapine and it didn't help me at all, didn't even make me sleep.
It's not a normal med for anxiety, it's relatively short acting as far as I can tell and is used in low doses for sleep instead of benzos.
Maybe ask about switching meds if the cilatopram is no longer working? I thought that's the first thing they'd try?
Thanks for this, it seems like the logical option but I think they were trying to avoid side effects. However after looking into citalopram and seroquel as a combination there is a major interaction which I'm not too pleased about. It's worse than a side effect.
Now if I switch should I switch within the ssri group first? Does anyone know how that usually works?
Seroquel helps my anxiety but I know other people who it didn't help. Used to be on citropram helped for a long time. Everybody is differentm
How much do you take dale?
When Citalopram didn't work for me I was given Paroxetine. I noticed a difference quicker than any other med I'd tried but I did gain 15-18lbs on it. When switching between ssris you literally stop taking the Citalopram one day and the next take the new med.
So I stopped the seroquel two days ago and I feel better already. I feel less anxious, less spaced out and unbelievably less thoughts. I'm back to 30mg of citalopram, I was supposed to start a switch to venlafaxine but I think I'm going to wait a few days to see how I feel.
The psych did say to me the higher cit dose may have been the very thing making things worse and it may actually still be working.
It's been some carry on!
MyNameIsTerry
21-08-16, 09:43
However after looking into citalopram and seroquel as a combination there is a major interaction which I'm not too pleased about. It's worse than a side effect.
It's the additive effect of the Seroquel on top of the Cit. Cit is known to prolong the QT but it's rarely an issue in anyone who doesn't already have an existing heart condition of relevance. Adding the Seroquel just increases that and it's the same if you add various other meds too.
The key word you tend to find in the drug interaction checkers (professional tab on Drugs.com) is "may".
I came to the conclusion it just wasn't working for me, I felt like I was on a different planet and my anxious thoughts were worse.
I'm down to 30mg of citalopram with nothing else and I've felt better than I have in a long time. i might stick this out for a while and see if things get better.
MyNameIsTerry
22-08-16, 07:08
That can be a problem sometimes, a med is so strong and you end up fighting against the weird feelings. People do that with Benzo's even.
It could be that >30mg of Cit is just too much. Go over your personal max and you can feel stoned or DP/DR sensations, etc. LiveAboveIt had the same experience recently. It's like how some meds are just too activating for some of us and they make our anxiety even worse.
The psych did say even just being 5mg over was probably tipping me over the edge so I'm hoping things will calm down now. If it turns out that all those dosage changes caused all this I won't be happy however if I feel better it's been a difficult life lesson.
MyNameIsTerry
23-08-16, 06:39
I can imagine, I would be pretty mad myself. But like you say, if something good comes from it at least you will be feeling better for seeing someone with more knowledge.
LiveAboveIt was like that. He went to 20mg Cit and his new symptoms of anxiety were terrible and were just not going, he reduced on his own to 10mg and they greatly eased.
It's good to hear they also experience that in treating people, we are so used to GP's playing about with things they don't understand and guessing at everything.
Thanks Terry, I am having the worst sleep since coming off the Seroquel which is not helping my mood one bit!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.