Help pls day 6 citalopram and it's horrible

[Mummytofour]

Hi,

I am currently on day 6 of citalopram 10mg and just getting worse each day. Scared to go to bed tonight in case tomorrow is worse. The anxiety has gone through the roof, I haven't been able to get off the sofa all day, I am so spaced out and dizzy as well today. Feel like a panic attack is going to come constantly but I manage to just lie still breathing slowly and it helps stop that. I keep going hot then cold and just feel dreadful. Oh and the shaking keeps popping up too. Don't know if i can take anymore. Even the diazepam I have isn't helping today. I am supposed to go up to 20mg Monday night but worried it will get worse from there even more so. Someone please help me and tell me I am in the worst of it.

[Ronan23]

Hi,

The first week or two on SSRIs can be awful. This is normally one of two reasons:

The brain is just adapting to the medicine, resulting in a temporary increase in anxiety

The medicine might not be right for you

I'd recommend asking for a temporary subscription of a benzodiazepine to get through the first week or two. This will dull the anxious sensations and you'll be able to stop the benzos once your system has adjusted to te SSRIs and fully gauge if they're effective or not.

[Andy1718]

Hi there,
I feel your sympathy. Please, please, please hang in there. My first two weeks were horrendous, couldn't get out of bed, even going to the local shops was a real test. I promise you it will get better, much better. Be prepared to go with this for at least 3 weeks of side effects. My cit did not start working until week 12 fully. Just hang in there.

[Mummytofour]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate the words of comfort. This is my 2nd time going on citalopram so I should really be more prepared but when your in the full throws of the worst days it's hard to think you will come out of it. Luckily yesterday was a bit better and I was able to get a few things done. But upped my dose to 20mg last night and today although not physically too bad the thoughts are racing today. Wish my head would shut up. My whole cause of anxiety is surrounded by the thoughts of something happening to me or my kids and thinking that I will get a terminal illness and die. Not right now particularly but in the future. Doesn't matter how much I tell myself that you can't predict these things and to live for now I am petrified x

---------- Post added at 12:45 ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 ----------

Also forgot to add I have got some diazepam to take when it's really bad. I am trying to use them when absolutely necessary as my other half goes away for the night Thursday for work and so I have two days where I may need them more and then next week I have to be able to deal with school runs again and other half back to work so I am planning ahead so to speak. I was also prescribed some propranolol yesterday as I keep getting the shakes quite bad mainly in the mornings and apparently they help with that.