Citalopram help?

[Jmat93x]

Hey I'm on citalopram 20mg and it's for my anxiety

My symptoms are

Insomnia
Lack of appetite
I was constipated for 3 days then had slight minor abdominal discomfort then loose bowels

I was wondering if this was normal?
I have health anxiety so I'm a tad scared

[panic_down_under]

Hey I'm on citalopram 20mg and it's for my anxiety

My symptoms are

Insomnia
Lack of appetite
I was constipated for 3 days then had slight minor abdominal discomfort then loose bowels

I was wondering if this was normal?
I have health anxiety so I'm a tad scared

Unfortunately, yes, these are all typical side-effects when first taking SSRIs caused by the increase in serotonin activity. In most cases they diminish after a week or two as the body adapts to the drug by reducing serotonin synthesis and expression.

Discuss the insomnia with your GP if it persists as there are ways of treating it.

The enteric nervous system (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/health/23gut.html), the mini brain which controls the gut (and the heart, lungs, and brain to some degree), is by far the most serotonergic organ of the body so will often react even more negatively to SSRIs at the beginning than the brain does, hence the appetite loss, constipation, etc.

All you can do is treat the symptoms while they persist. Adding more fibre to your diet and drinking more water should help with constipation, over-the-counter remedies for diarrhoea from the chemist should help with the loose stools.