Can 10mg be too much? Euphoria/agitation/seizure like feeling after only one dose

[mimopanic]

I tried to find a similar post but with no success - sorry if someone already discussed this.

I got started on citalopram for severe anxiety/phobic fears a few days ago after about a month on clonazepam. I was taking 2-3 2mg clonazepam daily and that was just about controlling the worst of the symptoms. A few days ago I took my first 10mg cit dose and holy hell. Within 3-4h it made me so agitated and manic, I was singing out loud, jumping around, feeling weird euphoria, and eventually felt on the verge of having a seizure. Is this even possible from only one 10mg dose!? I took diazepam to calm down the seizure-like feeling but I was too frightened to take the full dose the following day. I took half (5mg) and I still felt like super high on drugs and brain overly stimulated but not as bad as day one. It's very unpleasant and I just can't see how such a small dose can be so strong, especially for a drug everyone says takes weeks to start having an effect. Artificial euphoria is very unpleasant and tiring for both myself and people around me, but I'm mostly scared about having a seizure (I've had them in the past but not for the past 7-8 years and it's not a place I would like to go back to). EDIT: Of other possible side effects - I had a bad nose bleed on day 1 too (never had one in my entire life).

(No change in my anxiety levels at the same time)

I'm seeing my doctor in 2 weeks but I'm wondering what to do until then. Continue on a half dose hoping I can get used to it? Have a quarter of a dose!? Will the body stop reacting so strongly after some more days or weeks? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[sollythegolly]

Any time that you are alarmed about effects that prescribed medication is having on you should be reported back to your GP soonest. Not everyone reacts well to Citalopram, and for some people another type of medication is more suitable.

Put your mind at rest and call your GP as soon as possible. Don't let the receptionist fob you off.

[mimopanic]

Thanks for the advice sollythegolly.

I was just confused because so many people experience bad side effects and as far as I can tell the advice is usually to stick it out as they cease after some time, so I thought that I should do the same. I was hoping to hear from someone who experienced this very same effect to see what they did.

I'm currently taking 1/4 of 10mg and it's absolutely fine on that level (still quite cheerful though!). Didn't take any clonazepam for 2 days either. See how it goes.

[panic_down_under]

A few days ago I took my first 10mg cit dose and holy hell. Within 3-4h it made me so agitated and manic, I was singing out loud, jumping around, feeling weird euphoria, and eventually felt on the verge of having a seizure.

Apart from the feeling of being on the verge of a seizure, I've had the same reaction to every SSRI I've tried, even at very low doses. It's why I've been happily taking older TCAs for 30 years.

I see you're doing okay on 2.5mg. You could try ramping it up by the same amount at weekly intervals until you're on the full dose, however, I suggest you first discuss what happened with the prescribing doctor.


I had a bad nose bleed on day 1 too (never had one in my entire life).

This definitely needs to be reported to your GP. All the serotonergic antidepressants are anti coagulants. For most this is a bonus which may reduce their risk of heart attacks and ischemic strokes, but bleeding can be a serious issue for some. Also tell your GP about your seizure history if s/he isn't already aware of it. In fact make a point of reminding him/her about it.

[sollythegolly]

Side effects of a specific medication are one thing, unsuitability of medication due to the body attempting to rid itself of a perceived poison is another.

I was started on the therapeutic dose of 20 mg without the benefit of gradually working up to that dose and had really horrible side effects. I mentioned those to my GP, and he assured me that, although unpleasant, they were simply side effects and not my body reacting violently to the medication.

He did mention that I had been very sensible in consulting him, because those feelings that I had could just as easily have been the beginnings of a poor reaction to the drug.

Best of luck to you.

[snowghost57]

I took 25mg of Zoloft and you want to talk about side effects? Ugg I had stomach upset, insomnia, trips to the bathroom at 4am, feeling like a slug. I suffered for 20 days and I weaned off it myself. The medication was strong enough to quiet down my thoughts. I told my doctor and she told me the meds were not for me. Since I am now anxiety free, I'm going to use what I learned on Zoloft. I know now to push intrusive thoughts from my brain. If I do fall back into anxiety she suggested I try Celexa. I don't really like the effects of medication. You shouldn't suffer from side effects and I agree with Solly tell your doctor you can't wait two weeks.

[mimopanic]

Thanks for your thoughtful responses, especially panic_down_under and sollythegolly. I can definitely see how side effects of adjusting can be different from body completely rejecting the drug.

I think at the moment I'll try to stay on 2.5mg for a few more days because I'm still feeling quite good on that dose, and then re-assess how I feel. Then I'll either go straight back to my GP, or try to increase back to 5mg and see if I still experience similar bad reactions and then go back to my GP with that.

Either way I'll only wait full two weeks too see him if I manage to gradually increase to the full dose with no further extreme reactions, and then I'll report everything that happened. He doesn't know about my seizure history, I don't think, so that's a very important point to be raised.

Thanks, I'm feeling less worried now!

[Mermaid16]

I have experienced this myself. It is very, very uncomfortable and very hard to explain. I usually feel very worked up and it feels very intense. It gets to the point where I feel I'm on the verge of a seizure, but it never happens. I take other medications. The thing I have found is if I have had a good sleep I don't have it, but if I have had to get up early for work I do get it. It's like my brain is in turmoil, because I have woken before I should have. I know sounds really bizarre, it feels really weird. I have tried explaining it to the psych, but can't explain it properly.

[mimopanic]

Right? It is indeed very unpleasant and hard to explain.

Do you mean you take other medications to control the symptoms or instead of citalopram? I wish science was doing a bit better in treating anxiety and depression, as if these conditions are not bad enough without having to deal with all this additional hell...