day 2 on cirtalopram - buzzing etc...

[motox&mascara]

Hey,

I am in Day 2 of cit today and am wondering if anyone has felt what I'm feeling. I can't tell if it's just start up effects or something I should be concerned about.
I've taken cit in the past (before I had anxiety) and never had an issue. Tolerated it well at that time. Maybe things have changed...

Anyway, since my first dose I have felt really like "energetic" not running through the paddock energetic but I'd relate it to when I used to take e back in the day (don't touch anything like that these days). Buzzing in my body and feeling kind of "high"/excited. My partner said I look fine but I don't feel it. My mouths real dry too. It's strange though, usually my health anxiety is in overdrive but no so much at the moment. I'm more worried my bodies already rejecting the cit and that's why I feel all "wired". It's hard to explain.

I'm so scared my body's reacting badly and this will be yet another SSRI I give up on. I was on sertraline but bailed on it cos I was scared of the side effects (dizzy etc). I think I got a little bit "hyper" on the sertraline as well but I can't remember if it was this intense.

I'm scared il never get better and nothing will ever work for me :(

Thanks in advance

---------- Post added at 21:01 ---------- Previous post was at 17:58 ----------

Erggg I've done the worst thing and googled and now worried this could be a manic episode. I've never been diagnosed with bipolar but have been assessed. They still think it's just anxiety.
I'm freaking out.
Having panic attacks over it now and no diazepam to calm me down. Don't know what to do :weep:

Sorry for the double up message.

[panic_down_under]

I've taken cit in the past (before I had anxiety) and never had an issue.

So for depression, or was it something else?


Tolerated it well at that time. Maybe things have changed...

The initial side-effects can be different each time and they may become progressively more severe too.


Anyway, since my first dose I have felt really like "energetic" not running through the paddock energetic but I'd relate it to when I used to take e back in the day (don't touch anything like that these days). Buzzing in my body and feeling kind of "high"/excited. My partner said I look fine but I don't feel it. My mouths real dry too. It's strange though, usually my health anxiety is in overdrive but no so much at the moment. I'm more worried my bodies already rejecting the cit and that's why I feel all "wired".

These symptoms don't seem out of the ordinary. How much are you taking? Hopefully no more than 10mg for the first week.


I'm scared il never get better and nothing will ever work for me :(

Unfortunately, antidepressants only work if you keep taking them. While they can produce unpleasant side-effects at the beginning these are not usually a sign of harm.


Erggg I've done the worst thing and googled and now worried this could be a manic episode. I've never been diagnosed with bipolar but have been assessed.

Nothing you've written suggests bipolar and if this was a factor then it would probably have been evident the last time you were on citalopram.

[motox&mascara]

Thanks for your reply panic_down_under :)


So for depression, or was it something else?

I was on then for depression a few years ago and they were great. I don't remember any bad side effects back then either - but it was also before my anxiety came to life and I actually noticed every little "side effect"


These symptoms don't seem out of the ordinary. How much are you taking? Hopefully no more than 10mg for the first week

Yeah I'm only taking 10mg at the moment. But of course now I'm scared to take anymore incase it is triggering some kind of "manic" episode. It's the weekend too so I can't touch base with my doctor either :weep
I'm kind of at a loss of what to do - do I keep taking the cit and see what happens or just stop and go back to sertraline which didn't give me these kinds of side effects and that I also didn't give a good chance to actually work.

I was reading a post on the internet (I try not to google but in this case I got wayyyy down the rabbit hole with this one) where a person said if you were feeling happy after only a couple of days along with all the energy it deffs wasn't "normal" and sounded like an episode hence why I am now shit scared that's what's happening to me. I did finally sleep through most of last night so that's a semi good sign I guess? I'm just worried the cit could bring out an episode that's been lurking in the background but never been picked up on.

Gahhh don't know what to do...
I don't even know where I could go to speak with a doctor over the weekend about it unless I went to a&e...

[Ethansmom]

My Citalopram makes me have more energy as well. I too was a bit worried, but it seems to be settling down now and i'm at the highest dose of 40MG. I am having a bit of trouble staying asleep though. Keep us posted!

[panic_down_under]

Gahhh don't know what to do...
I don't even know where I could go to speak with a doctor over the weekend about it unless I went to a&e...

Imho, you need to bite the bullet and just keep taking the citalopram. Given your history the chances of a manic episode are tiny. I can't take SSRIs because they do make me manic, and what you're describing isn't the same. It is probably just anxiety feeding an anxious mind. SSRIs do often make anxiety worse at the beginning.

[motox&mascara]

Imho, you need to bite the bullet and just keep taking the citalopram. Given your history the chances of a manic episode are tiny. I can't take SSRIs because they do make me manic, and what you're describing isn't the same. It is probably just anxiety feeding an anxious mind. SSRIs do often make anxiety worse at the beginning.

Thanks for the response :) can I ask what would constitute manic from ssri? Like what you experienced? I'm just trying to get grip on it all. I guess I'm not feelin so "hyper" right now it seems to have settled a tad but in saying that I haven't taken my cit for today yet.
I deffs feel that spaced out feeling you get from starting an anti depressant so maybe this really is just all in my head. So frustrating!

---------- Post added at 13:30 ---------- Previous post was at 13:28 ----------


My Citalopram makes me have more energy as well. I too was a bit worried, but it seems to be settling down now and i'm at the highest dose of 40MG. I am having a bit of trouble staying asleep though. Keep us posted!

Thanks for your reply, nice to know someone else experiences the same kind of thing on cit (though not nice that we have to experience it at all!) hope all is going well for you :)

[Niu_mo_wang]

I first started taking cit 4 months ago, and it was my first experience of SSRIs. For the first month I had masses of energy. I box and lift weights so I've always been relatively active but I had so much energy during this period I was training every day and still felt buzzing! It settled though.

I hope things are working out for you. ☺️

[motox&mascara]

I first started taking cit 4 months ago, and it was my first experience of SSRIs. For the first month I had masses of energy. I box and lift weights so I've always been relatively active but I had so much energy during this period I was training every day and still felt buzzing! It settled though.

I hope things are working out for you. ☺️

Thanks! Good to know it settles down. Hopefully mine will too fingers crossed. Still feeling pretty out of it.
My anxiety has kept me out of the gym for a while now. I really should flip this "side effect" into a positive and use this burst of energy at the gym like a pre workout lol. Hope things are working out for you also 😊

[Andy1718]

You must hang in there. I was on cit this time last year. I was pulling my hair out over the side effects. Took 12 weeks for it to work
And finally settle down. Ride it out and stick with it!!

[motox&mascara]

You must hang in there. I was on cit this time last year. I was pulling my hair out over the side effects. Took 12 weeks for it to work
And finally settle down. Ride it out and stick with it!!

Thanks for the reply :) I know what you mean. I felt the same.
I actually stopped taking it the day I wrote the post as I was scared but after seeing my doctor he assured me he didn't think it was related to a "manic" episode as I was so aware of what was happening (apparently if I was having a "true" episode I wouldn't know - everyone else would see it) and I would be ok and to try again. I held out for a bit but I hit rock bottom again so am back on it (I know it's not good to stop and start) and am going to push through this time. Nothing can be worse than the constant depression and anxiety.

Literally the worst day today which made me just get over it and take the darn pill. I woke up crying, I wanted to quit my job and just give up on life all together. I would never act on thoughts of ending my life but the thoughts still bother me. I also have this fear that I will suddenly become anaphylactic to foods I've eaten a million times before so I decided I can't keep going on like this without some kind of medication to help. I've been eating like a sparrow because of it. Ain't anxiety and depression great!

Here's hoping cit works to help me get back on my feet! I've had positive effects from it in the past.

A

[motox&mascara]

Sorry just going to add to this...
I'm on day 4 today (of restarting) and up until today was feeling pretty good with hardly any "side effects" but today out of the blue I had a really dizzy episode where I thought I was going to faint (I didn't) and I couldn't string my sentence together. I was anxious for the rest of the work day but I did challenge myself on the way home even though I was anxious as heck by driving the country back roads home. Which really got me going BUT I didn't die like my anxiety told me I would.

Anyway now I'm really worried that the cit is just not going to be good for me and wether I should switch back to sertraline which didn't give me these kinds of "head" side effects? (And which I didn't give enough time to kick in)
I've been reading around and there seems to be more bad stories about cit than good. My docs away at the moment so I'm going to talk to him about it. But in the meantime. Can you switch straight over to sertraline from citalopram if I've only been on 10mg for 4 days?

Can anyone help? I'm feeling really worried.

[panic_down_under]

Anyway now I'm really worried that the cit is just not going to be good for me and wether I should switch back to sertraline which didn't give me these kinds of "head" side effects?

Dizziness can be a side-effect of both citalopram and sertraline, indeed all antidepressants, especially at the beginning. It is also a very common anxiety symptom.


I've been reading around and there seems to be more bad stories about cit than good.

And you'll find that is also the case for just about every med made. Those that have problems with a drug write about it. The much more numerous ones that don't are too busy getting on with living to post about it.