should I ask for citlopam ?

[mirry]

Hi everyone, Ive suffered with GAD for 6 years now and Iam going thru a bad patch at the moment, keep getting breathless and panicky and Im so fed up with it all:weep: .
AsIve only ever tried diazepam before I am thinking of asking my gp for something else and I read on here that lots of people say Citlopam has helped them out alot with anxiety.

Can every one whos taking it please please give me an honest opinion about this med to help me make my decision cos I am medication phobic.
Also is it ok to take the contraceptive pill whilst on this too ?

Anything you can tell me PLEASE do :hugs: .

[normalwisdom]

Hi Mirry

I am on citalopram again..very reluctantly:blush: but it seems to have helped me I am a lost less nervy now and seem to be getting on with life a little better:yesyes:

The first 2 weeks on the tablets were a bit of a nightmare but if you carry on with them it settles down, I am on 20mg a day at the moment. The CMHT wanted me to increase to 40mg but my doc said no.....and he is the expert lol. Apparently for "panic disorders" you should be on at least 40....think she was just reading from a chart:shades: .

Hope this helps any other q's feel free to pm me

[mirry]

thanks steph xxx

[honeybee]

mirry ~ everyone takes to different medication differently.... you need to decide whether you want to take it or not... it should be a personal thing... if you're anxious about taking it anyway then hearing negative stories about it will only make your anxiety about it worse... on the other hand if you've started this post hoping to hear good stories to encourage/persuade you to make the decision to start taking it then don't you already have your answer???

[groovygranny]

Hi Mirry

You'll have to ask your GP about the pregnancy bit, but I took Citalopram for 5mnths and after having a very rough couple of weeks began to think it was a wonder drug!!

But, that was just me - as Honeybee says, everybody reacts in their own way to medication.

Your GP may even think it's not the one for you - you must take his advice as we can only give you our expereinces and opinions.

Big hugs:hugs:and I hope you get sorted real soon.

:flowers::flowers::flowers:

[smudgie]

Hi there

its a difficult task deciding what meds you think you should be on. Only you and your GP can make that dissicion but i will say Im on a combination of drugs to keep my head above water. One of which is Citalipram 40mg per day, docs are thinking about increasing to 60mg.
it took a while for me to adjust to it but I must say it helped with the sever anxiety and the OCD.

I hope you get a positive result with what ever you decide.
Take care
ness

[Two heads]

Hi there!
I have found citalopram to work for me.The frist two weeks i found very hard with increased anxiety and panic.
I very nearly stopped taking them,but i thought, i feel horrid without them as well as when taking them.So i decided to be strong and get on with it.I found this forum a god send when it came to moaning about the sideaffects.
I slowly increased the dose over three months up to 20mg.Then in nov i slowly dropped the dose every other month and finshed with them last friday!!
For me they were a godsend,they took the panick away and gave me time to sort out any issues i may have had.
Good luck on what ever you decidexxxxx

[lisa p]

Hi Mirry,

I am on 20 mg of this and my life is no much better. The first three weeks were not good, but bearable - mainly just felt sick and didnt fancy eating, lost loads of weight lol!!

I was also dreading not having my glass of wine in the evening, but I can have half to one glass every evening and I am fine.

Like other people have said, different meds have different effects on other people, but I dread to think where I would be know if I hadnt taken the plunge!!! I still have a long way to go but life is LOADS better!

Hope this helps

Take care

Lisa

[lindy1]

hey mirry,

I started taking citalopram 20mg 6 weeks ago now, I started it while still taking diazapam which I think helped me over the worse couple of weeks. I have stopped the diazapam now and am beginning to feel more like me. It is personal choice whether to take meds or not, a chat with your gp will help sot this out. I can only go on personal experience and mine is very positive.

good luck with what ever you choose, take care mirry,

love lindy xxx

[mirry]

Thanks everyone !

My appointment is on thursday, but today I have had a kinda of good day (only panicked in the shop) so Im thinking maybe I can cope ? But then again Ive had some real nasty days lately with morbid thoughts :blush: , my heart races and Im so tired of it.

I will see what my doctor thinks about it all.:flowers: .

[sarah1984]

Hi Mirry,

First of all, it's fine to take anti-depressants alongside the contraceptive pill-only problem is when you want to get pregnant! I take Cymbalta (duloxetine) which is a relatively new med, now licensed to treat anxiety as well as depression. I'm surprised your doc hasn't put you on any long-term meds before-while diazepam helps in the short term, it's certainly not something you want to be on for a long time. Good luck with that doctor's appointment :)

[mirry]

Thanks everyone, I had to book another appointment with doctor to talk about my anxiety further , I havent done it yet, been sitting her crying this morning , feeling very low cos I panicked on the way to the school with my daughter (felt like I was smothered and couldnt breath).
Im just going backwards lately.......I know I need some pills so will see what doc says. When I had CBT he kept saying I dont need pills but after 6 years of this crap, I really cant take it anymore.
Im a big emotional mess lately.... this must be depression ?
My life is perfect except for these panic attacks, absolutley sick of it , Id take any pill that could help.

[samc100]

Hi Mirry

I battled for ages not taking any tablets because I refused. I thought they were emotionally numbing addictive nasty things. Then I got so low I'd try anything.

Now tablets don't cure it and different meds suit different people but they can help to get your physical strength and emotional strength back up so you can begin tackle the causes and allows you to have some better quality of life. Do tell your Dr all your fears about meds when you go. My GP is wonderfully sympathetic and didn't tell me off of taking a perscription then not having the tablets until another 3 months later.

Thinking of you x

[mirry]

thanks sam x

[samc100]

Hope you okish Mirry - have you made that Dr's appointment?

[darkangel]

Hi mirry

Just read your post. I know some people and doctors say that medication isnt the answer but I think its down to the individual person and the level of anxiety we are experiencing. I will be the first to say that they do not rid us of anxiety but they do alleviate the awful symptoms enough for other therapies to work such as cbt. Ive spent many years on medication and also a period of 2 years completely off but for me Im better on a small dose of antidepressant (amitriptyline) and an anti anxiety (buspirone) but I still get anxious and the occasional panic attack and have to work on challenging my negative thoughts daily. It is a battle but meds can help ease it a little to give you some peace and calmness.

Try and talk to your gp and let us know how you get on.

Take care and hugs to you

Luv Darkangel x

[Piglet]

Mirry have you come to any conclusions yet?

Piglet :flowers:

[mirry]

Thanks all xxx

Piglet , Ive got to do something but not sure what exactly ?
Today my husband took me to my mother in laws and she cut my hair for me cos I wont sit in hairdressers (its really sad) and then we took the dogs round the park and I felt so dizzy all the time and breathless, just cant understand it. But then we popped into a chemist and I picked up some St johnwart pills and some omega 3's ,cos I read that used together they can help but Im not getting my hopes up, Im just feeling desperate I suppose.

You know I wake in the morning and the first thing that goes thru my mind is how anxious the day feels, and what thing I have to do to get thru it.
Also Ive notised I say in my head the weirdest things like,

Ive got to go in that shop!
Ive got to cross the road!
Ive got to talk to those people!

Just using the word "GOT TO" is bad, it makes me feel under pressure.
Ive got a friend in a wheel chair who is handling his disability better than I am handling this anxiety (sigh) makes me feel so guilty.

Hope you are all well xxx

[Piglet]

I do so understand.:hugs:

I really wish Kava kava would get the all clear again - it was of the naturals that really made a difference to my anxiety. I've only ever taken a couple of diazepams and the kava felt just the same. Then lo and behold it was taken off the shelves due some liver scare.

I am smiling actually cos I was obviously doing reasonably well at that point cos I was going from supermarket to supermarket trying to find them and now I don't go anywhere near supermarkets.

Let us know how you get on with the SJW - we have to be careful when taking the pill with it but I guess you already know that.

Piglet :flowers:

[mirry]

Piglet stopped the pill cos I seem to of got worse whilst taking it and my stomach was unbearable,, im going to do a post soon about another idea I have. Take care folks xxx

[mirry]

Been to doctors today and he gave me the pills , now Im terrified of taking them, they are 10mg but thinking of cutting them into halfs ?
doctor wants to see me again in 2 weeks.

feel terrified.

[Piglet]

I can't offer any experience on this hun but shall I stand behind you and watch??? :hugs:

Seriously hun you could do a thread and ask others how much they take etc - just incase people don't come back to this one?? Or don't forget that tablet advice line we have as a sticky thread on, if you ever want to ask questions!!

Love Piglet

[mirry]

thanks Piglet, forgot about that advice line , thanks.

I keep thinking am i doing the right thing ? but I know I must at least try it and see. will start a new thread.