When will I know if Citalopram works?

[Jamie1990]

Do I just wake up one day and feel happy and anxiety free? Or is it gradual process? The question I’m asking is does this medication actually make you “feel” happy and motivated?

Thanks

[clarkwgriswold]

Have a look at the citalopram survival guide stickied in this forum. Citalopram will level your mood and return you to roughly where you were before the depression or anxiety hit. It's not a "happy" pill. Unfortunately it's a very gradual process, and it might take 4-6 weeks before you feel any benefit at all but stick with, and when you notice small improvements take that as a sign that they're just starting to work.

[venusbluejeans]

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46980

[epitaxial]

Do I just wake up one day and feel happy and anxiety free? Or is it gradual process? The question I’m asking is does this medication actually make you “feel” happy and motivated?

Thanks

I'm new to SSRI's and have reluctantly been taking 10mg for ~4.5 months now and had the same concerns. It's definitely a gradual process that will be unique for you as everyone is different and responds differently to the medication.

I can't say the med has made me happier as I didn't and still don't have depression that requires medication. However - I did notice that I don't get upset as much as I did prior to taking the med - so maybe that would be "feel happy" for me.

Anxiety - it's been a roller coaster ride. 1st month - I really didn't notice as I was getting use to the the medicine. However, 2nd month my health anxiety skyrocketed as my body was complaining while adapting to the drug. Any little quirk, pinch, etc kept me thinking it was the med when actually it was mostly normal bodily functions. After I listened to The Dare Response audio book, I literally stopped worrying.

Motivation - that's something I had to work on after the 1st week - going to the gym or for a long walk to burn off excess energy.

The key to an SSRI is patience - it's going to take awhile [at least 6-8 weeks] for the full effect to kick in [for most people].

[Wess2121]

I'm new to SSRI's and have reluctantly been taking 10mg for ~4.5 months now and had the same concerns. It's definitely a gradual process that will be unique for you as everyone is different and responds differently to the medication.

I can't say the med has made me happier as I didn't and still don't have depression that requires medication. However - I did notice that I don't get upset as much as I did prior to taking the med - so maybe that would be "feel happy" for me.

Anxiety - it's been a roller coaster ride. 1st month - I really didn't notice as I was getting use to the the medicine. However, 2nd month my health anxiety skyrocketed as my body was complaining while adapting to the drug. Any little quirk, pinch, etc kept me thinking it was the med when actually it was mostly normal bodily functions. After I listened to The Dare Response audio book, I literally stopped worrying.

Motivation - that's something I had to work on after the 1st week - going to the gym or for a long walk to burn off excess energy.

The key to an SSRI is patience - it's going to take awhile [at least 6-8 weeks] for the full effect to kick in [for most people].

100% agree. Next tuesday will be 2 months for me on 20 mg. I just had my first day yesterday which was basically anxiety free.
Everyone is different, some wont have this happen till month 3.
As far as the anxiety and feeling "happy and motivated", what i've noticed is that its very hard for me to get sad or upset while on it. I can still 'get happy', but its more of a sense of being in 'nuetral' for the most part. Im a lot calmer.
Also to piggy back I had/still have horrible health anxiety while being on this med due to all of the side effects, but that is slowly starting to diminish.
Hang in there, this is not a miracle drug but it can at least help 'take the edge off' of your anxiety/depression.

[Mojo61]

It took a year for me to feel "normal" again. It was a very gradual process.

[Lulu1960]

Yes mojo been reading all your post..you are right about the time ..it's a slow process..glad your feeling normal.