Good morning!! .... citalopram to escitalopram

[Andyleeds19]

Morning!!

I'm new to the forum what a fantastic find !! Anyways I'm Andy 35 from Leeds


I have been on citalopram for God knows how many years and that's great I'm fine with it ....anyways I moved towns and registers at the docs


So I go there explain that I take 10 mg he asks is it anxeity or depression so I say anxeity ...he gives me the prescription I go to the chemist and they give me 10mg of esictalopram...I'm like these are not what I take

Anyways a quick Google search and they are very simular to citprolam.... so anyways I thought the doc has prescribed me these as they are more anxeity based


Been taking them a week or so and I'm feeling a few side effects? Will these pass?


Thanks guys

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Andy and welcome to NMP :welcome:

What you may be interested in is that a 10mg dose of Escitalopram equals 20mg of Citalopram.

Switching between these meds should be easier than most as they are very similar meds but increasing the dosage means side effects can occur. Your GP should have made you aware of this and it may even be you need to take 5mg so if the side effects are just to much to handle it might be worth a trip back to ask for advice.

The side effects should pass. And if you had increased 10>20mg of Citalopram you would be likely to have a similar experience anyway but the GP should have been clearer with you. I can only think he has made a mistake thinking these meds are the same but they are not, just as other SSRI's in the same class have equivalent dosages but the mgs differ to each other because the active drugs are different.

[Andyleeds19]

Thank you for the welcome and reply!!

I've taken the new tablets for 5 days now I've woke up this morning feeling terrible on edge alot!! I finish work at 2pm I'm going to pop to the doctors after work at 2pm I've been on citprolam for more than 10 years and was fine on them your right I went to 20 mg for a while on citramil and found these side effects the same....

It's blooming terrible I feel so on edge and I've never slept so much my Mrs is due in 3 weeks for a our next child .... Christ I don't want to be going into Labour with more anxeity than her !!


So is there no danger switching between tablets because right now?


I feel terrible

Thanks

[MyNameIsTerry]

Switching between meds in the same class is common practice. They have guidelines but there is an element of being sensible about monitoring how the patient responds and tailoring.

Even if you were switched from 10mg Citalopram to 5mg of Escitalopram, a similar dose, because there are some differences in the med it could still mean side effects but they may be minor as the affects of the drug will be at a similar level. This isn't quite the same when you switch to a completely different drug in the same class though (Citalopram & Escitalopram are very similar, the latter is an update of the former) because some people can just not be suited and they do a more careful switch where you may cross-taper or titrate the old med down and then the new med up or a combination. The idea is all about making the transition smooth and because the drugs are both impacting on the volumes of Serotonin being stimulated & the reuptake inhibited, they should have some cross over that keeps these active levels higher than if you had done a complete withdrawal and then gone onto no new med.

But in your case it's not only a switch but an increase at the same time. At a minimum this can mean side effects in a similar way to going 10>20mg on your Citalopram, let alone the change in drug albeit less an issue than switching to other SSRI's.

This new dose has to reach steady-state in your blood plasma just as the old one did. And another factor here is that you are now on the minimum therapeutic dose equivalent in Citalopram which means more strength hence the possibility of more or more intense side effects. As you build up to steady-state you may feel side effects increase or maybe they increase once it reaches steady-state, this can vary by individual. But the point remains that it's all coming from your change hence you can pinpoint a reason and take action against it.

I think your GP has made a mistake here. If the pharmacist was the regular one they may have spotted this and queried it as a switch + increase at the same time is an odd thing to do.

Even if you go back to the previous med & level you might find it takes a little bit of time to adjust. Just being so unwell with anxiety alone can mean some time to reduce the trauma of it. But if a drug is too stimulating, or side effects are too much, reduction can often mean side effects drop off fairly quickly as the body is trying to adjust to the higher volumes of Serotonin.

Congratulations on your new baby on the way.

[Andyleeds19]

Morning !!

Thanks for the replys I went back to the drs and he said the other doctor made a mistake and apologised on his half and said there is no reason to change so he's put me back on my old meds ....hopefully few days and I'll be feeling ok again

My Mrs says I should get refund from the old meds I got last week ... I just replied 8 pound is nothing there is no price u can pay to feel good


So hopefully job done !!

Thanks again

[scarlettfreyy]

Helpful for me as well.

[Andyleeds19]

So now after switching back to my old meds only 3 days in I feel low and down and just wanting to sleep all the time ... please tell me these are the effects of switching back

Thanks again

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's very likely. Your body had started with the side effects of the switch + higher dose and now it's seeing a drop again.

Basically, your body is getting messed about a bit and needs time to rebalance itself. Take a day at a time, a week at a time. It might take a little bit of time to get back to where you were as you've just been through a triggering situation, and anxiety can raise it's levels all on it's own in such situations as you most likely know and take days to calm down for some, but hopefully it will be at it's worst now and get easier as the drug is stabilising again.

That GP needs his :buttkick: for that.

[Andyleeds19]

Just wanted to say cheers

I'm back on a level playing field now

Thanks

[MyNameIsTerry]

Glad to hear you are back on track, Andy.

Good luck!