Just started Citalopram

[Gareth]

Hi there,

Have a couple of questions for you guys if thats OK!

I have been suffering from what I guess you would call "Generalised Anxiety" for the past 9 weeks.
I went to the doc straight away, and straight away he offered me Prozac, which I declined, being terrified as I am on anti-depressants.
I have tried to help myself with a change in diet, exercise regime, herbal remedies such as St John's Wort, 5-HTP, SAM-e etc etc. I have also been having counselling for the past 5 weeks.
While it is good to talk, the counselling does nothing for my symptoms, not does the exercise or the diet seemingly. I have constant anxiety and a lot of physical symptoms.

So I went back to the docs a few weeks ago and he prescribed Citalopram (Celexa) 10mg. I have managed to not take them for 3 weeks but yesterday was so bad I have now succumbed and took one this morning out of sheer desperation. I thought I was going mad last night and am desperate for some sleep.

The thing that has finally kicked me into taking them is that the lack of sleep, although the anxiety is constant and very tiring as well. My anxiety keeps me awake for the whole night at least once a week, and at best I only get 5 hours sleep.

Now I read that Citalopram is going to make me an insomniac! This makes me very concerned. I'm not sure how I'll cope with this.

So my questions - how long will the insomnia side-effect generally last? What are the main side effects that people have had and for how long? And more importantly, how long would one normally be on a course of something like Citalopram. I have heard various reports, some say the shortest period is 3 months, some say the shortest period is 12 months...

Also, I am interested to know how many people start courses of anti-depressants and then make them off again... is it most people, or only very few people I wonder...?

I realise they are not a cure and I intend to have psychotherapy while I am taking them to try to get to the root of what is wrong with me and find new ways of living my life once I come off of the pills. I want to come off of them as soon as possible, thus the question about the usual duration of a course.

My final question, I took 10mg this morning as I forgot that it would prob be best to start off with 5mg. Am I alright to take 5mg tomorrow and continue with 5mg for a week or so now that I have taken one full tablet of 10mg?

Any experiences from you guys and gals?

Thanks a lot,
Gareth

[mjh74]

Hi Gareth,

I'm sorry to hear your anxiety is bad, I can certainly relate to that. The citalopram should help with it in about 4 to 6 weeks. I have been on it quite a few times and it's been brilliant for me. I was always started on 10mg a day and then up to 20mg. I have a friend that's on 60mg of it but I react well to lower doses and had usually just stuck to the 10mg. For the first week you may feel a bit jittery and have a bit of insomnia but this dies down quite quickly. We all react differently to different drugs but I had very few side affects with citalopram other than low libido. You may also feel a bit nauseous for the first few days too but again this quickly went for me.

Hope this helps!

Best Wishes,

Mark

[kairen]

Hi Gareth i was on and of citrolapram for years, came off about 3 months ago with no effects, i was on them for about a year this time, as my grandad was ill and dying it got me through a time when i knew i could not cope, I had no serious side effects and they seemed to work really quick for me, perpare to feel just a little bit more anxious for a few days just till they kick in then you will be fine,

( Ah yes mark the libido thing LOL didnt bother me but did lose that )

citrolapram just seem to take the edge of things, while you tried to make sence of things, i found with the first few weeks of taking them i slept like a log, i didnt really notice any insomnia, but it depends on how relaxed you can get b4 bed time, i always slept with radio on as didnt like the silence

anyway keep us updated and good luck

kairen x

[sal]

Hi Gareth

I am on the same tablet as you and i took it very slowly to build up to the dose my doctor had prescribed to lessen the side affects that we all know can make us feel worse.

I can only suggest you go back to 5mg and build it up from there and see how you feel. Suits some and not others but has being a life line to me and made such a difference.

Best of luck and let us know how you are getting on.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[LisaD]

Hi Gareth,

Well can ever put your mind at ease! My story is very similar to yours except my insomnia was way worse (2 hours a night, every night!!!). I started at 10 mg Citalopram and felt extremely naseous for 3 days (just a warning), and a bit like I had a head cold. It did not make the insomnia or my extreme anxiety any worse! I didn't really feel any effects until 2 weeks after I started taking them, and then I started sleeping 12 plus hours a day! I think it was just my body making up for the extreme sleep deprivation leading upto this! I started to feel a minor improvement in myanxiety at about 3 weeks, but noticed a MAJOR improvement at 8 weeks after I'dbumped my dosage to 30 mg for 2 weeks. I am now so thankful for having stuk it out. It was trying on my patience for the effects totake so long to arrive, but please hang in there. I understand how you feel about wanting to be on it for as short as possible, and I felt that at way at first too,but only time will tell how long you need to be on it. Pushing to come off too soon will only cause the problem to return (and sometimes worse than before from what I've been told). Please PM me if you have any questions or want to discuss anything else!

Lisa