Citalopram - effects/feelings/results?!

[blackcat1978]

Hi,
I started taking Citalopram 6 days ago and have to say it has been the worst experience of my life - worse then any depression I was feeling before - mainly because of the continuing dehabilitaing side effects i am getting.
The first day I had the flushes/ants crawling under my skin/ feeling out of body/teary etc etc then 3 days in my face/eyes swelled up (which makes me feel even more attractive!) and since then I now have a face full of eczma (I have never had this before!) and eyes that have swollen up and aged about 30 years..... my head feels ok apart from depression about how i look now!
I have decided to wean myself off of them for several reason
1) the depression i have is situational and until that changes these tablets wont solve anything only mask the feelings i feel about thinghs so I think the best thing to do is tackle the problems.
2) I literally feel as if i am being poisoned - I look as if I have been poisoned by something toxic!
3)I dont think there has been enough research about these drugs, after reading up about them, not even doctors know why they work so I find it hard to understand how they can then prescribe them in the forst place without enough knowledge - drug company money maybe....!

I know they do work for alot of people (my best friend has been on one type or another for 12 years and says she couldnt cope without them and she goes mad when she comes off them...) well sorry I do not want my life ruled by a tablet.
So i have decided to wean and then start taking HTP, exercise, eat healthily and think healthily until the point in my life (a few mths away) when my circumstances change and I know I will feel better 100%

this isnt a rant as I know they work for some but i just needed to write it down and see what other people think.

Good luck all
xxxxx

[Asha1979]

Hi Blackcat! Im sorry you are having such a tough time with your tablets. However you are only taking them 6 days so you need to let your body get used to them for them to start taking effect. They usually make you feel worse before you get better. And every side-effect can seem magnified while you are waiting for them to kick in. I know how scary it is at the start putting a tablet in your body and waiting to see does it work but I can tell you that they started working for me within 10 days and I was severly depressed and anxious about everything. About your depression being situational citalopram can help you to relax and cope with your current problems until you are in a better place to cope yourself without them. I have withdrawn from these tablets in november with no side effects whatsoever. There has been extensive research into citalopram which is FDA approved in July 1998.
DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Citalopram is an antidepressant medication that affects neurotransmitters, the chemicals that nerves within the brain use to communicate with each other. Neurotransmitters are manufactured and released by nerves and then travel and attach to nearby nerves. Thus, neurotransmitters can be thought of as the communication system of the brain. Many experts believe that an imbalance among neurotransmitters is the cause of depression (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=342). Citalopram works by preventing the uptake of one neurotransmitter, serotonin, by nerve cells after it has been released. Since uptake is an important mechanism for removing released neurotransmitters and terminating their actions on adjacent nerves, the reduced uptake caused by citalopram results in more free serotonin in the brain to stimulate nerve cells. - If you do decide to ween off them, you should consult your doctor first but I would hang in there if I was you because its worth it in the end xx

[flix08]

hey i would go and see your GP because you side effects sound very severe! i do hope you feel better soon. i started last monday and i had bad side effects too, but it does get better xxx

[blackcat1978]

Hi,
thanks for the replies - have decided to stick it out for a bit longer- think i was feeling fed up and impatient. Skin is still no better (may see if i can now get botox off the NHS for the stress the antidepressants have caused! lol)
seriously tho have upped dose to 15mg and will see how that goes. Still not back to work which is worrying me but I seriously dont think I could cope with it at the mo - hard enough getting out of bed still, we will see.
xx

[Asha1979]

Hang in there blackcat, it wont be long before you start feeling better and the tablets do their job, im in the same boat as you x