Citalopram - stick or twist?

[Bob47]

Some of you may have read my posts on here but I am mulling over my options for when I go back to my GP on Wednesday, so I am really after canvassing your views here...:yesyes:

Ok, I am into week 6 this week of taking 20mg of Citalopram. Before I started taking it in January I was having a progressively bad time with depression & anxiety centered around stress at a new job so I was prescribed the meds. I have been on it before, several years ago and I had got loads better over time and had almost forgotten about it until January.
This latest time on Citalopram has been a rollercoaster, the first two weeks particularly saw increased anxiety, one panic attack, sleep loss and really cloudy heads. As the weeks have progressed my anxiety related to work has gone and I am working fine again (even got a compliment from the boss yesterday). Yesterday I did some interviewing which I opted out of a few weeks ago because I couldnt cope...so, all in all the improvements are visisble. I still get mild anxiety, I still get a fuzzy head (especially about an hour or 2 after taking a tablet) and I still get some rather unpleasant intrusive thoughts that comes with the anxiety. So thats where I am - and what I want to know from you guys is...:shrug:

1. Do I want to stay as I am and accept that, for me, its not as quick a fix as it is for some. Is the continuing, but diminishing symptoms par for the course, or

2. Do my meds need to go UP to scrub out the remaining symptoms? (not my preferred option!)

3. Reduce my meds

4. Change my meds (which as was offered last time - but my GP couldnt really explain to what, or what the benefit would be...so again not tempting)

This will give me some idea of where I'm going to go next and thank you very much for your thoughts :D

[smiley]

well bob as u and i have spoken before in chat i would be tempted to stick with the dose u are on as it is still early days and they need a proper chance to work sucessfully so i would carry on for a few more weeks and see if u notice a difference

[Bob47]

thank you Heidi - just fed up with the weird spells at the moment! I think optionone is looking favourite

[ash1807]

Hi Bob,
From what I read on your post, it seems that you are slowly getting better, and with the help of 20mg. As your body slowly gets acustomed to the drug, the physical side effects will ease off. These have my experiences as well.

The good days comes in windows and slowy start to get larger. That is progress. It is always frustrating to have a bad day after a few good ones.

I would very much stick it out at 20mg and see how it pans out

Best of luck
Ash

[suzy-sue]

Hi Bob ,i agree with the advice youve been given at the moment ,stick it out a bit longer,you have definately improved so they are working. Time will tell ... sue

[lucylocket]

hi bob, well don't know what to suggest really, i think its a hard one the reason being i think we forget just how bad things were before we started on the CIT.......my dr. suggested swapping to seroxat as i had this about 7 yrs ago and thought it worked well,but i opted out as he said it would be a slow process as i would have to wean off the CIT before i could start the seroxat. My question is when do we say enough is enough as we can not go on like this forever..... saying " give it a bit longer"!!!!!!!! lucy

[Bob47]

The problem in your case Lucy is that you seem to have been stop/starting where as I have been fairly consistant. I can feel my symptoms reducing but it is slow. If you read most of the success stories on here they are mostly talking from several months down the line and you have to hang on to that.
Try and hang on with what you're doing and not go up & down or to something else and it may help.
I, on the other hand should listen to my own advice!!

[Tracy43]

Hi Bob
In my opnion you should try to carry on, you siad it yourself that you are seeing some improvements so its working in some ways.
Like you I have had some bad time and also increased anxiety which was terrible but because of all the kind words and advice on here I stuck wth in and even though I have been on them a little less than you I feel mostly pretty good.
Yes I still get problems with fuzzy head like you say but I kinda like the happy feeling I have started getting so to me its worthwhile.
We will support you whichever way you decide to go, so stay strong and know we are all going through similar things.
Peace

[lucylocket]

bob, i understand what you are saying i am going to stick with my 30mg and see how it goes.... Got the med rush today as per usual, felt anxious when i was out shopping but that was a couple of hours after taking them, still a bit fuzzy headed all afternoon. How has everyone elses day being ? LUCY X

[Tracy43]

Hi Lucy
My day has been strange, internet up and down dont help.
:shrug:

[Bob47]

for all the goods and improvements this afternoon/evening has been a pig = big anxiety, completely spaced and head is swimming with random dark thoughts...meds or me?

[Budgie]

hi bob :hugs: I agreewith the views already said - and stick to the 20mg for a while longer.

I think what you've been describing this evening is meds. I can really relate, I've been on citralopram for a month now (20mg for about 2 weeks) and I do feel improvements in myself and the way I feel about life, but imn terms of side effects I still seem to have a way to go yet. Hopefully things will start to settle down soon!

[Bob47]

thanx to those who have answered this thread - have had a big blip tonite which makes three over the week which I supose is good in the scheme of things but its horrible when it happens and you can''t see the good stuff for that period.

[reallyfedup]

Bob, what are your weird thoughts? You don't have to answer, but I think that depending what they are may make a difference :shrug:

[Bob47]

about death and mortality -that sort of thing

[reallyfedup]

I think those thoughts can be linked to depression and anxiety. When I am 'well' these thoughts only enter my consciousness when a life event triggers them. At the moment I dwell on quite a lot of catastrophic events which are never likely to happen. I refer to them as 'what if's'!!! Only today I have been in tears for a family member who had a stillborn child 18 months ago . I think we have heightened sensitivity to these emotions which are unpleasant at times like this. I do think its part of the condition personally. X try not to be too troubled by them ... You are doing well x:yesyes:

[Bob47]

Sara - but will they settle down on the current medication? These intrusions didn't start until about last week on the meds! Thats my current worry...I am getting hacked off with being so 'medicated' (on & off) and now I am not sure that what I am experiencing is caused by me not improving or the medication. A bit of me just wants to stop taking them and deal with the consequences and a bit of me is thinking that I may need to go up because I am a bit still a bit all over the shop. I suspect the usual answer is ...keep going...

[reallyfedup]

I understand your concern and alas there is no evidence for you to know if they will or won't stop these thoughts. Anxiety takes many forms and I think my 'thoughts' are just one of its ugly faces and i know they are worse when I am 'ill' . I hope in time there will be more benefits at a number of levels for us all. I wish I could answer your question xxx:shrug:

[lucylocket]

Hi bob, how has your day being today, i have been out all day and kept busy , the spaciness cleared this afternoon , so not too bad... lucy x

[Bob47]

Today has been a bit of mixed bag - anxious & fuzzy this morning but I tried taking my tablet later (lunchtime) and it has cleared this afternoon after taking it...so dunno. But I've done loads of paperwork, taken the kids out for lunch, been shopping and it didn't hold me back

I'm thinking that this is just going to take longer than average, lowering it is not sensible, raising it seems to be just experimenting for the sake of it. I just hate the weird spells - shows I'm a control freak I suppose lol!

Stay in touch

[suzy-sue]

Glad to hear you had a good afternoon Lucy,perhaps things are finally starting to settle for you. :yesyes: Fingers crossed x. You sound like you had a pretty good day in all Bob!W/e are always good for a change in routine it helps to take your mind off things ,and seems to lower the anxiety.I personally would stick with your dose until youve been on it for 8 Weeks,or youll always have that what if? feeling otherwise. Have you ever had any therapy offered to you?. I had a good day yesterday ,But today day(3 on 35mg )was a tired spaced out one ! Yawn! YAWN! musnt grumble thou i! still got out . Hope every one has a good day tommorow luv sue

[Bob47]

Sue, I had a good afternoon & evening yesterday, good day today as well until about 3pm when you could feel the fuzzy anx feeling creeping in - its not running away with me this evening though.
I will give it 8 weeks sure, but I am seeing the GP on wednesday and I want to try and nail down some sort of plan - he keeps asking me what *I* want to do - which is deeply frustrating!

In the back of my mind is the nagging doubt that the effects should be easing a bit more by now (and to an extent they're much lower) - perhaps I'm just one of those people who takes a long while

[lucylocket]

hi everyone, i woke ok this morning, took my meds then had a terrible headache and spacey till 5ish, now don't feel too bad.....glad everyones day has not been too bad, it will be interesting to see what Dr. has to say on Weds Bob, but then it's easy for them to say things when they haven't experienced anxiety!!!!!!!!!! Take care lucy