2 weeks on Citalopram and Topamax?

[PanicStriken]

I'm on two new medications now. I haven't had a panic attack in over 2 weeks and it feels great. I was taken off the Luvox I was on, but I remain on Seroquel at night. I now take 600mg of Seroquel so it lets me get to bed at a proper time at night so I finally have mornings again.

But I do have some pretty strange side effects and I'm curious if anyone else can relate. I'm not sure if it's the Topamax or the Celexa but I've experienced the following:

Face tingling, numbness, foot tingling, soda tasting flat, feeling in a fog, blurry vision at times, inability to focus at times, feeling faint, feeling dizzy, feeling unsteady, feeling as if I'm "sinking" into the floor, feeling intense pressure in my head and nose like someone's pushing down on my head, revved up GERD (I already had GERD but noticed it got much worse on these medications).

While I am no longer going to ER's or having panic attacks, these side effects are driving me crazy and I wish they would just go away. Do they go away?

I know I won't actually faint from these drugs because I was reassured from my PhD I wouldn't, but the feeling itself is terrible enough. And plus, I just feel rundown a lot now.

I'm taking 100mg of Celexa, 100mg of Topamax and as I said 600mg of Seroquel.

[suzy-sue]

Hi Panic striken,You are on a very high dose of citalopram,60mg is the highest dose perscribed but 40mg is usually the highest most DRS will give ,as there is no evidence that 60mg is any more beneficial. What you are experiencing is definately side effects ,and in most cases they will subside eventually.I however would not recommend that you continue to take such a high dose and speak to your Dr about this.!100MG is way too high. Hugs SUE X

[PanicStriken]

Whoops I was completely off with 100mg of Celexa, I meant to say 60mg. Thank you for replying to my post and giving me support. =)

I don't know, I just feel like someone with low blood pressure now. I take it easy even if I don't have to and feel run down all the time.

[agnes]

Hello Panicstriken

My doctor explained that it often takes time to find the correct dosage of medication for anxiety/depression because we're all different and obviously don't react in the same way. So, in my opinion, it's important to keep discussing your medication and any side effects with your doctor, and s/he can use your feedback to adjust your dosage accordingly.

Take care and best wishes.

[suzy-sue]

Whoops I was completely off with 100mg of Celexa, I meant to say 60mg. Thank you for replying to my post and giving me support. =)

I don't know, I just feel like someone with low blood pressure now. I take it easy even if I don't have to and feel run down all the time.


Your welcome hun, sorry you are feeling so bad at the moment.You are probably still having withdrawal symptoms from coming off theLuvox as well.These take about three weeks to stop,The tingling feeling and the pressure on your head could possibly be down to this.The side effects from the Citalopram should start to lift about the same time but will take 4-6 weeks to kick in properly.Ido hope you start to feel better soon and as Theia suggests ,discuss your symptoms with your DR .Take care ,Sue:hugs:

[PanicStriken]

Your welcome hun, sorry you are feeling so bad at the moment.You are probably still having withdrawal symptoms from coming off theLuvox as well.These take about three weeks to stop,The tingling feeling and the pressure on your head could possibly be down to this.The side effects from the Citalopram should start to lift about the same time but will take 4-6 weeks to kick in properly.Ido hope you start to feel better soon and as Theia suggests ,discuss your symptoms with your DR .Take care ,Sue:hugs:

Thank you. :hugs: I have a question, do you think the Seroquel could cause you to feel hungover the next morning? I always feel out of energy and weak the next morning on this high dosage. I've always traditionally taken about 200-400. Thank you theia! :hugs:

[suzy-sue]

Hi ,it does seem a high dose ! ,wasnt the lower doses working for you?Also the Cit is a high dose,and can cause a hungover feeling in the morning,its more pronounced on a higher dose.Im like it and am only on 35mg,but it does go after ive got up , in about an hour. I would mention it all to your Dr and see what he says,he may say it will get better when the drugs get into your system properly,or he may think they need to be adjusted. It can be pretty hard when you are on more than one new drug to pinpoint exactly what is responsible for each side effect,.But thats one of the down points of taking medications.I read on your other post you have lost your appetite? this is a side effect of Citalopram,I also got anxious because of it,I even got food anxiety lol.The appetite comes back with a vengeance for a while,so you will have to watch what sort of food you eat when this happens. It does go back to normal after a time, so dont worry .Fruit smoothies are a good source of nutrition when you have no appetite,and you can make them yourself or buy them.Let us know how you are getting on,hope you feel better soon .Luv Sue:hugs:

[PanicStriken]

Hi ,it does seem a high dose ! ,wasnt the lower doses working for you?Also the Cit is a high dose,and can cause a hungover feeling in the morning,its more pronounced on a higher dose.Im like it and am only on 35mg,but it does go after ive got up , in about an hour. I would mention it all to your Dr and see what he says,he may say it will get better when the drugs get into your system properly,or he may think they need to be adjusted. It can be pretty hard when you are on more than one new drug to pinpoint exactly what is responsible for each side effect,.But thats one of the down points of taking medications.I read on your other post you have lost your appetite? this is a side effect of Citalopram,I also got anxious because of it,I even got food anxiety lol.The appetite comes back with a vengeance for a while,so you will have to watch what sort of food you eat when this happens. It does go back to normal after a time, so dont worry .Fruit smoothies are a good source of nutrition when you have no appetite,and you can make them yourself or buy them.Let us know how you are getting on,hope you feel better soon .Luv Sue:hugs:

Yeah, the lower dose was working, but they decided at the hospital I needed to be put on 600 MG to transition me off of the Luvox. They pretty much took me off of it cold turkey, after I had been on it for nearly 2 years at about 200MG I believe. I feel like I'm starting to get my appetite back too. And you are right, it's coming back with a vengeance. :lol: I definitely feel hung over right now, just tired, faint, etc. I will definitely be talking with my doctor and Phd about this on Tuesday. Lots of love! :hugs:

[PanicStriken]

My blood pressure was a little strange today. 123/59. Then again, it's usually been around 110/60. The closest it's been near normal is 113/80 and that was 2 weeks ago. For some reason I'm feeling a bit more foggy in the past few days.

[PanicStriken]

I have another update. I'm going to the doctor later today or tomorrow, don't know when they can squeeze me in, but I'm looking forward to seeing if something is causing my weak feeling. I seem to be having a lot of strange feelings I haven't had before. No doubt many of them are because of my anxiety and panic but the blood pressure and some other things. For some reason, it seems to get worse at night. I'm not sure why. I feel so tired right now typing this and I got a full night's sleep. I'm going back up on my Topamax, maybe that will help. The Phd said that would be okay.

[suzy-sue]

Hi P/S,It is possible its the cit making you feel like this.What time of day do you take it?This stuff does make you feel tired,and you are taking a high dose. Suex

[PanicStriken]

I take it in the morning. I take one and a half, which equals 60 MG. Thank you for replying! :hugs:

[suzy-sue]

You could try taking it at night,this may help with the daytime sleepiness,it did for me.It will take a couple of days to change your dose from morning to evening. Day 1 take it lunch time ,day 2 take it afternoon ,day 3 take it the evening. See how you go for a week or so. Luv Sue :hugs:

[PanicStriken]

I'll try that once I get the okay from the doctor. Sounds like the best way to go about it. As long as it will still be working while I'm awake. I'm having yet another strange side effect. It may be carry over from taking 2 different CNS depressants but I don't blink nearly as much as I most likely should. My eyes are often very bloodshot. Then again I spend a lot of time in front of the computer doing work.

[suzy-sue]

Too much time on the computer does that to me too.I use eye dew,it gets rid of it.Dont know if you can buy it in the US Tho, .The cit works no matter what time it is taken ,they stay in your system,not like an aspirin. All the best Sue x

[PanicStriken]

Yeah, I'm gonna start using some eye drops. I'm curious if you can tell me if you've had any side effects like this on Citalopram. It's a very strange feeling. It occurs while sitting or standing. It's that general head pressure, but it's like a sinking sensation almost, whether that be while I'm in bed, I feel as if I'm sinking into the bed, or if I'm standing, I feel as if I'm sinking into the floor.

Sometimes I even feel as if I'm on an elevator going up or down while standing. I'm not dehydrated, I take vitamins, I don't have low or high blood pressure as far as I can tell, the only problem I can see if the side effects of the medicine. Sometimes it becomes so real it's literally a brace myself for black out time. Of course, it never happens. Or it hasn't.. yet.

[PanicStriken]

I had a mild panic attack again last night. :( It kept me up until 2 AM. That general feeling of being faint was very strong. In the past two days I've had some pretty weird head pain and sensations in that general area. I even had a nightmare that I fainted last night once I finally got to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the day so my schedule is off. My PHD is out of town, but hopefully I can get ahold of him and get some help before next week.

The Seroquel makes me feel very relaxed, and when you go to bed late at night, it makes it even more powerful.

[suzy-sue]

Sounds by the last two posts its just the meds side effectsThese should get better .It wont hurt talking to your Dr though !he will put your mind at ease and maybe suggest something.Try not to fear the anxiety so much ,i know its hard but it turns into panic and leaves you feeling tired and drained. Bad dreams are very common.There is a thread about them, have you read it yet? Take care .. Luv Sue:hugs:

[PanicStriken]

Thanks for the reply! :hugs:

I saw my therapist today. He moved my Seroquel back a bit in the evenings because I started getting off my sleep schedule again. I'm curious, when you get messed up on taking your meds can it cause your panic and anxiety to go up? I missed a couple of doses in the past few days and I'm in the process of correcting them but I am very anxious in the daytime now, where as before I was not (to the point of panic attacks) (I was only anxious during the night to that point.)

[suzy-sue]

Do you mean you didnt take your Cit or was it a combination you forgot? It can cause your levels to drop and when that happens you will feel more anxious. Try not to forget as it obviously hasnt done you any favours..Im sure you will be fine soon.Dont worry. Sue x

[PanicStriken]

Do you mean you didnt take your Cit or was it a combination you forgot? It can cause your levels to drop and when that happens you will feel more anxious. Try not to forget as it obviously hasnt done you any favours..Im sure you will be fine soon.Dont worry. Sue x

Yeah, I forgot to take both of my meds and I ran out of another. I took them this morning at the right time and I'll take them again tonight at the right time. Thanks for the support!

[PanicStriken]

Well, I had my first major panic attack in a few weeks last night. I almost went to the ER again. My heart rate was nearly 150 and I was shaking. I calmed down eventually but it came on like nobody's business. Sigh. I'm going to talk to my therapist about maybe getting my Topamax adjusted or upped. Maybe try something else besides Celexa. I don't know, I can't go up on it. I'm on the maximum dose.