Is Citalopram ok with dosulepin?

[bassplayer]

I've been taking Citalopram for almost 4 weeks and was doing ok with mild side effects but then at the weekend and today my anxiety has been through the roof and I've felt really ill.
I went to the docs who said to stop taking Cit and he'd give me something else but after reading posts about stopping Cit too quick I was reluctant to just stop and move onto something different.
So in the end he's said to carry on with Cit but also take Dosulepin capsules as well (whatever they are)
Has anyone else had any experience of these and / or combined 'em with Cit, I'm really scared to start them.

[pollyanna]

Hello

I can understand your anxiety. i take dosulepin 150mg at night,
although i am not taking citalopram at the moment, i have taken both together in the past without any problems, . i take propranolol 40 mg x3 daily with my dosulepin at the moment, and that seems to work for me.

hope you start to feel a bit better soon

Take care

P x

[NoPoet]

According to Wikipedia you should not combine dosulepin with SSRIs, so it does not appear to be safe to take it alongside citalopram. You should talk to your doctor. Citalopram is the newer of the two medications.

[pollyanna]

thats interesting PP, i wonder if thats the reason why i was taken off them, I cant actually remember as it was over 10 years ago now, but i am sure they didnt say that or i would have freaked...
Thanks for the information P x

[fishman65]

OK I've been on 60mg of citalopram for nearly a year with no problems until about 5 days ago.I've a lot going on in my life and all the anxiety buttons have been pressed.I'm now having all those 'oh no this is the end' thoughts.However,on Thursday my doc put me on 25mg dosulepin cos he said when combined the two drugs have an increased anti depressant effect.He did this cos I'm already on 60mg of the citalopram so he couldn't take them any higher.This is obviously his answer but will probably have to wait 3 or 4 weeks to see whether it works.Too early to say yet cos its only been 2 days.

[suzy-sue]

Taking these with such a high dose of Citalopram , may increase the seratonin too high and could cause serotonin syndrome .The Citalopram could enhance the dosulepin and cause severe side effects ..Im no Dr but Im afraid if I was given these I wouldnt want to take them ..Im sorry if this makes you feel anxious ,but its your body and you have the right to know of possible implications .If the Cit isnt working for you there are other safer drugs your Dr could perscribe or he could put you on another antidepressant instead of Cit alopram . I would have a word with your DR and see what he says ,before you take any ,just to be on the safe side .All the best Sue xx

[fishman65]

Thank you Sue for your observations and for pointing out these potential risks.However,my Dr is aware of these risks and explained them to me.As well as this,when he typed them up on his computer the results showed 'hazard'.He told me that this is the reason he has only put me on a small dose of dosulepin (25mg)

Take care, Fishy

[suzy-sue]

Thats good to hear Fishy .Sometimes the Dr never explains these things .I think its important to be aware of the full implications of perscribed drugs .Hopefully it will work for you and you will feel a lot better soon .Take care Sue x

[KK77]

There's always a risk when taking different classes/types of ADs at the same time or when changing to another of getting some nasty side effects (not just serotonin syndrome). I think that most GPs have a very limited knowledge of mental health drugs/treatments.

I was switched from fluoxetine to paroxetine without a washout (or drug-free) period, and because fluoxetine has such a long half life and remains in the body for up to a month the drug interaction between the two increased my serotonin levels sky high and l became manic. It was only after researching all this that l found out that changing from one AD to another or mixing ADs should be done in a very controlled, careful manner, and by a psychiatrist, not a GP.

Apparently, citalopram has a very low drug-drug interaction profile (which is why it's so popular with Drs these days), so it's probably safer to mix with a low dose tricyclic like dosulepin than say fluoxetine or paroxetine, but l still think we (as the people that have to take these drugs) should also do our homework and not just agree to anything.

Good luck!

[bassplayer]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to this, I'm finding what you are all saying very informative.
I've decided to delay taking the dosulepin as I don't feel I've given the Citalopram long enough yet (been taking for 4 weeks) so I'll hang on in there for a while to give it chance to work.
By the way what is 'serotonin syndrome'??
Thanks again!

[fishman65]

If you google it bassplayer it will give you a more detailed explanation...but in short its where the feelgood chemical serotonin is found in too high a concentration in the brain leading to some serious symptoms.I think they can be caused by either overdose of a single anti-dep or by mixing more than one at a time.

Fishy

[magpie girl]

hi i was on both drugs together for 2 years.I used to take 10mg citalopram,but the anxiety was really bad, and i had bad side effects when they upped the dose to 20mg.So i was put on 25mg of dosulepin,along side the citalopram,and it worked for 2 years.:D :D :D