please help im scared to take my meds

[burberrygirl72]

hi my doc has prescribed me citalopram and after reading the side affects im so scared to take them he told me that they will make me alot worse befor they make me better he gave me 2 mg on diazapan to take while they kick in my system im not scared of taking them as i have had these befor its just the citalopram i suffer really bad with panic attacks and if these tablets make them worse over first 2 weeks i dont no what am gonna do also when is the best time to take them i was thinking if i took them befor i went to bed i prob would sleep through alot of the anxiety can anyone give me any suggestions on how to cope and when to take them xx

[sue.b]

Hi there

I am on Sertraline which is also an SSRI, i think side effect vary from person to person. You may experience only mild side effect.

An increase in anxiety is possible, but it you take the other meds as per your doctors suggestion it should help.

I did experience an increase in anxiety with my Meds for about 2 weeks, I too was already extremely anxious, but i got through. I guess you have to think about the long term.

I think it is worth trying, but the benefits are not usually felt for 2-4 weeks.

Take care

Sue xxx

[chickpea]

I've been on 10mg for 4 weeks now, and yes, my anxiety did worsen in the first couple of weeks.
It wasn't constant though - I had some really good days, and some bad days/moments.
I was prescribed 2mg Diazapam in the 3rd week, but haven't needed to take it.
I was also given sleeping pills, which I DID take for a few days - citalopram can cause broken sleep.

Some people take the pills at night, some take them in the morning.
I take them in the morning, with a big bowl of porridge. They may knock you out a bit about 2-3 hours after you taken one at first. I also had nausea and a dry mouth initially, and my appetite is only just returning.

If you have been given 20mg, maybe cut them in half and spend a week on 10mg. (I had the worst reaction to 20mg, but everyone's different).

[burberrygirl72]

what if i break my 10mg in half and try that for 2 weeks thn 2 wks of the ten mg

[SingingNik]

Having been prescribed citalopram (10mg) by my doctor last week (along with some support from the community psychiatric nurse), I googled the drug and found No More Panic. Reading the accounts of side effects, I managed to auto-suggest the side effects without even starting the drug and scared myself senseless. After leaping in 4 days ago, I felt it important to help bring more balance to the citalopram debate and help people who were terrified, just like I was.

My doctor puts around 2 new people a week on the drug and says that only one of her patients has ever given up due to side effects and time off work is not normally necessary to start the treatment. She admitted that 80% of people experience one or more side effects, but very few are severe. So I took my first pill and waited for the dizzyness and nausea to happen. But nothing! The only noticeable negative has been slight tummy cramp on waking a couple of times.

She said any side effects would take 7-10 days to pass and then it may be another week or so after that to feel the benefit. While I don't feel all that different, I'd say that I have a mildly increased ability to focus on work/reading and my thoughts are a bit less chaotic. And I'm not ready for bed at 9pm like I used to be.

But putting all this into context, I don't think my depression diagnosis is as severe as some others on this forum. I think if I suffered badly with panic attacks, agoraphobia or was suicidal, I'd probably exacerbate the side effects with my own condition. Our own imaginations are our worst enemy.

I'll let you know if things take a turn for the worse or better, but my overwhelming feeling towards citalopram is: what was all the fuss about?

[den68]

i was terrified of them after reading all the bad effects. Started on low dose and took them after tea. I have done just over a week now and am starting to increse dose. Had a few side effects for first 2 days really anxious felt sick and was sleepy but that got much better then when i put dose up at weekend had 24 hours side effects again but nothing too bad atall. Im having a real family crisis that started yesterday and although im worried and upset i am coping with it. I refused these drugs for 18 months i know wish id tried them back then

[chickpea]

Having been prescribed citalopram (10mg) by my doctor last week (along with some support from the community psychiatric nurse), I googled the drug and found No More Panic. Reading the accounts of side effects, I managed to auto-suggest the side effects without even starting the drug and scared myself senseless. After leaping in 4 days ago, I felt it important to help bring more balance to the citalopram debate and help people who were terrified, just like I was.

My doctor puts around 2 new people a week on the drug and says that only one of her patients has ever given up due to side effects and time off work is not normally necessary to start the treatment. She admitted that 80% of people experience one or more side effects, but very few are severe. So I took my first pill and waited for the dizzyness and nausea to happen. But nothing! The only noticeable negative has been slight tummy cramp on waking a couple of times.

She said any side effects would take 7-10 days to pass and then it may be another week or so after that to feel the benefit. While I don't feel all that different, I'd say that I have a mildly increased ability to focus on work/reading and my thoughts are a bit less chaotic. And I'm not ready for bed at 9pm like I used to be.

But putting all this into context, I don't think my depression diagnosis is as severe as some others on this forum. I think if I suffered badly with panic attacks, agoraphobia or was suicidal, I'd probably exacerbate the side effects with my own condition. Our own imaginations are our worst enemy.

I'll let you know if things take a turn for the worse or better, but my overwhelming feeling towards citalopram is: what was all the fuss about?

I have been prescribed Citalopram after starting to suffer mild depression and some anxiety - certainly not severe of life-limiting. I refused to read the info leaflet in the pack, because I didn't want to scare myself - but I asked my husband to read it, just incase.
The first pill I took was 20mg. I was in a positive state of mind when I took it (I was on a short course of Seroxat 15 years ago,with absolutely no problems) and saw it as something to help me feel better.
3 hours later, I was knocked sideways - I couldn't stay awake but nore was I properly asleep...more like semi-conscious. I was like that for 2 hours. When I woke up, I had the worst diarrhoea I've EVER had - like water, pouring out of me.
I felt sick, incapacitated (to the extent that my husband had to come home from work to look after the children), zombie-like...horrible.
That night, I went to bed and fell asleep easily. However, 3 hours later, I woke up in the middle of panic, teriffied and had to spend the rest of the night with the light on and my heart beating out of my chest.
My GP instantly dropped my dose to 10mg, and I was given sleeping pills.
The next 2 weeks were a mixture of ok'ish days and horrible heightened anxiety, plus no appetite and no energy. At times, I thought I was losing the plot.

I've now been on 10mg for 4 weeks. I'd say the side effects have been gone a week, and I am feeling pretty good.

As I said, I was not someone who was scared to take the meds, or who was suffering particularly badly before taking them BUT they definitely made me feel a lot worse before they made me feel any better.

[burberrygirl72]

im sitting here now with the tablet in my hand thinking shell i take it or not im just so scared tht as soon as i take it bang panic attack im so worked up and thinking that the worse is gonna happen to me i took half a 10mg a day a go and felt like a zombie but its the time of month to so dont no if it may have somthing to do with that too omg why am i so scared a a little tablet i need to get a grip but i cant but i wanna get better for my kids sake and been told this ant de is so good for pa and anx and dp thanks for all your replys xxx

[burberrygirl72]

well thats it i have just taken it lets see wht happens i have my diazapan at hand lol x

[greenday1997]

I refused to read the info leaflet in the pack, because I didn't want to scare myself - but I asked my husband to read it, just incase..

Thats a fantastic idea!!i should get my girlfriend 2 do the same!! :yesyes: In fact i think we should all do this even if it means describing symptoms 2 the friend or relative that can monitor us so we're not conjuring up symptoms we've read - i'm a biiiiig culprit on this :doh:

back 2 the post -
ive taken citalopram b4 and it was fine for me i think the feeling worse b4 u feel better, you gotta kinda see it for what it is its like first symptoms of a cold or flu then u experience it then u start 2 get over it.
Utilize what you have! the doc has given u diazepam , thats your get out of jail free card! if things really get too much thats gonna calm you like you wouldnt believe!! keep it in your purse if you need 2. Take care of yourself give yourself a couple weeks off from things put your feet up, quilt on sofa, come on here or support, and after all that i things get too much still you have diazepam!!:winks:

Trust me your fine on citalopram its bog standard anx and depression tablet. It takes a couple weeks really, took me 3, to properly get in your system then you will slowwwly start 2 feel better at first, then b4 u know it youl feel ten times better :yahoo:

so dont worry youl be fine :bighug1:

[burberrygirl72]

thankyou my hubby is off work for two wks to be with me so im gonna take advantage of tht and get myself better xx

[burberrygirl72]

thx for all your replys im on day 5 now side affects are scarey panic attacks headaches although the headaches has eased now just tingling in left arm and feeling coldness in it im upping my dose to 10mg tomo so fingers x
just cant handle the spaced out feeling im getting but somthing must be happening im not waking up so anxious anymore xx

[CD1985]

Hi

I've been on Citalopram for nearly a year now. I started off on 20mg and i can honestly say i had no side affects what so ever. I was feeling so bad at the time I felt like i could not feel any worse. It was not til about month until i started feeling better from them though. Then my doctor put me on 40mg. Definitely helping me so its worth just taking them. Good luck

[burberrygirl72]

thankyou for all your replys its day 6 now and not feeling as bad today just a little sickness all of you have helped me carry on with thm thanx so much xxxx

[Dan1]

Try not to worry - the more you worry about the side effects, the more likely you are to experience them. Personally, when I first started citalopram, the side effect I was most worried about was nausea (i've suffered a lot with nausea in the past, and was desperately hoping that this wouldn't set it all off again). I needn't have worried though - I had no side effects what so ever. I've been taking citalopram for a year now (i'm taking 50mg, I started on 10mg), and every time i've had the dose increased, I've had no side effects at all. If you do get side effects, they are usually mild, and disappear within 7 - 10 days. If they do get troublesome, go back to your doctor - they should be able to do something to help.

Good luck