Love Citalopram!!

[Joellie]

Hey everyone,

I know alot of people are worried about using citalopram because of the side effects so i thought id tell you all my positive view on it :)

Ive been taking it for 10 days now and the side effects are gone and i feel like myself :)

Im on 10mg at the moment and i need to up my dose but this is the second time ive used citalopram and its been fantastic :D:D So dont worry about taking it, yes the side effects are horrid for the first couple of weeks or so but once you break through the side effects its a fantastic drug :)

[Lysi1201]

Thanks for posting this... Its nice to hear some positives about citalopram and helps to motivate me to keep taking the meds and see it through x

[PoppyC]

Hi
Glad to hear it is beginning to work for you.:)
I was the same too but it took about 2 months for it to fully kick in. At the beginning I would experience a good few days then a bad few days and at times was ready to stop taking it but I am glad that I persevered and now 7 months later it really is working and I would not be without it.
I hope you continue to keep feeling good.

[Occy]

Great to hear some positive information.

As the others have said, it gives us that are still struggling the strength to continue with these meds.

Hope to be coming over from "the dark side" to join you soon.

All the best.

Occy:blush:

[Joellie]

You all will be :) Yeah i had worse side effects this time round than i did the first time but i only get a little sickness every now and again with it and in general ive had more good days than bad. I get funny moments but i find i can accept it alot easier than before :)

It just takes time!

[suzy-sue]

Well done for sticking it out Joellie .Im so pleased you are feeling a lot better .I also had a bad couple of months ,but its worked wonders for me ,and helped get my life back on track ..Wishing eveyone a speedy recovery ,dont be afraid of taking it ,the side effects do pass .Luv Sue xx:hugs:

[danb]

Hey i have been using citalopram for about a year now, and its the best thing i have ever done. I have my life back and i feel like my old happy self. After some side effects at the beginnin.. bit of dizziness and nausea, i now feel like a new woman. I am taking them for a panic disorder.

I would strongly recommend!

xx

[chrisrig]

i have been taking citalopram for about 10 years now. yes really, 10 years.
my day to day life is generally good, the tablets have kept my anxiety and depression in check and i lead a pretty normal life by most standards.
i do have ups and down though, the day before new years eve last year i had an allmighty panic attack in the middle of the night. i think it was brought on by alcohol,
i had been drinking a lot for a few weeks before then.
i had been on 20mg and went to the docs the next day and went up to 30mg.
it took me at least until march to get back to relative normality.
before that episode i had been ok for at least two years.
ive noticed this year though that if i do get drunk, for me that is 8 pints or more, then the next two days at least i suffer from panic attacks.
im going through ivf treament with my wife a the moment and i am also busy at work, i went out as usual with my friends on friday night and since saturday have had terrible anxiety, with panic attacks.
i have put myself on 40mg of citalopram now, im hoping this will kick in in a day or two and will start to feel better.
i am also going to make an appointment to see my doctor to tell her where i am at.
its strange, when these setbacks happen they allways feel different and worse than before.

[paullong]

Well done love x
I too did 10 years on the stuff then 3 without . Been back on em for 8 weeks now and its a struggle but i know they worked before so percervering! Christmas my goal...All the best
paulx

[Delaney]

Can anyone give me advice please, i missed my doctors appointment today for a perscription of cit (40mgs) and crapping myself as i tend to get REALLY bad if i dont have them in the first 4/5 hrs of missing it, worried i might relapse on the self harm side of things, is there anywhere i can go to get some for the weekend???

[Joellie]

Hey delaney, give your local A&E department a call and explain you are really worried and that is there any chance you could come in and get an emergency prescription. I always find they never act unless its really important but i think it is important!! if they can get hold of your doctor and your patient files they should be able to. Ive never tried it but theyre a medical practise so i dont see why not.

I know chemists dont sell it because its not a standard medication for every day things (obviously) but thats all i have for you im afraid, hope you manage to get some!!

Hey everyone, Im still alright, ive had a wierd morning and evening last night but ive been ok so far. I find the anxiety is harder to "ignore" than the depression. Sometimes the intrusive thoughts arent controlled but on the whole thumbs up to citalopram :):)

Not sure whether i should up my dosage to 20mg still, i was supposed to on monday but i didnt so i may do this monday.

[dingly_dell]

I think it's important for people to hear success stories of medication, as well as problems/side effects. For the last few years I have been suffering from mixed generalised anxiety, panic disorder and depression, and it had steadily worsened to the point that it was interfering with my work and social life. I couldn't really participate in meetings and spent a lot of time planning how to 'escape' from routine situations, stressing over everything, and I was beginning to fret about leaving the house or other places I'd identified as my 'comfort zone'. The latter symptom really forced me to go and get help. My GP prescribed diazepam 2mg 'as needed' in February 2013, and I guess they did work, but I was never very happy with the idea of taking benzodiazepines given their addicting potential. I imagine they are OK as long as you are closely monitored and only take them for as long as required... I started on 10mg of citalopram in August 2013, and was stepped up to 20mg in September the same year. The side effects were very tolerable for me, and consisted of some mild trouble sleeping, early waking and the most weirdly vivid dreams (some of which were very pleasant, some not so) and some sexual side effects (again mild). After about 3 weeks of treatment, most of the side effects had gone, my depression had almost completely lifted, and I am no longer anxious at all really. Neither do I feel spaced out or dozy, however, so it's not like you end up just numbed to life. I haven't really noticed any emotional blunting, which some people do report from SSRIs, and my friends say I'm pretty much back to normal :-) As far as I am concerned, citalopram has been very effective and I don't suffer from any real side effects to speak of. Be aware, though, that some people eventually do have trouble coming off citalopram and related drugs, look up 'SSRI discontinuation syndrome' before you decide whether to go on them. They're not classed as addictive, you don't end up craving them or anything like that, it's just that the side effects when you start to come off them can be tough. I think very gradual tapering of dose works for many people, though. Help is out there, and you can get a normal life back! Love to you all xx

[weplant]

So happy to hear these success stories as I suffer from extreme anxiety and panic, have been pretty much housebound for 2 years. I have been on cut for 4 months 10mg for 2months (I am very med sensitive so started on liquid). I feel a little improvement, but not what I hoped for and still shrugging with side effects. But thanks to your positive post, I will give it some more time. Thanks, debbie

[Chaos Water]

Hi Joellie, glad to hear it's working :). I've been on Citalopram 10mg for a week now and the symptoms haven't been terrible, but they've been noticeable. I am due to increase my dosage to 2 tablets this Saturday and have to go back to the doctors next Wednesday to have it increased to 20mg, so hopefully I start feeling my normal self again soon :).