do i need to be increased

[lc2613]

i started cit 2 weeks ago had a couple of rough days then started to feel slightly better in general on 10mg but have had 2 very anxious days, my doc said i would need to go to at least 20 but in a month is it normal to feel better then worse or does anyone think i should be increased sooner?

[NoPoet]

Hi, 10mg is a very low dose but it's good to start with as there is probably a reduced risk of side effects. As you begin to tolerate the medication you can gradually increase the dose.

In the early days of your recovery you will probably have a few ups and downs. These blips may feel like a relapse into anxiety or depression but they are usually temporary and blow over after a few days. When you start feeling better in general and once you've found the right dose of citalopram you should notice you don't have as many blips and they don't last as long.

10mg is a very low dose so your doctor is probably right to say you will need to increase to 20, which is the standard adult dose.

Are you receiving any other treatment as well as the medication? You should look into some form of talking therapy like counselling, anxiety management or CBT. I've had some success with hypnotherapy (increased my confidence by about 400%) and self-hypnosis mp3s.

[nomorepanic]

If you think this drug would help then I would stay on the low dose for now.

Please remember that medication won't cure you - it is designed to reduce the symptoms so personally I would stay on low dose and ask for CBT

[KK77]

For panic/anxiety 10mg may help, but if you have depression too then it's regarded as a subtherapeutic dose, meaning 10mg probably won't do much.

However, I'm not a big fan of increasing doses either, so if it's helping then thinking about combining it with other cognitive therapies is a wise move, in my opinion of course.

[lc2613]

thank you i saw a different doc and he has alternated me on 10mg and 20 so i have one on 10 the next on 20 and so on, has anyone else heard of this it seems a bit strange to me i had my 20 today luckily with no side effects but think i would feel strange going back to 10 tomorow, thankyou melancholia i am with the mental health team and have a pysiciatrist and a support worker and were just starting on the cbt side of things so fingers crossed. xx