citralopram newbie

[phattgal]

ok, just been to docs and ive been given citalopram and now after reading some posts im terrified of starting it lol.
what can i expect guys? does it work? is it awful? confused.com:wacko:
thanks
jo x

[JT69]

Hi Jo,

Dont be scared to take citalopram, everyone is different and side effects dont always effect everyone. What dose are you starting out on? I took cit on and off for around 9 years and found it to be an excellent medication for me, I found starting out on the lowest dose (10mg) and slowly increasing (personally) the best way to avoid side effects becoming too troublesome. I just found increased anxiety, insomnia and lack of appetite when first starting out on it but these do settle down with time and as I mentioned earlier may not trouble everyone.

There are alot of people taking cit on here so you will be sure to get alot of support with it and the survival guide by poet is excellent reading.

Hope it goes well for you and the sooner you begin the sooner you will start to feel better hun.:)

Take care and let us know how you go.

Another Jo.xx

[phattgal]

hi Jo
starting on 20mg :scared15:
Had a read through Poets survival guide.......oh my.....
I suppose i gotta give it a go though eh i cant feel any worse surely........can i?:unsure:
thanks for the advice
Jo xxx

[ragdoll]

i started on friday, on 10mg, not going to lie..... felt VERY sick and drowsy all friday but it got much better. you should definitely take it as soon as possible though to get it over and done with because the sooner you take it the sooner you'll start feeling better, and worrying about it can't be helping!!
i would say take it at night because then the side effects are when you're sleeping. although, it causes restlessness and insomnia for some people so don't listen to me!

[Jannie2948]

Hi there, I'd agree with what JT69 says, it does give you some side effects in the first few weeks but some people, as I have ready on here, don't have any. When I started on 20mg 6 months ago I had pretty bad side effects, heightened anxiety etc., but what I would say now 6 months later and with an increase to 40mg about 9 weeks ago, I feel so much better. I read all of Psychopoet's Citalopram Survival Guide when I first started and it really helped me. I think the sooner you start the sooner you will be on the road to feeling better. I had 2mg of diazepam to help me through the bad times, and I only ever took them when I really had heightened anxiety and now I don't need them at all.

If ever you are worried though, there is always someone here that will be able to help you, I found this site invaluable when I first became ill and put on citalopram and I couldn't have got through those days without it.

I wish you all the very best.

Jannie x x

[martbarr]

.... another Jo ....

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Faethra]

I just started my citalopram two days ago as well. I was previously on paroxetine, and have been off of it for close to five months. However, anxiety has returned, and I'm on citalopram because the parents harped on me ruthlessly about how they hated the thought of me being on Paxil (they must have read something really horrible- because it worked like a dream for me! Except for that extra 25 pounds of weight...)

I'm a little frightened as well, which is why I'm here. The pharmacist told me I could begin on 20mg, but the side effects were AWFUL! I felt so restless and uneasy, I had a panic attack! So today I just took 10, and it was a lot better. :) In a week I might start doing the full 20mg that were prescribed to me, maybe sooner if I'm feeling good. Or maybe I'll just stay on the 10mg... I've been pretty good, just had a lot on my plate recently and it took me over. Either way I have another counseling in two weeks. :)

We're here to work with you! We're going through the same, and will be here! I'm very excited to have found this site. It's made me feel so good, I just realized I totally forgot I was working on homework! lol!

[RichW]

Hi There

For me it was an absolute nightmare starting out on 20mg. Through naivety I just assumed it was all part of the side effects and kept going with it, had I known I could have started on a lower dose, then I probably would have. The worst side effect for me was the increase in anxiety - I'm sure this is the one we all fear more than anything. I'm going to be honest, I thought I knew what anxiety was but I was wrong! The first 3 days on the cit, my anxiety went through the roof - I even developed agoraphobia! But after a week the anxiety started to taper off and by two weeks it was all but gone. There was the odd occasion when I felt I was losing it completely and they'd find me a drooling wreck locked away in a catatonic state forever. The main thing is to keep going with it and to give it a real shot - at least 2 months. And always try to remember that the feelings and emotions you'll experience when starting out are just side effects, nothing more and they'll eventually leave you. I really started to feel great after 8 weeks into the medication. But all the way until that point, I could feel that I was progressing and not getting worse and that encouraged me and kept me going - along with the support and reassurance of others here at NMP of course.

On the other hand, you may just be fortunate enough to experience no side effects whatsoever but if you do, bear in mind that it's par for the course with pretty much most folk. An interesting fact: 30% of people starting SSRI's stop taking them due to the side effects (which are relatively short-lived, if only they knew) - this is usually because they don't know what to expect. I wouldn't be without them today.

Hope this helps - Keep on keeping on


Rich

[oneofus]

Citalopram does not effect everyone in the same way. What you may initial experience is merely a placebo effect; I've taken medication so it must have an effect. Most of the side effects are more annoying than worrying, save that the majority of men (and women I believe) suffer some sexual dysfunction.

You may also find yourself addicted to this site and reading Martin Barr's atrocious jokes!