Citalopram 20mg 3 weeks in and feel anxious?

[Sarah Louise]

Good morning everyone,

I started on Citalopram 3 weeks today and since yesterday i have been feeling anxious? I have like a tickling feeling in my stomach bit like a nerveous feeling.

I had a really good week last week on them no worry felt great until Friday, I all of a sudden felt tired and my legs felt weak when i was on my way into town i started yawning again and its stayed since then. Yesterday was horrible i had 9 hours sleep and woke up feeling so tired all i wanted to do was sleep but i have a new baby so i cant. I thought going for a walk would help but i just felt more tired.

I am worried how i all of a sudden feel tired again so maybe this is causing me to feel a little anxious? I think because i felt so good its kind of knocked me off balance.

Any advice would be great x

[Raindog]

Hi, glad you found your way over Sarah,
Try having a read of the Cit Survival Guide that is stickied at the top of the forum here, well worth a read and has helped a lot of people on these meds, me included.

I find camomile tea helps the anxiety a bit and lets me relax if I'm feeling a bit anxious, bananas are good too and from what I hear melon can help as well. As far as the tiredness goes I try and stick to a sleep schedule that has me going to bed around midnight and getting up around 7am or 8am even if I feel tired. Sleeping too long can make you feel worse, though 9 hours isn't so bad.

You're only on week 3 so hopefully it will fade a bit as you go on with the meds, it's just one of those side effects from the anxiety and the cit having their war inside you.

Keep posting and maybe start your own diary like I did, can help you look back and see how far you've come over the weeks.

[Sarah Louise]

Thanks so much for showing me this site i have been reading the posts and i feel a bit better now its my head it runs away with me and i have to look for reassurance that it is the meds making me feel like this and not some kind of illness.

[JT69]

Hi Sarah,

Yes it is definately the meds that are making you feel this way.....it is normal with citalopram when you first start taking it but once it gets into your system all the side effects will go and you will start to benefit from the meds.

I find its good to post on here and the fact that you come on and read through some of the threads helps too, well it does with me.

Take care.

Jo.xx

[Raindog]

One of the biggest benefits you get from sites like NMP is that you realise you aren't alone and you can get to understand what you're going through a bit better so it's not so frightening.

I had been reading people accounts of panic attacks during my first week of looking at some posts on here. During my first week on Cit, when it made my anxiety rise, I had a panic attack and I think because I'd read other people's experiences and a number of people saying that they can't hurt you, it's just something you'll get through and so on, it helped me deal with it while it was happening. I understood what was happening and was even able to keep myself from completely freaking out by repeating some of the stuff I'd read, it's only a panic attack, it will pass, it won't hurt me, etc.

Being able to talk to others who know what you're talking about helps and you don't feel so alone, like you have realised just reading some posts here. At least you're through the worst of it now, not feeling quite so drowned by anxiety so you can deal with the tiredness and any other side effects going on. Let us know how it goes.