View Full Version : Should I stop taking Citalopram?
Hi Everyone,
New to the forum, so this is my first post. I've been prescribed 20mg by the docs to help with my depression, i.e. some days I would let things get to me and end up in tears, I would get angry at the slightest little thing, also I am having trouble sleeping and that is effecting my work.
I've been taking them for 9 days and so far it has not been fun. For the first 6 days I was suffering from feelings of sickness, although not actually sick, and also light headed and dizziness. This has now passed, although I still haven't got my appetite back.
For the past couple days my anxiety has been getting worse, especially at night, and I am having trouble concentrating on anything, especially my work. This is making me feel very unhappy and I feel far worse than I was before I started the tablets.
Should I stop taking the tablets or will it be worth me riding this out? I have read at lot of the posts on this forum and most of them say these side-effects ease after 4-6 weeks but it is very difficult coping with them.
A confused and unhappy CitKat :unsure:
P.S. Putting all this in writing has slightly made me feel better.
Hi there
No hang in there what you are going through is normal and you will have ups and downs. it can take a few months for full benefits ie it will treat the depression side of things before it brings anxiety under control. Keep in contact with your doctor or ask a friend that you can trust to be there for the difficult times.
You will feel better just give it a little more time x
jaded jean
27-07-10, 16:37
Dear CitKat. :welcome:
You may not believe this but you are nearly over the worst. Its usually a few weeks before it dies down, It does differ from person to person but you are on track. Read the citalopram survival guide sticky at the top of the page . consult it each day, I used it as the bible and its getting me thru and I am on month 5!! I go back to it to reassure myself . As always you will get tons of support on here as we are nearly all likeminded in helping eachother. use the chatroom and get to know us.
Jean
Hi CitKat
if you want some reasurance you are not allown read some of my threds and see how its got better for me ..
I felt just the same up untill day 14 , but had a two day normall fealing in that time..but was feeling like it would never go..
Have a read at some of my threds watch how i whent up and DOWN but now going up again day 17...Everyone told me to hang in there ,stick with it and like you i wanted to give it up ,,I hung in there with the fantastic support from some brilliant and carring people in hear...Keep in touch
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
WHEN YOU ARE AWAKE AT 1AM 2 AM 3AM 4 AM 5 AM
SO ARE OTHERS ALL WATING AND HOLING IN THERE FOR THE SIDE EFECTS TO GO
TRUST ME...GREGXX
Wasn't expecting such a quick response from everyone, it is good to see I'm not alone. I have already skimmed through the survival guide, there's a lot of it, I'm going to read it more when I get home tonight.
Thanks for all your encouragement and reassurance. I'm going back to the docs in 3 weeks time, so I'll stick at the cit until then.
Thanks everyone, I'll be posting again to let you know how I get on.
Dragonsblonde
27-07-10, 17:09
Hey
Day 14 on 10mg for me, upping to 20mg in a couple of days.
Can say honestly I have been up and down like a yo-yo some days. Have had disturbed sleep, anxious mornings, slow burning over the body, upset stomach and so on...lol
It does ease and if you can couple it with a belief that it will work and hang in there you start to get some good times too!
I was always crying out on here for reassurance (still am at times) and everyone is great. If it worries you write it down here and you find you aren't alone after all
Jo
x
Hi Jo,
I can see I will be using this forum a lot, as I think I will be needing it.
Thanks :)
jaded jean
27-07-10, 20:14
CitKat
use the forum as much as you can ,Write something and someone will reply.if we gave each other our phone numbers we would be ringing each other in the early hours as we all seem to wake up at the same time!! It might happen to you but it will become a distant memory.
Are you still working ?
Jean:hugs:
we are like one big fammily,and ill tell you now,when im 100% with myself im staying on this forum to give advice and experiance to anyone who needs .what i needed and got from such a fantastic comunity of carring people..
p.s by the way you will get use to my spelling in time...lol...Greg x
Hi Jean,
I finish work at 5.30 and I am at home now, relaxing watching TV. Not feeling to bad at the moment, hoping to get a good nights sleep, although I do generally wake up 3 or 4 times a night. The doc also prescribed me a short course of temazepan for my lack of sleep. I think it's helping me sleep but I'm still feeling tired in the day.
Steve
Oh, hi Greg. And my spelling not too good, thank god for spell checkers :D
No hang in there i felt the same as you at the start ive bin on cit for nearly six weeks and im feeling much better still a long way to go still and with the help of NMP aswell i no i will get there i wish you all the luck in the world and hope you start to feel better soon? :welcome: x
Hi,
I agree, the side effects do wear off and the benefit of the drug far out-weighs the side effects anyhow.
Take care and better days ahead.
JO.xx
Morning all,
Day 10. Went to bed last night at 11 after taken a Temazepan because I was still feeling a bit on edge and managed to sleep through until 5.30, although didn't get out of bed until about 6.30. Was still feeling a bit groggy, but after a cup of coffee, some Weatabix and a shower I was starting to feel much better.
Something else which helps, which I'm trying to get back into, is mindful meditation. I have been doing this since January which has proved quite successful in controlling my emotions and making me more relaxed. But lately I've been to tired to meditate and just could not bothered to do it, therefore I was starting to drop again. That's why I finally resorted to going to the docs and start on the Citalopram.
I managed to get 20 minutes worth of meditation in this morning just before I left for work and I felt good after it. It's been at least a month or 2 since I had such a good feeling. I even enjoyed the drive into work, which normally use to really stress me out. I feel a lot more positive today, with no anxiety at the moment, so I hope this is going to last.
Have a good day everyone,
Steve
Dragonsblonde
28-07-10, 09:52
I started getting into the Mindfulness Meditation this time round as well.
Have found that by loading it onto my I-Pod if I get stressed or very tired at work I can play the 10min quick version to myself and it helps a bit. Have also started the 25 minute version when I go to bed and am not waking up quite as much and if I do seem to be able to sleep again a bit quicker. I know it takes a while to get "good" at it and only been really using it for a week or two, but hoping it helps long term
Jo
Hi Jo,
Keep at the meditation, it has made a huge difference in my life but it does take a lot of time and dedication to master. But it is a very good tool to relax yourself during the day and handle even the most challenging of situations. I do listen to guided meditation which I've got as MP3s on my phone, but not as often these days. I find the meditation in the morning really does help me prepare for the day.
The biggest difficulty, which I'm only just starting to master, is trying to prevent all the thoughts entering your mind during the meditation. But that comes with time and practice.
I do recommend mindfulness to everyone, and if you can join a group / class which I done than that helps even more. It also helps to talk to other people about it and share advice and experiences.
Steve
Dragonsblonde
28-07-10, 11:14
Hi Steve
Thanks for that. I think it has started to help me a bit already, but yes I agree the hardest part is just watching the thoughts and letting them go. Especially at times when you really need too lol. Currently obviously the most practise I get is when I am relaxed already, but think that is a good start at least. Letting it sink in and getting used to it.
I like the guided practise at the moment as often I don't realise I am thinking until that little voice prompts me
Jo
Day 11:
I did not take any sleeping tabs last night and now I wish I did. After such a good day yesterday, went to bad at 12.30, just wasn't feeling tired, and had a very restless night. As a result, got up this morning at about 6.30 still feeling very tired. I struggled to build up enthusiasm for anything, couldn't even do my meditation.
My sickness also returned this morning, even before I took the Cit, but forced myself to have a couple of Weetabixs before a took one. I'm also feeling a bit dizzy with a headache, so this day has not started too good. I've still come to work anyway as I find this does help distract me a bit, but I think now I would prefer to be at home and trying to get some sleep. Let's hope today improves.
Steve
Dragonsblonde
29-07-10, 09:33
Morning Steve
If it helps I had a rough patch days 10 - 13 on the 10mg, but 14 onwards I started to see an improvement.
Have just taken my first increased dose of 20mg this morning and trying not imagine the worst lol
Hope your day does improve and hopefully distraction and a decent nights sleep tonight will sort you right out.
Jo
x
Hi all,
Day 13, My wife and 3 year old son have just come back from visiting family all week, and I have found it difficult to cope with the tabs and be on my own in the house all last week. They came back list night and I was really looking forward to them coming home as I did miss them.
So, to make sure I was at my best I took a sleeping tab before bed on Thursday, and the same last night, but both nights I was very restless and couldn't sleep. As a result, I was very tired all day in work yesterday and wasn't in the best mood to see my wife and son last night. The tabs don't seem to help - 10mg Temazepan so I'm not going to take them again.
To make matters worse, I woke up this morning early, about 5.30 and I feel terrible. Not happy and feeling very anxious. My anxiety has got worse since I took a Cit an hour ago and cannot get rid of the feeling. I even don't feel like playing with my son. These tablets are making me feel worse at the moment but I'm going to continue to take them because I'm hoping they will make me feel better.
I just thought I'd write this down, to try help me.
Have a good weekend everyone,
Steve
Hi all,
I've been on citalopram for a month now for depression, on 10mg but i haven't noticed a difference at all, does anyone think if i increased the dose to 20mg it would start being effective? xx
Hi Lauren, it can take 6 to 8 weeks for the cit to take effect. But have a chat with your doc if you'r unsure and definitely ask him before you increase your dose. If it's not working the doc might increase the dose. Also have a read of the survival guide on this site, it's very helpful.
Have a good evening,
Steve
Dragonsblonde
31-07-10, 22:37
Hi Steve
Hope you day has calmed down a little and you have managed to enjoy your time with the family. As you know sometimes the tablets take longer for some than others, but most say they work wonders. I find at times just the simplest change can upset the anxiety again,so hopefully when you settle back in with your family things may calm down for you
Jo
Hi Jo,
I had little 20 minute power nap then meditated for a further 20 minutes whilst my son had his afternoon nap and that did help. Then, visiting my mother did help a lot, had something decent to eat for a start. Feeling far more relaxed now and enjoying a quiet evening in front of the TV with my wife.
Hope everything is OK with you,
Steve
Dragonsblonde
01-08-10, 09:24
Hey Steve
Glad to hear all started to calm a bit. Have to admit the eating regularly and well has helped me a lot.
Things are actually not too bad for me, the increase seems to be going ok right now. Had plans to visit my sister this afternoon, but she has had to cancel as not well and it didn't freak me out like it would normally, so that is a good thing!
Hope you have a relaxed sunday
Jo
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