Feeling very jumpy

[leftfield]

I'm currently taking Citalopram 40mg for depression and anxiety (been on it 2-3 months) and have had a lot of sleeping problems.

I went to my doctor about this and he prescribed various sleeping tablets aimed at getting me back in my regular sleeping pattern, with limited success.

So last week my doc prescribed 25mg of Amitriptyline, which I've begun taking. However I'm now feeling very jittery and a bit panicky. Sometimes I get startled just from someone starting to speak. I get jumpy at the slightest little thing and my heart starts racing for a few minutes.

Does anyone else have any experience of this, and if so does it last or is it a short term side effect? One person has already commented when I jumped at nothing, so I hope this isn't going to last.

I don't even think it's helped that much with my sleeping as yet, but maybe I need to take it for a bit longer as I know it's not like a regular sleeping pill.

Any insight would be much appreciated, thanks.

[blueangel]

I have taken amitryptyline in the past, and they usually cause drowsiness - in fact, this is one of the reasons that the newer-style anti-depressants tend to be more popular. However, you're on a fairly small dose, so it might not have got into your system yet. I would give it a few more days, then go back to your GP if you're feeling no better.