View Full Version : side effects of citalopram
Hello!
I have been taking citalopram since just before Christmas (now on 40mg) and was wondering if anyone else gets side effects after 4 months use? Its nothing specific - I feel fine until I take the tablet and then I feel drowsy, not quite with it, a bit weak and shaky and I can't tell if its the tablets, anxiety or there is something wrong with me!
Please help!
Thanks
Michelle
Hi
Im taking the same tablets & have'nt (touch wood) had any probs.
For reasurance maybe have a word with your doctor.
Take Care
Alex
Many People Will Walk
In & Out Of Your Life
But Only True Friends
Will Leave Footprints
In Your Heart
Michelle
Yes definitely. I have been on the med a while now and it does the same to me - as you say - kind of weak, lifeless etc. I take the med in the evening quite early and I get that drowsy feeling after. It's strange with this medication because I can get drowsy straight after taking it for a while but then sometimes I lie in bed an can't go off to sleep. Citalapram actually has a reputation for causing insomnia. It's strange because it definitely does make me feel dopey as well.
Take care.
Yvonne
Y Goble
TonySwan1978
07-01-09, 14:13
i have been on Citalopram on and off for 6 years. i started on 20mg a day but when first took them i had the euphoria and spaced feeling..i can best describe it as walking like Mr Soft from the british soft mint advert...this wore off within the first week..i did fall asleep each day at around 3pm without fail....and i also felt drunk and anxious in the first month or so. i persisted with them and it was worth while. they started to work but i felt i needed to up the dose, the doctor agreed and again got simlar side effects even after 9 months. they were drasticly milder but because i knew they were normal i just went with it and definatly came out on top.....i now have been on 40mg continuiously (which is the key to winning) and feel life is better than i could imagine....i still get the odd low mood but very rearly...
WE LOVE YOU CITALOPRAM. good luck its worth it
My doctor advised me to take my tablets before bed, this way should you have these symptoms they are less noticeable and do not affect your daily life.
It works.
K
renegadeoffunk
15-01-09, 19:53
HEy all , im new to citalopram , and its been ok , but i have some scary incidents out of it all !! on first day , i felt dizzy and weak to the legs and arms , it was scary but i understand it was just taking effect , the other days have been ok until day 6 was enough to say ive had enough , it took like 4 hours to kick in , but when it did , i soon knoew about it , i had this rush of nerves going up both of my arms , i felt lightheaded all day , i got really panicky about the whole situation it made me feel i was going to pass out ... i was so thining of getting ambulance ! ANYONE HERE been through the same scenario !! please reply !!
reallyfedup
16-01-09, 23:55
oh, sounds familiar. Am on the same rollercoaster!!?! These tablets take you down before up according to my counsellor. He suggests give it 6 weeks. I started 3 weeks ago and still get very scary days
good luck x :roflmao:
Me too. I've only taken one (20mg) this morning and I don't know who I am. If I have to through taking some of these medicines that course so many side effects I might as well try and get better by myself.
Ilona
I'm on my 4th day of 20mg citalopram and am not doing too bad for side effects.
I am a little spaced out and have difficulty sleeping, but am tired, and I can't stop yawning! I have this weired feeling in the back of my throat like its hard to swallow. Anyone else get that? But it seems to be getting better today so am not too worried.
Yes I did feel shaky and sick in the first two days but again that doesn't seem too bad today. Actually come to think of it I slept a little better last night too.
So fingers crossed I'll have an easy ride with it. Good luck with it Ilona hope your side effects wear off in a couple of days.
On my 2nd day of 10mg Citalopram. Having the stomach clenching & fatigue, but overall, not as bad as I presumed it would be. Hopefully,. these will be the only symptoms I get (knowing my luck, properly not). Maybe they should have left out the warning leaflet. Keeping my fingers crossed with this. Good luck to everyone with there courses of Citalopram.
Hi guys just reading all of ur posts, im on day five of taking citalopram (20mg) and i dont feel myself, the first two,three days i really felt low, im still tired and feel a little more anxious at times and my chest hurts at times(paro) i think im getting.
I just hope theres light at the end of the tunnel.
(didnt realise there was a whole forum about it, going to start a new thread instead) :)
I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel for you as well! I've just past my two week marker and I am having up and down days, which altho not ideal, is better than the continuous down days I was having before.
On a good note the initial side effects are almost non existent now and I am sleeping better and getting out of bed better on a morning. Managed to get on with some college work even.
My friend who has been on citalopram before said it took about two to three weeks for it to work for her.
My advice, take each day at a time and think each tablet is bringing you closer to feeling good again. Thats how I got through my first two weeks.
Hi
I started taking Citalopram 3 years ago it it was great, dont remember any side effects and was pretty much back to normal. I stopped taking it last summer and was doing fine. However 2 weeks ago i had a MASSIVE panic attack as per normal for no obvious reason, shaking, sickness and feeling on the edge of passing out. Took a few days to feel back to normal and started taking citalopram again at 20mg. However feel more anxious now and like I have got a cotton wool head? Feel spaced out and not really with it.
Am unsure if having been taking it for 2 weeks these are likely to be side effects or is my anxiety just getting worse? :shrug:
Hi esseljay, stick with it iv been taking the citalopram for just over two and a bit weeks and still have my days when i dont feel myself but the doctor has assured me that it will take 3-6weeks to get in to my system!! Iv also been given beta blockers to lighten the side effects of the citalopram!!
starlight78
12-03-09, 21:30
Hi, I'm taken Citalopram 20 mg for a couple of periods of time in the past and always found it very helpful. It really helps both my depression and anxiety symptoms. It takes me about 2-3 weeks to notice any benefits, but by 4 to 6 weeks i'm back on track. They do make me feel very dizzy, diorientated and very anxious for a few days when i first start back, but if you can ride through it then its worth it.
hi , my names little mo i was on citalopram 3 yrs ago 20 mg felt awful for the first two weeks but could not have felt any worse than i did :scared15: i need to go back on them as i am feeling very anxious but things have got to get worse before they get better:yesyes:
HI and welcome mo! youll be ok once they get in your system.You can post for help if you want to or just let us know how your doing,All the best Sue:welcome:
Hello all, I am a 50 year old man and have been taking citalopram off and on for 4 months. like some of you chaps and chapesess I too thought I might as well give up and go it alone, so I have tried to come off these pills and mucked up all the hard work I had already been through.
I get weakness tiredness grinding my teeth 24/7 and short of breath and a lump in the back of my throat. would normally take one 10mg tab in the morning and suffer all day and I have just had major surgery to boot. Could some one tell me please if I should carry on and take them at night and DO THEY WORK? Gary
Hi, I had the same problems as your self, so my Dr said take it at night before you go to sleep. The sleepyness is not as bad but the yawning carried on. Hope it helps G:)
I have been taking citalopram since just before Christmas (now on 40mg) and was wondering if anyone else gets side effects after 4 months use? Its nothing specific - I feel fine until I take the tablet and then I feel drowsy, not quite with it, a bit weak and shaky and I can't tell if its the tablets, anxiety or there is something wrong with me!
Please help!
Thanks
Michelle[/QUOTE]
On 20mg - good news so far (touch wood, fingers crossed, etc, etc).
I'm on day two of Citalopram after a random episode of anxiety brought on by a stressful year (and perhaps some underlying depression) - the first real anxiety I've had since giving up alcohol four years ago.
The only side effect so far has been a cold sensation in my outer calves and down my arms - at the same time I felt otherwise quite hot... odd, but not too disconcerting. It lasted an hour or so - maybe an hour after taking the first one. I reassured myself (self delusional, maybe) that if it was caused by the Citalopram, it was at least starting to do something!!!
I'm also taking Zimovane, short term, to help me sleep. If the Citalopram was having any side-effects during the night I wasn't aware of any.
I'll report back in a few days' time.
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