I need a 'Citalopram' friend!

[Linkous]

Hi,

Just started on 10mg Citalopram. I live alone and need to dump some of my problems down here and hope someone will help me along my Citalopram journey.

So, I'm 36, British, Male and have suffered from GAD for about 10 years since having a breakdown. I'd say I'm a high functioning depressive - most people don't know I am a sufferer as such. I've held down jobs and had a reasonable social life.

However, last 5 years, I've started to slump into a terminal decline and now find myself with social anxiety which has crippled both my social life and job prospects. Finally, I have decided to try and slay this beast once and for all.

So, I have a prescription for Citalopram. Been taking for 5 days now. I have to say, side effects making me feel like absolute crap! It's coincided with starting a new job. I've been sleeping only 3 hours a night and tossing and turning in discomfort from 3am to 6am then getting up in the dark and commuting to work in the dark on a train for 1.5 hours feeling absolutely suicidally depressed and not knowing how I can cope with the day ahead.

Trying to impress in a new job as well - it's been a tortuous week, I'm exhausted and so have stopped taking for 2 days simply so I can get some sleep. I know I must carry on so will start taking again tomorrow morning and give it a month or so. I'm not genuinely suicidal so don't mean that as a throwaway comment - just never been so low.

Sorry to post such a negative thread. Just needed to offload some crap!

Thanks

[Sparklebright]

Hiya

sounds like you're having a rough old time of it. I've been taking citalopram now for 3 days and I feel rough, nauseous, tired, dizzy and have the shakes, but the one thing I am trying to focus on is that this is normal and it will pass and i will feel better.

I finally decided I had to do something after attending court for work related purposes on Monday and having the worst panic attack of my life! it's not easy when it interferes with work, I guess i'm fortunate to be able to take a couple of days off to get used to these damn things and put some proper plans in place to deal with it

Like you i've suffered for years and up until recently had a really active social life and hid all of this very well. I've found some really useful self help stuff and am on a course of CBT through my GP to get my life back on track

I guess my advice to you would be to stick with it, take an ipod or something with you on the train to help you through the journey, i'd say take some time off but in a new job thats pretty much impossible to do. Relax this weekend and do something you enjoy, even if its just a walk in the park, walking the dog today did me the world of good. Just take each day at a time and if things don't get better see your doc

xx

[Linkous]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I will stick with it - even if I'm totally erratic and lose my job (I'm a contractor) then I know I will have the positive energy soon to deal with even this. I am looking forward to finishing tomorrow and then relaxing as you say! I have a 12 year old daughter who I see at weekends and is my main reason for striving to be the best I can - she really is a tonic all of her own!

Sorry to hear of your recent work troubles. Best of luck with your own issues and let me know how you get on. Let's hope this medication is the catalyst for a better life just around the corner.

[Sparklebright]

Absolutely, I have 2 step boys who we have at weekends so I know how you feel they are only small and their energy is infectious!

Ah, work will be OK, it will still be waiting for me when I get back, just gotta learn not to care about my job too much and not take things home with me, easier said than done though sometimes!

This medication HAS to be the start of something better, i've been taking beta blockers for months to no avail and im not prepared to put up with much more!!!

[Linkous]

I'm sure it will be - I know all about beta blockers - they're not much cop are they? I told my Dr to prescribe me some ADs as I wanted to take something in the morning then just forget about my anxiety and all the crap that is weighing me down and get on with my day. With Beta Blockers, they're reactive so you constantly have to be on warning to pop a few.

[HarrogateChris]

I'm exhausted and so have stopped taking for 2 days simply so I can get some sleep. I know I must carry on so will start taking again tomorrow morning and give it a month or so. I'm not genuinely suicidal so don't mean that as a throwaway comment - just never been so low.

Hi :)

If you can do your best not to disrupt taking them, it only makes things worse. I've been there and I can really appreciate how hard it is. I suffered a lot with suicidal urges as well, but they are very different to actually carrying it out. The cit won't 'make' you do something, so even if the urges feel worse don't panic, just keep yourself safe and weather the storm.

A common experience is to find the second week on cit is the worst, it certainly was for me, but after that things get better. I found knowing that was going to happen helped me cope and accept that it was just the meds and something I had to get through.

I'm on 40mg now, I feel absolutely fantastic, I have my life back. All the side effects and trauma of getting onto the right dose of cit that I went through just a few weeks ago are long forgotten :D Hang on in there, it's hard at the time but it soon passes.

Chris

[happycamper]

Hey guys,

It's a tough time starting out on cit, I started taking them last June. Timed them so I had a few days off initially, but then managed to work, although sat through consultations feeling like I wasn't actually on the same planet and as though I'd been on night shifts or jet lagged, feeling like crap.

Very pleased to say though that just over 2 weeks after starting cit, I went to the Glastonbury Festival for 4 nights, with my 2 boys aged 4 and 5 at the time, the cit didn't stop me enjoying it one bit and I continued taking the 10mg, upped to 20mg within about 3 weeks.

Now it is absolutely fine, just more tired than normal, but getting on with life with minimal anxiety and constantly learning ways to manage it ready for when I come off them - this year sometime I hope.

It's so worth persevering, use this great site for info and support and you'll be fine! X

[Stezzle]

Hi,

Just started on 10mg Citalopram. I live alone and need to dump some of my problems down here and hope someone will help me along my Citalopram journey.

So, I'm 36, British, Male and have suffered from GAD for about 10 years since having a breakdown. I'd say I'm a high functioning depressive - most people don't know I am a sufferer as such. I've held down jobs and had a reasonable social life.

However, last 5 years, I've started to slump into a terminal decline and now find myself with social anxiety which has crippled both my social life and job prospects. Finally, I have decided to try and slay this beast once and for all.

So, I have a prescription for Citalopram. Been taking for 5 days now. I have to say, side effects making me feel like absolute crap! It's coincided with starting a new job. I've been sleeping only 3 hours a night and tossing and turning in discomfort from 3am to 6am then getting up in the dark and commuting to work in the dark on a train for 1.5 hours feeling absolutely suicidally depressed and not knowing how I can cope with the day ahead.

Trying to impress in a new job as well - it's been a tortuous week, I'm exhausted and so have stopped taking for 2 days simply so I can get some sleep. I know I must carry on so will start taking again tomorrow morning and give it a month or so. I'm not genuinely suicidal so don't mean that as a throwaway comment - just never been so low.

Sorry to post such a negative thread. Just needed to offload some crap!

Thanks

Ive been suffering for about 5 years (maybe more) only been taking Cip for about 6weeks and i can honestly say ive been up and down for about 4 weeks. I started off on 10mg and the onyl side affect i had was really deep sleep. When are you taking your tablet? I work full time and have no intention of quitting or dropping hours. So i take my tablets at night, therefore in the morning i have no side affects and get a good nights sleep. Maybe this will help you out more? Just an idea.
Never leave it two days to take a tablet. I did that once and i had trouble withdrawal and a massive anxiety attack, this have completely thrown me off my game and i am having to start again. I am also having to up my dosage to 20mg now as 10mgs is simply not working with me any more. I just thought i would comment on your post to give you some help and help me with my motivation.

Good Luck and if you need any more help or a rant, then i'll be happy to listen.

[Linkous]

time for a quick update. I've been on Citalopram for approx 1.5 months now = 10mg for first 2 weeks and 20mg for about 3 weeks.

First 2 weeks - horrendous. Next 3 weeks, better but....my insomnia got so bad I had to take Zopiclone. When I take Zopiclone, I sleep ok. But I experimented this weekend without taking Zopiclone and didn't sleep a wink for 2 nights. So, Citalopram is all well and good, but I know as soon as my Zopiclone runs out, it'll be back to 2 hours sleep a night. Pointless.

The other unpleasant side affect has been an increase in my anxiety and more specifically, blushing. I cannot speak to anyone at work without going crimson - great!

So, on balance, I am not depressed any more. However, I am much more wired and have higher anxiety. Oh, and I cannot sleep. Anyone else find these symptoms ring true?

[Linkous]

PS - thank you Stezzle for your kind words of support (and all the other posters) really appreciated.

[NoPoet]

Linkous - I'm sending you a PM. "You have my sword." :)

[andrewc]

Have you talked to your doctor about increasing the dosage? 20mg is still a relatively low dosage. Everybody is different. I had to go up to 40mg before I got the full benefit and found that I was sleeping better too. To give you some hope I am now totally off it as I feel great.
I myself couldnt take zopiclone as it made me feel very drowsy and anxious when I woke up. Best thing is to go back and tell your doctor how you are feeling.

Good luck

[oldtime]

Insomnia is the problem for me and zopiclone does work but I don't think it is a good answer. I find if I take zopiclone I have trouble sleeping when I stop, then you take a few more zopiclone and sleep a few nights, then have a couple of nights without sleep. It is probably best to not take the zopiclone and put up with the insomnia, you will eventually start to sleep again without it. The other downer of Zopiclone is it makes you more anxious during the day. My sleep is rubbish, only about 3-4 hours a night, I use zopiclone only if I have a big day to get through the following day. My doctor tells me that once I have been on Cit for a couple of months my sleep will improve again.

[Stezzle]

PS - thank you Stezzle for your kind words of support (and all the other posters) really appreciated.

How have things been since your original post?