Citalopram Positive Feed Back Please

[obsessive b]

Hey

I am new to this forum so hi guys. I am on day 13 of citalopram started on 10mg just upped to 20 over last 3 days. I suffer with chronic p/a anxiety and lately been depressed. Do these tabs help with the p/a as my doc has just switched me straight from 10mg of Seroxat. I am due to go back to work tommorow which is scaring me and I am desperate to start feeling better. I have noticed some difference in me and so has my partner last week I wouldn't be left alone, was in tears constantly and didn't want to do anything. How long do these normally take to work - I think I may have also been suffering withdrawel from the seroxta too and the thought of coming off that made my anxiety terrible. Any positive stories would be very appreciated. Please tell me I can get my life back to normal :unsure:

[citalopram1]

Hi,

I have been on 10mg Citalopram for 7 weeks now. Before i started taking them i felt extremely low. For the 1st - 2nd week on them i did not want to be left alone either.(now i'm okay) For me i felt the side effects of the meds for the first two weeks and then they seemed to die down and disappear completely. The only real side affect i had left was not being able to sleep properly. So what i did was to change having the tablet from the evening to the afternoon and now to the mornings and always have the tablet with food as i usally felt sick the next day if i had the tablet with no food. I was very scared indeed when i first brought citalopram home and did not take any tablets until about a month after bringing the tablets home as i was scared off all the side affects i had been reading about. I did eventually take the tablets because at that point i felt so low i had to do something about it. Now at week seven of taking them i feel so much better i do admit to having the old blip where i might feel a bit low for a day or too..but soon feel better again. I am very glad that now i did take them..and fingers crossed are not suffering from any of the side effects..hopefully i might start to sleep better now too.

Good luck to you and i hope you too will feel much better soon.

[Jannie2948]

Hi, I have been on Citalopram for almost 2 years and am in the process of coming off of them, which is something I thought I would never say! I started on 20mg and after 3 months upped to 40mg because I still felt somewhat anxious and still suffered from the odd panic attack. After upping to 40mg I felt lots better after a couple of weeks. Touch wood, I now feel sooooo much better, enough to ask my Dr if it was ok to wean off of them and I am doing it very slowly. Went back down to 20mg for a few weeks, then I went down to 10mg for a few more weeks and am now down to 10mg every other day. I would say to you that they worked absolutely brilliantly for me, I thought at the height of my anxiety/panic that I would never ever feel 'normal' again, and here I am almost 2 years later and coming off of them, something I thought I would never ever hear myself say.

I wish you all the very best on them, it is a good 6 weeks before you really feel the benefit of them and maybe, like me, after 3 months you might have to increase the dosage. But I would say really stick with it and you will get the benefit of them. Have you read the Citalopram Survival Guide posted by Psychopoet on this site, it is excellent and really helped me when I initially started on them.

All the very best to you

Jannie x x

[obsessive b]

Thanks for your comments peeps. I have read the guide and I think it's really helpful. Glad to hear they have worked for you it's always nice to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel as you do get stuck in a way of thinking that you will never get better. I spoke to my GP about it last week and he said that in all his 30 years practicing he has never known anyone be like this all their life which is also encouraging. I will post and let you know my progress

B xxxx

[shoegal]

Hi. I am on day 7 of my Citalopram journey. I had reached breaking point and ended up being referred to the Crisis Team due to having constant panic attacks and anxiety. I was really scared about taking these tablets as I'd heard so many horror stories but I can honestly say that the side effects are not that bad. Since I have been on them I have felt sick (but it comes and goes so I have been able to eat), lethargic, a bit wobbly, a bit achy and I've had problems sleeping which is common in the early days with Citalopram. I will say in all honesty that my general anxiety has increased but I've been given Diazepam to help with that. I have not had a severe panic attack since I've been taking the Citalopram, my mood seems a little brighter and I haven't been crying (I cried for 4 days before I started on the Citalopram). In all honesty I think most people get a few side effects when they start taking Citalopram but it is really worth trying it because the side effects soon wear off and the benefits far outweigh a few rough days at the begining. I am really looking forward to these meds really kicking in. If you try them and they don't work, there are always other meds that you can try.

[obsessive b]

Hi Shoegal

Do you know what triggered your panic attacks?

xxx

[shoegal]

Absolutely no idea. I was agoraphobic for 6 years (I could go out but I had panic attacks when I did) but a few months ago I developed general anxiety and severe panic attacks at home too. I really have no idea why.

[NoPoet]

Hi, citalopram made me feel worse at first but gradually gave my confidence and motivation levels a boost, helping me to learn to enjoy life again. Medication can give you some breathing space from your anx/depression. That's when self-help and therapy start to make the most difference. Medication on its own is only part of the answer so anyone starting on cit should build themselves a support network, since if you're planning to recover from anxiety, you're going to need it.

[honeyp1e]

Hi, citalopram made me feel worse at first but gradually gave my confidence and motivation levels a boost, helping me to learn to enjoy life again. Medication can give you some breathing space from your anx/depression. That's when self-help and therapy start to make the most difference. Medication on its own is only part of the answer so anyone starting on cit should build themselves a support network, since if you're planning to recover from anxiety, you're going to need it.

well i knew you would have a comment on here somewhere lol i agree with psychopoet citalopram also made me feel worse when i first started taking them also had some nausea am now on 30mg just upped them a few days ago am not yet 100% but am a lot better well i would say am well better than i was a few weeks back and any of the guys on here will tell you how bad i was stick with the tabs i think there great x

[coolchick]

Hi guys, I started to take these meds because I was having so many anxiety attacks I didn't wanna go out I would shake even at home and was so worried about any thing to do with being in social situations the first few days of taking it i felt so spaced out and sick and getting over hot I spent the first 3 days in bed from this. 4 Weeks later I still get hot but im ready to go out and meet people and im more relaxed at home the shakes have gone it's just my mind ive got to re train im really happy with the meds I feel so much more positive and it feels good :-)

[cathycrumble]

hi I would like to say thanks for the positive feed back I went on citalopram last September and because i started to feel good i came off them at easter and too quick. Plus i always hate taking tablets but i have been to my doctor this morning and she has put me back on them but i am only on 20 instead of 40. And i will stay on them until i can cope with my fears. I have just come out of a long marriage and because of the stress i had my bp taken but my problem is i am terrified of having it done i have whitecoat syndrome so i need to conquer this awful phobia by learning to relax while having it done easier said than done for me. If anyone has tips I would really apprieciate it.

Cathycrumble:ohmy:

[no_name]

Don't worry taking the tabs, September-Easter is not a long period for taking them at all (especially if your condition is recurrent). Most of the people take them for at least an year, so it's nothing to worry about.