cit to setraline advice plz really worried

[Dizzydoll]

hi ive been on 10mg citalopram for 4 weeks now and although alot better im still abit uneasy each day and have alot of strange head sensations n headaches she tried increasing my dose n it just made me more anxious so now she wants me to try 50mg sertraline which is a nightmare as im scared of new tablets and side effects and what if these dont work am i messing up my brain chemistry? she wants me to take my cit10mg in the morning n the sert 50mg of a night for a few days is this safe n normal to take both? im really scared of what might happen to me i just want to feel normal and happy n comfortable again so anyone with any advice that would be great thanx
xx

[Ingenious]

It is so very scary taking medication and also switching it - the thing to focus on if you can is you may not actually get too many side effects, not everyone gets these. And, although the trial and error part of finding the right medication is a pain, once you have found the right one the results can be life changing (for the better).

So, follow your GP's advice, be easy on yourself and take each day as it comes, if you feel a little rough or out of sorts, that's OK, it's a normal part of switching over your tablets.

[emsie]

I changed last week from fluoxetine to sertraline and I am terrified of switching meds! It took me 6 months to finally agree then a further two weeks to actually start taking them. So far its been ok, have a headache every day but that could be due to the anxiety I have and the stress. I don't think you are suppose to take the two at the same time as they are both SSRI and it may cause too much serotonin. I was told to stop taking my fluoxetine and start with the sertraline instead, didn't have to wait until fluoxetine came out of my system because they are the same type of med and so is cit. If you are unsure about what to take then you must ring your gp. And I was told to take my sertraline in the morning but think you can take it at night but again speak to your GP. x

[Dizzydoll]

ok so ive been on citalopram 10mg 5weeks n although not as bad as i was n im copin alot better on my own im still anxious n abit on edge have alot of headaches n strange head sensations my doc increased my dose to 20mg but this seemed to make everything worse n gave me more unsettling side effects so i went bk to 10mg now she wants to put me on sertraline do you think this is a good idea or is 5wks not long enough to see if cotalapram is working for me? mu doc seems to think it is? plus she wants me to carry on wid my cit in the morning n take the sertraline of a night for a few daysnow to me this sounds dangrrous n im terrified of side effects but she says its better to do it this way? what are your thoughts on all this? im scaredf switchin meds incase citalopram might work for me eventually n sertraline might b worse fme x

[Ingenious]

Did you mean to post this again?

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=113334

^ has some replies on for you.

[marleymoo]

Hi I went from Citalopram, to sertraline, to mirtazapine I was a total mess, doctors just hand out these pills and say good luck. I found Citalopram to be a good drug, start at 5mg and build it up 5mg per week, it worked for me and I took it for 6 years. Hope this helps you x

[Kendra]

Hi,

I am week 7 of 10mg of citalopram, its a slow process and I am starting to feel loads better, sometimes it can take 3 months to be back to normal and I am shocked that your GP hasn't told you that!! Mine wont up mine and told me that it takes a while to settle in.

Maybe you should speak to them again. But my advice would be if they were starting to work then why change it??

Take care

Kendra xx

[LAURA48]

Chopping and changing too soon is not a good idea - know from how I have been the past few months!

These meds take ages to kick in - they have a big job to do - and you normally feel crap the first few weeks. From personal experience I found I did not feel 100 per cent until the 12 week mark, but the side effects got easier around the 6 week mark. We are all different.

I think all my meds have been "flushed" out now - so have a clean slate when I see the psychiatrist next week, but know I need to be on something and will stay on them for life if I have too!