Has anyone else felt very happy on citalopram?

[harasgenster]

Hi
I still haven't started my citalopram because I keep making excuses. One of the things that's really worrying me is that a few years ago a psych said he thought I had very mild bipolar and said me feeling really good on citalopram at first was a sign of the disease. Despite the fact I'm pretty sure I've never experienced hypomania, having read up on it, so I'm really cynical of the diagnosis, I can't get what he said out of my mind and now I'm terrified I'll go mad if I start taking the pills!

Has anyone felt a strong sense of wellbeing on citalopram? Those who had known me for years and years said I had gone back to my old self, but those who had only known me a couple of years said I changed. I remember just feeling incredibly grateful for feeling happy and thinking that when I was in old age I wanted to write a book about how happy I'd ended up being despite such a bad start. I was definitely still anxious in some ways as well though and I don't think I started taking risks - but I don't know, maybe I changed and I've forgotten? I've certainly been surprised at some of the tales I've been told about me in that time, like not turning up to uni, which is definitely well out of character for me. But I know I was still having panic attacks at uni and I started to feel really exhausted all the time so maybe that's why I started skipping uni...

Sorry to rant I'm just absolutely terrified of going mad! I want to know that it's normal to feel really happy on citalopram?

[nicola1980]

Hi i was on cit for years and it was fab, it totally changed my life, i lived panic/anxiety free for years so yes i was happy on cit until i stupidly came off it last june thinking i could cope med free.....how wrong was i and unfortunatly it didn't work for me again but im now on venlafaxine and starting to feel happy again!! xx

[southey]

I wouldn't say I feel happy on Citalopram, just content the anxiety/panics have abated for now.

I too asked my Doc' whether I may be mildly Bipolar as I do have periods of feeling lower than normal with bouts of quite unusual for me high motivation/excitement/energy? I have not yet been evaluated for this though.

So yes the Citalopram has worked very well yet again for my over anxiety and panic attacks but has only had very mild anti depressive effects for me.

Steve.

[harasgenster]

Thanks for your reply. I actually managed to do something relatively bright and look back at my diary for the time I was on citalopram before the exhaustion that I now suffer kicked in. I don't seem mad, and the anxiety definitely didn't go away completely but there is one massive difference - despite the fact I was overcoming agoraphobia at the time and I was still having regular panic attacks (I know this because I remember it clearly), I was not focused on that part of my life at all. It's amazing to look back at what I was doing back then. Ok, so I was a student and I had more free time but my life was about everything but anxiety. Nowadays, my life is about anxiety.

An excerpt of Sunday from then might read:
Got up at 08:00, cleaned the bathroom, went food shopping, had lunch with friend, went to see a film with boyfriend, had dinner with friend, went to party. Oh and also my heart has been racing all day and I've had three panic attacks.

An excerpt of Sunday from now might read:
Got up at 12:00, felt like I'd been hit by a train. Sat in my pyjamas looking up everything under the sun about anxiety, felt horrible, failed to do any housework, worried about how I was going to feel tomorrow, went to bed.

I can't believe how much I've changed. The pills definitely helped me overcome the anxiety, but I don't think they were what was making me feel so happy compared with now. I think it was that anxiety was not the focus of my life. What a revelation! Still slightly worried I'll go mad and maybe the missed days in my diary are the ones I went mad....erm, fair enough...unlikely....but I'll go back on the pills I think and try to turn my life around. I've wasted five years like this. How obvious is it that the reason I felt more fulfilled back then is because I actually had a life? I can't get my head around how strong I was. How on earth did I cope? I'd write that I had a full blown panic attack on the bus into town then went to see a film and then went to a party and had a great night. Nowadays, if I had a full blown panic attack, I'd be getting right back home and into bed.

Yay, not so scared anymore and massively inspired!

[TJSMITH]

Well strange you say that as citalopram I felt like I was on a false high as I smiled and talked to anyOne didn't worry about silly things Infact provably too laid back unfortunately I still felt anxious all the time inside.
I was changed to sertraline 3 months ago and now feel normal emotions so I'm pretty sure the citalopram did that although I would have stayed on it if I felt genially happy inside.

[Sparkle1984]

Yes I have had several times when I've felt really happy on citalopram. Especially on the 5th day when I had a feeling of euphoria. I actually rather enjoyed that feeling!

[harasgenster]

Yes I have had several times when I've felt really happy on citalopram. Especially on the 5th day when I had a feeling of euphoria. I actually rather enjoyed that feeling!

Haha, yep so did I at the time, just the damn medical professionals telling me that my happiness was a clinical presentation of a much more serious disorder....*shakes fist*

Glad to hear others have felt like this and not been scared of bipolar or had someone tell them there's something wrong tho!

[Fay_elizabeth]

When I first started taking 10mg of cit' 8 weeks ago the whole third week was bliss, I was like super happy, chatty and feeling quite awake and confident all the time. Unfortunately that feeling disappeared once I entered the 5th week. I was put up to 20mg on the 6th week and I'm sad that the euphoric feeling didn't come back :(

I do still get weird 'rushes' of happiness or love now and again though which are nice. I've never thought that I could have bipolar. I'm going to look it up now.

[Sparkle1984]

I'm just about to enter the 5th week. I hope I won't have to go up to 20mg!

[Corona89]

Edit- Sorry it's Sertraline I'm about to take not Citalopram.