Newby question - should I start taking it?

[Daveyboy]

Hi.

I have been diagnosed as having work related stress and reactive depression earlier in the week. My doctor prescribed me 20mg Citalopram, however I haven't yet started to take it and am wondering if it's worth it. I was intending to start it tomorrow after having a couple of beers over the weekend.

Having been signed off I am feeling somewhat better. I think mainly because my doctor is taking me seriously, and my employer changing their whole attitude towards me and also taking it seriously have helped enormously. A few of the symptoms have abated somewhat, but I still have others such as waking up in tears for no apparent reason.

Reading up on the drug, it does seem to have some major side effects, and coming off it also seems rather fraught. So I'm wondering that if my symptoms are receding, given time off work and the support they will hopefully give when I return I can (maybe) handle the illness without the medicine. I'm fairly sure my case isn't too severe (hopefully!!!)

What do others think?? Is it worth delaying starting it and seeing if I can cope without it, or would I be better off giving it a go and seeing what happens?

Many thanks

[little scientist]

Hi Daveyboy!

Firstly I would say yes, take it. Your GP wouldn't have prescribed it if he/she didn't think you needed it. Some here would suggest you start at 10mg then go up to 20 after say a week, to reduce the severity of any side effects (not everyone gets side effects though!). As for reading up, be aware that people are more likely to report negative side effects than when things are going well, so please bear that in mind everyone reacts differently to medications.

I too have been signed off, and this has helped me immensely. I am now preparing to return to work initially part time, before returning full time. It too has helped me having an understanding employer!

Keep us posted with how you get on, and of course if you have further questions, or just want to say hello

[fozzy is crying]

If you GP prescribed it he did it as he thought you needed it not for the fun if it.

You should take the dosage as prescribed and any problems go back to your GP. Only up or down it on his advice.

Gordon

[happycamper]

I hung off taking citalopram for about 3 weeks, before realising that things weren't improving for me, so took the plunge.

Despite being prescribed 20mg tablets I took half for the first 3 or 4 weeks which seemed to be a sensible choice, the side effects weren't wonderful, but tolerable and once they all settled down after a month or so, cit worked brilliantly for me, despite the odd blip which is to be expected.

Now I've decided to try and come off them, which I've just discovered isn't a rushed process.

Hoping your decision is the right one for you, it isn't a particularly easy one I know.

[Daveyboy]

Hi again, and thanks for the welcome

One of the problems of the illness I have is indecision. For my job I need to be the one making the decisions, but for a while I've been unable to do that effectively. I think my reluctance to take it based on some reports on the web is part of my indecision problem. I guess that I was posting here originally to see stories from the other side of the coin where it has helped people in similar situations. What I have got from this thread is that as I'm not really able to make proper judgements, the best thing to do is to go with what the doctor said, so I've started to take it.

Having made the decision to go ahead and take it is a positive step. I'll certainly be reading this forum, and thanks for the help

[Flossie11]

There's a great citalopram survival guide on here. Really helped me get through the first short period of side effects I had. It's true that not everyone gets side effects, and even if you do, they certainly will curb once the meds settle in.
It was well worth it for me. I didn't really want to take medication either, but I'm glad I did.