Serotonin Syndrome

[tigerlark]

Hi all! Just wanted to share a bit about my experience with Citalopram. My GP put me on it about 6 weeks ago for panic and anxiety.

After 5 weeks of taking the drug, I became very depressed. I was crying all the time (mostly out of fear, I think, rather than sadness), highly anxious, vomiting, I had diarrhea (sorry if it's TMI but it's a symptom), jaw clenching, tension headaches, fatigue, walking around like a zombie...

So I decided to get off the drug. The very first day of cutting my dose in half, I felt a million times better. I was able to go out and do things rather than being trapped in the bed.

I went to the doctor yesterday, concerned about why it was making me feel that way, and she told me I had a fairly serious case of Serotonin Syndrome (which is deadly, btw). She said that my GP should NOT have given me Citalopram for anxiety and panic since I was not depressed at all when she gave it to me. So basically, I had an overload of serotonin in my body, and let me tell you.. it was probably the scariest experience of my life.

So if there's ANYONE out there who experiences these symptoms (not mild nausea, which is simply a side effect), like vomiting, worsening depression and anxiety, etc, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get off the medication and go to the doctor!!!

I just wanted to put this on here so that people will be aware that Serotonin Syndrome is possible in even small doses of this drug (I was only taking 20mg).

By the way, has anyone else experienced this before?

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hey sorry to hear about your bad experience with Citalopram

So the doctor just took one look at you and decided you have a serious case of Serotonin Syndrome? How do they actually know you have that, do they do any medical tests?

I went on Citalopram and had all the symptoms you had, apart from the crying. I had many other strange head sensations. I wasn't depressed when I went onto the medication but I was Severely anxiety ridden and couldn't do anything. I felt so bad on the medication and did get really down and depressed but after a while it settled down and I was ok. Just hopeing I didnt have this Syndrome.

Just wondered how they know what you have is Serotonin Syndrome and not just side effects, you may have been in a really bad state, i don't know?

Some people may read this thread and get really paranoid that they have Serotonin Syndrome when really they just have some nasty side effects that would probably settle down in the end.

[tigerlark]

Yeah, I don't mean to make people paranoid, but the doctor said that since I stopped taking it and literally felt like I had come out of a coma, that it was indeed Serotonin Syndrome. She didn't do any tests, but my symptoms were very, very severe, not just side effects. I couldn't function. SSRI's just aren't for me, I guess!

Oh and another symptom.. confusion. I was highly confused at times, which of course made me cry more. This is strictly a symptom of Serotonin Syndrome, not a side effect of Citalopram. I was also sweating a lot and having panic attacks in my sleep. Hope that clears things up!

[Anxious_gal]

Yeah they never inform you of that !
How did you feel?
I had a mild case, felt like I had the flu, head felt very strange and I had the shakes really bad. Called up the doctor and told me to stop taking them.

[Noddy]

Every day I get really depressed for about 5 minutes, which I never used to get, but generally I feel fine. Taking the good with the bad..