Advice Needed

[hjm70]

HI Guys

as some of you know im on citalopram i was put on 10mg a day but the doctor told me to up it to 20mg but she said if you get any side effects just drop back down to 10mg. well the side effects on 10mg werent too bad and i didnt want to risk getting bad ones so i upped my dose to 15mg a day for a week. i started taking 20mg 2 days ago and now im feeling quite anxious i had a really fast heart beat all night and tightness and pain in my chest and i just genereally feel trembley. should i drop back down to 15 for a couple of weeks or continue on 20mg?

[Antipodes]

Hi hjm70,

What you describe sounds to me more like the symptoms i.e the anxiety disorder you're being treated for. 20mg is not a high dose and these meds do take several weeks to get a therapeutic effect (it's quicker for some and slower for others - we're all different).

Are you dealing with your GP only? I recommend you leave a message via his receptionist about your queries or go visit him.

My experience of this med was 60mg/day and I had nil side-effects until after several months (muscle tension) - I was quite pleased with the relief it provided me during that time.

There are some excellent websites about medications that you may like to look up to see efficacy, side effects, etc. I use www.biopsychiatry.com and www.crazymeds.org when I get a new med. It helps to be informed and understand what is happening and what/why your doctor is prescribing it.

If you know the precise disorder you are being treated for you might even be able to download the protocol - then you really are informed.

I hope it all works out for you anyway. Anxiety is horrible.

Antipodes

[vernon]

Hi HJM, I am on Cipralex 20mg and have been for a couple of years, they are quite similar to the med you are on. I tried a few months ago to drop my dose from 20 to 15mg; I lasted a few weeks felt bad and more anxious so went back up to 20mg. A week ago I cut down to 15mg again but this time think I will try a bit harder. But dose change in antidepressants definitely does affect you and make you more anxious weather the dose is upped or lowered. What you have done is a new one on me though as people always comes off meds gradually and slowly. But I have never heard of anyone going up slowly LOL (only kidding). Well best as said pop and see your Doctor and hope you feel better soon. Vernon

[polly daydream]

Hi, I would stay with the 20mg now as the anxiety will calm down, have you not got anything you can take alongside the cit such as propranolol, I am on cit also and was given propranolol to calm the anxiety down while my body got used to it. Unfortunately hightened anxiety is one of the side effects of cit untill your body gets used to the drug.

PM me if you would like to talk more.

Polly