6 weeks on citalopram 20mg - update

[victor1983]

Hello all,

Another update, don't believe have done one for a while, things are going okay. I think my mood has lifted slightly, and my appetite has come back a little, but nothing earth shattering as I was expecting. So far, am a little disappointed that the anti-depressant hasn't helped more as I had been hoping.

Anyway, I will see the GP this coming week for an update of my progress and to request more medicine. I will stick with 20mg for now, maybe 30 is too high at the moment, I might do the full 12 weeks @ 20mg, and then see if I want to up it then.

Maybe I should deal with my problems like someone on this forum said, and use the 20mg just as an anxiety suppresor, rather than expect the world from anti-depressants. Not sure, anyway, at least I feel okay and I don't feel worse than before.

Victor

[chicaplatense1]

Hi Victor,
I feel exactly the same as you.
I am also on week 6 and I upped to 30mg a week ago.
I think I am having added anxiety from upping the dosage but I am still doing better than I was before I started.
I am happy that I am able to eat and sleep again. I am also glad that the burning skin and hot flashes that I experienced at the beggining of Citalopram are gone.
I don't shake and cry all the time like I was a few weeks ago.
I still have anxiety and sometimes feel like I am on the edge of a Panic attack, however I feel like I can function better, especially if I keep busy and do something fun r ather than dwelling on my Anxiety and Panic.
I have adopted the same attitude as you and I no longer expect the Anti-Depressant to take my Anxiety or Panic away completely but to take the edge off. This way I feel like I am doing some work myself and I am still able to function better than I was.
I also think that by not expecting the world from Anti-Depressants we automatically removed part of the Anxiety as I was making myself worse by constantly thinking "when is this medicine going to make me better? maybe it won't work, maybe I should up the dose, maybe I should quit, gosh!!! I don't know what to do!!!". I finally said to myself "stop obsessing about it!!!
I decided yesterday that I was going to stop asking all these questions about the medicine and just be happy that it is not making me worse and that it has helped me somewhat. Sometimes constantly monitoring whether the medicine is working or not keeps us focusing on our anxiety and maintains the worrying and panicking cycle. I am adopting the same attitude as you at this point. It is time to get on with our lives!!