Waking up too early

[DELIBY99]

Hi,

I;ve been using Citalopram for 6 weeks. I go to bed around 11Pm or 12PM but keep waking up at 4AM or 5AM.and then find it impossible to go back to sleep . This is the last side effect as the others seems to have faded. How long will this last ?

[arfasc]

Hi,
I think is difficult to say how long it will last.
I get it every time I have a "relapse" of my anxiety or increase cit.
I see it is a common issue.
I use to take care about not too much computer in the evening, doing exercise, reduce caffeine etc etc.. or relaxation mp3 when I am awake early..

[keithwms]

Hi,

I;ve been using Citalopram for 6 weeks. I go to bed around 11Pm or 12PM but keep waking up at 4AM or 5AM.and then find it impossible to go back to sleep . This is the last side effect as the others seems to have faded. How long will this last ?

Ah yes, that problem! Many of us experience it. It's one of the slightly 'hypomanic' side effects that comes with the territory. Fo rmost people, it eventually subsides.

I found that when starting cit, I would wake up around 6am regardless of when I went to bed and also regardless of how tired I was! This was most noticeable in the first few weeks but has persisted to a lesser extent through my second month. Bear in mind that your sleep patterns, including REM sleep, will probably go to heck for at least a week or so on cit. This is a rather common side-effect during the startup phase.

A few easy tips: eliminate caffeine and anything else that causes energy/mood swings, e.g. sugary stuff, cigarettes, alcohol etc. Remember there some foods like cereals and curries requiring a lot of digestion can be quite good at helping you get to sleep. The 'BRAT' diet can help an unsettled stomach. Chamomille tea can be very helpful. Incense can help create some restful feelings, for some people. So you might try to following those sorts of things with some restful reading, meditation/prayers, and an early night in.

I don't think I had a really convincing night of sleep on cit until a doc gave me klonopin around a month in, to go with the cit. I only resorted to that because I was having episodes of high anxiety, thanks to cit startup. Lo and behold, it soothed me waaay down even at very low dose, and also fixed the sleep issue. So if you have persistent sleep problems, i.e. past the first couple weeks, then talk to your doc. There are supplements that can help you settle in.

One fight which I think is futile is to attempt to go back to sleep after you wake. For me, that just doesn't work, and then I build up anxiety. Not a good way to start the day! So maybe the thing to do is to accept the early-riser syndrome, enjoy a bit of light exercise / meditation, enjoy the sunrise, and remember to go to bed earlier the next night

It probably will get better for you... but gradually...

I hope this helps!

[DELIBY99]

Thanks for the replies guys, This site has been so helpful. I don't feel on my own

It's only really popped up in the last week or so and I'm taking CIT 6 weeks. I can't complain really as i am getting some sleep and my anxietry levels are dropping . I'll just have to tough out the early awakening until things settle down.

[shedrain]

This happens to me too.

It used to happen for months when I was battling with anxiety medication free. I started taking citalopram and for the first week I slept well, but since then I've either had trouble falling asleep, or more commonly, waking up at 4am and not being able to sleep again. Currently on day 24 or 25.

[KeeKee]

This happened to me when I increased to 30mg. It lasted a short while and I'm now back to 'normal' which in my case means struggling to awaken regardless of how much sleep I've had

[DELIBY99]

Thanks,

I could sleep fine before i started taking the meds. I'm just glad to hear the sleep thing does settle down.

KeeKee

I'm on 30MG also so fingers crossed it works out the same for me as it did for you