Citalopram side effects - can't seem to give anything a chance!

[ncfcfan85]

Hi all,

I didn't know where to post this thread as it involves symptoms, but I also suffer health anxiety, and it could also have gone into the "Citalopram" medication section! So I hope it's in the right place.

I went to the doctors last Thursday and told him, I simply have to try some sort of medication - my low mood and anxiety is getting very very bad, worse and worse by the day and I am not on any meds and haven't been since early last year. I basically just feel I need something to try and improve things. The only reason I haven't been on any anti-depressants is because my fear of side-effects from previous experience of ones such as Sertraline and Duloxetine being particularly bad. I explained this to him but he said there may be side-effects, but there may not be.

He gave me Citalopram, 20MG, to take one a day. I managed 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) before I stopped taking it - I couldn't handle the feelings but the fact is I am in this awful situation whereby I am not giving anything a chance - I know full well that there can be early side effects, and that they can subside - but how long do I give it before knowing whether it has worked (or started to work) or not??

I feel rough, exhausted and achey all the time anyway, but the day after taking it, I felt: disorientated, detached, intense aches and pains in hip joints as well as legs and feet, and very, very unusual in myself, as well as a bad head. Another symptom was I was unable to get an erection, and I also just cannot stop grinding my teeth - and this is after 3 days of taking it. These things are still going on even though I have stopped. The teeth grinding seems to be getting worse, not better - considering I took them for 3 days, how long can I expect to wait until symptoms disappear?

I don't know what to do for the best - I have stopped it like I said and I am still feeling ropey as hell, even though I last took one 3 days ago. I don't know whether I should keep taking it, drop to 10mg for a week or two and then bump up to 20mg, or stop taking it altogether and try something else, but I haven't exactly given it a proper chance, this I am aware of.

How do other people feel on this drug (or any other at the start)? Will it be a case of riding out the symptoms whilst it gets into my system, or a case of trying another anti-depressant entirely? This is why things are getting worse, because I just struggle so much to give any med a chance. I think I just have this fear of trying it for 8 weeks (I've read 3-6 weeks it should start to work) and then finding out that nothing is changing, and I am scared it will do me damage :(

[Ethansmom]

I've been on Citalopram for 7 months now, and had some bad start up side effects that lasted about 3 months. The drug hasn't done very much for my anxiety. I also take clonazepam daily to help alleviate the residual anxiety. I just switched over to Escitalopram today (which is the sister drug of citalopram). It's supposed to be better for anxiety, but who knows. Honestly, It's all a crapshoot of what works and what doesn't . I too suffer from terrible health anxiety, but also suffer from daily panic attacks. Well, they used to be daily until I started clonazepam, which is basically similar to Xanax. I wish you luck!

[ncfcfan85]

Thanks for the fast reply and the luck

See that's just it, I know it's different for everyone, but I can't handle the thought of 3 months of these side effects - for starters, I will have no teeth left and no sex life!

This is what I don't get about anti-depressants and hope someone can explain - what's the point of them, they are supposed to make you feel better and improve things, take the edge off or whatever, but they introduce so so many side-effects - how do people cope with them?! I have never had Citalopram before and hoped I would be OK on them, but lately all anti-depressants I've tried have made me feel this way.

[Gothfairy]

I have been on citalopram for now for nearly 8 months - the side effects were terrible for me when I started, I was nauseous, tired then insomnia, I cried for about a month on and off, it played havoc with my stomach HOWEVER I am so much better now mentally than what I was, dont get me wrong I still suffer with the anxiety (Health anxiety) but no where near as bad as what I was, I decided a few months ago I really dont need them anymore and stopped on my own accord - WORST thing I could have done, I was ill and shaky - give the meds time to work, everyone told me the same & I did not believe them however they are good and they do work.

[Panic Stations]

Bear in mind though that it is different for everybody. I have been taking Citalopram for about 3 years - started on 10mg, felt pretty crap in general for about a week or so but nothing major at all, then it all settled down. I've since moved up to 20mg and experienced no side effects at all. Went back down to 10mg about a year ago with no side effects. My anxiety is currently bad again so i've moved back to 20mg again.
I started to feel better within about a week, it is definitely different for everyone.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Many GP's start people on half the therapeutic dose of 10mg for this very reason. I would suggest talking about doing that as it may help you get onto it easier.

There are even liquid preps for smaller doses but they are very expensive to the NHS.

I've even seen one GP take a patient afraid to take any meds and start her on very small doses of Sertraline and then build up. She is now enjoying her life away from NMP after years struggling badly with lots of things. I wish GP's would learn from someone somewhere that it's not all about speed!!! Slower & more efficient is better for some.

[pulisa]

Sometimes these meds aren't great for people with severe anxiety and there is a limit to what side effects you can put up with. Your own personal life circumstances can play a big part too as to whether you persevere or not with a drug which may or may not help your anxiety..and there are no guarantees with these meds. It's all trial and error and a bit like doling out broad spectrum antibiotics.

I think it all depends on how long you are prepared to put up with side effects and whether it would be better to start on a half-dose and gradually work up? I've always found less is more and have resisted drug increases because I know what happens to me when too much is in my system. Some GPs can't get past the "therapeutic dose" rule but in fact we are all individuals and respond differently.

[I Don't Get it!]

Op, I also took Cit for 3 days and then stopped, just couldn't take the side effects one second longer. Sorry if this triggers people, but they actually made me suicidal and I hadn't been before taking them. I only took 20mg for 3 days, but the effects lasted about a week until I felt OK again.

Ironically, when the side effects were finished I felt great in comparison, better than I'd ever felt - in that way they did some good. It made me realise that I did have the capacity to feel "normal" and enjoy life. The Anxiety and low mood came back, but they were never as bad as when as I on that drug.

I found therapy and self-help were more useful to me than drugs. It was Propranolol (prescribed for Anxiety) that gave me depression in the first place.

There are some people who just can't tolerate drugs. I also question their effectiveness, some people seem to be taking them for decades. However, I know some people feel that they have saved their lives, so whatever works for you....