Please help - Citalopram and some frightening symptoms

[NoPoet]

24/12/09 - NOTE:

This started as a thread requesting information about citalopram side effects, and over the course of 2009 the thread became a "survival diary" of my recovery from anxiety and depression.

A spin-off of this thread is the Citalopram Survival Guide (see the link in my signature).

Please do not reply with advice about questions raised in the first post of this thread as many of the early problems have long since been resolved.

Please read this thread and take any advice and reassurance you can from what I learned over the course of 2009. My sincere thanks to the friends I have made and to everyone who offered advice, support and encouragement.

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Hi all. Please take the time to read this as I am desperate for reassurance!

Yesterday, my doctor put me on citalopram because I have been suffering from severe anxiety with possible depression. I took my first tablet (20mg, the lowest dose for depression) last night about 9.45pm. I also took ibuprofen for a headache.

I very quickly started feeling ill. As in, within 10-30 minutes of taking the citalopram and ibuprofen. I went to bed. It felt like someone was rummaging through my brain, my thoughts were racing and I had a huge anxiety attack, my eyes were unfocused and a bit crossed and I felt dizzy and nauseous. I actually thought I'd been poisoned.

I got up for a wee and the dizziness and unfocused vision disappeared as soon as I stood up, which is weird, and they didn't come back! I realised I'd been lying there suffering for 3 hours!!!, so I phoned NHS Direct (this is at 2 in the morning), who said it sounded like the tablets were perhaps too strong, and I should go to my doctor first thing in the morning. They said ibuprofen does not interact with citalopram and was not responsible for my symptoms.

I felt a hundred times better after that and went straight to sleep.

My doctor was a bit annoyed with me this morning, although still very polite and professional, saying there was no way the citalopram could have affected me so quickly as it takes 3-4 hours to enter the blood. This means my symptoms would have started by half past 1, instead of half past 10.

In his opinion I'd suffered a panic attack.

I used citalopram a few years ago, but can't remember if I had any side effects. I was only on it for 3 months. The doctor said that was further evidence that it should be safe to stick with citalopram.

I'm scared to take my citalopram tonight but the doctor has said I must try to continue with the course instead of giving up after one day.

Has anyone else ever been like this after taking one tablet? Am I being silly and scaring myself to death, or does it sound like citalopram is not the drug for me?

Please help, I am terrified about tonight!!

[CRaig Stoddard]

I've been taking them for a number of weeks but I've not had any problems. Thats not to say there are none. The doctor did warn me of such problems , but assured me they would soon stop. Many people have had problems so don't be worried, things might seem to get worse before they get better, so push through and get better.

[NoPoet]

Thank you so much mate, it is such a relief to hear that!! I suppose I'll find out tonight if yesterday's "bad trip" was a one-off or some kind of weird anxiety attack.

Hope your own problems are resolved soon.

[Yvonne]

Hi Poet

I feel gp could have started you on 10mg. Yes, 20mg is the lowest dosage for depression, however this is a new med entering the system and in my opinion you should have started on 10mg for say a week and then raised to 20mg. I'm quite surprised by your own gp actually because I would have thought that he would have said cut it down to 10mg for a week.

You may well have had a panic attack - we can't monitor all our thoughts, and what probably happened is that you took the Citalapram and the Ibu and you thought "oh I wonder if they could react". Now, that little thought could have started off a panic.

I know what I'd do, I'd cut it down to 10mg tonight. Can't remember if Citalapram are capsules though, you probably have 20mg capsules in which case you can't halve it. I would speak to gp on Monday if you're still having a bad reaction.

I didn't like the med myself personally and I did have very bad side effects on it for first couple of weeks. All the meds have this side effect profile when first starting them. However, the med may not suit you. Doctors think they are right and they are not a lot of the time. They take us for idiots.

I really wish you well.

[NoPoet]

Cheers Yvonne

If you look the word "anxiety" up in any good dictionary, there will be a little picture of me sitting in a corner with my eyes wide and my fingernails in my mouth.

My doctor knows this and I think he gave me the 20mg dose because I've been so over-wrought. I haven't been able to lead my usual life this last couple of weeks.

My symptoms are largely anxiety related but I do have depressive bouts. It's the first time I've been depressive for a couple of years.

Is my doctor right -- is is true that it takes hours to feel the side effects of medication? Most of my symptoms disappeared as soon as I got out of bed and started talking to someone, so maybe it was the worst panic attack ever, but honestly it felt like I was on a bad trip or something!

[NoPoet]

Just found the citalopram forum here (d'oh!) and to be honest I am scared to take tonight's dose -- I think I might be better off struggling on as I am rather than taking something that is going to freak me out so badly! Any advice??

[snowdrop]

You shouldnt take Citalopram and Ibuprofen together, it annoys me how doctors dont explain this!

BUT saying that My symptoms were horrible for the first week...had to get through it to feel so much better as i do now, they also say the more anxious of us will get worse symptoms. Its great once you get passed the first week,but then i started on 10mg and that was bad enough, I agree 20mg seems high to start on.

we have to realise we are taking quite a strong drug here and you really must check if its ok to take other meds with them

x

[NoPoet]

Thanks for the reply Snowdrop!

There is nothing in the documentation telling me not to take painkillers at the same time -- there is quite a lot of documentation and most of it is dedicated to telling us the side effects. I didn't read about the side effects before taking the first pill.

Is it ok to just cut a tablet in half and take that? Should be roughly 10mg?

[snowdrop]

Yes you can chop it in half and stay on 10mg for a week and then increase to 20mg. I did 1st week 10mg, 2nd 20mg and 3rd 30mg...I am stable on the 30mg. I wouldnt increase though without discussing with your gp

You can take paracetamol, but the pharmacist was insistent I must not take ibuprofen, they say it can rarely cause internal bleeding (I dont want to be one of those rare ones!) I did the same as you and took 2 ibuprofen without knowing this and i felt cr*p!!

I would go with 10mg for 1st week...I couldnt have coped with 20mg straight off

x

[NoPoet]

Thanks so much, your help is really appreciated

It's almost time for my dose. I'm going to stick with 20mg for tonight and if it blows up in my head again, tomorrow night I'm dropping to 10mg, I don't give a damn what the doctor ordered.

I'm gonna spend the next half an hour watching "Not Going Out" with my family, so hopefully the company and the comedy will even out any side effects.

"Shields up, we're going in!!"