Please help - Citalopram and some frightening symptoms

[NoPoet]

Hi everyone, as some of you will know I have been busy on the forum lately. There is something therapeutic in helping other people.

I'm planning to see my doctor about my medication as I just do not know if it is helping me. I've been through my millionth blip this week and only inositol seems to make any difference. Maybe my citalopram dose isn't high enough -- but I dread going through all those side effects again, and the nervous, hunted feeling I often get only seems to occur after I take my daily dose.

I dunno, I suppose I'm still expecting too much too soon. I have a load of free time to think about my problems which is the last thing I need.

[erin31]

Sorry you are having a bad time PsychoPoet.
If you are sure your medication is not helping you then you are wise to see your gp about trying something new. You should not have to go on feeling terrible.
I have pm's you about 5 htp.

[NoPoet]

Hi, I wouldn't say I feel "terrible" - some days are worse than others though. On average I simply feel low. However this doesn't feel much different from any other blip so I'm not too worried.

It all comes back to being bored with my life but afraid to change things.

[longy80@live.co.uk]

Hi

I started taking Citalopram on Tuesday and the first night I took them I went really wierd, I was bizzing like I was on drugs !! Was not a nice experience... My husbans considered phoning an ambulance as I was so bad... I have carried on taking them and am not having the same side effetcs as yet but not to sure whether I should carry on taking them or now ??

Hope this helps you...

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!!

[NoPoet]

Well, I have been having an on/off blip all week, but last night I slept for over 10 hours and although I'm tired, my mood and way of thinking is significantly better. Just goes to show what a good night's sleep can do.

My blips do now seem to be more about depression than anxiety. So it is clear that depression is definitely the issue I need to tackle now.

A few months ago I had so many things to sort out... now I'm down to just having one problem to deal with at a time. It proves that if you try to keep a cool head and deal with your problems in order, you can make a great deal of progress.

As I stated months ago in this thread, in order to deal with a problem you must put all your other problems aside. This means you must make a conscious effort not to deal with your other issues until you have resolved the current problem. If you try to tackle too many things at once you make mistakes and end up getting bogged down. It's like the rocks in a backpack analogy: you have to choose to take some of the rocks out now and then.

So it appears that a good night's sleep has helped me to get my mood stabilised somewhat.

These depression blips are harder to get through than anxiety blips cos I have got a fear of depression, as I unfairly associate depression with suicide. When I look at my life I am still trapped in fear and all I can think about is unhappy memories, so I get scared that one day I will become suicidal. Probably a common fear but one I still have not come to terms with yet. I guess something so important doesn't fix itself overnight!

The moral of the story is, progress is still being made. If I can do it, so can all of you!

[laila]

Hey....i was on citalopram for 8 months for PAs started off with 10mg then up to 20mg......and to be honest i felt like crap the first 3 weeks everythin seemed to be gettin worse not better....but then after 3 weeks i started to feel normal again,then decided to wean myself off them as i put on weight!!! It has been 5 months since i've had a tablet.....and been feelin really good,the odd symptom i get,but nothin that i cant over come. But i would suggest to carry on takin them as it will only get better!! Be strong and hope you well ;0))

[EmmaJane]

I was started off on 10mg for a week, my second week now is on 20mg. My anxiety is through the roof, I just cant function. Hoping it settles down soon. Ive lost a stone in weight in 2 weeks ( I need to though). Just want it to start kicking in, as I am starting to feel very rought with all my health anxieties. Had about 7 terminal illnesses in a week!!

[NoPoet]

Evening everyone, I am now officially declaring this blip over.

*Breathes a sigh of relief*

As I have stated in another thread, I believe mental health is a far, far more complex topic than medical science believes at this time. I think that's why it is so hard to treat mental health issues with medication. Basically, when creating antidepressants, medical science is firing blind.

There is a long, long way to go before scientists understand enough about the different kinds of depression/anxiety/suicidality to build effective treatments.

In the meantime we - the real people, the ordinary people, the sufferers, the dreamers, the loners, the renegades, the lovers, the fighters - are the ones who must fight the daily battle. We're on the front line in our own, very real, war on terror. And until medical technology catches on and brings us something better, then in the words of Captain Sisko, "We will keep on fighting until we can't fight any more."

[Aqua]

Hiya

I don't know if this will be any help but I've been on citalopram for nearly 2 months for anxiety and depression. My GP originally started me on a low dose of 10mg for the side effects. When i first took Citalopram I felt very spacey and nausea. I thought I was going to vomit and I promptly went to bed. I still felt nausea the next day but less so and since then I haven't had any side effects.

Nearly 2 months into taking Citalopram I haven't had any side effects apart from the nausea when I first started taking the meds. I hope you're feeling better soon.

[bigmo]

These depression blips are harder to get through than anxiety blips cos I have got a fear of depression, as I unfairly associate depression with suicide. When I look at my life I am still trapped in fear and all I can think about is unhappy memories, so I get scared that one day I will become suicidal. Probably a common fear but one I still have not come to terms with yet. I guess something so important doesn't fix itself overnight!

What you say above is exactly the issues I'm facing. I had to work in the past with suicidal people and I'm so afraid of becoming one of them. I'm scared of dying and terrified of committing suicide. At one point when talking to the doctor he asked me if I had suicidal thoughts, I have but not in the way he was probably thinking, I think I've got a fear of suicide if that makes sense. I told the doctor that and he seemed to understand what I was saying...