Caffeine and SSRI's

[Georgesmum]

Hi all, I want to tell you about my experience in the hope that it helps someone else! I have suffered depression for approx 18 months, 9 months of that was through pregnancy. My daughter is now 7 months old and I've been forced to get help due to now having severe postnatal depression (no surprise!) A month ago i was prescribed Citalopram, and within 3 days of taking it I had a 2 hour episode (30 mins after takin 3rd tablet) of one panic attack after another(first experience of panic attacks!), along with severe anxiety, basically ended up in A&E. Kept in overnight as they made sure i was ok. As a result i stopped taking the tablets. I finally had to get more meds as sunk further into depression, and reluctant to go out (not good when you have a 7 month old to look after!) Started taking Fluoxetine on Monday this week - next day the panic attacks, although not as bad, started again along with the severe anxiety. I was pacing the floor of the house, not able to sit still, I was crying loads, and my conversation during these periods (periods lasting 3/4 hours at any one time) was negative - talk of my daughter choking, my husband having an accident, what the post would bring. Yesterday, i had to call my sister to come and look after my daughter as I couldnt, again pacing the floor etc, my sister was very alarmed by this. She took my daughter to allow me to get some rest, when she returned she told me she'd visited a local pharmacist and after explaining my situation, he advised that i cut out all caffeine products to see if it made a difference (I only have 5 cups of coffee a day and the odd glass of coke. I stopped caffeine yesterday and my anxiety'panic attacks have
ceased!!!! I have mild anxiety but thats the nature of my depression, and i had it b4 the meds. So this appears to be the reason for the probs ive had on the meds ive taken. This morning i have withdrawel symptoms from the caffeine, and tiredness etc due to just started taking meds but other than that I feel sooooooooooooo glad that i dont feel like i did, and today i can look after my daughter!!!! Try cutting out caffeine if your having probs and see if it works for you x I hope so. take care, from a happier Georgesmum!

[lenore]

I've just come off Fluoxetine ans started on Citalopram and the other day I made the mistake of having about 5 cups of coffee in 3 hours. I felt AWFUL! My heart was pounding, my hands were sweaty, I couldn't swallow properly and my tummy was doing back flips. I'm off into town today to buy some decaff. I think because caffiene is so readily available and even kids can buy it, I forget it's quite a powerful stimulant. I learned my lesson with it though, and just wonder how many times in the past I've hyped myself up on caffeine and blamed the results on my anxiety! That's not to say it isn't a problem for me, the anxiety is there regardless, but I think I've really been aggrivating it with caffeine (at one point I was drinking 4 starbucks and 5 cups of instant a day).

[finny12000]

I drink far to much coffee maybe 7 8 cups a day and when im working
the same combined with 3 or 4 energy drinks and i think its making me edgy
lol ,i used to drink caffeine free all the time and im going to shops later to stock up on tea and coffee and see what difference that makes to me

[bobajob]

hello all
i feel i need to put my 2 pence in about caffeine and SSRI's, i am on prozac one 20ml tablet daily and my first day on them i drank a can of redbull and let me tell you it was a big mistake coz i have never felt so bad in my life so i stay away from all forms of caffeine, the prozac is working for me it just takes anything upto a month to start working properly thats what i found anyway.

1 luv

[sharona]

Hi

I know its the numerous cups of tea I drink that makes my palpataions worse so try to stay off it. I have bought de caf tea bags, I know they don't taste the same but you get used to them.

Hope you feel better soon.

Sharon

[daniela]

I'm on paxil and I get the same reaction with caffeine. I get anxious, heart comes out of my chest, panic attacks and feel agitated. I try to stay away from caffeine as much as I can.



Daniela xox

[Restless Ron]

Today I've just started taking Escitalopram oxalate (enantiomer of citalopram)-- only starting with 5mg, half the recommended dose of 10mg -- for anxiety. First time taking meds for anxiety. I took the first (half) dose late morning (as soon as I got home from GP and chemist) and within half an hour felt mild nausea, so had a nap for 1-2 hours. On waking, I felt good and made myself a strong coffee (as I usually do). Half an hour later I experienced an increasing feeling of unease and bodily tension. No cognitive anxiety, but bodily anxiety similar to having too many coffees. I became very hyper and didn't know if it was the drug or the coffee. I have to work tomorrow, but I now cannot sleep and it is almost 2:30am. So, I got up and googled escitalopram and caffeine. Some seem to say that they adjust to the drug over time and can then drink coffee with no adverse affects, while others say it makes them hyper or have panic attacks and avoid it like the plague. Others compromise and switch to decaf. My question is: how does escitalopram affect caffeine in the body? Do SSRI's affect the absorbtion or re-uptake of cafeine in the same way they do serotonin?(Excuse my lack of knowledge of bio-chemistry!)