Citalopram prescribed today, first anti-depressant...

[Lawton86]

Just been to the doctors and got prescribed Citalopram. I Have never taken anti-depressants before and am quite worried about the side effects it will produce.

I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and a constant de-realisation feeling. Im really scared of feeling worse, not sure if i can handle it. I really want to know if this drug works and what side effects to watch out for and that are normal so i wont feel more anxious when they kick in.

I know i cant keep going the way i am now, but just want to know if these will actually work and that its not going to be a pointless 2 weeks of feeling ill to be took off them again.

Thank You

[PoppyC]

Hi again Lawton!
I hope the citalopram works for you. It seems to work for a lot of people. It takes about 6 weeks (not 2 weeks) to feel the positive effects and you will have up and down days whilst you get used to them. You have to give them time to work.
Do you receive any therapy at all. Thanks for your message which I am going to reply to shortly.

[Lawton86]

No i dont recieve any therapy. I just want to get out of this de-realisation feeling. Im scared of feeling more dizzy and sick by taking the Citalopram

[PoppyC]

Hi Lawton!
I hope the citalopram works for you. There are a lot of people who are helped by taking them.
It does take 6 weeks (not 2 weeks) for the positive effects to start working and you will probably get up and down days until then.
Dont knock yourself out if you find at the end of 6 weeks or more that they are not working for you as there are plenty of other very good anti depressant anti anxiety medications out there.
Do you receive any therapy at all? It is worth combing therapy whilst taking the tablets.
I hope that you fully benefit from taking these

[Lawton86]

I dont have any therapy. Im just really scared poppy, you know how bad de-realisation can be. im so scared of being sickly while feeling like this, or even feeling more dizzy and spacey. i also seem to have alot of tension at the front of my head, but i have a feeling this is just a slight tension pain from all the worrying im doing and trying to focus my eyes on things

[Danny_dingle]

Hey Lawton,

I am in the exact same boat as you mate, I am 22 (I am guesing you are too if the '86' at the end of your name is the year you were born!) and Citalopram is the first anti-depressant I have ever been prescribed. I have just finished 3 weeks worth of tablets, it has been a slightly bumpy ride but when the good days start to come through they are fantastic!

Poppy is completely right with everything she has said, they do not kick in as quickly as they are supposed to without setbacks, so give them a good chance, and yes you will probably suffer side effects, but they are worth fighting through and will ease and go away eventually.

If you want a more detailed answer, search on here for a thread by 'PsychoPoet' called 'Citalopram Survival Guide'. It is absolutely awesome and will tell you everything from people who have been through it all already.

Good luck! Take care,

Danny xxx

[nomorepanic]

Hi there

Have a good read of the Citalopram sub-forum as there are hundreds of posts in there to help you and you can get an idea of the side effects and if they will work or not etc.

[nomorepanic]

Hi there - this is a a duplicate post so I will merge them together for you.