Anxiety after 11 weeks on cit?

[NoPoet]

Hi all,

I am on 20mg of citalopram which I take in the mornings (I stopped taking it at night cos it turned the midnight hours into a side-effect circus).

I have made a lot of progress towards my recovery but after 11 weeks on citalopram I am still suffering from anxiety, distressing thoughts and possible depression which I have discussed in other threads. These are getting better to some extent but I often find myself feeling low and feeling scared or ill.

I was just wondering if the citalopram should have been more effective by this point? I have considered increasing my dose but don't know if I could deal with that. Should I stick with this dose and see if things get any better?

I am dealing with my problems but it's tough to have anxiety and feelings of fear always lurking.

[nomorepanic]

Poet

Have you ever considered that meds won't cure you?

They never helped me at all so I went it alone and I am a stronger person for that.

Have you read the medication page on the left <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Lion King]

Hi Nicola,

I take my hat off to anybody that can recover naturally, well done on your recovery! I think taking the meds depends on your circumstances that you are dealing with and the extent to how much anxiety is affecting you physically and mentally. In my case I had shakes, palpitations and excess nervousness and to a certain degree agraphobia, I was totally unable to relax. Medication for me was the last resort, I went a long time trying to recover on my own but I kept having relapses and this affected me at work and socially to the point where my confidence was at its lowest. The meds did not give me instant relief, but with time, 12 weeks on and adjustments made in the dose (30mg), the anxiety has stablelised itself and I am feeling 50% better than I did. I still have alot of affirmations with my thought process still to be made, but with time and perseverence the anxiety is starting to slip into the background. Some people can be quicker than others at recovery, but in my case I think it depends on the length of time of suffering, as the negative thought process and behaviours have become embedded into the sufferers personality.

Keep strong Poet, I have highs and lows but its all part of you challenging yourself to overcome your anxiety. If you stand still you get no where, you are taking great leaps in your fight against anx & dep, you will defeat it, just keep taking those strides towards your goal. Its just a matter of time, the new improved you is just around the corner.

Lion King

[shrimp]

Hello Poet
Like you I have been on meds for some time, 14 weeks and counting, started on 10mg cipralex, raised to 15mg and now today 20mg. I feel exactly the same as you, definintely an improvement overall but still getting a week on feeling bad again, wake up feeling anxious, feeling of dread, scared and worried sick, cant wait for night time to come in the hope that the following morning is going to be the start of a good week! I think its such a worry and a disappointment when you wake up and think oh no not again, Ive lost count of the times over the last 14 weeks when Ive thought "ok, that's it, it's gone and i'm back to normal only to be kicked in the face again, after a few times it just feels so debilitating, like you Im just so desperate to feel normal again and do the things I have to do without it making my stomach churn. I spoke to my GP yesterday mainly for reassurance and said is it normal for me to still not be feeling back to normal and to be honest he didnt really give me a straight answer. There's no doubt that the fear of feeling bad just hypes you all up again, its so horrible. Do you find if you are occupied it eases a bit, instead of analysing how you feel all the time? I find it helps quite a lot, although very difficult to get myself into anything on my low days. Anyway, keep hanging in there, we cant feel like this forever can we, maybe we are just taking a bit longer. Hope you have a good day today. Shrimp x

[fedupofanxiety]

i think that you should consider that them meds arent working for you i would consider going back to your doctors to discuss it i never settled down on citalopram but am settling down on escitalopram now!! i think different ppl are better on different meds but if i was you i defo would not continue taking them and consider something else with your gp!! good luck!!

[NoPoet]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies.

I do think the citalopram has helped, like Lion King I would rate myself as 50 to 60 per cent fixed (not just due to the meds) and I started taking citalopram out of desperation. I was in a shocking state, I have never been anywhere near as bad as that and the memories of going through this are mostly responsible for my continued negative thinking -- it has planted a terrible fear of slipping back into that state.

I would not want to come off meds at this stage. Even reducing my inositol supplements makes my anxiety climb. I just wondered whether I should consider increasing the dose as I find myself suffering with background fear and anxiety a lot of the time.

[Lion King]

Hi Poet,

I thought about increasing to 40mg over the last couple of weeks just to be rid of anxiety completely, but I think it is not going to mask the fact that I haven't faced my negative thoughts, so by not increasing the meds I still have the anx to deal with and if I can continue to feel better by facing upto issues I will get there. If your anxiety is becoming intolerable I would definitely suggest seeing your gp about a possible dose increase, I did this when my anx crept back up on me after 8 weeks on the medss I didn't want to increase but I have found some satbility at the 30mg dose.

I have had a bad day today with anxiety, but its the second night where I have had disrupted sleep, first night was my son, the second my partner not feeling very well, so I can put my anx down to that as my concentration has been really poor with lack of sleep.

Hey ho anyway, 2 weeks abroad should sort me out!

All the best

Lion King

[NoPoet]

Hi mate, I'm gonna talk to my doctor in the week. I already know he'll tell me I have improved and I am on the correct dose. I cannot say that the citalopram hasn't helped so he will probably be right. I may just need more sleep. Or maybe I've started obsessing again... maybe I'm thinking too much!! How do I switch my brain off, it's going off on one.

I don't know, this is probably blip number five. Historically I feel worse one week than I do the next so maybe this coming week will be better!

[suzy-sue]

Higher doses are required for the best results to treat anxiety.Your thoughts are because you are still anxious.It wont do any harm to go up to 30mg .If you try it and you feel no better you can always cut down by 10mg . Sue

[shrimp]

Hi Suzy Sue

Do you take escitalopram, as I upped yesterday to 20mg, maybe its a complete coincidence, or its my turn to have a good week! BUT believe it or not, by lunchtime yesterday I felt much better, I slept better last night and when I woke this morning I managed to control my mind from going off on a rollercoaster of negative thinking and anxious thoughts, thanks very much for your help and advice, what a horrible thing we are all going through, it really makes you really how nice life was before, even though at times it seemed rubbish!! Have a happy day, shrimp xx