please help 16 and on citolopram hallucinations???

[catraff]

Hi my names catherine im 16 years old
and been prescribed citalopram (Please bear with me)
before going to the doctors i was having panic attacks severly depressed for about 7 months and i was seeing people in mirrors and even my sleeves in the corner of my eye scared me
ive never been afraid of the dark and since about 3 months ago i cant be alone because it scares me too much
im really needing someone to talk to but i feel noone understand and i have never shared my feelings before
after being on citolopram for ONE DAY i woke up at 4:30 in the morning to see flashing lights and hearing strange noises and everything turning red
i had no idea what to do and couldnt sleep
i know its not normal for effects to take place after one day so what the hell should i do!!
Please i really need help with thise finding it hard to cope and i havent given the drugs a chance but as i am under 18 my thoughts of suicide are steadily growing and should i be on this if it will make me feel worse??
Any help appreciated please
Catherine x

[chickpea]

I'm no means an expert on citalopram (have been on 10mg for nearly 4 weeks), but I did have some pretty bad side effects for the first couple of weeks. The worst time was the first 24 hours, and in particular the first night, so that would tie in with what you're experiencing - I had a brief psychotic episode (or something like one), all-night panic, had to have the light on etc.

Since then, I have had bad odd days/nights but nothing as bad.

It seems to be very common to feel more anxious in the first couple of weeks, before you start to feel any positive effect. (my GP gave me sleeping pills and a prescription for diazepam for the worst times - I took some of the sleeping pills but not the diazepam).

If you are having suicidal thoughts, I would strongly recommend seeing your GP again as soon as possible.

I'm really sorry you're having to go through this.

[chickpea]

Forgot to ask - what dose are you on?

[yorkylover]

Hi Catherine.I think most of us here understand how you are feeling.
Im on citalopram and have been for many years.When I went on them I had side affects for a bout 2 weeks and then they went away as my body got used to them.
I was told to take them in the morning.

Have you told your gp about the suicidal thoughts?

I would give it a few more days and let your body get used to the meds,if your not happy to do that then contact your gp with your concern's,and tell them about your suicidal thought's.

You may need some counselling as well as the med's hun.

[suzy-sue]

Catherine ,im sorry you are going through this ,it must be very frightening for you .It does seem that whatever dose you are on is too strong ,to have such a bad reaction in one day .I would definately ring your Dr and explain to him how you have been .Being the w/e its harder to get help if you need it .Have you told your parents how this is making you feel ? you need plenty of support right now ,dont be frightened to tell someone .Let us know how you are ,there is always plenty of help available here .Take care luv Sue x

[chickpea]

Catherine, I should have said in my first post - the first tablet I took was 20mg, which is what caused the strong side effects on the first day. Once I told my GP how badly it had affected me, she reduced my dose to 10mg.

[catraff]

Thanks everyone so much for the replies i didnt think i was going to get any!!
I am only on 10mg that's why i was so worried and my dad has bi-polar and my mum is prone to breakdowns and has been on and off with anti depressants as far as i know.....
i did try and go for councelling but all they had was a 15 minute appointment and another one wasnt available for 8 months!!!
it seems the harder i try the more things go downhill x

[KK77]

It does seem a very low dose to cause such a dramatic reaction but don't automatically think the worst, because severe anxiety can cause some pretty scary symptoms.
I've had a pretty bad week so I can understand how hard it is to cope with anxiety/depression.
Perhaps you could ring NHS Direct till you get to see your doc?
Hope that helps a bit ... Take care! X

[PoppyC]

Hi
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. It must be frightening.
I started on a low dose of Citalopram and I had some unpleasant side effects but nothing like what you have described.
Have you managed to see your gp? Have you told your parents.
NHS Direct I have always found to be very good with advice.
Seeing as you are so young I would get medical advice because maybe the tablets are not suiting you. Nobody on this site can tell you what it is that is happening to you for certain, based on their own experiences, even though we mean the best. The best person to speak to would be a doctor.
Hugs to you and hope you get things sorted out for you.

[NoPoet]

Hi, I am surprised your doctor prescribed citalopram as this is not usually given to people below 18. The medication could be adding to your suicidal feelings as this is a known side effect in people below 18. This does not mean you will become actively suicidal, so don't fret.

Suicidal thoughts are fairly common in people who are suffering badly with depression. They reflect your desire to escape from your situation without actually knowing how; death seems like the only way out. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are PLENTY of ways to recover from depression. Just because you feel suicidal now DOES NOT mean you will always feel like that.

You should tell all of this to your doctor so they can refer you on for the appropriate help and maybe change your medication. I recommend you discuss counselling and you could consider hypnotherapy, as this is starting to look like a very useful treatment for depression (ignore people who tell you hypnotherapy makes it worse -- that is an old wives' tale and is only told by idiots).

Does your doctor know you have been seeing things in mirrors? You should tell her this straight away as it could be a major clue to what's going on with you and you can get it dealt with. Citalopram can and does make people see flashing lights, false movements and strange shapes that aren't really there; this is a totally normal side effect and does not usually last for long.

I'm not surprised you are afraid of the dark! I would be too. The reality is darkness just prevents you from seeing things properly - darkness is not your enemy. Your fear is your enemy. Good luck in dealing with this and let us know how you get on.