day 5 and not sleeping

[Jem21]

Hi i am day 5 into citalopram and find i am not sleeping at all, i've been taking it at about 4pm. My doctor prscribed some sleeping tablets yesterday to get me through but although i nodded of quite quickly last night i was still awake every 2 hours and tonight i cant sleep at all, even before i went on the meds i was sleeping some. Am i better taking my tablet at another time or will this pass?

[unicorn 0578]

Hello, I am no expert, but I think it could be early days for your body to adjust to the medication.

Have you tried all the old fashioned sleep aids eg warm bath before bed, lavender oil on your pillow, relaxation CD before bed etc etc. I take sleeping pills and they help me most of the time but I get the odd bad night (probably why I am typing on here so early in the morning)

Trouble is when you have had lack of sleep it can make you feel so tired and fragile. Take extra good care of yourself and hope your sleep improves soon,

Best Wishes

Sarah x

[Jem21]

Thanks for your reply Sarah, here i am again after an hours sleep and i woke with extreme anxiety. I have had citalopram before and it worked wonders for me but i keep thinking it wont work this time after things ive read. Its also harder to cope with after no sleep as when i woke yesterday id had a few hours the night before and i seemed a tiny bit better (just anxiety but it wouldnt go into a full attack, it was like my body wouldnt let it) and i was hopeful the tablets were starting to work, now im not so sure...

[happyone]

Hi,

you should really take it first thing in the morning. Insomnia is a common side effect but is usually solved by taking it so long before bedtime. I am on citalopram and if I forget to take it first thing, I am wide awake at bed time.
Also, it is also common for anxiety to increase in the first couple of weeks with this drug. Try persevering as it does settle.

Happyone
xx

[Merman]

Hey Jem

I'm on day 5 today and like you sleeping is a problem. I had 2 nights of waking at 4:30 and not being able to get back to sleep and then getting in to a really anxious state and then last night I didn't sleep at all and now I'm very anxious again. I'm no stranger to anxiety but this is really something.

My GP gave me some diazepam 2mg to get me through the weekend but when I took 1 it did nothing so I've just take 2 and am hoping for the best. I would never have considered taking Diazepam before ( I was on Venlafaxine for 10 years and that worked fine) but I just can't cope with this level of anxiety.

I'm taking a lot of comfort from Psychopoet's survival guide and diary thogh and assuming this is just a short term thing we need to work through and will subside. Having said that I was put straight on 20mg and I've decided (after reading posts on here) to cut that to 10mg today.

Anyway I can't offer you any reassurance but as a fellow sufferer in much the same place I can offer you support and someone to rant to as we go through this!

All good things
Trevor

[Jem21]

Thanks Trevor, your message means alot! Well i'm now on day 9 and if its any help to you the anxiety is starting to become more manageable so i hope that gives you something to look forward to! Still not sleeping, but i took a sleeping tablet last night and it actually worked... you dont realise how much harder things are with no sleep till that happens, but its reasuring to know that its just a side effect and will ease of as the tablets start to work, and if we need some help in the mean time then so be it, we need to do what we can to help ourselves. I'm also on 20mg but just decided to ride it out and all the other side effects like sickness are starting to fade now.

Feel free to rant or pm me as its nice to have support from someone who understands. Dont worry about the diazepam if that what you need till the tablets kick in as they will start to soon.

Wishing you good sleep tonight.
Jemma

[Logan_Five]

Folks - can't speak highly enough of investing in relaxation CD's. Check out some by a fella called Glenn Harrold, available on Amazon. I've got a relaxation one, and a one for helping me to get to sleep at night. Very beneficial and good self-help tools to have to aid the recovery process.

[Jem21]

Thanks Logan Five, I'll have a look and invest in one i think.

[megan143]

Hi Jem

I am on day 14 of citroplam and I had the same problems as you not able to sleep, but as from two nights ago I started sleeping much better again, the side effects have also decreased as I feel much better in myself, today I can only describe myself as feeling normal and it has been so long since I felt like than so I guess the tablets must be working. I managed to go to Tesco's and walk round without feeling major panick, something I have not managed to do for ages.

Megan x

[clairity]

hi. i thought i might join in here. i on day 2 of 10mg and taking them first thing in the morning but im finding the sickness feeling horrible. im starving but as soon as food hits my lips the sickness gets worse. hoping this will fade soon cause im feeling pretty weak!! xx