starting cit today, advice needed

[victoria_s]

morning guys, had the worst night ever, pratically one huge panic lasting all night

anyway, im taking the jump and starting the cit today, i was prescribed 20 but absolutely no way will i start on 20 i dont care what he says. a close friend started on these a few weeks ago and she has had the worst of effects.

do i start on 10 or even cut into 5? i had a nasty experience myself a few years back when i took 20mg, felt violently ill, and never took another. any advice would be appreciated.

[aislynn]

I started with 20. Made me a bit spaced out, shakey and tired. I also got headaches. I'm into my third week now and all thats disappeared. I get a bit of wind and a bit tired. i'm surprised at how quickly the side affects stopped. I also feel that my mood has lifted a bit. Am hoping for a bit more for the anxiety, but am pleased so far.

[Thyme]

Hi

I started on 20 and got side effects, headaches, loss of appetite, loss of sense of taste, muscle spasms and teeth clenching at night.

Headaches went after about 2 weeks and taste came back. Still get occasional muscle spasms but they mostly gone. Not much appetite and still teeth clenching but not so bad. I am into my 2nd month at the moment.

But the plus side is.....and it has been worth going thru' the side effects just for this....my mood is better (more even) and the chatter in my head has reduced so much I don't notice it that much.

Go for it and persevere
Take care Thyme

[oldtime]

I've been taking 10mg for 11 days and now have no side effects. I would start on 10mg, as I tried starting on 20mg a year ago and gave up after 2 weeks due to my anxiety going through the roof and complete lack of sleep. 5mg really is not going to do anything and you will probably just get more anxious about the thought of taking it.

[victoria_s]

hi , im going to take 10 at around 8pm . im just so bloody confused, one minute im all for it and the next im thinking ''ive had a bad week, im feeling better than yesterday dont start them' i just dont know what to do

[oldtime]

I was so worried and worked up a year ago when I first tried to take them, the anxiety was out of control. Then I started scaring myself by reading all the bad scare stories on the net, I gave up after 2 weeks. This time round I've calmed down enough and was quite relaxed about taking them. I believe my doctor, really this is quite a mild drug, the side effects are not as bad as other AD's and it is usually well tolerated. The side effects for me this time round were a bad tension headache, muscle tension and a slight nauseous feeling, but that only lasted about a week and now I feel fine. I would recommend taking the first tablet with your breakfast, as it will reduce any nausea, taking it late in the evening might effect your sleep.

[Lizziesaurus]

When I started it I was told to take 10mg for around a week to get adjusted to it, but after 3 days and no side effects I just went to 20mg.
Everyone reacts differently, there are similar side effects but the severity of them varies for each person. For me the only side effects I had were hypomania and I didn't need to sleep. But ADs can bring this out in people with bipolar so don't take too much notice of that.

It takes about 4-6 weeks to get into your system properly, if after that the effects are horrible and/or they're not working go back to the doctor.

[victoria_s]

thanks for the replys- have any of you guys put on alot of weight? ive finally found myself quite trim and i dont fancy balooning again. also i do enjoy a bottle of red on a weekend or when we go for tea , will i still be able to do that ?

[victoria_s]

Lizziesaurous , can i ask if you knew you were bipolar before the meds out of curiousity?

[Lizziesaurus]

Yes, but it's not an extreme form, there's a huge scale it seems and luckily I'm at the milder end. Still, antidepressents haven't helped (citalopram and sertraline) on the other hand cit did wonders for my anxiety, it's really bad now I'm not on anything.