Should I change from Citralopram to Sertaline? Don't know what to do.

[MenopausalRubbish]

Hi

I have been on Citalopram for nearly two years. I am on a low dose of 10mg a day but it makes me feel very sleepy. I can't work out if I really feel sleepy or have just convinced myself I feel sleepy.

I am happy on it and would come off but am going through menopause to think it is easier to stay on for a bit. I asked to change to something that would make me feel less dozy and was prescribed Sertraline.

The problem is that reading suggests that Sertraline may give me insomnia, which I know I won't cope well with.

Is Sertraline generally something that will make me feel more agitated than Citalopram? So confused.

[Mondy]

Hard to say really. I used to be on Sertraline and the only side effect I had was a dry mouth, but everyone reacts to drugs in different ways. Citalopram is better for anxiety than Sertraline I believe.

[Mishaps]

It is very hard isn't it. I am on a very old-fashioned anti-depressant in a tiny dose and GP wants me to swap to something more up-to-date, but I am very nervous. I have no desire to be ill again during the tail-off and changeover to something I have never taken before and do not know if it will work. You have my sympathy - it is a conundrum.

[newtscamander]

I did that , I changed from 20mg citalopram to 100mg sertraline and it has been so much better, I wish I'd done it a lot sooner. I felt crap and sick for a few days then got over it. Had dry mouth for a few weeks but again you just get over it/used to it. It helped me get out of an 8 month slump and get back to working and living [smile[ Just try it out.

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

I never had insomnia on sertraline. Much preferred it to citalopram. Also, 10mg is a very low dose, in my dp it was enough to trigger side effects, but not enough to help him iyswim. He went up to 20mg and was kind of better, but changing to sertraline helped the most.

[jobrum]

I had misserable side effects on citalopram and it didn't improve my mood. Sertraline made me feel much better but upset my stomach so much I had to stop them. The differences between them can be huge, and of course there's the 'settling in' period until you know really how they work for you.

Have you tried taking the citalopram at a different time of day? It would be worth really researching the different antidepressants and then discussing with your doctor.

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

Yes to different time of day. It seems everybody is told to take citalopram in the morning. I switched to late evening and much better

[Fwaffy]

GP here and just anecdotally I've had better successes and fewer side effects with sertraline.

[Roseformeplease]

I take Sertraline, 25mg, but swapped to taking them at night because they make me sleepy.

[Clonakiltylil]

For me neither worked. Venlafaxine is the only one that has made a difference, but some people hate it.