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Mental health

Cipralex - any experiences?

12 replies

FaffTastic · 28/12/2010 02:15

Hi all - thought about name changing but to hell with it! :)

Hope some of you can help ....

Have read quite a lot on here about people taking Citrapram (sp?) but am just wondering if any of you have experience of taking Cipralex?

I was prescribed Citrapram by my GP but they really really didn't agree with me so I came off them (on my own stupidly without consulting GP). This was in May time approx. Things progressively got worse and worse until it got to the point where I simply didn't want to wake up anymore.

My GP (a different one than before, though same surgery)prescribed me 10mg of Cipralex back in September.

It really didn't seem to be making any difference to the way I felt at all. I went back to GP at start of Dec and she upped the dose to 20 mg per day.

I took 20mg a day for about 2 weeks and honestly felt if I was going mental. I was so forgetful, so tired, and was just dead inside - like a walking zombie. I felt this was becoming noticeable to others (at work etc - my depression is something I normally try to hide from others and have a position at work with quite a bit of responsibility - 20mg just seemed to turn me into someone whose brain cells had disappeared and I seemed 'vacant') .

I honestly felt as if I was on the verge of a breakdown so I reduced the dose back down to 10mg about a fortnight ago. I now feel OK-ish.

10mg seems to have little effect on me - 20mg seemed to turn me into the living dead.

Anyone else on here in cipralex and, if so, what are your experiences? What dose do you take?

TIA :)

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ilovemyfestivehens · 28/12/2010 20:01

It made me feel like a zombie and I completely lost my short term memory. I couldn't even touch type or drive properly anymore.

I'm currently taking Citalopram and feel fine.

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ilovemyfestivehens · 28/12/2010 20:03

Why didn't you get on with the Citalopram? It might be worth persevering with it.

Try taking Ginkgo Biloba to help your memory. I took this after the Cipralex episode and it really helped me.

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SmokinSanta · 28/12/2010 20:14

whats the difference between citalopram and cipralex?

Im on cipralex, but was told this was just the brand name for citalopram. My tablets say Cipralex (escitalopram) on them.

Are they different?!!

I know my tablets are splitable, so could you ask your GP for 15mg a day?

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ilovemyfestivehens · 28/12/2010 20:42

Cipralex is escitalopram. It's supposed to be an improved variety of Citalopram, but I didn't find it to be very good.

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SmokinSanta · 28/12/2010 20:50

I didnt realise there was a difference between escitalopram and citalopram. should google more often!

I get on well with escitalopram (cipralex). Took about a month to feel "normal" (e.g. no forgetfulness or falling asleep at 5pm) but now I get on well with it, and feel like I did before the depression IYSWIM. I'm on 10mg. But have no experience of any other kind of drug, the GP put me straight on this as mine was anxiety/depression

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littleshebear · 28/12/2010 22:45

I think cipralex is an isomer of citalopram- so a reverse of the chemical structure(long ago chemistry A-level resurfaces)-it is supposed to be better tolerated. I have been on it for 6 months and been fine and almost back to normal now. no side effects apart from yawning at first.

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FaffTastic · 29/12/2010 20:48

Thanks for the replies.

Citapram didn't agree because it made me feel a million times worse and as if I was having a constant panic attack. I probably didn't stick with it for long enough though tbh.

As mentioned, I been taking Cipralex since Sept. I feel constantly asleep and my short-term memory as gone to pot. I struggle to be bothered to even make conversation with people on times. This week especially I feel very panicky and anxious also.

I was prescribed it for depression rather than anxiety but I feel as if the depression isn't lifting and I am becoming more anxious (something I didn't suffer from pre-ADs).

May up the dose to 15mg a day and see how I get on on that doesgae for a while.

Just want to feel happier again ...

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FaffTastic · 29/12/2010 21:22

Oh, and another thing, can you have an alcoholic drink when on Citraplex?

GP said not to on the Citrapram but didn't mention it about Citraplex and there is no mention of it in the information booklet that came with it.

No that I'm an alcho or anything, but would drink at weekends etc and over Christmas. Is this OK to do?

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BelleDameSansMerci · 29/12/2010 21:27

I found Cipralex to be much better for me than Citalopram. I hated being on the Citalopram but was fine with Cipralex. No problems drinking with it either.

Cipralex is supposed to have fewer side effects than Citalopram (for me - I didn't gain weight on Cipralex but I gained loads with Citalopram).

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milkysmum · 29/12/2010 21:38

I'm a community mental health nurse. We don't use alot of cipralex at all. Evidence base for it being better thn citalopram is not huge but its much more expensive which is why I suspect not used so much. Lots of people report increased anxiety with citalopram in first few weeks but it usually does pass in a couple of weeks if you can cope with it for that long. If the cipralex doesnt suit either there are many more options to try. Are you having some kind of talking therapy as well as medication?

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FaffTastic · 30/12/2010 03:55

Hi Milky - I was on Prozac many years ago and hated the way that made me feel hence why my GP wanted to me on a 'newer' and 'different' form of AD.

I am on the waiting list for counselling via my GP though waiting list is quite long. My GP doesn't seem to be a great fan of counselling though - when I went back to her (at her request) stating that the 10 mg didn't seem to be doing very much and asked how long the counselling would take for me to get an appointment she replied that 'counselling isn't the answer to everything' and just upped my dose to 20mg. As I said 20 mg really didn't seem to agree with me. So after taking 20mg for 2 weeks and then going back to 10mg for the last 2 weeks think I'll try taking 15mg from tomorrow onwards.

Have looked into private counsellors, as at the mo I feel like I would pay anything to get back on an even track and feel normal again, but even the very few that I did look into had no availability.

I admit I do feel slighly better than I did pre-Sept when I started taking the ADs. Before then, there was times when I was driving to work when I fanatised about just crashing the car. I don't mean that in an actual suicial way in that I would have really contemplated it iykwim. Equally when the GP asked if I felt sucidial I honestly answered that no I don't, there was just days when I wished I hadn't have woken up. At the moment, those days are behind me thankfully.

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Bishoplyn · 31/12/2010 13:29

Faff - thanks for starting this thread.

I started on 5mg Cipralex lasy Friday for anxiety. Not much change yet in my anxiety levels but I had been told it would take at 2 weeks to notice any difference. Apart from feeling bit sick the first few days and a bit tired, no huge side effects.

I've no experience of any similar kind of drugs.

Happy New Year everybody!

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