To ask about your experience with citalopram

[Anxiousannie32]

I've finally given in and accepted that I need something medicinal to help me cope with my anxiety which has steadily been getting worse over the past few years. I've never taken anti depressants or anti anxiety medication so don't really know what to expect.

My GP has prescribed me 10mg citalopram. I know this might not be a magic cure but I'm hoping it will help with the panic and physical symptoms I've been been experiencing from anxiety. Can anyone tell me how or if it worked for them? Thank you.

Been on 10-40mg at various times. Fabulous stuff and has no question kept me sane at times. Side effects usually go within a few weeks, I was a bit shaky, sleep all over the place and a bit nauseous too.

OP in 10 days in now and I'm glad you asked this question. It's been a rough week or so, my anxiety has heightened, I feel sick and anxious every morning and I've had a constant headache/migraine. The other thing I've noticed is that my eyes are dry. I've sort of got used to the increased anxiety, I know it will be bad when I wake up so I set my alarm earlier to allow for some calm time before I have to go to work. It's strange but knowing that I'll feel bad and then actually feeling it makes me feel in control so it's not as bad.

This afternoon has been the first time I've felt a bit relaxed in a very long time. I'm hoping this is the start of the medication making me feel better.

I was prescribed it for anxiety which was controlling my life. I felt so nervous all the time and it was making me want to hide away. I'm also on 10mg to start with but even that is causing side effects so I must be sensitive.

Thank you for the useful thread. I hope you start to feel better soon.

Very positive here. Took small dose for 12 months due to pnd. Weaned off after that over a short period, no side effects. Helped get me through a very stressful time.

Very positive experience for me.

Started out on 10mg, then 20, then 30, 40, then worked my way down and am comfortable on 20 at the moment.

I was very anxious. Shaking, upset stomach, found it absolutely impossible to switch off. Couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep.

All of that has stopped and I feel almost normal again.

@Anxiousannie32 for me - I stress, for me - it seemed to disable the bit of my brain that said "enough now, stop". This wasn't a good thing.

I wouldn't say mine controls me all the time. When I'm at home or somewhere I perceive to be safe then I don't experience symptoms. But put me in an unfamiliar environment or somewhere I feel I can't escape and I really do have problems. I'm even struggling with things like the school run at the moment because I work myself up beforehand thinking that I will have an attack in front of people with the sickness or diarrhoea. But if I was just at home then I wouldn't have that fear or the subsequent symptoms.

I was on it for 10 years, more or less. It helped me at the time.

It does tend to numb your emotions...since I cam off it I tend to be more emotional e.g. at seeing sad things on the TV (real or otherwise. )

I came off it a year ago. We'd got our dog a few months before and she made me happy. :grin: Its not been plain sailing with the whole lockdown stuff (though I've not been ill with it and as a nurse my employment etc have been unaffected) and ive recently had health issues which is likely needing surgery. However I'm doing my best to stay strong!

I have a prescription waiting at the chemist for me but I haven’t got them yet as I am petrified they will make my (already really bad) IBS worse and I have heard they cause weight gain. Has anyone gained much weight in them?

I take 40mg daily now for PND and anxiety. Things had got really bad for me. Depression wise I was suicidal and anxiety wise I was sick. I'm rarely sick but every evening when I knew DH was working in the morning I would physically throw up. Because I knew I was being left alone with DS and I "couldn't cope".

I'm not magically better and I've been on a list for counselling etc for a long time. I am however much much better than I was. I still have wobbles about not being good enough but I'm able to get past them rather than fall into a hole. Same with the anxiety, I can be worried about something without falling into a full on panic attack being unable to breath and being sick.

The higher dose also makes me very sleepy, I was initially on 20mg but it's worth the trade off in my case.

It gave me insomnia so gp prescribed escitilopram which is the same but a purer form

I didn’t gain weight on 20 mg ( on 10 mg now) and I was taking it through the menopause which can be a weight gaining time!
It kept me on such an even keel that my menopause was very easy, no HRT just a few hot flushes.
Didn’t take it for a few years but then when went back on it a couple of years ago ( elderly terminally ill parents 200 miles away, full time teaching, 2 adult children relocating to other side of the world, a very sick grandchild,) but down to 10 mg now
It has been a godsend to me.

It didn't really work for me. It just kind if flattened me, I got weird dreams, weight gain and they had to keep upping the dosage. I am now on a very low dosage of an anti psychotic and it's the best medication I've been on. I still have my anxieties but I can function normally and respond to people normally (instead of zoning out (dissociating?) like I do when I am not on meds.

I also take propranolol for the physical symptoms of anxiety. I've found my ibs has been much better on these and the physical symptoms have really settled down. I've had no symptoms when having a drink etc. I know so many people get scared with these drugs and I know people who have had a bad reaction but I know many more who have been really helped (even if it sometimes takes a while to get the right drug/ dose)

Helped me a lot. I was lucky - no side effects for me, on or off.

I’ve been taking citalopram for a few years and it’s very helpful. I started on 10mg and I’m currently taking 30mg. You need to give it a few weeks to truly settle into your system and it can feel worse before it feels better but it’s worth riding that out.

I am just about to take my last tablet as have been tapering off it for a few months. I took it for 5 years and it was fine. But the worst part was it destroyed my libido and that had an impact on my already bad marriage:( I still would take it but I JD known this was a risk.
If I need an anti D again I will look for one that doesn’t have that as a side effect.

So I'm now a week in and I can't really say I feel much different. If I take it the morning I tend to feel a little zoned out for a few hours and have had the odd headache but nothing more. In terms of the anxiety it hasn't stopped it or made it worse. I just feel pretty much the same. I have a 28 day prescription so I will reserve judgement until I've finished the whole thing. It's only 10mg so possibly needs upping.

Did anyone else feel like this to begin with? Will it improve over time?

Hi @Anxiousannie32
Sorry to revive an old thread and totally understand if you don't want to reply now!
How did it work out for you?

I've been on citalopram for decades & it works for me, no side effects at all 👍🏼

It won’t work after a week. The earliest you can expect a benefit is two weeks. And yes, 10mg may be too low. I’d review after 3-4 weeks.

It’s been great for me. No weight gain. No flat emotions - in fact the opposite, life is no longer viewed through treacle. I get quite dramatic night sweats, which is the only downside.

Hi All.
Hope im welcome as i am of the male variety.
I have struggled with depression and anxiety for approximately 7 years now and have found this website comforting .
I have been on citalopram for approximately 5 years with like you all up and down periods.
There is a lady who chats on here called katecogs who keeps mentioning a book that has helped.
Could anyone recall if this is right or not and if so enlighten me please.
Keep the faith everyone.
Coppo

@ZoeTurtle

It changed my life. I had side effects for a couple of weeks - I felt a bit spaced out and had trouble sleeping - but since then it's been wonderful. I still have anxiety but it's much more manageable and I no longer lie awake every night worrying about ridiculous things, or panic in social situations. I think I've been on 20mg for about eight years now and they'd have to pry the pills out of my cold dead hands.

Absolutely this. Same thing for me. The first few weeks were a bit spacey but after that, it’s been all good experiences so far. That said I’ve also had some therapy too m, in order to help with my anxiety so I’d recommend that in conjunction with any pharmaceuticals.

Works brilliantly for me but I do need to go up to 20mg when things are particularly rough. 10mg works well as a “maintenance” dose though.

I know this is an old thread @Anxiousannie32 but I’m new to citalopram and struggling a little so wondered how you got on with them in the end?

Citalopram didn’t have the best effect on me, I did things quite impulsively and out of character and thought I was doing well so I came off it and slumped. But it does wonders for many many people, sometimes the right medication just needs some tweaking.