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Mental health

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Original poster

Citralopram - some help and advice please

24 replies

mewbilly · 03/02/2011 19:42

Hi,
I have been prescribed Citralopram 10mg today am really worried about the side effects, so some questions that I would really appreciate answers to:
When I mentioned to my GP that I was worried about the insomnia associated with this drug she suggested I take it in the morning.I have a meeting at 9.30am tomorrow morning and will need to drive home straight afterwards. Will I be ok to do this if I have taken a pill that morning - also will need to do some work in the afternoon (write a report, admin, etc..)
Do I wait until after tomorrow to start taking them?

On Sunday we have a family meet up with some family who I am really looking forward to seeing and so don't want to look and feel like crap (they don't know about my current state). Again, should I wait until Monday to start taking the pills??

Will I be ok to exercise when i first start to take them - I have always found exercise to have helped enormously when I have felt down in the past.

How bad can the insomnia get - I have a 3 and a half year old who is up and down like a yo-yo in the night at the moment and so feel like death at the best of times. Insomnia on top of this will just make me feel so much worse!!

Sorry for all the questions - I just don't know when to start taking them and how they will affect my daily life.
Thanks in advance for your advice / thoughts. X

OP posts:

BeckyBendyLegs · 03/02/2011 19:47

Not everyone gets insomnia as a side effect - a friend of mine takes this drug and she told me she's never had any sleep issues with it at all. I'm not sure how bad it can be, hopefully someone with experience of this drug will reply.

girlynut · 03/02/2011 20:17

Mewbilly - I too have been prescribed this today for the first time and was planning on taking the first one tomorrow morning.

I have a meeting at work at 9.30am. Shall I let you know how I get on?

Original poster

mewbilly · 03/02/2011 20:32

Girlynut - that would be really helpful, thanks!

I think I am going to leave it until the weekend at least, possibly even until Monday as I have been signed off work for 2 weeks so will not have to worry about concentrating at work / driving, etc..

Are you taking 10mg as well?

OP posts:

CaptainCaveman · 03/02/2011 20:36

I've taken citalopram with really good effect for some time. Both times I started on it, I found that after about 48 hours I felt really anxious, more so than before taking it, but this wore off after about 12-18 hours and soon I felt much more settled. The drug affects everyone differently so it's really hard to say how you'll feel. I really hope the tabs work for you both - they gave me the ability to function normally and be happy again!

CaptainCaveman · 03/02/2011 20:36

oh, I started on 20mg

timetosmile · 03/02/2011 20:40

10mg is a low dose, I suspect you will be OK, most people just get a 'I drank that last cup of coffee too late this evening' kind of insomnia, and things tend to settle by the end of the first week anyway.
No problem with exercise!
Hope it helps and you are soon feeling

Elk · 03/02/2011 21:00

Hi,
you will not necessarily get insommnia. inablility to sleep is also a common problem with depression. In my case after about a week on citalopram my sleep was much better than it had been. 10mg is a low dose, sometimes used by gp's to reduce the incidence of side effects. Lots of people (including myself)don't get any side effects at all.

IME I found I felt a bit weird on the day I started taking the pills or if my dose was increased but after that I was fine. I have always started on 20 then upped to 40 after a few weeks.

shinyshoes · 03/02/2011 21:05

apparently it can take near on 6 weeeks to get into your system so i think you'll be ok for sunday

I don' t have insomnia, infact the complete opposite i can sleep and sleep and sleep and then some

Original poster

mewbilly · 03/02/2011 21:13

Thanks for all of your replies, ladies!

I am feeling a bit better about taking them now and may start on Saturday (possibly, maybe
Even though I know I am being silly it just feels like I am entering a scary terrain here

OP posts:

Original poster

mewbilly · 04/02/2011 16:03

Girlynut - how did you been get on today?

OP posts:

MrsSatsuma · 04/02/2011 17:28

I had the opposite problem - first couple of days I felt like I'd been wrapped in a warm fluffy blanket (very bizarre feeling but soon wore off), but I never got insomnia - I couldn't stop yawning!!

EldritchCleavage · 04/02/2011 17:33

I had hypersomnia with my depression and citalopram didn't change that, so I slept endlessly.

My experience of the effect was that it was like getting glasses after not being able to see properly-suddenly the world looked normal again.

Please do exercise, it's very important and beneficial. And don't be afraid of 10mg-I've done 60!

girlynut · 04/02/2011 19:25

Took 20g at 6.30am. Drove hour drive to work at 7.00am no problem. Felt a little nauseous mid-morning but nothing major. Managed a complicated spreadsheet. Was tired mid afternoon but that's coz I got no sleep last night.

No side effects that I noticed and BF hasn't seen any change in my mood.

Will continue and see how I go.

Bit disappointed I can't have a glass of wine tonight though....

YankNCock · 04/02/2011 19:31

It didn't do anything for me at a 10mg dose, but a 20mg dose really helped with my depression and I've had no side effects as far as sleep.

There is absolutely no reason to forego normal activities like exercising. Most people don't have a 'light switch' type reaction from taking antidepressants, it is more a gradual effect that builds up.

Original poster

mewbilly · 04/02/2011 20:36

Thanks for reporting back girlynut. Am going to take my first pill tomorrow.
Is alcohol best avoided, then? I really look forward to my glass of wine or two

Yank- am going to see how it goes on 10mg. Think my GP has started me on that as she knows how apprehensive I am about the side effects. She may well up the dose in a couple of weeks.

OP posts:

ImFab · 04/02/2011 20:38

I used to take Citalopram an took 10-40mg. I used to get really bad nightmares and was so tired a lot of the time. I was told to take it in the morning. I am on a different AD now.

girlynut · 05/02/2011 10:27

The leaflet says to not drink alcohol...

timetosmile · 05/02/2011 19:56

I don't think the (very) occasional with a meal would do much harm, but certainly polishing off more than that isn't advised, especially as your body is just getting used to metabolising the new medication.
Interestingly, there's a really strong correlation between regular, moderate-or-more alcohol intake and the prolongation of depression from any reason, as it's a 'brain-depressor' in its own right.
Cheers (raises glass of fanta..)

JarethTheGoblinKing · 05/02/2011 20:04

I started on 10mg, and moved up to 20

I definitely got side effects from it unfortunately. Mine were actually worse if I took the pill in the morning, and eased off if I took it just before going to bed, so that's something to bear in mind.

I got teeth grinding, increased anxiety for a few days, insomnia for a day or two (but I get that badly anyway). I basically felt a bit twitchy for the first few days, but that did ease off fairly quickly.

I've been on it for about 3 years now, and can't rate it highly enough :) It can make you a bit teary and unreasonable in the initial days, just to warn you. Good luck

taokiddy · 05/02/2011 20:45

I've taken it for nearly a year. It did seem to take quite a while to kick in, weeks in fact. And yes I got the teeth grinding fidgety thing but can't remember any sleep problems. Hope it helps you like it has me :)

Chocattack · 05/02/2011 20:55

Everyone is different I guess! I'm struggling and have decided to stop. First 2 or 3 days I took 10mg/day in the evening (because last time I was prescribed it I was nauseous and felt dizzy so thought I'd take it at night when I could be asleep). Wrong! suffered(still suffering) with insomnia - feel "wired" and unable to get to sleep and stay asleep - despite being (mainly)lethargic during the day. So switched to taking it in the morning (now 20mg/day) which meant feeling less wired at night but only staying asleep for around 3-4 hours and struggling to get back to sleep. And suffering from periods of feeling faint during the day. Worse for me though are the mood swings, sudden spiralling down in relatively short period of time (couple of hours - frightening) though sleep deprivation could be making it all worse. Oh yes and pins and needles in lower arms and feet. Maybe I'm just unlucky... I hear it works well for some people.

spanky2 · 06/02/2011 19:01

When I started citralopanI felt more wound up, sick and tired when I first started. Then it calmed down and I felt ok. After 9 months it stopped working. I felt like I was wrapped in a fur bubble, disconnected and had memory blanks. Apparently this was the depression so I changed tablets and increased the dose. I now feel normal. I do drink . I also find ibruprofen has no weird effects. I do get the mad dreams. I suppose everyone is different we all need different doses or types of medication. Try not to feel worried about it because after your body has got used to the medication the side affects should go. If they don't there are other types of anti-depressants to try.

JustAnotherNameChanger · 06/02/2011 21:45

I started on 20mg about 2 months ago. Had the grinding teeth for about a week. I sleep like a baby every night (always have done) and I am getting many fantastic detailed dreams every night - i love it !! - no other side effects.

I take them for panic attacks and I haven't had one since the forth day.

3 times since I started taking the CIT I have had 2 glasses of red wine - been ok for me but like anything with this medication it differs so much from one person to the next. I know people who can binge drink and be ok - and people who throw up on one drink.

Lazyem · 07/02/2011 14:39

I took Citalopram a few years a go, 10mg to start then up to 20mg a week later. I had absolutely no side effects and they helped me tremendously. Good luck and I hope that they help you as much as they did me!

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