Is it the depression that's exhausting me, or the Citalopram?

[ItsMeAndMyPuppyNow]

Just wondering if any of you had experience feeling exhausted all the time while depressed and/or on Citalopram, and how the situation evolved for you.

(I do have a GP and am not shy about seeing her and asking her questions, but this question is more curiosity on my part than a medical complaint).

Hi ItsMeAndMyPuppy. Have just got back from my GP and have been prescribed Citalopram- How long have you been taking it?. Haven't had a chance to take it yet so obviously unable to describe side effects however I do generally feel tired and lack motivation which I understand is symptomatic of my depression.
Anyway fingers crossed that it makes a difference. I am kicking myself I have taken so long to do something about the way I've been feeling.
I will be watching this thread with interest and let you know of my experience with Citalopram.

Hi jellybrain there are a lot of posters on Citalopram. Run a search with it as a keyword and you'll have accounts of different people's reactions to it. (Basically: different for everyone).

Thanks also for confirming how tired you feel pre-medication; I think it must be the depression making me feel tired too. (My experience is that Citalopram worked wonders for me for 2 months really wonderful; I felt like a bright and normal person again but lately I have been feeling in a black hole again mentally, and so so tired. I was wondering if it meant that the depression was becoming stronger than the meds and I think it has. I'll be asking my GP for a higher dose I think.)

Chances are it's the citalopram. It made me feel constantly exhausted. I could just lay on the kitchen floor and go to sleep. I was too dangerous to drive. Fluoxotine did the same. I swapped to Venlafaxine which gave me hideous sweats. I am now on sertraline. This has some good write-ups for being effective but with the least side effects. There are still side effects and these are not nice but better than I have had on the other ADs and definitely better than the depression. It's worth speaking to your GP about trying a different AD. Good luck

I have been exhaused for over a year now and can fall asleep anywhere and can sleep for hours without feeling at all refreshed when I wake. I put this down to having half my Thyroid removed last year but it turns out I am suffering from anxiety. I think exhaustion and sleepyness are common in both depression and anxiety.

I have only been on Citalopram for 5 days so can't comment on how it makes me feel yet!

jellybrain, I also have a total lack of motivation too. I wish I'd done something sooner, I feel I've wasted a whole year feeling this way. I feel hopeful that these tablets will work but, being a pessimist, worry they won't.

Could be either, or both. Do you take it in the morning or evening? When I took it in the morning, I was lethargic all day, and couldn't sleep at night, so now I take it before I go to bed, and it has made all the difference. Having said that, depression itself is known for making people tired, and I sleep lots when I am down aswell.
You could try doing nothing but sleeping for a couple of days (my MIL and I were chatting about this; it is something we both do that sometimes 'reboots' the system and kick starts us feeling better)

I take it in the morning, but tbh I wake up exhausted already, although I have no trouble sleeping and get a full 7-8 hours per night.

I'll try to sleep all day this Sunday.

I was like that to start with on Citalopram but am fine now. Looking back I realise I was also exhausted from post natal depression. A little bit of exercise and fresh air helped it to go as well.

Yeah, I think I am being physically exhausted by the C-PTSD, along with however much the medication itself is knocking me for a loop.

Fresh air is taken care of by daily walks with puppy, and a caring friend has just signed me up at her gym, so hopefully what worked for you will work for me too, Dog!

Well a puppy will definitely help!! And one other thing - I have found that not sleeping past 8am at the weekend and getting up and about has made a difference. Even though tired it has helped with the morning dreads.

Just wanted to report, in case it helps anyone else, that I did as thingamajig suggested and started taking the Citalopram before bed instead of in the morning. Result: no more exhausted feeling in the daytime at all, just like that!

Thanks, thingamiajig and everyone else who posted.