Citalopram

[Verso]

Does anyone have experience of Citalopram? I've been prescribed 20mg a day for depression (started as PND last year and hasn't stopped) and reading the potential side-effects has got me a bit worried! (Maybe taking the drug will stop me worrying about the side-effects? >hollow laugh

It didn't work for me.

But my PND is also characterised by lots of anxiety issues.

Verso, I've also got the clenching jaw thing but also feel quite agitated, fidgety from time to time. Been on this for about a month now but like others think that may need another dose.

Glad it's not just me, Somanykiddies. My Dr suggested I stay on the 20mg for another month as it has made some improvement and she says I will feel even better next month. Apparently in some people it doesn't reach maximum effect for up to six weeks. I have to say I was a bit disappointed, because I'm impatient to feel well, but I suppose if it works without upping the dose then that's all to the good.

She also talked about planning to come off them after six months too, which is good in one way, but makes me anxious in others as well. I mean, I've only just started to feel a bit better and she's talking about stopping. I worry that if I come off them too soon I'll end up feeling terrible again...

Dh is on citalopram just now, having changed from fluoxetine as it wasn't hitting the spot. He has only been on it for a week and is finding it tough going atm as it has increased his depressive symptoms. However he is going to stick with it and hope that he will see an improvement soon.

Thought I'd revive this thread rather than start a new one, I started taking Citalopram on Saturday so I'm on day 3 and I'm so spaced out and tired.. no loo issues (yet) though. Just feel like the world is moving at a different speed to me and can't stop yawning.

i have been prescribed citalopram mainly for for anxiety and spells of depression caused by the anxiety. Anyone else taken it for anxiety and did it help? also really worried about side effects - took seroxat in a few years ago and made me put on loads of weight and was horrendously difficult to come off. Does citalopram cause weight gain?

Cheesehead, I've been on it for about six weeks now, mainly for anxiety but also depression. My gp started me off on 10mg a day and now I'm up to 40! I found that it actually made the anxiety worse for a time, I got very jumpy, found myself pacing alot more and literally not being able to sit still, it was really strange, having said that it is gradually getting better so I will keep going with it. Hope this helps.

I've been on Citalopram for over a year now.. I get night sweats and vivid dreams and I have also put on a lot of weight. Worth it though IMO because I feel a lot better now in my head than I did a year ago.

I'd advise anyone on AD's not to try to come off them too early... I tried earlier this year and ended up having 7 weeks off work and having to go on them again fairly quickly. Am now in no hurry whatsoever to come off them again.

Have started taking Citalpram 4 days ago, do not feel tired but have felt slightly sick. I am only taking 10mg at the moment, but am really worried about gaining weight, has anyone elso had weight gain??

I've been on and off it over the last 3 years. Mild nausea initially, possibly at bit more drowsy than usual. No weight gain and no other side effects.

I'm also permanently knackered... my GP isn't sure if that's due to the depression or the medication. I think the weight gain is partly down to that. I joined a gym but had to stop going as I was too knackered afterward and it contributed greatly to me having to take time off work. Horrid viscious (sp?) circle.

I am already feeling better, don't know if that is the pills or just having spoken to someone. Dp says I have been smiling alot more and not quite so grumpy!!!

Just an update - went back to the GP this morning and she has upped my dose to 40mg. It had started to wear off a bit and I was noticing I was getting anxiety attacks again - and then to cap it all was given notice of redundancy last week.

Hope these do the trick and that everyone is doing ok.

Hi all, I started taking Citalopram and felt fantastic for the first two weeks, in the third week I started feeling anxious and angry I got the sweats was constantly feeling dizzy and dopey and was constantly in the loo. Went back to the doc who said these were all signs of depression anyway, but did switch me to fluoxetine have been taking for two weeks and there has been a marked improvement. At least I'm not obsessing about whether I smell of BO anymore!

I've been on it for about 5 months now (can't believe it's that long). Ditto the extreme tiredness and yawning at the beginning, yet also made me even more unable to sleep and physically jumpy. But after a few weeks I felt so much better- the anxiety, constant feeling of being just about to really really blow, obsessive thoughts of suicide all disaperaed.
I did get my dose uppped to 40mg for 2 weeks, but realisd that my mood at appointment had been coloured by a 360 degree spin on a country road the previous day from which we all escaped unscathed but could have been so much worse. So Verso the increased dose worked for me to get me over an understandable blip in my stress levels - hopefully it will do the same for you.

i've been on them for 4yrs used to take 40g but now this week gone to 30g feeling ok
i work 50+ hrs a week
hubby neaver sees me mon-fri as when i'm at home i'm asleep but i do feel a lot lot better
hopefully i will reduce tablets (doc does not know i'm on 30g now)

i wonder if someone could help me decide whether to take mu ADs. I've posted separately under relationships and really wonder if my ADs would help me. I feel constantly anxious beciase of things that happend in my relationship in the past( a few years ago). Since having ds 2 months ago it seems ot have come to the surface more and me and h have been having terrible arguments. Some partly due to how i've been feeling and all my negative thoughts about him are back with avengence. he really tries but cannot cope with me throwing it back at him. tonights episode culminated in me throwing my wedding ring at him because i thought he looked at me angrily. he then told me told f off and called me a bitch - he says becuase he thought i was throwing our marriage away ( i keep threatneing to leave and take ds with me and keep telling him he'll only see ds at weekend) it's a vicious circle of behaviour for me now of sleeplessness, leading to irritability, leading to arguments and anxiety which causes the arguments to get worse. We've tried counselling in the past and yesterday i got some self help books which all made perfect sense. I know that in alot of ways i have a great h and a potentially good and comfortable life, but my anxiety is ruining it. Should i take my ADs? I worried that if i stop taking them i'll be worse than i am now and if i get addicted to them we'll never have another baby. but with things as theyare it's getting harder nd harder to enjoy the baby i already have. Would AD's (citalopram) help with this?

ADs are not addictive. Taking them now doesn't mean that you're stuck with them forever; they can allow you a bit of breathing space to see the wood for the trees. And Citalopram is one of the ADs that they recommend for anxiety, so I would say it has to be worth a shot. You'll know pretty quickly whether they're going to work for you - give it a couple of months to start to kick in.

I have to say though that it sounds as if there are other things going on in your marriage that may need to be addressed as well as your anxiety, though.

thanks wigwam. You're right there is "stuff" going on in my marriage which is pretty dreadful but i know alot of it now stems from my anxiety, negative thoughts. Do you think citalopram might help? Does if cause weight gain? thanks so much for replying

Just started on these last week for panic attacks. I was on 10mg and upped to 20 mg last night. My mood is much better today. Done more housework than usual but yawning more although I'm not tired?

I was on them years ago and the panic attacks have only returned because of major stress. They suited me really well last time though I did get some side effects in the beginning, most notably the electric head thing??

what's the "electric head" thing?

It didn't cause me any weight gain, although I'm large anyway so may not have noticed! It can cause changes in your appetite, so you may feel either more or less hungry - but it may not affect you in that way.

According to my GP Citalopram is one of the best tolerated ADs, the side-effects are fewer than many of the others (although there are still plenty of them!), it's easy to withdraw from and it's certainly not addictive. It's often recommended for anxiety disorders, I would give it a try; you have nothing to lose.

It might be worth trying to get some counselling as well - particularly if you think your anxiety is damaging your relationship.

I had the electric head thing too; it felt like having a badly tuned radio inside my head, every time I turned it I had what felt like an electric shock in my brain. Very strange - but I managed to cope with it.

Not everyone gets the same side effects though; you won't know until you try.

thanks wig wam. i've tried counselling any times in the past,when i was in other relationships too but it never seems to make such difference for long. i understand why i am the way i am, but my anxiety seems to have got worse in the last couple of years. taken seroxat in the past but stop after i put on absolutely loads of weight - had a nightmare coming off it too. GP telss me citalopram is much better for coming off. Just really want to save my marriage but whatever dh does to help, i always seems ot push him further sand then get yhsterical when i push and get a nasty reaction like tonight - i think iexpect him to show constraint in his reactions whatever i say or do. I know it's probably unreasonable and i may be testing him - when he does eventually do what i dread (like tonight, telling me to f off & calling me bitch) it makes the anxiety worse about what will happen next (maybe next time he;ll disappear or kick the furniture - this is what i'll be worrying about. Can citlopram relly help with this anxiety?

what about serataline (sp) any know of it?