Can citalopram help with anger/temper?

[LumpenproletariatAndProud]

My mum who also suffered with mood swings and a bad temper/anger issues says that citalopram has really helped that.

Ive been on 20mg for 3 weeks, Im generally feeling better. Im not crying left right and centre I have my get-up-and-go back, thank goodness.

But I still get angry very easily. I have a temper and I was so, so hoping citalopram would help that.

I realise I may not have given it enough time, and I also realise it won't work miracles, but I was wondering if I was realistic in hoping that citalopram could help me in that area?

Thanks.

Please?

Hello there, why were you put onto the citalopram? I suffer from anxiety and have just changed from citalopram after about two years. I would go as far to say that whilst it didn't really have any affect on my temper (i have a bad one!) as such, it does reduce anxiety and that would often be the reason for my losing it, if that makes any sense. 3 weeks in is still quite early. Have you been offered any counselling at all?

I'm on 20mg and I've found it helps me feel less irritable.
My GP said it can take four weeks to feel the full effect of a dosage and 20mg is a low dose still. Maybe you could talk to your GP about raising the dose to help more.

This is a site my counsellor gave me to help with my anxiety but I've looked and there are anger resources there too. It's very helpful.

www.getselfhelp.co.uk/anger.htm

My DH takes citalopram & it's made him much less angry & volatile. I guess it depends if your anger is related to your low mood?

Hi thank you so much for your replies.

The reason Im on it is for a couple of reasons. I get horrendous PMT/PMDD and it has been offered to me a few times, life has generally been very tough the last few years but I was coping and the happy times were happy despite my mood swings/anger/impatients occasionally but then my best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer 3 weeks ago and theres simply only so much life can throw at you before you crack, so I started crying and couldn't stop.

The citalopram stop the up and down of crying and then I felt very depressed. My doctor said this was the underlying issue and it should help, she was right it has.

But Im still irritable and snappy and lose my temper easily and when I stated on this I thought 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and hoped that it would help the issues Id had for years - before life went all shit and serious.

Im not depressed per se and nor do I suffer from anxiety, Im suffering from life and all the terrible shit that its thrown at me and I reached my limit.

With regards to my anger/temper its often with my kids, for example I picked the eldest up from a school club and the second he got in the farm both kids were - well, being kids. Bickering (minimally!) nagging me for stuff, talking over each other to get me to listen and I snapped. Id had them in the car for 30 seconds and already they started (this is what Id said to them).

I never see any other mums snap at their kids and get cross, people look at me sometimes when Im screeching for my youngest to come back when hes run away AGAIN or hes have a tantrum AGAIN or my eldest isnt listening AGAIN or all fucking 3 of them at the same time which is what always usually happens.

My children need more patients, I need to be cAlmer, I need to deal with stuff better and Im wondering if Im expecting too much for citalopram.

Seems like it, doesnt it?

My kids are just being normal kids. I just need to be ok with that.

Disclaimer - they are happy, lovely kids who are well loved and looked after! They just have a snappy shouty mum at the end of her tether!

Ive actually realised today that Im actually still feeling quite down. Just not as horrendous as I was before.

You know I think your depression is the cause of the snappy mom.
I had quite bad depression but didn't realise. Just thought I was down and tired. After counselling and my tablets I realise now I was very ill.
I was snappy and irritable and seemed overwhelmed easily. I'm much calmer and able to sort out/ignore the petty childish squabbles that all children have.

Yes Im very easily over whelmed.

Also, I didnt used to be like this a few years back. Im fact, it comes after the birth of my second child particularly for many reasons (not PND, circumstantial).

My doctor has referred me for MG well sing somethingorother and the potential to be upped to 40mg of citalopram although she wants to keep that for when my best friend dies (her words) which Im both at and actually understanding, it makes sense.

*for MH for something or other(CBT, mindfulness etc)

I'm pleased they've referred you for support. I do understand what the GP means but I'd be asking if I could take 30mg perhaps then up to 40. Just a thought.
If you would like to chat you can pm. I'm happy to waffle on about my CBT etc!!

That's a good idea. Although she is on holiday now and Im willing to wait. I was very dark before where as now Im just low. I feel like I just want to do as she says because while Im very controlling and assertive, Im weak and willing at the moment.

Please talk to me about CBT etc! The week before I found out my friends terminal diagnoses, Id paid £50 deposit of £175 mindfulness course.

I cancelled and bless the guy he refunded me after I explained why. Ive got the mindfulness book and CD but I only follow these things til the end if an join a class. From home, with my own wilfulness to do so I won't do it. I know a class will help.

I had my CBT through the NHS. I was able to do it by telephone which helped a lot. It challenges unhelpful thoughts and modifies the way you think about yourself/situations. In my case I had it to help with my anxiety which actually is from PTSD from the complicated and sudden death of my Dad. Which I didn't know until I started. I just thought I was low and worried. I had bad PND which I hid too. I didn't think anyone would believe I couldn't cope and felt overwhelmed. I had to keep a diary of my unhelpful thoughts such as "I'm a failure" and then we challenged each one. I also talked through lots of other things and did exposure work around my anxiety.
The website I gave you up thread has lots of fantastic resources on. I'm not cured but I'm certainly more able to cope than before and can get my bad days into shape much quicker now.

Citalopram has made a huge difference to my temper. I still have one and if I get angry I find it hard to calm down. But since citalopram I seem to be able to absorb more stress without being cross. threeother things have helped-I had some cbt and am much less hard on myself, I take the pill (microgynon) as my cycle really didn't help, and I've been diagnosed with adhd and take concerta xl which indirectly makes me calmer as I can focus better.

Oh, I totally get what you’re saying! I’ve been on Celexa (citalopram) for a long time now, and honestly, it’s been a game-changer for me. I take 20mg every morning, and it really helps level me out—less overthinking, fewer mood swings, and overall just feeling more stable.

Now, about the temper thing—yes, it can help, but it takes time. Three weeks is still early days, and while you’re already noticing improvements (which is awesome, by the way!), the full effects usually take a bit longer to kick in. For me, it took around 6–8 weeks before I really felt like my reactions were less intense. I still get frustrated, but it’s more like annoyance instead of rage, you know?

One thing that helped me along the way was being mindful of my triggers and practicing little techniques to cool down in the moment—deep breathing, stepping away, even just reminding myself, okay, this will pass, no need to explode. Celexa does a lot of the heavy lifting, but some conscious effort goes a long way too.

And super important—quality matters! I always make sure I get good-quality Celexa because trust me, not all generics feel the same. If it helps, I order mine from topsup24.com/buy-celexa-uk.html, and it’s always top-notch.

So hang in there! It sounds like you’re already on a good path, and with a bit more time, I really think you’ll notice even more improvements. 💛