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Mental health

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Original poster

could i cut the 10mg tab in half & take 5mg instead?

23 replies

alexa1 · 31/10/2006 18:22

i am reluctant about going from nothing to 10mg what if i cut the tab in half that makes 5mg right? then move on to 10mg. has anyone done this?

OP posts:

lulumama · 31/10/2006 18:31

no... it will have barely any effect... please take the meds as directed.....going from nothing to 10 mg is reasonable and the side effects should not be too severe....i started on 20 mg of ADs and eventually ended up on 175mg.....you are prescribed a starting dose to start you off..then you should be reviewed....and dosage increased or kept the same regarding....

why are you reluctant?

MacabreMe23 · 31/10/2006 18:34

hi, I went straight onto a 20mg dose of citalopram from nothing because that is what my doctor recommended and i was fine, part from my sleep beibn disrupted but that only lasted a week.
10mg is a low dose as it is I would take it as it is, I doubt 5mg would do anything for you tbh.
It can be daunting starting ad's for the first time, but the results can improve your life so much
just tell your doctr or pharmicist if you have anu inusual side effects, but it is rare.
good luck
x

Piffle · 31/10/2006 18:37

also cutting some medication can affect the wya it is absorbed, can be very dangerous, leading it to be it being absorbed more quickly or being made ineffecive by over zealous stomach acids.
Don't do it, if you don't feel ready take the whole tablet and talk to your doc about a lower dose or that you are not ready to come off them yet...

Piffle · 31/10/2006 18:38

sorry read thata s though you were coming off them, but either way don't cut the tablet...

Original poster

alexa1 · 31/10/2006 18:40

lulamuma - because of the bad experience i had with citrolopram. i only took 10mg and i couldnt sleep, felt spaced out, felt boiling hot and sweats, awful nightmares,and one of the reasons i am supposed to take AD's is because of panic attacks and anxiety. i break out in sweats in public situations.
i know i need something to help me but i also think well, i have put up with feeling like this for 4 years now and i dont know if AD's are the answer. the side effects are so awful i dont want to feel worse.i know of 2 ppl on AD's and cant get off them.
sorry, but i do have a negative feeling towards them. i might not bother and just start taking the st johns again. i only took them for 2 weeks then forgot to take them. they seemed ok. i went to the GP with the hope of having a referral for CBT but she was adamant i take AD's (cheaper option probably).
sorry to ramble

OP posts:

lulumama · 31/10/2006 18:47

ADs in themselves are not addictive....you need to come off them slowly... and there are so many different ones. tranquilizers & sleeping tablets are addictive, they are not ADs

IMO -

you should ask for a referral to a psychiatrist

to have such an extreme reaction to an AD at a low dose sounds unusual..... i saw a consultant psych and was prescribed a new and excellent AD, that started working very quickly..

a psych has a much better understanding of the chemistry of depression and how to treat it than a GP, IMO

it sounds like you don;t have faith in your GP so you need to try another avenue......you can conquer this

please don't get caught up in negative stories from others

did you see my post on your CBT v Counselling thread....

lulumama · 31/10/2006 18:47

how long were you on citalopram for?

zippitippitoes · 31/10/2006 18:54

I think the problem is that you tend to get the side effects before the benefits sometimes, it's quite common to feel worse before you feel better..they need 2-4 weeks

lulumama what ads are you on if you don't mind being asked?

lulumama · 31/10/2006 18:56

i don;t mind zippi... am no longer on ads,but my last prescribed medication was Venlaflaxine....worked like a charm for me

had

citalopram

seroxat

lustral

all in varying doses..they didn't help as much as Venloflaxine

had 4 years of severe depression..only resolved when referred to a psych.....had CBT, counselling, the works!

lulumama · 31/10/2006 18:57

this was a a couple of years ago.sorry, the drug was fairly new then.....

Blandmum · 31/10/2006 19:04

You need to come off them gradually, and you should only do this under the guidance of a doc

lulumama · 31/10/2006 19:08

MB- she is starting taking them not stopping!!

Original poster

alexa1 · 31/10/2006 19:23

thanks for your replies.
i still don't know wheter to take them or not. i will think more about it then decide.
i feel i need to do/take something to get me through university especially doing exams and presentations.
i have reflexology once a month which helps or at least it did and i felt less anxious but it doesnt seem to be working lately.
the breaking out in sweats is something that bothers me more than anything. i sweat my hands, face and uderarms. this only happens in social situations.
it means i am restricted to what colour clothes i can wear because of the sweat patches. anyway, i am waffling again. sorry.

OP posts:

manamana · 31/10/2006 19:45

hi - i am now in my 3rd week of taking ADs, cipramli 20mg. For the first week I suffered v badly from disrupted sleep, nausea, shaking hands and generally feeling spaced out...was v frightened that the side effects wouldn't stop but after a few days i was sleeping through again (14mo permitting!), by the end of week i was shaking, by end of 2 weeks nausea was v mild in mornings and cured by eating breakfast. I am now feeling so much more stanle and able to cope, I'm really pleased to be doing something to get myself back to 'normal'. From what I have read on these threads different ADs cause differnt reactions and just because you had a bad reaction doesn't mean you'll necessarily have a bad one this time. But, as others have said on here - if you're really worried go back to ypour gp (or another gp in the practice) and talk about your concerns/ask for a referral to a psychiatrist. Good luck.

manamana · 31/10/2006 19:46

ooh dear, bad typing - should read... by the end of the week i had stopped shaking...and am now feeling more stable!!! Must be Halloween!!!

fubsy · 31/10/2006 20:12

Ive had a couple of periods on citalopram and I got very jittery for the first few days. Stuck with that one tho as other people I knew said they had worse side effects on others, esp seroxat which I think can make you quite nauseous.

10mg is a pretty low dose anyway. I was advised to cut the pills in half only when weaning myself off them, as they can cause side effects if you come off them too quickly.

zippitippitoes · 31/10/2006 20:18

is it escitalopram..in which case it is available as 5mg so suggest you go back to the gp and ask for 5mg tabs

fizzbuzz · 31/10/2006 21:08

When I was put on lustral which is an ssri, I was also given valium to take during the first 4 weeks as the ssri's can make you feel really weird for 1st 4 weeks. I'm on amitryptiline now, much calmer experience than either lustral or prozac, much prefer this older type of drug.
Someone mentioned CBT in this thread. Really fantastic book called "Feeling Good Handbook" which is CBT in a nutshell. It really stunned me when I could identify all my distorted thinking patterns which were causing all probs. I cannot reccomenr this book highly enough, it really changed my life. You can get it on Amazon. Note that I had always poo-poohed CBT as rubbish, until I got this book how wrong I was.....

Original poster

alexa1 · 01/11/2006 08:47

fizzbuzz - just bought the book. cant wait to have a read. hope it helps.

OP posts:

fizzbuzz · 01/11/2006 11:10

Yeah!! Best of luck, it's like a workbook, you have to write down things in it.
It works, but challenging negative thought patterns is the hardest work I have ever done. It's not diffiicult, but it is very tiring! Stick with it though it works!

melbournemum · 06/11/2006 06:16

hi there
I've been on a 'half' dose, from 10mg to 5mg for a couple of months. I do just cut the tablet in half......I went away for a long weekend and forgot to take the tablets with me, had an awful time with headaches and nausea so wanted to go back on slowly which is why I took a half dose when I got back. I'd been feeling good for a while so decided to continue with the 5mg and have been absolutely fine. I'm not sure whether or not I should have done it medically speaking but my personal experience is that its been fine.

Original poster

alexa1 · 06/11/2006 08:55

hi there. when i was prescribed citalopram 20mg the doctor told me to start off on 10mg and to cut the tablet in half for 1 week then move onto 20mg. i didn't get on with citolopram so stopped taking it.
i think i will try starting on the 5mg then move onto the 10mg. in fact, the GP asked me if i thought i needed a 5mg which is prescrbed for panic disorder or a 10 mg which is prescribed for anxiety and i said whatever so she gave me 10mg, so i think it will be ok.

OP posts:

janet444 · 21/10/2019 17:26

I know this is an old thread, but this is important. Yes, you certainly can and should cut the pill in half and go off gradually. There are no contraindications to cutting the pill in half. If you go off citalopram, do so with the help of a medical professional. I went off very gradually on my own, and yet I still crashed. if I had it to do over again, I'd have stayed on 5 mg for the rest of my life to avoid the crashing. It's absolutely fine to cut the pills in half and take 5 mg and it's a good idea if you're trying to go off the medication. Now they also have a liquid form.

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