Should I start taking Citalopram at Christmas?

[trixielulamooon]

I've been prescribed 10mg of Citalopram. I've been reading up on some of the side effects, nausea, tiredness etc for the first couple of weeks and wondered if it would be daft to start them now just before Christmas.

They've been prescribed for anxiety which mainly stems from work, I've been signed off until the new year. Day to day without the work stress I'm coping quite well with the odd moment of panic usually occurring when I'm alone.

My kids will be at their dads overnight on Christmas Eve for the first time this year. I know this is going to affect me but am worried the Citalopram may make me feel even worse and if I'm nauseous I won't be able to enjoy Christmas Day with them when they come home.

I'm not worried about taking them and if it was any other time of year would have started straight away. Based on your experiences would you agree that it's wiser to postpone starting them until after Christmas or just get on with it?

Thanks.

I've not been on citalopram, but have found other ADs have given me slight feeling of motion sickness at times in the first couple of weeks. Can also cause drowsyness which may affect your ability to drive which is worth bearing in mind. All ADs tale a couple of weeks before you start to feel the benefit which is worth taking into account too.

Hi!
I take Citalopram.If I'm completely honest with you you will feel absolutely wiped out & spaced out for the initial couple of weeks.Having taken AD's in the past I was aware that this would happen so I chose to start on a less busy week where not much was asked of me and I could manage without driving.
Obviously your situation is different as you're just signed off until the NY,so I would suggest getting all your Xmas stuff out of the way i.e. shopping,food prep,cleaning etc then start taking them.
Be kind to yourself

I started this at 20mg just over month ago and I have had no side effects apart from lack of orgasm.

I take 20mg and have done for a year. It made me feel anxious, sick and out of it for a month.

I don't think there's ever a great time to start this sort of medication but my advice is to take it early evening as it has a sedative effect and can help sleep, also you may not feel so tired as you would if you took it in the day!

Side effects generally only last 3 weeks before your body becomes accustomed to it and you may not get any side effects at all! The only ones I had were tiredness and needing to go to the loo every morning at 5am but i've just learned not to drink too much tea or water after 8pm.

The side effects are a possibility but they are seldom as bad as you think they'll be. Also 10mg is such a low dose I didn't notice any side effects until I increased to 20mg. Good luck and have a great christmas!

Thanks for all your replies. I think I'm going to get Christmas Day out of the way and then start taking them and hope that if there are any side effects they are minimal x

That's a sensible decision.Be realistic & kind to yourself and try to keep things as easy as you can at home such as meals etc,the dcs won't suffer if they don't have a cooked from scratch meal for a few days!
Wishing you all a lovely Xmas