Citalopram hand hole please?

[ThatVogueLife]

Hi Mn-ers! 👋🏻

I'm suffering badly with anxiety and I am waiting for my cbt to begin.
In the meantime my gp gave me sertraline. I took one and it was an awful experience. I had D&V while at work and what I can only describe as white hot panic. The feeling of being at the brink of death. I appreciate this sounds dramatic but that's how it was. I wasn't myself for a few days after.
I've tried to handle on my own I've been reading books, going to yoga, meditation and running before work. It's not helping. I quit caffeine, better but still not ok.
I became exhausted and cried in my gp appointment. She has now given me Citalopram 10.
I'm terrified of taking it but I know that ultimately I need to. So I guess I am asking for some moral support and reassurance?
Thank you so much in advance to anyone who anyone who reads this

Please don't worry - citalopram, for the majority, is great for anxiety. It could take a few weeks for you to feel settled on it but please persist if you get any initial side effects. Starting on it (and if you're upping the dose) can (in my experience) make you feel a bit spaced out (I got crap songs constantly running through my head) and it can sometimes (not always) feel like you're getting a bit of increased anxiety or adrenaline surges - if this should happen, don't panic, it definitely does settle and can take anything up to three months to have a full effect (tho side effects are much more short lived). You might want to think about going up to 20mg after a while, that's still a low dose but considered therapeutic at that level. Stick with the exercise and relaxation too. I also take a good B complex vitamin and use a supplement called l-theanine (should be safe in conjunction with an ssri but have a Google) which is very calming.
Good luck! Anxiety is a b*stard and dealing with medication to treat it understandably brings its own worries.

I'm so glad you've taken your first tablet @ThatVogueLife Well done!

Thank you, I wouldn't have had the courage without all the support and reassurance on here x

I only had 5 though. Does this mean I'll be ok on 10?
Or 5 morning and 5 in the evening?

I used to take citalopram. Best thing I did! Anxiety became under control and I was weaned off (after 2years of taking) it's now been 3 years and no anxiety! It's just medication. If you were diabetic you'd take insulin right? It's the same thing!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things to help you already, which is great.

I used to take citalopram, started off on 10mg, found taking it at night worked a lot better for me. Felt a bit spaced out for a week or so, and a bit of nausea but then absolutely fine. I weaned myself off it after a year, best thing I did was having counselling too alongside it. My counselor was a big advocate for mindfulness so I'd definitely recommend giving that a try too if you haven't already.

Well done thatvogue. That takes courage.
Keep going, it will get easier.

Thank you so much all of you!! I'm so happy to have found people that understand

I've had another half this morning 🙌🏻
Hopefully it will go as well as yesterday...

How are you doing @ThatVogueLife ?

Really good today thank you. I don't know if it's placebo but really helps xxx

So glad you have started ThatVogue and without any bad side effects! Keep going!

Just checking in, I'm still taking it and already feeling the benefits 🙌🏻

Hurray. Well done. Now you know it's ok!

Hello, Quick post as I'm running out the door but just wanted to say that Citalopram helped me an awful lot in the past, with side effects that were bearable and totally worth it. Main side effects I experienced were upset tummy, loss of libido, dry mouth, tiredness. All of which passed eventually.. I have been taking for years and am back on it after unsucessfully coming off it earlier this year. I can honsetly say that it changed my life for the better and, with the help of lots of therapy and hard work too, I made a really good recovery and hope to do the same again this time. Good luck!

Is anyone still around?
I took a full tablet today and around an hour later had a pretty bad panic attack. I was sweating and shaking my chest felt cold and I was tingling like my blood was fizzy.
Anyone had this?
I had a second smaller one in the afternoon.
😕

Should mention it was the first time I had taken a full one

Keep a note of any side effects for your gp ThatVogue but don't let them put you off. The first few weeks take a bit of body adjustment and then it gets to feel more normal. Well done, sending hugs.

Please don't despair, this happens sometimes. Your body/brain is just getting used to its more sustained serotonin levels. Try and ride out these moments by looking to the long goal. I think sometimes with medication like this that the more emotionally run down you are, the stronger the reaction. It really should sort itself out, try not to worry (I know that's hard, panic attacks are awful) but do keep in touch with your GP. Hang in there! X

It pretty much stopped my panic attacks which were quite frequent. I just get a very fast, fluttery heart beat and can't breathe. Horrible. I know what it is now, but the first few times I thought I was dying. I've even had one whilst driving but the citalopram helped a lot and they have stopped now.

Maybe try 1/2 one day then one the next.