Citalopram help

[jaydensdaddy232]

Hi all please give me some advice, I am on day 7 of 10mg citalopram and I feel awful. I lay on the sofa with no energy and Bad nausea and headaches at the back then I start panicking that something else is wrong or just side effects? Thank you.

Definitely follow drs advice - 6 weeks sounds sensible to me but don't be afraid to go see the dr before then even if just for reassurance. I had weekly then fortnightly checkups with my GP who was very kind.
Another thing I remembered this afternoon was that I used an app called Elefriends which Mind, the MH charity, make to connect with others going through a similar thing. Also I rang a local NHS MH helpline a few times when having panic / depressive attacks in the night & they listened very patiently & calmed me down a bit.

I had one today and thought about throwing in the towel! But I took a diazepam and calmed down and went to sleep for a bit. Woke up cried a bit  but am feeling better now.

Hopefully at the end of this 2nd week on 20mg I will start feeling better (I hope).

Please tell me this gets better?! I feel so sick

Hang on in there! It definitely gets better...

Are you able to eat & keep food down?

I am managing to eat and drink and keep it down yes but it's really depressing me waking up feeling like this.

Plus on Tuesday I had a glitch like a panic attack I suppose and had to stay in bed all day. I scared something is wrong.

Please peeps help me through this tough time I don't know who else to talk too.

Hia

I'm on citalopram for panic attacks. The initial phase is the worst but after two weeks it calmed down.
They don't stop the panic attack you can still feel the tension but they stop my going into a full blown panic attack. Feels like I'm getting wound up and up and up and then it stops.

If you really don't like them do go back to your gp. 20mg is usually the starting dose. I've been up to 40mg myself but found it too numbing so with the advice of my doc I reduced to a level I am comfortable with

Hi, I've suffered from panic attacks at all in my life, I went cold turkey on citalopram and it all started now I'm on them properly and 2 weeks in but I want to give these at least 6 weeks as advised but I just get scared now thinking I'm dying. I don't want to change antidepressants and get another load of side effects as this is affecting my work and home life now. I'm in a dark place right now 

Sounds like it might be worth going back to your GP to discuss your dose. Do you have people at home you can talk to? Are you seeing a therapist? What about some coping strategies for when the anxiety peaks? - I did a lot of running & going on very long (eg.20k) walks a way of distracting myself & getting a bit of relief. Also swimming helped.
If you're into reading I found 'the worry cure - how to stop worrying & start living' helpful as well as 'feel the fear & do it anyway'.
I had a colleague who was suffering from PTSD & she found relief & distraction through baking cakes... we are all so different I'm not sure if there's a one size fits all solution

I also took 40mg for a while & even 50 for a bit (since then they've changed the guidance & don't advise going above 40) and panic attacks were one of my worst symptoms.

I txt was meant to say I have never suffered from panic attacks, I just want the nausea to go away! And then hopefully the citalopram will cover the panic attacks. I really appreciate everybody's comments on here and most of you are saying stick with it so I will try a bit longer.

You may be able to get some additional meds to help with nausea - I know there's something they can prescribe to pregnant women to help with it.

I sort of scared in case there not panic attacks and could be something else wrong in my head. Could you describe a panic attack exactly how it's starts for you what symptoms you get.

Like I said I have never had them but my dr says it is but drs can be wrong. Do I need an MRI on my brain? I don't know but I am so down now with all this. It will be 14 days on Monday with the 20mg.

For me it's like an acute fear that something awful is about to happen. My fear wasn't so much about something being wrong with me, more that the phone was about to ring with dreadful news that a close relative had died in a horrible accident, or perhaps that I was going to get fired at work for being a complete fraud.
But I think for others it can be fear of an impending heart attack or similar. If you are really worried then you can go to a&e any time to get checked out, or call the nhs helpline on 112. They'll be able to check you over & advise what it might be. That's what they're there for!

Mine's pretty much the same - I think every phone call or knock on the door is going to be bad news. I run scenarios about getting fired from work through my head at 3am 'practising' how I'm going to defend myself and what to say.

Since taking citalopram I've had episodes where I've suddenly sat up in bed with a gasp - like Alison DuBois in the tv show Medium. That's never happened before.

If you're more than a month in and still getting side effects, I'd ask to change personally. You're just not tolerating them, a lot of people can't. I put my foot down and said no more SSRIs and insisted on trying a tricyclic which is sort of working and much more tolerable.

We’re so sorry to hear that you’re feeling like this, OP.

We’re very sorry to say we don’t allow posts like that on Mumsnet, so we’re going to delete it now.

Please contact the Samaritans, by emailing [email protected] or calling 116 123. You can also see the resources in our Mental Health webguide.

Very best wishes from all at MNHQ.