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Mental health

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Original poster

Insomnia on Citalopram

14 replies

roisinagusniamh · 09/12/2018 17:32

I'm wondering if anyone can help/advise me please.
Due to a very stressful work issue I have been experiencing anxiery attacks at night causing insomia. I started taking 10 mg of Citalopram on Friday morning and experienced some sleep disturbances that night but last night was awful . From about 3am onwards I could not stay asleep . I kept dropping off but waking abruptly. It was like the meds were causing me to feel pumped up, iykwIm. I also feel very low today (whereas I was only suffering from anxiety before I started on the meds)
I am also taking HRT (since Feb) and have been fine on it.
I have taken Citalopram in the past and was fine with it almost instantly, so, not sure what's going on this time .
Any suggestions ?

OP posts:

Elsasalterego · 09/12/2018 23:36

My experiences with insomnia, anxiety and citalopram are that it was the anxiety that caused me to wake and citalopram to be able to combat this andme be able to sleep. Sounds to me that you havrnt been on the citalopram long enough for it to kick in and have an effect

Original poster

roisinagusniamh · 10/12/2018 07:31

Thank you Elsa .
How long did it take to take effect for you ?

OP posts:

tiptoetobed · 10/12/2018 09:32

Hey roisin, I’ve got no experience of citalopram, but I just started on sertraline on Friday and am also feeling pretty low whereas the my main issue was anxiety before starting it. So it’s reassuring to hear that someone else is also experiencing that after starting an AD! How are you feeling today? Fingers crossed things start to improve quickly for both of us.

Original poster

roisinagusniamh · 10/12/2018 10:53

Hi tiptoe, I felt very low all day yesterday but , a bit better today. The anxiety is still there though , but less so and I actually feel a bit hungry today which is good.
The anxiety was so bad last night that I had to take a sleeping pill .
Are you sleeping well?
What dosage are you taking?

OP posts:

FruitCider · 10/12/2018 15:17

Hi OP, this (along with sexual dysfunction and a dry mouth) is very common on citalopram, I used to take it as soon as I got up but that didn't work so I switched it to just before I went to bed and that seemed to be better, apart from having very vivid dreams I did sleep better! X

Poudrenez · 10/12/2018 15:35

I had these with Sertraline during the second period that I took it, interestingly i slept fine during the first period. Sertraline and Citalopram are in the same class of drug (SSRI). I would advise taking it in the morning, this helped me a bit. In the end I switched to Mirtazapine and now sleep beautifully, although some people gain huges amounts of weight on it (I haven't).

Original poster

roisinagusniamh · 11/12/2018 08:25

Thank you for your replies.
I woke at three alst night and feel absolutely wretched today.
So this is day 5 on 10 mg .
I'm not sure I can cope with the lack of sleep for much longer.
Elsasalt, how long should I give it for the insomia to subside?

OP posts:

Elsasalterego · 15/12/2018 21:44

I'm sorry to take so long to reply. I hope the sleep is getting a bit better now. For me it took about 6 or 7 days to kick in. But I also took some nytol for a night or two to get into the routine of having a good nights sleep. It's just an antihistamine that makes you drowsy but it helped break a cycle and then the citalopram took over from there

BifsWif · 15/12/2018 22:23

I was prescribed citalopram for anxiety but given diazepam alongside because citalopram can temporarily heighten anxiety before it kicks in and start working.

I couldn’t handle the side effects personally but I do know it can take a few weeks to settle in and start working.

Original poster

roisinagusniamh · 16/12/2018 10:57

Thank you for your replies.
By day 7 my anxiety was beginning to lessen and my sleep improved .
Been to see my doc and she wants me to up the dose to 20 mg but I am so worried that the side effects will come back with the increased dose . She said it's not likely .
Any experiences of going from 10 to 20 and the outcome ?

OP posts:

SauvingnonBlanketyBlanc · 16/12/2018 11:07

I used to get it so my go changed me onto escitilopram which is less likely to give insomnia,works for me

SauvingnonBlanketyBlanc · 16/12/2018 11:07

KarBB · 19/12/2018 07:35

I had insomnia for several weeks when I started on citalopram. It was horrible. Dr prescribed sone sleeping tablets but they didn't really work & made me feel really groggy the next day. It did pass eventually & was totally worth it as now my panic attacks and constant crying have stopped & my anxiety is mild, compared to off the scale!

KarBB · 19/12/2018 07:41

I went from 10 to 20 to 30 over about 4-5 weeks. By 30, things started to improve. Hard to say whether it's the dose or the time but I've settled on that now.
Regarding sleeping the GP suggested I take the meds first thing in the morning to reduce insomnia. Not sure it made any difference but you could try.

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