Citalopram for anxiety

[Windywel]

1. Hi all I have just joined this forum. Really need a supportive place to get help and reassurance. My partner is amazing but it’s not the same as talking to people who know what it’s like. I was on citalopram for 4 years for crippling GAD and health anxiety. I’d had it for years but it got worse after my father died. I can off in April as I was feeling better but after stopping my IBS got worse and then I started fixating on that and my health anxiety came back and then the GAD. Now I feel anxious all the time again and really worried about the IBS. I have started taking the cit again. This is day 4. Did 2 days of 5mg and yesterday took 10. Feeling really anxious and sometimes panicky all day yesterday and today. Worrying that’s it’s not going to work again and I’ll be stuck with feeling like this. Just need some reassurance that it will work again and it’s normal to feel heaps more anxious when starting it. Many thanks

Lots of hugs to you!

I’m 2 weeks in on Amitriptyline and I definitely have increased anxiety. You are not alone and this specific ‘issue’ is stated in the leaflet. Unfair side effect? Oh yes, it’s cruel 🙄

I feel for you all - it is indeed a cruel irony that a side affect of adjusting anxiety meds is....anxiety.

You have to trust that they will work.
In the rare event they don't, you can get alternatives.

Give it at least another week and trust that each day will get a little better. Also make sure you get nutrition down you. I'm sure you have no appetite at all but no nutrition will make you worse. Have protein shakes with milk or ask docs for something like Fortisip. Not eating makes you feel shakey and crap on it's own xx

Thanks all - can you have the increased anxiety for a couple of weeks and have the medication still work? I was really hoping it might have started to ease by now - day 7 today of 10mg but had another bad night last night.

Thanks limensoda - did you have the increased anxiety for several weeks before it started to ease? Did the propranolol work? I have some but I’m too scared to take it

19Windywel

Yes, I was still anxious for several weeks. I couldn't go anywhere because i kept having very bad episodes and was always tired. I did go for short walks around our estate and started doing Thai Chi for beginners, just 10 minutes a day at home.
The propanolol 80mg slow release one a day, started to work properly after 7 days. It stopped the rapid heartbeat and adrenaline. The anxiety was less intense.
I understand how you are feeling. I was impatient for the meds to work and thought I would never feel any better but these thoughts hinder your recovery. You have to tell yourself every day that you are strong and that you are getting better. Every time the anxiety takes hold, take deep breaths, accept it and tell yourself 'ok, it's here again, but it will ease off' and try to concentrate on some thing else.
Someone told me they would go and do something energetic to burn the adrenaline up.
I think you are doing well, you are managing to work, so praise yourself for that and anything else you achieve.
I wrote down how I was feeling every day and included positive things. When I look back on what I wrote I can't believe how bad I felt compared to now...and Its only been four months now which seems like four years to me!

Accept where you are, knowing it is improving. I was so annoyed that others felt better after a few weeks but I wasn't.
The doctor explained you can't compare with others because everyone's levels of anxiety are different and we all have different personalities.
You will improve!....believe it.

BTW, ...I was scared to take any meds. I drove the doctor mad asking questions and resisting anything he suggested. I was more scared of the meds than the anxiety. In the end I had to accept them.

Limensoda - such a caring reply ♥️

@Windywel I’m the same place as you are although 17 days in and on another antidepressant. The start up anxiety is the same though. I’ve been through it before with SSRIs so if you feel for it you are welcome to send me a pm with your name. In my experience it’s a bit easier to connect on FB x

Thanks so much Limensoda and Maria - I so appreciate your replies. Was feeling slightly better earlier this evening but now having an awful experience - like an hour long panic attack - just started out of the blue wasn’t having any anxious thoughts. Was feeling a little better so my husband convinced me to get something to eat after work and got me a white wine spritzer when we arrived (a few hours ago now). Stupid idea I know. We had some Japanese and I was ok until near the end and then had this awful thing. Like burning down my arms, across my shoulders and chest and down my back. And now my legs are all shaky - keeps coming in waves, over an hour now. This is clearly a medication side effect as I wasn’t having this before I started them and I wasn’t thinking anxious thoughts when it started. I think I’ll have to take something to help with it as I’m so tired but will never be able to get to sleep like this. Which would be better to stop this - the propoponal or the lorazepam? Thanks so much

27Windywel

You may not have been thinking anxious thoughts just before the panic, but you may have stored them up.
When the panic starts, try to slow your breathing and don't fight the panic, starting to think that it's terrible, you can't stand it etc... because that feeds it. You know it will not kill you, you know it will pass, so talk to it, Think, "OK anxiety, I know you think you are protecting from danger, but I'm fine,....I don't need you thank you."
Anxiety attacks are your body trying to protect you from danger,...except there is no danger. You need your body to do that if you are under attack, so your body is working just fine. That's why it's important to practise positive thoughts every day.
Every time you have a negative thought,...challenge it. It's not a quick fix, but over time it builds up and works but you have to think positive thoughts even when you feel ok,...always.
My partner would just hold me when I had a meltdown....and I would just breathe and accept it until it passed....and it always does.
There's no harm in taking something else, like propanolol to help you...so long as you continue to practice relaxation and positive thinking.
Get your doctor's advice on which med to take. Sending hugs x

Definitely the Lorazepam ♥️ Lots of hugs to you.

You can take propanolol long term....but benzodiazepines can only be taken for a short time due to addiction risk....Propanolol has discontinuation issues so has to be reduced slowly, but is not addictive as it doesn't affect the brain in the same way as benzodiazepines...it just slows the heart rate and stops you producing adrenaline that increases the anxiety.

Can I join in the discussion please?

I've just taken my first 5mg dose of citalopram for anxiety, after sertraline was a terrible failure.
I already take propranolol when I'm really bad, but try not to take that too often.

I'm really worried I won't be able to cope with the beginning side effects of citalopram. I had sertraline a little while ago but had to stop because I basically couldn't get out of bed and do anything, let alone look after my 2 DC's.

How long should I be taking the 5mg dose before upping to 10mg? (It's actually a 10mg tablet but I've cut them in half)

Thanks again both! I made it through the night without taking anything. Panic attack last just over an hour and I went driving to take my mind off it - often do that when my anxiety is bad at night and walk during the day. Anyway it went off after an hour or so and I came home and managed to go to sleep. Then woke up at about 3.30 and was awake for an hour or so feeling really anxious and started fretting about muscle twitching. Finally got back to sleep and sleep until 8am. Pretty intense anxiety on waking more fretting about muscle twitching which I still have but trying to tell myself it’s just all the anxiety and probably not helped by the fact that I’m hardly eating at the moment (probably only about 5-600 calories a day). Anyway anxiety maybe not quite so bad as yesterday but hard to tell. Thanks for listening, Tamsin

Still worrying about whether it’s normal to have such intense anxiety at the start or whether it means I’ve become intolerant to it - thoughts?

35Windywel

You sound so much like I did at the beginning of my meds. Thinking about it all the time and fretting about every symptom. I talked about it constantly and drove my family mad.
Yes, it IS normal to have intense anxiety at the start of meds until they kick in, that's why it's so important to do relaxation and repeat positive thoughts regularly.
I know it's all consuming and it seems there is no end to it, but there will be.
Many people just take the meds but do nothing apart from that. Meds don't 'cure' anxiety, they ease it and make it easier to cope, but you have to explore other treatments like cbt or counselling to get to the bottom of your problem.
Consider some of the tips I've mentioned previously. There are help lines you can call for reassurance when you feel really bad.
I always felt better when I called the nurse at our GP practise.
I lost 14lb because I couldn't each much and the anxiety makes you burn more calories too so eat little and often.

22rollrollroll

Why are you cutting your pill in half? Did the doctor tell you to?
Doctors usually start you on a low dose, which I would think is 10mg,...then up it after one or two weeks.
10mg Citalopram is really low so don't be afraid of it. I resisted every med suggested at first through fear, then I blamed the meds for how I felt when it was, in fact, the anxiety making me bad.
You need a regular dose of Propanolol for anxiety, not just odd doses here and there. I was on the one a day slow release capsule, which helped with the anxiety after one week.
Tell the doctor your fears. You WILL cope. It's not pleasant at first but give it time.

Thanks so much limensoda - such good advice. I just have to trust in the meds. I have been doing relaxation at night which has been helping me. I managed to eat a little breakfast and dinner tonight and went to the movies with my husband to try and distract myself. I know I have a lot of work to do. I am seeing a psychologist so hopefully that will help. I just have to believe there will be an end to it.

@Seahorseshoe What old fashioned medication are you on, please? X

50Windywel

Seeing a psychologist will help a lot. I wish I could have. Instead I had some private counselling and it helped a lot.
Keeping anxiety at bay depends on what changes you make I your life, attitude and behaviour. . If you just take meds and don't make changes, you end up on meds permanently, or get repeated episodes of anxiety.
Many people are happy to do that and many cannot make changes for various reasons.
We all deserve help though x

Hi, I know this is an old post but I’m in a very similar situation to yourself and starting Citalopram a second time around and really struggling. Did it eventually work for you second time around. I’m on week 7 now and while I’ve had good weeks where I feel anxiety have gone I now feel back to square one. No appetite and feeling so anxious x

Hi Annie - sorry you’ve having such a hard time. Yes! It did work. It took a good few months to really work and in that time I had quite a few blips, but got there in the end. I did have to go up to 30mg for a while but have been on 10 for the last 18 months. Just stay the course - you’ll get there!

Thank you so much for replying. This gives me hope I will get better xx

You absolutely will! Xx