***Citalopram Buddies... ;o)***

[ShinyHappyPurpleSeveredHeads]

Well.. jumping in on the act of the other "buddy threads", there seem to a shed load of us on citalopram.

How many of us are there exactly?

What dosage are you all on? Is it working?

I'm on 10mg for anxiety. It certainly takes the edge off the panic feelings and stops me waking up with that dreadful, crippling anxious feeling, as if my stomach's in a vice. But being as things are a bit crap at the moment, I do feel generally down even though I've never been technically considered depressed (just suffering from lifestyle induced anxiety!)

DH is on 20mg. Similar reasons, slightly different symptoms.

We have been on it since June.

I came off mine (sensibly) a month of so ago but the horrid panic came back and I just couldn't face all that again. It makes life "un-do-able" and I have a lot of stuff that I have to get done everyday/responsibilities etc. So not sure what the answer is but I certainly don't want to stay on anti depressants forever and GP originally mentioned a 6 month time slot.

What are other's experiences?

PS I hate the "no orgasm" side effect of citalopram!! It really really bothers me.. main reason I wanted to come off it.. but I hate the anxiety more! Anyone else on it suffer in that way?

Oh lord, this thread is me. I'm on 20mg now after being on a higher dose since DD was 4 months and the anxiety was extreme because of going back to work when she was 2 months old. She is now 22 months and I came off them once and felt straight back under.
Wouldn't have been able to get through a house move and DH without a job without them!!

Still get the feelings of anxiety but it subsides.

Does anyone else get the dizzly, displaced feeling if they forget to take theirs??

I haven't forgotten to take them yet - there's always a first time though!

Hi all

Have been keeping tabs on you allbut little time to post. Welcome everyone

Pennytee - I find that too - I have forgotton a few times generally I rememebr and take it in the morning but once it was a full 24hrs and I certainly felt a bit weird then

Went out last night with work and got very drunk but had a fab time and felt absolutley fine this morning no hangover or anything.

I have been feeling really positive recently even to the extent that my counselling will be finishing at the next session - we both agree I need to spread my wings without that safety net

Hope you are all doing well

Spring, has the counselling helped? When I went to the doc last week, my dh insisted on coming to so he could ask for counselling for me.

I drove past my work yesterday and had a panic attack. I don't think I shall be going back.

I'm really sorry as I've only read OP, but I was on Cit when I was suffering from PND, but didn;t feel any benefit, I changed to Prozac and it was fantastic.

I'm the other way around, Hopey. I was on Prozac and turned into a zombie. Citalopram, on the other hand, has really helped. I guess it's an individual thing.

Yes, absolutely. x

itsa - yes it has helped loads and loads. Hard to explain but lots of issues I did not even realise I had have been resolved and I have so much more energy, plus I am so calm about things, I no longer fly off the handle (well most of the time )

well the doc said he will start the ball rolling for it. I had some way back when I was 16, but I can't really remember what happened. I'm a bit worried about what issues it will throw up, if you know what I mean.

yuk
on day 3 and feel disgusting, but very difficult to tell if it's the pills, the cold/fluey thing we all have (have just taken DD to emergency out of hours doctors) or my period. A combination of all 3 I should think.
but oh, I feel dreadful

Hi ladies, don't know how I've managed to miss this thread before?!

I've been back on Cit now for 9 months - it really does work for me. Like a couple of you, Prozac poleaxed me - I was literally catatonic but feeling extremely anxious and panicky at the same time .

For me, 2-3 days after starting Cit are the hardest and my panic seems to peak at that point, but quite quickly settles. I think its a recognised side effect, that it can temporarily increase anixety and panic feelings.

I'm now 18 weeks pg and still taking 10mg daily. Seeing the perinatal psychiatric team in 4 weeks to discuss my options. Had such a crap time when pg with ds (undiagnosed AND) that I cannot bear to repeat that experince!

MrsJ, it's prob a combination of all three. I felt really odd to start with but it passed after a couple of weeks, so stick with it.

Hiya CaptainC and welcome Is it safe to take the Cit when pregnant then? That's good to know coz DH wants another baby soon. Mind you, I need to shift a couple of stone before then. Grrrrr I hate diets.

Hi captain C whats AND?

AND= ante natal depression. I was actually much better after having ds than I was whilst pg!!

Itsahardknocklife - my lovely GP rang a local psychiatrist and the national drugs unit to check if I could take Cit whilst pg. Very little research, small scale studies which showed a 0.05% chance of baby having raised blood pressure at birth, when the mother had been on a 60mg dose of Cit throughout pg. Basically there isn't enough research to say its safe, nor enough to say its unsafe - so the general line is don't take it (to be on the safe side!). However, when you weigh up those tiny odds compared to the positive effects taking cit has on the mental health of the mother.....my GP and I agreed it would be good for me to keep taking it, given the crap time I had with ds. He was only 5lb7oz at birth, I'm sure it's coz I spent weeks 34- 39 of my pg having near constant panic attacks and barely eating anything!!

sorry for long post there!

CC am sorry I meant to point you in this direction a while ago, I think its because I mainly lurk here!

Itsa there were issues I swore I would never talk about that we dealt with calmly and sensitively, plus others that I did not even know I had. I can only say it has helped me enormously altho I am still learning about the 'new' me and making mkistakes when I practice new techniques!

And I have learnt so much I can see things in other people and understand why they are reacting as they are and it helps me not overreact but deal with them knowing the underlying reasons . Still early days but things are going well .....

MrsJC as the others have said the first few days on cit are the worst, then for me it got better and better; hope it works for you

Welcome Captain C and congrats on the pg; I got pg when on prozac but stopped as soon as I realised. Good to know there is one antid that seems OK in pregnancy

Evening all.

It's been a bad, bad day for me today. Woke up feeling okayish but all day I've felt achey (used to feel achey constantly when I was really low and before I went on meds) and tired. I have been snapping at DH, tearful and feeling like everything is an effort - even DDs have been irritating me for asking me simple questions.
I've been taking Citalopram for the second time now for about six months on 20mg - next prescription I am supposed to me trying 10mg. Not sure how I feel about that now after feeling like this today. How can things go so well for such a long time and then one day I feel like shit - and there isn't even any particular reason why I do feel this way.

Oh sparkler - could it be the worry of reducing the dose that has stressed you out?
Sending you nice thoughts

Ah bless you, you are kind. I haven't been worrying about the reduced doseage to be honest. When the GP asked me how I felt about reducing the doseage about a month ago I was quite happy and excited to go ahead. It hadn't even crossed my mind until I posted on here.
I don't know why today is the bad day.

How are you feeling this morning. Sometimes some sleep makes it better - if you can sleep, that is!

Mrs JOhn Cusack

I am on day 4 today and also hav e a horrid cold - sure that's not helping.

Have you had much sleeplessness? MIne is unbelieveable.

Hi all new Girls and Welcome.

God this thread is great now there is more people about. I had been on 40mgs for a while and for the past 2 weeks been on 20mg. I actually feel ok at the minute. Nearly burst into tears at work the other day but apart from that fine. Girls we all have bad days but think when you are on Ads its just seems 10times worse.

hope you are all ok (sending out a big hug)

thanks for the hug x

Still feeling fragile today. I took myself out for an hour and left the kids with DH. Went to leisure centre and did a body balance workout. It did help and I came home feeling a little more relaxed. I can't deny I'm really looking forward to bedtime tonight. Have to take my my mum to the hospital visiting this evening as she doesn't drive so won't be able to relax until at least 8pm tonight.