Citalopram side effects

[Oliversmummy19]

Is anyone willing to share their experiences with starting citalopram please? I recently came off Sertraline because the side effects were unbearable so I'd love to know if this will be the same. I'm mostly concerned about diarrhoea so experiences with this would be great. Thanks x

I started on a low dose- very little side effects apart from some minor nausea which went if I ate (and only lasted first few days) Hope it helps you : )

Didn't get any. Great drug.

happy with it ,all i noticed was i wanted more water.Thirst went up a little but nothing bad

I was on it for around 15 years. I experienced very few side effects. Only thing I would say is be careful if you drink alcohol, it would make me get drunk very quickly and lose my memory

DH would say they made him tired, but I’d say they made him relax, which allowed him to sleep. That’s all.

is it ok to conceive whilst taking these? No plans currently but it’s something that we are planning in the next 6-12 months but worried how it may affect that

I've been taking it for a few years, it makes me tired and have gained weight. Fine otherwise though

I feel so drained and tired anyway which makes it harder to be functional - maybe they aren’t for me

Hi, I’m looking at doing the same. I’m on sertraline 100mg for 9 weeks but feel awful and I have previously been on citalopram and know they can work. The first 2-3 weeks are usually hard but it’s definitely worth it.

Oliversmummy19 did you ever start the Citalopram? I’ve been prescribed these today for severe anxiety and depression. I also have very bad, daily IBS and my GP says this drug will help with all of my issues but I’m really worried that they will exacerbate my digestive issues and give my worse diarrhoea than I have already.

@JustlookingNotbuying no I didn't start it in the end. I saw a private Gastroenterology consultant who suggested trying Amitriptyline for my digestive symptoms and you can't take the 2 together. They no longer prescribe Amitriptyline as an antidepressant because the risk of overdose is too high but at low dose its really helped my digestive system and has a mild effect on my mood. It does make me a bit constipated though but I'd prefer that over diarrhoea so it's a side effect I'll happily tolerate. Hope the citalopram works for you x

I’ve been on Citalopram for 2-3 years and the only initial side effect I had was a dry mouth for a week or so when I started. Apart from that, it’s fine.

Thanks Oliversmummy19, I was prescibed Nortriptyline (the sister drug to Amitriptyline) by my gastroenterologist. I tried it a few times this year but it made me feel quite groggy, it did seem to calm my digestive system down though. I would much prefer constipation over diarrhoea it’s much more controllable. I’m scared of taking drugs so probably didn’t give them long enough (probably 5 weeks at the most). I need to try them again. Glad it’s working for you.
Did you have anxiety as a result of you digestive issues? I can’t seem to get through to my doctor that it’s the IBS and diarrhoea which is causing my anxiety, if that goes/settles then I am calmer in general.

@JustlookingNotbuying yes exactly that! I was having awful diarrhoea which was new for me, had lots of tests done and the whole thing just made me really anxious. Was initially started on Sertraline which made the diarrhoea 100 times worse so came off that and it settled but I still felt really delicate. The Amitriptyline makes me tired but it doesn't last forever. I've been on it before and once the tiredness stopped I was barely aware of any side effects. Hoping it'll be the same this time round x

None, way better than sertraline which made me faint