Citalopram 10mg

[Rainbow1994]

I am 4 weeks nearly 5 into 10mg citalopram for really bad anxiety i have suffered years with it. I have 3 children one been 9month old and it seems to have got worse, i got to where i couldnt eat i was loosing weight couldnt concentrate and just panicky all the time google EVERYTHING, worst case scenario when the children are ill you name it i have done it. I hit a wall and went to the doctor. Now the doctors have tried plenty of times to put me on ADs and i have refused but this time i knew i needed. Anyway the 1st two weeks were awful i wanted to stop. The 3rd week i felt glimpses of my old self and was laughing and had energy. And this week i seem to be struggling again not like i was but its there. is this normal in the first 6 weeks? The doctor wants to up my dose but im so scared of the side effects again.
Please dont give me anything to over think or be scared of as i actually give myself symptoms!
I just want peoples POSITIVE experiences on citalopram.

Infact im lieing 2 reasons the 2nd been the side effects from upping!

Having perceived control over your medication can reduce anxiety a lot. Ultimately, it's up to you whether you up it or not. There are other things you can do to support brain health as an add on to the 10-15mg. Going for holistic health with a healthy diet, self care and (I know it makes many people roll their eyes, but the research is clear that it raises serotonin comparably to SSRIs) exercise.

You may know this, but SSRIs don't work by correcting a serotonin shortage (long ago disproven) but (best guesses) by increasing "neuroplasticity", which is really suppressed in the depressed brain, and allowing your brain to rewire itself and heal against the anxiety / depression. So I know 4 weeks feels a long time, but think of them as less a mood fixer, more an agent that allows you the foot-up to recover. To that end, I'd decide on a tolerable dose and go for it, and try not to be phased by temporary ups and downs. Doctors are quick tk increase dosages, but honestly - they (have told me they) are really punching in the dark and "best guessing". Remember - most side effects from most drugs are worse at first, and soon level out. Citalopram has a reasonably long half life, so you shouldn't get a dramatic spike in symptoms and side effects when you up / down a dose if it's done over a week or so.

@Sillymummies123 thanks again for the info. I have been out to baby group today and although i kept getting waves of anxiety and my chest was tightening and my throat i ignored it and managed to enjoy it and play with my baby. Does anyone know if i can take 10mg on a morning and then 5mg at tea time? Or have you got to take it together?

What symptoms of anxiety do people get? Just curious as my chest has been heavy the last couple days. I was in A&E last week but they said i had pulled it all. And even though the pains have gone my chest feels heavy. I have been to the doctors twice since and everything its fine its "anxiety" x

I‘m on 10mg of escitalopram daily and it’s done wonders for my anxiety. Couldn’t recommend it more. I feel much more like myself again

@stayflufft are they the same as citalopram?

I take 20mg a day and have no side effects whatsoever - I felt like you did on 10mg, I don’t think it was enough for me but 20mg and I feel like my old self, go for it!

@Cliffordthebigreddog lots of people have taken there time to reassure me on here! I have the 20mg in the cupboard! My anxiety is getting the better of me about taking them. I know i need to
Because the morning anxiety is back! And its such an awful feeling i thought it had gone but its come back!

They’re slightly different - escitalopram is better for anxiety. I’ve suffered with severe depression in the past and took
Citalopram for that which worked really well.

@stayflufft and how long before you noticed a difference on citalopram? I did notice one but seem to have dipped again.

It really doesnt help though that i had chest pains i think anyone would panic with chest pains after been checked over and told it was all pulled i relaxed a little but it was still lingering so i couldnt stop concentrating on it. And now the pains have gone its just heavy my chest so again im still anxious but like i say i have been twice since last week and everything is fine but when you have health anxiety it doesnt sit well 😫

Hi, hope you don’t mind me jumping on here. I’ve started taking HRT for my terrible anxiety and low mood, which tbh I’ve had my entire life but has been getting worse lately.

tried a couple of different HRTs and they’re not really sorting the anxiety out like I had hoped and to be honest I don’t think I can go on feeling like this. I am suicidal a lot of the time.

I’ve had a LOT of therapy over the years including CBT, it never works for long. What I want to ask is: could citalopram help my anxiety and the persistent feeling of deep sadness that I have most of the time for no reason? I know there’s no such thing as miracles but I’d love to just feel happy and carefree at last.

my GP has already mentioned anti-ds when discussing HRT so I think they’d be open to a discussion about prescribing something.

It won't be that acute - they're a long term add-on to support recovery. You'll be up and down because everyone is in life, if you get what I mean. Again - think of them as allowing your brain cells to stretch out and recover their connections, as depression (and anxiety) is characterised by atrophy in various areas and a loss of neuroplasticity. 10mg is low, but everyone's different. 10mg is available because it has a therapeutic purpose. Taking 20mg really wont be the jump I think you think it Will be. Its your call, but understand the above.

Also you can take it whatever time of day you want. It's half life is 36 hours. So if you take 10mg monday, 25% of that will still be in your body on Thursday (along with Tuesday and Wednesdays dose). Time sensitivity isn't that big of a deal when you have drugs with longer half lifes. Taking 10mg in the morning and5mg at night is fine, if 15mg a day is your target.

@Sillymummies123 Taking 20mg really wont be the jump I think you think it Will be. Its your call, but understand the above.

^^ by this do you mean im scaring myself for nothing? Or you dont think it will do anything?

What dose did you start on?

I think the former - its unlikely to make you go crazy. Remember - the anxiety already exists. That is the problem. If you have anxiety when taking a higher dose, would that have happened anyway?

The research suggests 20mg should be a bit more "effective" than 10mg, but that 40mg shouldn't be more effective than 20mg. That's been found in quite a few trials

See i think i need to calm down before i up as my anxiety is already high so wouldnt cope with it been higher.

@TheBuggerlugs no i wont take anything like that im scared of not hearing kids in night. Again my anxiety x

I can give you my experience. Bad PND and PTSD from traumatic birth of first child 16 years ago. Put on it quickly and bad side effects for 3 weeks heart palpitations etc and then it calmed and I was great for 4 years and then weaned off really slowly. Straight to 20 mg weaned off over about a year.

About 2 years off them I got pregnant with next child and struggled after the birth. Then marriage broke up with a newborn and I spiralled. Went on 20 mg again after 4 weeks of side effects felt great. Ex was very difficult and I stayed on them upping my dose and lowering from 20 mg to 30 to 40 and then back down when ex was causing less stress. Came off them after 4 years.

About 3 years ago I went through a major trauma and again went back on them and found 20 mg is great and I don’t think I will come off them. I’ve had 3 years of therapy and my life and career as a single parent and stressful career are hard.

If I go through stress in a major way I take a beta blocker and it just calms me.

I do headspace and find that helps as does ensuring I use a light box every morning (my vitamin D is low) I make myself walk each lunchtime as my office is in a basement and I make myself exercise outside each day. I’m low carbs as they make me sluggish. No alcohol and no caffeine. I also take HRT.

all year round I have fairy lights all around the garden and lounge on timers so the house feels welcome.

I reread ‘Feel the fear’ on a regular basis and also go to bed reading Chicken soup for the soul. I spend time off my phone reading, knitting, gardening, walking the dog, by the sea and try to do something good each day, for my pet, for each child, for a work colleague, a friend and a stranger and myself little pat on the back. Eg buy a chocolate bar for the postie and leave it with a note saying thank you etc
We also have family meeting and I do Project Me and journaling. I see a counsellor once a fortnight it’s £50 a session but literally saved my life.

Waiting for an autism assessment which I’m sure I am and also healing from abuse both from my parents and ex.
I don’t want to come off them - absolutely amazing for me. Be kind to yourself xx

My feeling is that diazepam can only make your anxiety worse inbetween doses. It had its uses (dental phobia, flying phobia - anything that's an acute, obvious and infrequent stressor) but generalised anxiety should not be one of them. The general feeling amongst (good) GPs is that they should not be prescribed for the issues you describe here.

There's no easy way out of a mental health difficulty sadly - it all takes time, and also a big dose of self-love (You're amazingly strong for going through everything you are going through, all the while parenting and just gosh darn functioning. Well done).

Citalopram, as an SSRI, has a good treatment response profile for generalised anxiety. My own anecdotal experience is that when it was "working" I very quickly: made more eye contact, didn't care as much about things that made me anxious (or anything, a generalised apathy). That feeling isn't the goal, but is phase one of SSRI treatment. Gradually, with the anxious ruminating somewhat quelled, your pattern of thinking is supported to change over time.

'Also you can take it whatever time of day you want. It's half life is 36 hours. So if you take 10mg monday, 25% of that will still be in your body on Thursday (along with Tuesday and Wednesdays dose). Time sensitivity isn't that big of a deal when you have drugs with longer half lifes. Taking 10mg in the morning and5mg at night is fine, if 15mg a day is your target.'

That's really interesting. I can't remember if I was on 10 or 20 mg. I found it reduced my general anxiety well so long as I remembered to take it 5 days out of 7. If I forgot for 3 days in a row that anxious feeling kicked in again.