New to citalopram- positive experiences

[Monkey130]

I’ve had issues with anxiety - general and health- for sometime. I thought my restating the combined pill it might help even moods out, but it made rhem worse. To the I had 2 panic attacks. I was reluctant to start at antidepressants as when I prev tried ( albeit for only a couple of days) they gave me horrendous side effects.

i reluctantly agreed with gp to being signed off for 4 weeks and starting citalopram.

i am on day 7- first 2 days I didn’t feel too bad- actually felt good and less tense. But since I have had horrendous nausea, lack of appetite and am not eating much. Having loads of palpitations, anxiety through the roof- worse than before I started- especially bad before I get out of bed, and extreme tiredness. I take 10mg and take it on the morning as I am terrified it will affect my sleep if I take it at night. Sometimes it does affect my sleep even by taking in the morning.

i know that these are all common side effects and should pass, but with my health anxiety I am terrified that they won’t get better and I’ll feel this rubbish for ages.

today I got up and took kids to school- with help of my husband - it was my son assembly and I really struggled to sit there for the 25 mins- I was so anxious. I couldn’t speak to anyone afterwards. I came home and went back to bed for an hour.

I feel I can do nothing else other than sit on sofa watching tv. My husband is really helpful and sitting most of stuff for kids- but I need to know this will pass soon!

It’s increased my anxiety so bad that I can’t even face the school run thinking what if I feel weird and pass out whilst I’m dropping my child off. So I won’t go. I just feel a failure the last few days. I want it to hurry up and pass

@Chloe18x I’ve just got into bed again as I’ve waved my husband mad kids off- he’s doing the school run in morning and between him and my mum they’re doing pick up. I feel so guilty.

i was more than able to manage doing the school run before taking this. I have been very anxious ( perhaps more than I realised) for some time. House and country move, multiple new jobs and a difficult 10 yo for the last year all contribute, alongside health anxiety. I started taking the contraceptive pill to see if that evened things out but it made it worse- and I believe that’s what set off my panic attacks.

like you just getting by hour by hour waiting for the side effects to pass.

how much are you on? I’m only on 10 mg

Yes I was totally able to function day to day but I’ve now had to take the week off and being self employed I now feel like I’m failing my business as I’ve had to shut off for the week and now I can’t even do the school run I’ve just cried my eyes out feeling like I’m getting worse even though I know the side effects are bad the first few weeks I keep thinking it’s just that. But then on the other hand I’m petrified what if I’m just feeling worse and never going to feel better again.

yes I’m only on 10mg.. I take before I go to bed and it has made me wake a few times in the night but nothing too crazy.

todays probably one of the worst I’ve felt. I’m awaiting a dr call back to make sure what I’m feeling is normal 😢

I have taken these in the past and had reasonable results. As you say, the side effects pass - this was a week in my case. I only stopped taking them because it transpired I had Bipolar, and not just straightforward depression. As you will know, it can take a few weeks to get the full effect of antidepressants. But if you have concerns just go back to your GP. If you don't tell them, they won't know there is a problem. Keep talking, and be kind to yourself. GL

@Chloe18x i felt exactly the same- that I was gojng to go through these horrendous side effects and not feel any better, but I know the alternative of not taking them isn’t great either.

Ive only just started a new job and the GP has signed me off for 4 weeks but I think it might need to be longer. I feel like a complete fraud- as the new team don’t know me and won’t know I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t completely unnecessary- although one of the panic attacks was at work so they’ll hopefully understand

i hope the Gp is reassuring and that you get through today. Maybe get some comedy on Netflix? I’ve just binged loads of films and Apollo sessions. It was a bit of distraction from how rubbish I felt

I take 20mg and it has been working really well for me.

It was prescribed after a breakdown leading to suicidal ideation. It took about 2 weeks to see the positive effects and finally get a sense of 'normality' back in my life.

No side effects beyond a dry mouth for the first few days.

No intention of stopping it as it is really helping me! :)

It's like being in a storm and you just have to hunker down in your little boat until smoother waters arrive.

Go slow now.... in order to go fast later.

If you look after yourself now and give yourself this time to recover, you will get back to your usual self.

"I’m just worried it’ll not work and I’ll be stuck"
You won't be stuck. You may need a slightly increase of citalopram but just see how you go and give your body a chance to get used to it.

If you google Therapyinanutshell on Youtube there are loads of free videos by an American therapist called Emma McAdams. She's very good and very down to earth.

There are some paid for stuff on her website, but most of it is free stuff that is just as good.

@Seaweed42 thanks- I’ll have a look for therapy in a nutshell. I’m trying to slow things down in my brain, and in my actions but it’s hard when I’m used to the go go go of life- I think this was part of the problem.

@Monkey130 it’s been horrible! Have got support so it’s taken some of the sting out of it, glad you have some too it’s so important. I’m just so impatient and desperate to have the old me back

You'll get there OP. I'm 6 years in now after starting it for anxiety and PND and it didn't take long for me to start feeling myself again.

Also, it can keep you awake at night so take in the morning.

10mg is a starter dose to lessen side effects as much as possible. Your GP should up to 20mg asap.
My GP would always prescribe Lorazepam in addition to Citalopram to help the anxiety until the A/D depressant kicked in. Unfortunately, Lorazepam seems to be a forbidden drug now. The ‘morning’ anxiety is always the last symptom to go for me.
When you have been on the higher dose for 6 weeks or so I really would hope that you feel like ‘you’ again.
Sending you a handhold as anxiety is utterly & totally horrible.

@Chloe18x
How are you feeling today?
I actually felt like 50% of normal yesterday evening. Was nice to feel it. Although I did wake up at 3 with feelings of anxiety.

hoping slowly slowly the days will get better.
❤️‍🩹

@Yarnle
glad you’ve got some support- it’s just a waiting game isn’t it. Hoping each day to see a little improvement 🤞

Thanks for checking in I was actually going to message you this morning too!
last night around 6pm I felt really good that I even cleaned the house and got a wash on!! Went to bed with no fast heart for once! But this morning I’m really feeling it I feel bad again.. but I need to do the school run and I think that’s what’s triggering me this morning! I’ve got the shakes and fast heart!

how are you feeling? xx

I've been on citalopram twice for around 2 years each time.
I had extreme nausea, insomnia, shakes, heightened panic feeling, electric shock sensations, a foggy feeling, heavy tiredness, palpitations and other side effects. But after around 4-6 weeks then side effects do lift.

I did switch to taking it around 8pm though as I found it helped with the tiredness, and stopped it affecting my sleep as much.

Bare with it, no AD comes without it's side effects and I've tried several. If your still feeling like it's really not working after an month though go back to your GP as they're others you could try.

@Monkey130
Thanks for checking in I was actually going to message you this morning too!
last night around 6pm I felt really good that I even cleaned the house and got a wash on!! Went to bed with no fast heart for once! But this morning I’m really feeling it I feel bad again.. but I need to do the school run and I think that’s what’s triggering me this morning! I’ve got the shakes and fast heart!

how are you feeling? xx

@Chloe18x this morning the anxiety is there again, but I think it is less than before. I don’t feel quite so horrendously tired- still didn’t feel able to do the drop off- but hoping to get out a bit later to go to the post office. Having another easy day

@NeverMindIGuess when did you swap to bedtime. I’m worried it will make me feel anxious at night and then I won’t sleep well. Was the inking I might give it to 4 weeks and if the side effects are better then maybe I could swap then.

@Monkey130 I take my pill at around 9pm then go up to bed, I’ve not been too bad taking it at night it hasn’t interrupted my sleep too bad! I take it at night as I hear a lot of people who take it in the morning feel really tired by lunchtime.

hope you get to the post office even one little task a day can make you feel better that you’ve accomplished something no matter how small it is.
i almost feel guilty not doing anything and like it’s on my mind more of how rubbish I feel.
but in ways it’s quite comforting knowing I’m not the only one that’s feeling this way and having an easy week.

x

@Chloe18x i know what you mean by feeling bad not doing anything. I am trying to look on it that I am resting both my mind and my body. But know I need to start getting up and moving/doing stuff otherwise it will be harder in the long run

@Monkey130
I've done it two ways:
Take at 8am as normal, then just took the next dose at 8pm (but this does increase the insomnia for a night or two)

Or taper it so you move it back slowly
2 days at 10am
2 days at 12pm etc. til you've moved it to the evening

It may be worth checking with your GP though as I'm not a medical person and couldn't advise the best way to do it.

It does get easier, the first couple of months starting an AD is hard, it feels weird and you have a lot of physical stuff going on with it but the ongoing result of being able to manage the anxiety is worth it in my experience.

But as I say there are others that may just suit you better if your still struggling after 4-6 weeks.

I'm sorry to hear you and other PPs struggling and I hope you begin to feel the positive effects soon.

@NeverMindIGuess thanks- I think I’ll give it a bit longer and then speak to gp about moving the dose.

today I feel slightly tired and very jittery/shakey- I hope that this will also fade. It makes me feel very weak- almost like I’ve got no energy- but i am back to eating again so shouldn’t be that. Has anyone else experienced this?

@Monkey130

good morning, how was the post office run?
I survived the school run this morning and feel in a better mood about it.. had a bit of a downhill yesterday afternoon with symptoms feeling abit dizzy and weird!

going to go on a little walk up the field shortly then have a chill day at home pottering.

am I right in thinking we’re on the same day of taking the pill? Day 8? We’re just over half way through the worst bit of it hitting our system. We got this 💪🏼

Hi OP, I have been on 10mg of Citalopram since April 2023. I feel hesitant to write this as I remember feeling like you do so well but it actually took me six weeks to feel better. I had been prescribed twice before and stopped quickly as ‘nothing happened’ Last years episode was so bad I felt I literally had no choice but to persevere. After six weeks I just woke up one day and realised the morning anxiety/dread/hopelessness had gone.
As you asked for positives, I think this is possibly the first January ever that I don’t have even low level low mood, I promise you, this too will pass, you really do have to just look after yourself and ride the wave.

@Chloe18x I’m doing ok. Today is day 13 for me. Last night I actually had an hour of 2 where I didn’t even think about anxiety! It was weird. Didn’t feel 100% normal but much improved. Slept really well and woke up again with anxiety. Although my son had a cross country race and as I’m off he was desperate for me to go- it was quite a drive down a busy motor way so I went- anxious the whole way but my mum was with me. I really enjoyed being there- felt like getting out of the house and doing something normal was good for me. I even saw a kingfisher fly over the river ( I’m a bird geek)

feel absolutely knackered though- so not back to normal self yet- but I do see a glimmer of hope…

I hope your walk was peaceful and that the fuzzy spells don’t last too long.

@MyAmaryllisSeemsDead tha on you so much for this reply- it’s really helpful to hear that not everyone gets better by 2 weeks- knowing it took you longer gives me hope and motivation to keep going.

i too reached a point a few weeks ago having panics attacks where I had no option- not doing something was worse than doing something. I am also pleased to hear your still on 10- i am reluctant to have to increase the dose too much as id like to come off as soon as I’m able.

i will keep perservering and waiting for the day when the anxiety is gone completely 🤞