Talk me through citalopram

[Nogodsnomasters]

I have so many mental health problems I don't know where to start, health anxiety, emetophobia, PTSD, germphobia and more. I've tried everything except for medication because I am terrified of medicines and their side effects. I've had counselling several times different types including being in therapy right now but it's not stopping this and my anxiety is getting worse year on year as well as physical health (IBS, acid reflux etc) and I'm struggling to cope.

I've decided today that I am going to ring the GP tomorrow and ask for medication. I've been warned off sertraline by 3 different people and recommended citalopram by a few friends plus hubby takes it so I'm going to specifically ask for it.

I am genuinely scared shitless of putting this in my body and it making me feel worse than I already feel right now as I'm honestly hanging on by a thread and can't afford to feel any worse than I already do. Nausea as a side effect scares me due to my emetophobia. I was wondering if it's worthwhile cutting a tablet in half and starting off on 5mg for a while to start off with.

Can anyone give me any good stories?

Why are you swapping over? I would love to have a buddy thank you so much. I'm just afraid of my own shadow at the moment.

I have cyclizine! I was worried I couldn't take them together because cyclizine is an antihistamine of sorts and can cause drowsiness I was worried I'd be increasing my chances of drowsiness by taking both together (I need to be able to drive). I overthink every scenario I'm sorry.

@TTPD can I ask how you got on with your antidepressants and has it helped your phobia in any way?

I am swapping because I find the Sertraline makes me quite tired. I’ve been dealing with it so nothing to worry about, but at my review the GP suggest a change to see if it improved.

That makes sense. Hopefully this change will help. Have you taken your first one yet? I'm going to take my first one on Saturday morning. I have a lot of driving to do tomorrow so don't want to risk feeling spaced out or drowsy, on Saturday I can stay at home.

I had night sweats on citalopram but no other side effects, and before very long I was functioning again. I wouldn't hesitate to take it again if I felt bad again. Prozac didn't agree with me but citalopram saved me.

How long did the night sweats last for you, can you remember?

I took my second one this morning and so far feeling fine. No nausea and my normal level of tiredness. I don’t take a Sertraline today as I’m swapping to every other day for those for a week then stopping.

Surprised you've been warned off sertraline as it is known to be the gentlest AD with mild side effects and is especially good for anxiety.

I've tried several over the years (but not sertraline) and the one that worked best was Citalopram. It got rid of the depression but not my other feelings, whereas some other ADs just flatten all feelings. On Citalopram I felt like 'myself' again. Warm, relaxed, upbeat. It was an absolute life-changer.

BUT... because it was so helpful I didn't notice the side effects creeping up on me. I put on a lot of weight and became very sleepy. Life turned into a sort of slow-paced warm fuzz. But I was on it for years and years. Looking back, I realise I should have tapered off it very slowly once I'd felt fine for about 6 months.

My tip if you are nervous is to taper onto AD medication more slowly than GPs recommend. Lots of MH sufferers know this, even though GPs claim it's not necessary. Get a good pill cutter and take half the prescribed dose for the first week or two and then full dose. Coming off them, I tapered even more gradually. But that's not relevant right now. Do expect some side effects for the first week or two. Plan an easy week. You may feel a bit queasy but you won't be sick, so don't let emetophobia stop you. You may feel light headed so try not to do strenuous things that week. But none of this was terrible. Even if you get mood swings, remind yourself that this is a sign the medication is active in the right area of your brain and it will settle down.

If you have tried everything else, I do think AD meds are very helpful but use them as a tool. Once you feel okay, add all the other things in life known to keep depression away - excellent nutrition, low sugar, lots of exercise, creative hobby, social purpose such as volunteering, regular connection with friends, family, local community, adding new things to your life on a weekly basis, planning your diary with stuff to look forward to each week, month year etc. Once all this is pretty routine and smooth running in your life, and has been for about six months, taper off very very slowly, and focus on keeping the non-medicated mental-health lifestyle in place. I finally did that and have now been off medication and very happy and balanced for about five or six years.

Oh yes, I forgot the night sweats PP mentioned. Just have a spare pair of clean PJs by your bed for quick change in middle of the night, and if they are bad, flip the duvet over in the night so the damp side is aired and the dry side touches your body.

OP, FTR, every single person I know who suffers from anxiety has had best results on Sertraline. I don't have anxiety, my symptoms were straight depression and citalopram was a miracle, but I am interested in why so many people have put you off Sertraline. I know five people who had acute anxiety cured by Sertraline - four of them came off it quite quickly (after 6-12 months) and the anxiety never returned and one is still on it, at a low dose.

I've had server anxiety/ depression for over 30 years.
Been in psychiatric hospitals.
What works for one person doesn't always work for another.
I've been on Prozac( made me suicidal) yet my daughter likes it.
Seroxat.. left me numb with no feelings of either anything.
Trazadone .. didn't mix well with my other medication.
Amitriptyline..just made me feel sick.
Citralopam.. after a year on it.. l felt all my symptoms became worse.
I've been on Sertraline for a good few years and it's the best one for me personally.
But l do also get prescribed diazepam now and again.

I was on it for a short time (about 4-5 months) it definitely worked and improved my mood. I also felt really tired and sleepy a lot and loss of sex drive completely.
This may sound obvious but what do you do in terms of helping your health? Eating well and exercising?

Citalopram was the first med my DD took. It worked fabulously for her anxiety. I think she started on 10mg. But yes OP if it will help you cope, you can split the 10mg and do that for a couple of days, then go up to the 10mg. 10mg is a very low dose, so don't be concerned if your doctor then increases it. My DD ended up on 60mg. No side effects at all.

She only changed from it because it wasn't working for her depression symptoms.

Good luck, I hope it helps for you.

Just to reiterate, as others have said, side effects can vary so much from person to person, and you may need to try more than one medication. It's worth it though, because if you find one that helps it could change your life.

I get fairly bad side effects from every single antidepressant I've had, and it's been a few. I've always persevered as the side effects aren't permanent, and I will feel better within a few weeks (for most people they seem to work quicker than for me!)

Citalopram can make me feel nauseous at first, but it's more like a lack of appetite than feeling really sick. They've never made me vomit, and no one I know that's had them (quite a few people) have ever been sick either.

If you have more trouble sleeping, the doctor could give you a short course of sleeping pills to help. Good luck x

Severe post natal depression was the one for me. Suicidal. Couldn’t stop crying. Couldn’t leave the house. I tried fluoxetine, didn’t work. Sertraline, didn’t work, beta blockers, didn’t work…
citalopram… absolute wonderful drug. Started on 20mg, now on 40mg (the top dose)
It changed my life. I’m still on it 6 years later and I’m thankful for it. I wouldn’t be here without it

I've been on citalapram for years. It takes the edge of my anxiety and lets me function as a human. When I started it I had dizzy spells for a couple of weeks and felt a bit nauseous - lasted two weeks and I was fine

And you're starting with 10mg of citalopram? That's great that you have not noticed any side effects so far after 2 days.

One friend said they made her so exhausted she couldn't function to look after her children and was falling asleep everywhere plus night sweats.

Another friend said they caused her to have feelings of suicide which she'd not had before.

And my 3rd friend said they made him feel bipolar, really high and happy one day and very low the next for four months straight.

Those three accounts from people I know personally plus what I've read online about side effects is what has put me off them. Two of these friends moved to citalopram after trying sertraline and had better results, the 3rd friend didn't try anything else as the sertraline has put him off.

Thank you that's exactly what I need to hear.

Wow. That would put me off too. I am sorry for your friends that they had such bad experiences.

Hey OP I am in a similar position. I’ve been prescribed it for anxiety, insomnia etc which has gone on for many years. It’s been sat in my cupboard for two weeks because, like you, I am scared of side effects. As I have a real problem with insomnia I am worried it’ll make it worse. I have 10mg too.

Yes exactly it's put me off massively. The GP really wanted to give me sertraline but I told her how frightened I was by friends stories and she said she'd been told of good results with sertraline but I just couldn't get past the experiences of my friends.

I didn't find Citalopram helped much. Sertraline was much more effective but I had horrendous night sweats. Fluoxetine was the best option for me

Thank you for your comment, so glad to hear I am not the only one. Have you ever tried any anti-depressants? I haven't. My husband has cut a few of the tablets in half for me using one of his razor blades so I am going to attempt 5mg in the morning. Do you think you could try the same thing, cutting in half? I have terrible sleep too and I have frequent nightmares from PTSD so I really don't need anything messing with my sleep any further than it already is either. I am so scared for tomorrow but I have promised my husband that I will try.