Side effects when increasing citalopram dose

[Annie175]

hi,
I have been on 20mg citalopram for 8 weeks and while I have had a few good days the anxious and insomnia is still bad. Dr have increased my dose to 40mg but I’ve taken 30mg as I’m really worried about the side effects. Have anyone experienced bad side effects when increasing. My anxiety is bad but it was bad before the increase.

DH was on 40mg for several years. His only side effects were feeling tired ( although I’d say they relaxed him so he was finally able to sleep) and libido.

Citalopram is particularly known for this in the first two weeks of an increase. I went to my GP in floods of tears and that's what they said. It got better but I had to be 100% consistent with the timing of it in the short term.

Thank you. It’s an awful feeling, I feel like I’m never going to get back and be able to return to work x

Hi Annie
Thanks for your post. I am in the same boat as you. Please can we support each other. I was on 20 for 9 weeks. Now on nearly week 6 of 30mg. Yes unfirtunately I did have the side effects, which to me are horrendous honestly, much like starting over again (ugh dip in mood, increased anxiety diarrhoea, decreased appetite etc) i am still waiting on feeling better mood. I feel that I am very sensetive to the meds. I am off my work too. Its very tricky. Im annoyed that its taking long. I know I shouldnt be impatient, but I have hubby children and a job. Im the same, i wonder if I will make it back. However, i was like this 4 yrs ago and I did get good, so need to keep the faith. Have you had this before? Xx 😘

Hi milkybob,

so sorry your still not feeling well. I’m on day 6 of increased dose to 30mg and I feel so exhausted and anxious. I did sleep last night but I don’t feel any better for it today. I take my tablets in the morning and wondering if I need to swap to the night. I do start to pick up in the evening though but go to bed and get uo
in the morning back to square one. I will be 9 weeks on citalipram tomorrow. I’ve been off work 12 weeks and I’m so desperate to get back. I too have very supportive husband and children. We will get there we need to keep positive xx

Did you get better on citalopram before. I was on citalopram 7 years ago and it worked well for me but I was never this anxious and never experienced any nasty side effects like this time.

Hi Annie
Yes I was on it before from 2020 to about 2023. I thought I was doing so well, so I weaned off beginning of the year then started feeling low again this August. I had a rough time going on the meds last time and ended up on 40mg and got well on them. This time I think ....its been rougher going on, and the increase to me feels like a restart. Some say it does take longer going on the second time. This time, when I got to 8 or 9 weeks, i thought I was getting there, but just not quite, so I went up to 30. Part of me now wo ders if I should have watched and waited. I think my anxiety this time has been absolutely horrendous, and im not really normally a "totally anxious" person. I understand that the dip in mood and anxiety, diarrhoea etc is all to do with your body throttling back its own serotonin, and this creates the fear / anxiety, worse mood, etc until things even out, but oh my my it is a very strong test of patience. Some people seem to go on them with very little side effects. I feel so sorry for my family with this mumpy face. When I was well the last time...eventually you just take the pulls and feel normal, but this time it seems to be taking a while to get there. Argh xxx keep on keeping in touch. Xx

just remember it worked for you before and will work again. I’m exactly the same not really an anxious person but this anxiety is crippling me. I’ve lost so much weight because I’ve got no appetite. I started to feel like my old self week 5 then week 6 went back down hill and so dr increased my dose last week. Told me to take 40mg but I was scared of side effects so I took 30mg. I’m praying it works soon I’m starting to loose hope if I’m honest. I feel like I’m never going to get better and this anxious nervous feeling will be with me forever x

Im the same! The anxiety is just not me. Ive never written on a forum in my life, for example! I normally work nhs, have a farm, holiday cottage, 4 kids, ....granted, naybe I was too busy,,, and now at best I wash dishes and make the tea. I think my.mood has maybe improved a wee bit, but still not myself. How is your mood? Mine is like you, worse in morning, but a wee bit better at night. Although sometimes I wonder if its just coz u can look at TV with a straight face. Im not seeing my friends because I have reduced interest and scared they will not like me like this. Its just sh*tty. I pray we both recover. Xx

Yes, im normally a great eater. Ive lost about 2 stone. Did the citalopram help you before? Xx

Yes it helped before but I was nowhere near as bad as this. My mood is low too. I work for nhs too. And the first time ive ever been on forums but I find I’m scrolling on them all day. We are very similar. I have every faith we will recover from this and we will look back on this awful time in a few months and it will be nothing but a distant memory xx

Hi Annie
I can't seem to get private messaging. Just wondering how you are doing? XxxHeather

Hi, I can’t private message either, I’ve been thinking about you. How you doing? I’m really good, a long time coming but I got there 🥰 xx

Aw Annie that's great, are you coping okay with work too?.

I was doing really well from end November as i told you, till about mid Jan. Then I took a blip or a set back, I waited with it for about 3 weeks, but no real improvement. The anxiety was fierce and mood low. So I went up again to 40 after discussion with GP. Im at that bit at the moment, when you know you are better than you were, but you are just waiting on them "kicking in" a bit better if that makes sense. Im really hoping that the 40 will kick in and continue to help and build me back together. I was on 40 last time and Id say i recovered on 40. Please God. I hope to gwt back to work once i am a bit more cheerful as ai know it will hwlp me, but I know I have to be good due to our line of work.

Please let me know how you are getting on. Have you been really well, any wee blips, work etc. Thanks so much for getting back to me. It feels like Long Lost Family! Ha ha xxxxxxxx

Strange how we can private message anymore isn’t it. You will get back to yourself on the 40mg now in no time, keep focussing on how far you come since the beginning. Yea I’m really good, still on 30, no blips I’ve been great since November so I’m hoping it will last. Work is going great I’m enjoying being back, I’m going out in community soon which I’m looking forward to. I miss our messages, I often think how your doing. Keep going? You’ve got this xx

I have been on Citalopram for 10 years and have been fortunate to have no side effects, I started on 40mg and got down to 20mg till covid hit then had to go back up to 40mg.
I will be on them the rest of my life but they give me balance.

Aw Annie, I literally just checked Mnet there, and you had replied! Nobody knows us, so Im happy to chat here unless you want to somehow contact elsewhere. I dont know what the rules are. Aw Im really, really glad you are back to your self, its amazing and Im sure that being back at work, helping others also helps you feel complete again. And boosts all your happy bits! For me Im just wishing i had just gone up to 40 from 20 (because im so impatient) but hey ho, Im at 4 weeks on 40 and I do believe I have turned a corner, just this week. So fingers crossed and corkscrewed right up to the knuckles! I just want to be me again, back to work, back to our kind of work etc. I know I miss our chat too, we were cybertwins! I even imagine how you look and your couch and dog ha ha...like a radio DJ, you just imagine how they look, from how they sound. Yes, we will just keep in touch. Dont worry, I wont pester you, but its so nice to have a pen citapalopram! Xxxx love H xx

Hi lovecheese. Thats great that they help you. Im going to be on them for life i think too. Once they settle. I hope i get back there soon. 😃