3 weeks on citalopram

[Sparklestrawberry]

I started 10 citalopram exactly 3 weeks ago.
Mainly due to crippling anxiety and to try and control my IBS symptoms.
By the end of week 2 I started to feel calmer but by week 3 the anxiety has returned stronger than when I first started taking it.
Anyone else experienced this?
Just need to be reassured that what I’m going through is a normal side effect and eventually the anxiety will go away

I wouldn’t call that a side effect as such.
Is it coming up to your period? Seeing such a big swing in anxiety might reflect that.
Is this a difficult time for you? Are there particular stresses at this time of year?
Have you had more alcohol in the last week or a worse diet?
I would be journaling all those things to see if you can find a pattern and seeing your doctor again. You often need to gradually increase the dose of citalopram to find the amount that is right for you.

After two weeks I had a manic feeling of needing to get everything done, not being able to still, had to keep busy. It settled. Speak to your GP about titrating your dose until they find the sweet spot. For me it's like normal life but with the worst of the sharp jagged points cut off. It gives me the power to approach difficult situations more calmly rather than dulling everything right down.

Thankyou for your help, I started taking HRT a week after starting the meds so I’m hoping it’s just a double whammy of my body being given new drugs and it will soon settle

It took 6 weeks and an increase in strength for me

It takes a couple of months for your body to get used to AD medication so don't be surprised to experience different feelings. It will get better but can be quite scary at the time. I found with AD meds that it simply masked the issues and when I came off them after about 18 months the negative feelings I had slowly came back. I since realised you need to do other things to try and overcome the anxiety to try and find the root cause of the issues. I used Hypnotherapy and a technique I hadn't heard of before called Silent Counselling which was very effective.