Anyone taking Citalopram?

[SPARKLER1]

Doctor has just started me on them.
Just interested to know if you have taken them and if you found they helped. Some of the side effects sound a bit worrying but I have taken them as I am fed up with feeling so low (have been now on and off for 3 years).

I don't even know if these are the things that are making me like I am or if it's a biological thing. Sorry to ramble on.

I am surprised that the doctor is advising against counselling when most of the research suggests that a combination of counselling and medication seems to work best for most people. If you feel you would benefit from talking all this through then push for it. My story was much like yours in that I finally went to the doctors when ds was about 1 and was diagnosed with pnd. I went on ads for about 6 months and then came off because I felt better. 6 months later I was depressed again and I realised that I had been unhappy for a really long time - long before either of my children were born - and that it probably wasn't pnd at all. I went back on ads and this time stayed on them for a year and I also had some counselling at this time. Like you I couldn't identify any one reason why i was depressed but the counselling definately helped. I have been off the ads for 18 months now and still feeling ok. I thought that all the stress I am under at the moment would have made it come back but it hasn't.

{{{{{{hugs}}}}}} Sparkler. You ramble away sweetie. Just be kind to yourself right now.

AMN - that's scary you sound so like me except I left it too long both times around. 12 months to admit to first one and then nearly two years the second time. How do you find counselling helps you then? I think I may have identified the things that could be bothering me but I can't understand what a counsellor could do to help me get over them. Surely that's something I need to do myself? I find it all a bit confusing.

I felt like that and since I also have a degree in psychology and experience of counselling from 4 years of working in a drug/alcohol rehab i also wondered what she/he could tell me that I didn't already know. (OMG that sounds arrogantbut i think you know what i mean). In the end I decided that since knowing all that stuff and trying to analyse my self had done sod all to help me so far that anything was worth a try. It was hard not to try and second guess the sort of things she would say etc but I found that just talking about all my feelings really helped. Like your dh my dh doesnt understand what I was going through so its hard to talk to him about it. he just wants to make everything ok and feels unhappy and guilty that he cant. Talking to the counsellor was really theraputic because i could say anything and she wasn't going to be hurt or frightened and she wasn't going to judge me or hold it against me. She also picked up on things that I had decided were unimportant. Something we always used to tell the residents in the rehab is not to be afraid to ask for help and also that just because you maybe could do it on your own doesn't mean you have to. The help is out there for you so take it - you don't have to do this on your own

Thanks AMN. I shall definitely ask GP for a referral.

Have had a busy today doing lots of fun stuff with the kids but I am exhausted. Am sat in bed now with the laptop barely keeping my eyes open. Have felt ill all day today - probably due to the amount of wine I consummed last night but will not know if it's the tablets contributing to it or not.
Gonna get a good night's sleep tonight and hopefully things will look brighter in the morning.

Had a long sleep last night about 14 hours worth but woke up at 1am and couldnt get back to sleep for two hours. Not used to it. Still feeling sick with headache (no alcohol had last night} so shall have to keep an eye on that in case tablets are a cause. Does anyone else get these symptoms?

bump

Hi Sparkler - how are you feeling now?

Not too bad thanks. Had another busy day today so not really had time to think. Still feeling a bit nauseous and dull headache though. Must read through leaflet to see if these are side effects.

As I haven't felt as low for the last two days I'm beginning to wonder if I should have started these tablets. But I know that I have felt really really down and tearful and something had to be done about it.

That's a good idea to read the leaflet. I was going to offer to look them up in my trusty BNF tomorrow!

thanks

I was prescribed these tablets after having ds2.
I was very reluctant to start taking them, as I had heard all the horror stories about side affects & read the leaflet!!!
Anyway, I was told that these tablets are the least likely to give you bad side affects, by the nurse & eventually gave them a go.
The tablets helped me cope during a difficult period & I had no horrible side effects at all.
I would say to give them a go, as they were fine for me!

thanks blueteddy. I am definitely going to continue them until I see GP again in two weeks time. Dh is out at work tomorrow and dds are both at school and playschool all day. Things will be a lot quieter around here so I'm not sure how I will feel tomorrow.

Haven't had time to read all posts but, I took citalopram for a few months for PND.
I had PND after first baby - no treatment - lasted 18months at least.
PND after second baby - went straight to GP at 6 weeks when panic attacks and anxiety started.

Side effects - I had dizziness and problems sleeping for the first fortnight - because of this I took my tablets in the morning, hoping that it would mean I would have less in my system by bedtime. The side effects wore off after a fortnight and I felt a bit better.
I also had weekly counselling which I was a bit sceptical about but was prob the best thing ever - just talking things over with the counsellor picked up on things which I had completely not noticed.

By the time my baby was 11 months old I was off ADs and finished counselling - I am fine, healthy and happy again. Hope you will be soon.

I was put on citalopram in oct after delevloping pnd after the birth of dd2 unfortunately I had adreadful allergic reaction tot hem and ended up in hospital!!! thats just me, they basically gave me a tachycardia attack. I was then put on dothiepin which worked better for me, not taking anything at the mo as am expecting again( dont ask!!) I am having cbt therapy which seems to be working better for me as a lot of my probs centred round panic.

Hi Sparkler, how are you feeling today?

Thanks for asking. Still feeling headachy and tired. Kids are both out at pre-school and school today. Just been pottering around doing housework. I know everyone tells me to rest but I feel good too when the house is tidy. Feeling a bit tearful too.

Sparkler, I seem to remember from an earlier thread that you live in Poole, so do I. If you'd like to we can meet up for coffee sometime. I'm not really a trucker with hairy hands, honest.

That is really kind of you ANM. Am not really feeling very sociable right now TBH. Hope you don't mind. I have also been without the car for nearly a week - been in garage and we hope to have it back today. Perhaps when I am feeling a bit more positive about things we can get together. Where are you then? x

In Parkstone. Don't worry if you're not feeling too sociable - I've been there so I know what its like.

Thanks. I used to live in Parkstone as a kid.

Whereabouts?