On Citalopram, but feeling awful.

[TheodoresMummy]

Ok, this is only day 8 on the Citalopram, but I feel really awful.

I have been feeling sick since I started them. Also exhausted and getting headaches. Feel quite teary too. Feel very lonely today also...

How long do the side effects last for ?

Is this normal ?

Would I be better off trying different ADs ? But which is best for what ?

The sun is shining. I could be out in the garden. I could have gone swimming or to the gym this morning (DS at nursery), but feel too low to leave the house. I have to go to college this a-noon, can't be bothered, but will have to because if I don't then I will feel even worse...

I didn't feel like this yesterday or the day before. Feels like i'm getting worse.

if it helps, i've been on them nrly 3 weeks and am now (today) feeling great. trying to see it step by step and may suddenly get hit again but for now, for me they're working.
I still feel a bit nauseous right after taking them so try to take early am and not have a huge breakfast. Headaches went after 10 days or so i think. Why are you exhausted, are they stoppnig you sleeping? I'm also on trazedone for evenings to get me to sleep, maybe you could ask to take this too? Hope this helps. Don't beat youtrslef up about what you could be doing, doesn't help you, honestly.. If you feel crap, pace yourself and try to get out and about but don't be too ambitious in what you plan to do.

Thanks Misschief.

I am sleeping ok. Just feel like I want to sleep all day too tho. Not good when I have a 4 year old who is always on the go.

Am going to try to do a bit in the garden now, before I get DS from nursery. I really miss him today .

I had a few glasses of wine last night, don't think that will help will it ? I am an idiot.

no you're not! We're all human, i drink some wine on them too (know yr not really meant to but it's nice now and then). Hope they settle down for you - cd yr GP refer you for counselling/cbt as well?

Hi There,

I've been on citalopram for over 6 mths now. I have a long history of depression lasting around 13 years (im 28).

I also found that I was very teary for the first week or so that i was taking them. Apparently they do that, which is why if you have any very low and desprate feelings on them you should inform ur GP.

I also, even now, find it a mission to get up and do stuff, like going out in the garden on a sunny day.

I also drink on them, I do tend to drink to forget about nmy feelings. But apparently drink stops the drug from working as it works on the part of your brain that releases feel good chemicals. Drink conteracts its effectiveness as it releases the opposit as alcohol is a depressant.

Look at me ranting on ! Sorry !

Hope you feel better me dear xx

hi theodoresmummy

what you are experiencing are common side effects of citalopram. I have been taking these for 8 months...i started on 20mgs but in the past month have had them upped to 40.
the side effects are pretty rough

tiredness
nausea
gritting of teeth
feeling drunk
etc
it will pass i promise you, just persevere and see how things get on x

starsparkle and fawkeoff - are they worth it once the side effects ease off ?

I think I will just persevere. I am seeing the GP again next week. If i'm still feeling very groggy I will try to discuss other ADs.

It will prob be fine. I'm just not in the greatest frame of mind at the mo, am I...

Thanks for your replies.

What dose are you on? Usual starting dose is 20mg but you could come down to 10mg and work your way up - that worked well for me.

When they kick in it can be rather sudden. As already mentioned you can feel worse before you feel better which is why GP's usually ask to see you soon after you start them. Then, after a while you start to feel better, it is a gradual process but very much worth it. The sickness should wear off soon. The exhaustion and headaches may not be related at all. The teariness and loneliness is a quite possibly them starting to take effect and will wear off quite quickly in a week or two (poss a bit more).

You may find you would be better off on a different AD but I think you need to give this one more time before deciding that. It honestly will be worth it in the end. Try not to think about being on them, just take the tablet and try to forget them.

Defnitely stop thinking about what you 'should' be doing. You are ill and on new medication so give yourself a break! Everyone 'should' be able to walk, but if you break your leg you have to wait for it to fix before you can - right?!

Thanks bigbadmouse.

Will try to give myself a break. That's what GP said too.

Did manage to weed the patio after DS had gone to bed and before it got dark. All i've done today tho .

I think it's the college work that is really getting me down at the mo. We break up in a few weeks and I wanted to have everything up to date by then, but I don't see it happening. Tutors will be fine about it, but i'm disappointed in myself. I know that I would get a huge sense of achievement if I could get everything handed in and I wouldn't have anything hanging over me over the summer hols.

Maybe I could still get it done. Will see how I feel tomorrow. Off to bed now.

Theodoresmummy,

I think they are worth it after the intial side effects wear off. I found that a few days after taking them i was feeling lower than before - my anxitey and feelings of low self worth were intensified - but this is normal in the inital weeks as with all AD's it takes atleast 3-4 wks to get into your system. Afterwards, you don't even realise they are working - you just feel normal, rather than over stressed and looking at each minor thing that most people take for granted being a mission. For example, getting up and going out and taking your baby/child to the park was something i used to uum and er about. Now i can do it without even thinking about it.

The only downside i have found is that doctors are so quick to give out pills, i think councilling should be offered before hand , after all we all have our problems, and it is much easier(i find) to discuss it with a stranger than with those we love and closer to us.

Don't worry yourself about not being in the greatest frame of mind, You are not any less of a person or indeed mother.

The main thing that i tell myself when im feeling low is no ones perfect and as a mum you always feel guilty - despite what you do and what you don't.

These are real feelings that all people feel when they become parents

Well you did more than me today! I planned to do lots, get runner beans planted out and supports up for cucumbers etc but all I have done is be ridiculously miserable and shout at the DDs .

Small steps...bear in mind you are in recovery, weeding the patio is a good start -good to do as it stays done for a while too so you can look at it and say 'I achieved something that day' (unlike the washing up, making beds etc which gets undone in seconds in our house!). Try small steps with your coursework too and don't beat yourself up if you fall behind your new schedule, just pick yourself up and carry on. Make time for rest and relaxation which is just as important and remember you are trying to accomplish a lot by studying and having a DC - even for someone without the need for ADs.

Hope you get a good nights sleep.

starsparkle - that is so true, when they start working you don't really realise it at first. I think that is why so many people come off them too early - the effect is so 'normal' that you don't realise what good they are doing.

Sounds silly saying that as you would think any slight relief would be immediately noticeable and welcomed but it was only after afew week s of being normal that I suddenly thought 'hang-on! I haven't burst into tears for no reason, shouted at DDs or been terrified of nothing for weeks' .

It is indeed true - befopre i took them i found everything a big mission - even stepping out the door ! My depression didn't start after having my daughter - i had it since i was 15 ( now 28) no big reason why i have - suppose its just brain chemicals or something for me ! i do believe that any type of mental illness in misunderstood and is far more widespread than most people think.

I just started taking them a week ago today and was really tired (in bed at 7.30 in Saturday), and very queasy. But I just realised today that I should be homocidal with PMT by now too and I'm not so, I think they must be starting to kick in

Really need some reassurance
I am currently on 20 mg of citrapram
I was on 10mg for couple of months and just moved up to 20 mg ten days ago
I really don’t feel grt
Anxiety and nervous stomach as soon as wake and feel foggy headed like unbalanced

Any antidepressant takes around 6 weeks to settle. Citalopram and Sertraline are actually the gentler ones so really you don't want to dismiss them out of hand until you've given the side effects time to wear off.

I totally understand
But I feel so scared of all this
I wake up with that knotted stomach feeling and heart beating fast and scares me so much
How long until I will settle

I feel so unbalanced on my feet too just so weird

It usually takes about 2 weeks. Don't be afraid, they're very safe. Remember you are changing your brain chemistry, it's normal to feel a bit unbalanced.

Have they given you anything to control your panic attacks? Propranolol maybe?

Might be worth calling and asking, it's a Godsend in those first weeks.

Didn't suit me at all! However, we are all different and are affected differently. Worth checking with your GP how long you should give them before trying a different one.

Thank u all for kindly replying to me
I have been off work this week as I was so anxious and thought I was gonna pass out or die
That doom feeling is sooo scary
I used to be on these year ago for around 5 yrs I went upto 40 mg then last July out of the blue I woke up with a severe panic attack after years with nothing
I went to gp and they said basically they have stopped working so they took me off them the following week and put me straight on sertraline so with them for 6 months going up from 25 to 100 I lost so much weight and was soo ill
I managed to get diazapam and that saved me
Then 3 months ago I saw a psychiatrist and she didn’t understand y dr took me off citrapram
So she said come off them and go back on citrapram 10mg then ten days ago upto 20 as was having panic attacks so I have been switching and changing since last July
But now on 20 mg which I take at night
But the mornings are horrific palps and the worst doom feeling ever I am taking Diaz for around 3 months 2mg a day but lately taking 4mg as my anxiety is soo bad and I can’t eat have no appetite
I am just sooo scared I am praying they will kick in soon as can’t take much more
It’s the drunken kind of feeling that scares me and the unbalanced feeling I hate it
Sorry long txt but wanted u guys to know the full story
Really appreciate ur kind reply’s which help me sooo much

Ps I am 47 so not sure if it’s also the start of the change and hormones
I just don’t know

Lampshade - I have had a similar experience with SSRIs. I think you need to go back to the psychiatrist/GP to get some more advice. It might be that SSRIs are not working for you anymore and you might be better with a different class of ADs. Would you say your problems occur when they suddenly increase your dose of Citalopram? I am just wondering if you might do better on a lower dose? A friend's husband had similar symptoms when his dose was increased from 10 to 20 mg but they abated once they dropped the dose back to 10 mg.

Dr told me to keep on the 20 for two weeks and then go back
I always feel better in the evenings funny enough it’s just the mornings are bad
That nervous stomach it’s awful and on edge

I might just try that tbh try go back on 10 mg

I always felt better in the evenings too. Now, one year after I stopped taking them I still feel rough in the mornings (I have been on mirtazapine since but I have weaned myself off them slowly and am not taking ADs at the moment). The nervous stomach is something I can identify with. I woke every hour from 2pm with diarrhea every night whilst I was on Citalopram and I still have an upset stomach and diarrhea in the mornings. Slowly getting better though. I am trying some "natural" remedies now. But recovery is hard work!
When do you next see your psychiatrist? Might it be worth waiting before you see them before cutting your dose? Or if you do cut it it might be wise to do it slowly in case you get withdrawal symptoms. The guy I know who cut it straight away had only been on the 20mg for one day and he had such a severe reaction that he though he was going to die. He went back to the doctor the next day and told them he didn't want to take Citalopram again but the doctor persuaded him to drop back to 10mg rather than to stop altogether. But he had only been taking the 20mg for one day, whereas you have been taking it a bit longer so cutting suddenly might have an adverse effect. You are obviously struggling (I really identify with how you are feeling!) so perhaps make an emergency appointment with the GP to discuss unless you are seeing psychiatrist very soon. Sorry for rambling on! Hope you are feeling a bit brighter now as its getting on for evening. I always do.