Citalopram is a medication that works in a similar way to prozac, although it has fewer unwanted side effects.
When we are anxious or depressed, often the reason for, and the result of too, is drops in the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. Seratonin is one of these and is often called the "happy hormone". This is the one everyone goes on about with regards to chocolate .
The way our brain works is through nerve cells talking to each other. Part of how this happens is the release of pockets of chemicals from one nerve that is picked up by its partner. In order for a partner to pick up the chemical, it has RECEPTORS, which you can imagine to be like the toys where children have to fit shapes in - so will only recognise and pick up specific chemicals. The cell will send more and more receptors to the surface to pick up the chemicals when there are a lot around. When there is lots it all works better because the partners send messages to each other saying "make more", they pick up more and everyones happy
When people are anxious/depressed they produce less of certain chemicals, seratonin being a big player in this. It becomes a vicious circle because of the feedback loop i have tried to explain above. We end up producing less when we need it the most. It is not really known if it is cause or effect, but the upshot is the same, we feel like shit.
Drugs like citalopram and prozac are a family called SSRIs, selective seratonin re-uptake inhibitors. They work, not by directly giving us more seratonin but by making our brains more efficient about using it. We have receptos on the signalling cell which will mop up the excess seratonin from the "gaps" between the cells. SSRIs stop these from working, this results in more seratonin being available to the partner cell to use to do its stuff, (make us feel better in the long term) and that cell then tells the original cell to make more. So these drugs provide tempory respite from anxiety and also help the body to make a more permanent recovery by making more, and so on and so on...
They are not addictive, although i would fight a pack of starving rotweillers to keep mine just now, but that is because i havent sorted out the cause of the problem.
I hope that i haven't totally confused you, im crap at explaining things and i struggle to understand it myself really. But i find that knowing how drugs work makes me feel happier about taking them.
I am having a pretty shit time to be fair, but im waiting for a mental health referral when hopefully i can get some proper therapy and leave the ADs behind.
Keep your chin up Dusty. Give the beta blockers a chance to help, keep a diary of how you feel (ive just started doing this because my doctor says i do a good impression of "normal" and i will need to push for help from the shrinks) and see if you notice and improvement. If not, i would be willing to bet that citalopram or a sister drug would be the next step.
You are so not alone though, i know LOADS of women, some in good jobs, some you would fall over in shock if you thought they were on medication, who have or are taking this sort of thing. Its a common malady of modern life i think.