Anti depressant- citalopram -any experience?

[tiredmummyneedswineandsleep]

today i crumbled - i can't go on like this. i broke down at work as the final straw was the bitch person I work with shit stirring over me taking DS to a much needed OT appointment in work time even though I had had it oked by the office. I give up. I do everything for my DS I can on my days off. I never get a min to myself. I havent had a good nights sleepin months.
DR prescribed citalopram and signed me off for 2 weeks. Will they help? He said if I didnt have to get up in night he'd have given sleeping pills.

I'm sorry to moan, Although I've known DS is autistic for a while his diagnosis last week is still raw.

Hiya. DH is on citalopram. It took a couple weeks to kick in, and the only side effect he noted was that he gets very thirsty.

I'm home over the next few days (other than school runs) so if you want to come over and hang out, have a coffee, let your little one run around a bit (we're pretty child-proofed, trust me!), feel free to pop over. PM me if you would like. And you can ask DH any questions about his meds, he's fine with it.

Hang in there - it'll get better. It's made a big difference for DH.

Hiya I'm on citolpram for severe depression,they have been a life saver the best anti Ds I've had,only bad thing with them is if you run out of them or stop taking them without help of the doc the withdrawal symptoms are crazy,put it this way had me crying and beggin in the chemist like a crack addict but as long as you don't make that mistake there brill!!

The side effects are pretty full on quite quickly but they do start to work reasonably quickly too.

I found it better taking them at night so the side effects that i had during the day were less.(I tend to get whacked out by side effects)

The can help with anxiety as well so you may find that although things are still there in your mind, they are a little clearer.

Hope they help. x

(I just spotted this was SN but kept my reply anyway - sorry for invading)

Hey, definitely go with the citalopram if you are happy to take anti-des. I actually had them at end of pregnancy as knew DS had SN already.

They helped me keep going and the side effects were minimal, mainly thirst. As others have said, they take a couple of weeks to kick in & the doc said you sometimes feel worse in that time (just what you want to hear I know!)

I didn't find coming off them too bad either (unlike the evil seroxat), just do it slowly as advised by the doc.

Try to find other things to keep your mood up too, dark chocolates always a good un! Take care

I am allergic to that one but it was good before I had a reaction to it!

I do FEEL like you - have been back and forth to the GP as have a history of depression and I am so tearful and not sleeping well.

She has dont all the assessments and things and feels that it's almost like a grieving process which although upsetting is actually normal. She is seeing me regularly and is encouraging me to source local support groups. She has also said if he needs any further referrals they will do it with minimum fuss.

For me I just keep picking myself up. Today school gave me a chart that they use for behaviour at school - cheered me up (no sarcasm I promise!!) as it's another tool.

See I am being positive - 24hrs ago it was a very different picture

I used to be completely anti the anti depressant...until things became too much and i wasnt coping and reluctanly I was prescribed citalopram, after a couple of taking them weeks the sky seemed a bit brighter and i was feeling stronger & coping, i soon realised that perhaps the depression had been lurking for longer than i thought, anyway they worked for me and am sure they will you. I didnt suffer any side effects or any withdrawals (that i noticed).

I took citalopram for PND,the side-effects for the first week or so are not too nice(increased heart rate,dry mouth) & I don't know wether this will bother you or not but,they make achieving an orgasm virtually impossible(although others may disagree) and when you come off them do it slowly.
But I was on them for over a year & they definitely helped get me over PND.

Hi

I just wanted to mention that some (including me) people have pretty wierd dreams. I found these really unsettling!

We are all (especially invaders from the main board , pointing out side effects which are a little grim. Most decline over a few weeks though leaving me much more able to cope and sometimes feel happy. Try to keep taking them for at least a month. It seems to take that long for some people until the benefits really outweigh the yuck. Then it is well worth it.

X

I have been taking citalopram for maybe since 2001 my mom died in 2000 but i was on different anti depressants. my body got so ammuned to them it wouldn't work for me then i get on this medication citalopram I cant stand it, it help some but I want off so bad I have tried getting off it but not been very successful. Just recently I been off completely since January 18th usually i get very emotional or very angry, and also the tingling through out my body. So far I have been good about not being emotional and angry its mainly feeling fuzzy and the tingling in my feet. I do not want to get started back on this what so ever. If u just got started on it, its very hard to get off of it My personal opinion Dont' get started get on something that its easy to get off of it.

I'm on Citalopram too. Would recommend it altho obviouslythe side effects vary person to person. I don't have any side effects and it allows me to cope with life much better than when I'm not on them. It just makes life easier to deal with and evens out the deep lows. I too get very little sleep and whilst my DD has been diagnosed since birth, I feel I'm still grieving for what might have been.

I really hope they work for you and give you some relief from the way you've been feeling.

Just thought I would add my 10 year old son is on this too. I'm a little unsure as to wether it's working or not as he covers most of the side effects anyway. They did increase though his aggression etc so we are trialling a higher dose.

Another Citalopram user here too. They've been great, intital non stop yawning was my worst side effect but that wore off pretty quickly. It is quite common to start you on a low dose for the frst few weeks & then up the dose so dont be suprised if when you go back the Doc increases the dose.
Also, i have to take mine in the morning as taking them at night left me totally wired & pacing the floor so it is a case of finding what works for you.

Dont go abck to work too quickly either, give yourself & the tablets time. Also have you asked for counselling I went to a counsellor who also taught me some relaxation techniques.
Finding ways to relax & rest is the key to coping long term.

I am on them too. I stuck on the low dose I started on, because I found that this just took the edge of the panic and anxiety I felt and allowed me to climb up out of the pit I felt I was in. I still sometimes feel huge sadness about things, but I want to still be able to feel that without feeling so overwhelmed by it that I can't function.

I had side effects for a couple of weeks, which freaked me out because they were quite strong. I had a kind of hot buzzing in my head, awful dreams and a terrible itchy feeling under my skin. But that subsided and then I felt no different to usual, except at the times when I would have felt panic, or felt like shouting at the dcs because I wasn't coping, or feel overwhelmed by sadness and fear - I felt as though I could pause, take a deep breath and carry on. It is hard to explain how they have worked, but I am so glad that my gp put me on them.

good luck.