citalopram

[devientenigma]

is anyone's child on this and how have they been, any side effects, have they changed etc??? TIA

hi devient I am not a child lol but I was given citalopram a couple years ago now. To be honest it was a nightmare in the making in the sense that it made me totally paranoid, jumpy, unable to sleep, panicky and doubly depressed to such an extent I was afraid to go out the front door and I hid under my bedclothes to stop myself from doing something really stupid. The anxiousness built up over a 2 week period of taking them, was a bad reaction to a trial drug. Once off them and back on fluoxetine which was my usual I was fine within a week.

I dont want to scare you but it seriously scared the hell out of me. Also it may effect someone else quite differently and be totally beneficial. I would monitor closely your childs mood and feelings x

have taken it myself in the past, and no noticable side effects, (that i remember ), seemed to take longer to work than fluoxetine (sp?). But I believe it is one that needs close monitoring.... hope that's useful.

Oh my gosh, Citalopram is dangerous and shouldn't be given to children as far as I'm, aware.
It's one of the SSRIs known to increase suicidal feelings in some cases.

I took it at aged 18 and wonce it was in my body I woke up on the third daya nd have never felt like this in my entire life, I was on a mission to die. I took the whole panic, feeling completely one track on just dying and not being able to think about anything else.
I was sectioned on a psychiatric ward for 3 days, until the drug had left my system. Then on the Monday I was evaluated and okay to go home, with the advice not to take any drugs.
For me it was the worst thing I've ever been through in my life and very scary.

Others may say it worked for them, I'm just saying how it affected me.

"citalopram, like other antidepressants, carries a black box warning stating that it may increase suicidal thinking and behavior in those under age 24"

I thought SSRIs were banned for under 18s in the UK now anyway?

actually a close friend claimed she found the drug mildly helpful (she was 22)

"Following a review of the safety and efficacy of SSRIs to treat depression in children under 18 years of age (unlicensed use), the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) has concluded that the risks of citalopram outweigh the benefits for treating depressive illness in this age group. Citalopram is not licensed and not recommended for any uses in children and adolescents under 18 years of age. However, some specialists may still prescribe it if they feel it is essential. If your child is prescribed citalopram it is very important that they are encouraged to report any distressing feelings, thoughts about suicide or self-harm, irritability, aggressive behaviour, mood changes or other unusual change in behaviour that they may experience while taking the medicine. If you notice a change in your child's behaviour or are worried about them at any point it is important to talk to your doctor immediately.
"
www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100000520.html

don't mean to scare you, I know there are situations where life can get unbearable with a child and you feel they need 'something'.

TC here, got another new name! I do agree with Fred's point re:use in under 18s, afaik only Prozac is licensed.

I took it for a week, came off coz I found out I was PG, it didnt really have any effects/side effects at all. I have also taken various other SSRIs for OCD/depression from age 18 onwards, and they have all done the job and lifted my mood after a few months (Prozac/Sertraline/Seroxat), without awful side effects. But I was v lucky with Seroxat, it has a shorter half life than the other meds, which can cause massive problems missing does on coming off. The worst side effect I've ever had btw isn't from SSRIs but from self-prescribing St John's Wort, that gave me an uncontrollable tic where I had to keep stroking my chin, so I stopped it after 2 days.