I would very much appreciate any advice or experiences of Citalopram.

Question

I would very much apreciate any advice or experiences of Citalopram. I have been on 10mg for 2 wks now, (20 mg oval pills halved). I would particularly like to hear of others experiences of this drug and how any effects good or bad develop over the first few weeks and months and how long it takes for effects such as weakness weariness and tiredness and fuzzy brain, and panicky feelings take to pass, and the good effects to start!

Can you just stay on the 10mg dose? why is it necessary to increase this? what would happen if you just stayed on this dosage? When/ at what point is it best to increase the dose if it is increased?

Any experiences would be appreciated. I have resisted taking this drug for the past 5 or 6 years though various doctors have advised it to me. but I have been so low lately due to bereavement and inability to pursue my exercise routine due to a broken rib, that I have finally given in to taking them even though the idea of taking antidepressants scares me.

Thank you in anticipation

John

Answer 1

  Hi there

A friend of mine went on 20mg of citalopram 6 weeks ago for anxiety and depression, he had a few mild side effects for the first few days, mostly trouble with sleeping, but now his body is used to the tablets he feel like a new man, He would definately say the mild side effects you may or may not experience in the early days are worth it. He would I'm sure say that he has his sense of humour back again and  feels better , His s*x drive has improved and anxiety and depression are getting better, everyones different. Please don't be afraid of taking your tablets, surely anythings better than feeling the way you do at the moment, but he would say that they do take a few weeks to kick in, be patient, its worth it in the end.

By the way,he is enjoying a drink now and then.  

Answer 2

I was prescribed Citalopram for depression and anxiety.  I found that for the first 4 weeks (on 10mg a day) that I felt very little difference but they take at least 4 weeks to have any noticeable effect.  

Following that 4 week period, I certainly felt my mood lifted and I wasn't as anxious.  It also made it a lot easier for me to control my self harm as well, I found them to be extremely helpful.  However, like yourself, I was reluctant to take them and I only decided to go for it because I got to the point where I was willing to try anything to improve my situation.

However, if you have any issues with your stomach, eg crohns disease, oesophagitis, IBS etc, I would tread with caution, it is a known side effect of Citalopram for it to irritate your stomach and exacerbate existing problems.  Citalopram caused a major flare up of my oesophagitis which resulted in a stay in hospital so it wasn't the right medication for me.  But, before that happened, I certainly felt the benefits and I'd say that, whilst you may have misgivings about medication, 10mg a day is a very low dose and that's all you may need to lift your mood and make things a little easier for you.

Good luck.  

Answer 3

I was prescribed Citalopram and did not take them. Like yourself, it was virtually rammed down my throat by so many doctors, in the end, I just took the prescription and didn't take the pills.

In my experience and other people I know who have taken prescription drugs to ease the stresses of anxiety and more serious mental illness' is that they do more harm than good (if used for a long period of time, more than one year).

This is because those tablets are only a 'short term fix', the Doctor's do not inform you that continuous use of these pills can actually do more damage than good, you become reliant on them and believe you cannot function without them, it turns in to an addiction.

I would speak to your doctor about why they want you to increase the dose, I think this quite normal, as you get immune to the lower dosages.

I would recommend looking in to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) where you can talk through your problems rather than mute them with a pill. I think it would really help you to talk through your problems/feelings.

Good luck.

Answer 4

when someone has clinical depression. This can be the difference between life and death. celexa as it is called in the US, is very good. My sister took it for about six months. She decided to have it changed cause it was affecting her libido. It usually starts out at a low dose to see how your body tolerates it and to see if there are any side effects. This works slowly and takes about 4-6 weeks to feel the full benefits. The effects are great though. It does greatly minimize the sense of panic associated with panic attacks. Your doctor has to take your blood in order to make sure you are at therapeutic levels. I would say only to watch out for side effects. Think Positive and I hope it works for you.

Good luck.

Have you tried breathing excercises and relaxation techniques.

Answer 5

i was on citalopram last year for about 4 months to help treat an eating disorder, but had to be changed to Affex because i fell unexpectedly pregnant.

my experience with citalopram was a good one. though i have to admit that for the first 3 weeks i felt absolutley no good effects from it. for the first week of taking it i had awful trouble getting to sleep, and i also got the shakes and felt more paniky than usual and sometimes felt like i was having outerbody experiences. during the second week these symptoms started to decrease, especially the sleeplessness. after the first two weeks i was then increased to 20 mg and two weeks later upped to 30 mg. the shakes and panic attacks stopped in the third week and i started to feel alot better, both physically and mentally. my appetite returned and i didn't worry anymore everytime i ate. granted there were still days when i had to get over myself to eat but in general citalopram worked really well for me. the affex however didn't and now that my baby is born i will be going back on the citalopram.

you need to give the medication some time to work, i didn't believe in taking anti depressants for years, but they saved my life and made well enough to have another baby, something the doctors didn't think would happen because of the state i was in. i am glad i finally gave in and started taking the antidepressant.

the reason you're started off on 10mg then moved up until you are on the right dosage is to give your body time to get used to the medicine and to evaluate how much you need. if you feel much better while taking 20 mg, then there is no need to move you to 30 or 40 mg. see what i mean.

i think you should stick with it and if you still don't feel any effects from it in 12 weeks time, maybe get you doctor to prescribe you something different.

i know it might be difficult at this particular time in your life but try to enjoy life and find a new hobby until your recovered enough from your rib fracture to do your usual things.

i wish you the best of luck.

marleen

Answer 6

i was on citalopram for 6 weeks. i started at 10mg for the first 2 weeks then increased to 20mg for a week and then 30mg after that.

everyone reacts differently to anti depressants and it can take up to 6 weeks for them to work properly. i found that citalopram didnt work for me.

you can stay on the 10mg dose but everyone adjusts differently. if you feel an improvement in your mood on 10 mg then it may not be necessary for you to have your dose increased but your doctor would be the best judge of that.

the dose is usually increased after a week or two as you gradually build up the dose with any antidepressant.

hope this helps, best of luck

x*x

Answer 7

So many doctors have tried to get me to take SSRI's but I won't. I had a bad reaction to a few of them so I don't take anything for depression. A lot of people say it makes them feel weird.