i got a prescription this morning after finally admitting i have been battling with on and off depression for about 8 years. took the first tablet around 2.5 hours ago and felt a bit nauseous after an hour so had a (extended) nap. woke up an hour later with vision akin to what i can only relate to as being drunk (not being able to focus & seeming a little unreal, perhaps like recreational drugs but i've never tried them).
my throat feels really warm and dry and my head hurts and i'm shaking.
i think i finally convinced myself i needed help because i have my final year degree exams in 2 weeks, and my doctor said it will help my concentration and focus, but after reading alot of this board i am starting to worry that i have made it worse and perhaps i shouldn't even take tomorrows dose because i cannot afford to have two weeks of feeling like this.
Hi. The pills will take up to 4 weeks to start having an effect but you will probably notice a difference in 2.
It has been known for these pills to have the reverse effect for the first week or so, making you feel as you do and even more depressed. i personally think its mostly psychological so you just need to believe the pills are working and trying to avoid sinking deeper. if you've suffered on off for 8 years then 1 week possibly feeling worse would be worth it in the long run.
in less than a month you will find yourself smiling for no reason and you'll be happy at times when you should be sad. its a strange feeling but well worth it.
Good luck.
thanks for the reply, i think you're right in that having read on the web alot about the side-effects i am feeling more conscious of them. i am now on day 3 and have been feeling less down, but quite zombie-ish and not really with it at all. i can't form coherent sentences alot of the time and my pupils are the size of saucers. and i have been tripping over my own feet alot
UPDATE: I stopped taking citalopram after about 3 days because of the side effects. I went to my doctors and he offered me valium to ease the anxiety it was causing- like i needed to be on more medication at that point. Doctors are too willing to throw medication at you it seems. Also was really genuinely surprised that I was suffering from side-effects as though he had never been told how horrible they are. Perhaps this site is just a pool of people who are unlucky with C.
Maybe I gave up too early and stuck with it, but as my depression is very episodic I couldn't justify living in another world for a few years, and was paranoid I would lose my personality. I didn't feel happy, I just didn't feel sad.
Instead, I have started a course of counseling. I had convinced myself that it was just a chemical thing, but I have realised I have a lot or issues I have never dealt with. I would really advise anyone else to do the same. I know it is a difficult step to take, but more often than not treating the root cause of the problem is the best way to fix things. Even if you do it alongside taking medication.
Maybe it was the subsiding depression or maybe the brief input of citalopram, but I found the energy to get up in the mornings and do some exercise. And the will to buy nice foods I want to eat to get my appetite back. At the moment, I feel on my way up but I think I know that inevitably I will at some point be on my way back down. Maybe then I will turn back to citalopram.