Hi. I've been taking citalopram for about 10 weeks now but the dosage has been maximised from 20 to 30 in the last 3 weeks. I seem to get wound up so easily and have really bad anger problems. Hitting out, shouting and then towards the end bursting into tears. My anxiety has always been a problem but in the last few months it's got a lot worse, causing panic attacks and making everyday life hard. Does citralopram settle in eventually and should I just ride it out? The last time I had this the doctor upped my tablets. Is this anger normal?
Hi Jojo
10 weeks is quite early still on these tablets, and suspect this is another side effect. Riding it out will see you into calmer waters eventually.
On the other hand, I used to be on Seroxat and I had bad anger problems on it, so had my meds changed and found I was better on it, much calmer.
People react to all different meds, and it's often trial and error finding one for you. Maybe give it some more time and see if it settles. It's often 3-4 months before benefits are felt.
Best wishes
K xx
I have been a lot bettor on it but I have a few days where I'm so sensitive and the littlest thing blows me out of the water. Thanks for the advice x
Not sure how old you are, but could those few days be related to hormones maybe? Could be your body is reacting more sentively to monthly hormones? Just a thought.
I'm 21 years of age and I've been on the pill for years which normally balances my hormones out. Haven't had these mad outbursts since I was about 13. They were talking about changing them because I keep having really strange vivid dreams within the past week or so which are stopping me from sleeping. But it's a longer process to come off cit and go onto something else just baring with it a little longer x
Increasing the dose often produces side effects again .... vivid dreams, increased anxiety, similar to what you get initially when starting them. It's all quite scary. These will calm down as the medication gets into your system.
It takes a long, long time for this medication to really start working, and it usually gets really bad before it gets better. Also when you start to feel better you might suddenly get a bad spell for a while .... this is often when people panic and up their dose. Don't be too hasty to do that ...... this bad spell is normal and you'll begin to feel better again if you just wait. This will happen again and again ...... you'll be up and down for quite a while, but that's how the recovery works. Eventually the good spells will get longer and longer until they stay all the time.
It takes a lot of patience and a lot of time, but if you just ride out the bad times and remind yourself that this is all normal and its just your body working towards recovery ......... the wait is well worth it
That's made me see it in a much better light. Thank you so much! Just going to ride it out and hope for the best. Probably the biggest struggle I've ever had to go through
It really does help when understanding what's going on, instead of just stumbling around in the dark feeling scared. Doctors prescribe medication but don't explain much about what to expect ..... though I often wonder if they actually know.
I've said exactly the same - it was the biggest struggle I ever had to go through, and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Just remember to accept everything that's thrown at you with this illness, keep going through every scary feeling and thought ......... just let the medication do it's work. It takes time for broken bones to mend, and it's the same for depression/anxiety xxx
Thank you so much. This has helped me so much! Given me a positive view on it and hopefully a light at the end of the tunnel x
