Hi
I have just took my first 10g cit today.After 2 hours I felt out of it! My jaw was dropping,yawning had a
really bad stomach and was very jittery. I have read that it gets better but I have 10 month old baby and Im worried to take tomorrows tablet because I felt so bad.My husband was here today but he will be away all day tomorrow so it will be just me and the baby.I dont want to feel unwell and i have no
other support as we have just moved so im not sure what to do.
thank u
Hiya,The symptoms you describe are excactly how I felt when I started 10mg this will last until your body gets used to the drug I am just feeling the effects of them working for me now ,ive been on them for 2 weeks,if you can stick with them you should feel better soon hopefully but you will have to give them a chance.Have a look on the forum under citalopram their is a lot of people on there who are very helpful.Hope you feel better soon.
Hi Littlenell77
You will be fine, but it does take time, and you wont really feel any worse than you have been before starting Cit, but you are at the beginning of your journey and it's so important to keep it going, it will be worth it, please check the thread Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?' and you will see lots of stories about folk in the same boat as yourself and you can follow their experiences including my own, there is lots of support on there. yawning is a side effect we have all had, but it wont harm you and it does stop after a while,
so join us on "Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?' and we will support you through this. As we all have first hand knowledge of what you are going thru,
Take care,
Anne x
Thank you so much for your reply's,I will join you on your group as I don't want to stop taking them but i'm
just scared as I am anxious anyway.
Louise xx
Hi.
I had the same, the side effects made me feel even more anxious but when I came on here & read what other people had experienced it really helped.
Im on week 4, its easing off but I know the light is at the end of the tunnel soon so please hang on in there your be fine & everyone is very supportive on here so were all be here for you, never feel your on your own. I have a great support at home from my partner, family & friends but I find this site really helps. Take care x
Hi, Louise,
Keep with them, hun. The side effects were the same for me for a couple of days, then they started to slowly ease off. I'm now on day 16 and apart from very slight nausea for a few minutes in the mornings, all the side effects have gone, and I'm just starting to see a tiny difference in my mood, but I know that can take a few more weeks.
Keep going. We will all support you. We're all in the same place.
Hi,
My first day today too, though I've been told just to take a half tablet of the 10mg to ease me onto it. And yep, those side effects have been pretty hellish. sitting at work feeling nauseated, dry retching, jaw clenching and then later in the day just feeling really dark and grim. I've been given some lovely red pills to help ease off the panic attacks I've also been having (until the cit kicks in, I guess) and I think they've taken the edge off but the overall anxiety and grimness has been awful. My poor husband has not only had to deal with me telling him I'm going on antidepressants but is having to put up with my worsened mood. Am longing to see this magical light that apparently should switch on soon!
Plus now it's the wee hours of the morning and even though been up since 5, no sign of sleep coming.
Great to hear on this forum (and some others) that the experience isn't uncommon and that things WILL get better.
Looking on the positive side, the complete lack of appetite...some people pay good money for drugs that do just that, so I'll try to look at it as a bonus.
Hang in there everyone - love to hear how you're all doing and thanks for the reassurance that i'm not alone! Cheers x
Hi Carol I cut mine down to 5 mg as I can't deal with the side affects.I didn't take one yesterday cos I felt so bad on Wednesday but thought I wud cut it in half and see how I wud get on. Keep me up dated how ur gettin on
Take care x
Hi Louise,
Sorry to hear u had a bad day, it is difficult, but please persevere, I almost gave up a few times but remembered I couldnt do it on my own so I had to be strong, so glad I was as I now feel myself again, it did take 4 weeks but after that I was just relieved to be feeling better. the odd headache when I increased to 20mg so that was ok. on day 22 of my increase now.
Please think when u have ur side effects are they really side effects or have u been feeling this way before u started Cit anyway, and its just part of the course of getting the Cit into ur body. I feel now I was just still suffering what I already had been experiencing for the month before I knew I had to do something to help myself. !!
Lack of sleep makes us worse, so deep breathing and relaxation an hour before bed really helps.
YES Carol things will really get better, I lost 3 stone to start with, but back eating normally now, the only plus to the anxiety but worrying at the time.
Jules well done day 17 for you, keep going. proud of you.
LOUISE stick in there, it is hard, but u will make it I promise, its great the day u wake up and don't feel the dread !!! keep in touch, remember taking the 5mg will take a little bit longer, but if it helps you take it and you feel less anxiety than when u took the 10mg then that's the way to go, whatever it takes !!!!!
ladylemora you are right the light is just round the corner, your positive attitude proves this.
ferester1 glad u joined us on Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram? lots of support there, we are not alone in this and will support each other, it help me just knowing I wasn't the only one. and been able to speak to someone whom understood how awful this is.
Take care all and stay strong u will make it.
Anne xxx 
Hello,
I was prescribed Citalopram 3 days ago by my doctor. I have been given 10mg and I am on day 3. I have had no side effects at all apart from maybe a little jaw clenching (I have braces though so I found I clenched my jaw prior to being on Citalopram) I was given this medication as I had been feeling very low for about 2 years and I lost enjoyment from things that I usually really enjoyed and have no motivation or energy whatsoever.
I am also taking antibiotics at the moment and I think this is the reason for my dry mouth (unless its a side effect from Citalopram) how is everyone else feeling on this medication?
Xx
Hi Rubysparks
I am on Cit also and I get dry mouth all the time, so just drink extra, its great you have not had side effects appart from dry mouth, I sometimes get teh jaw clenching too but not as often now, I am on day 21 of an increase from 10mg to 20mg,
So stay strong it will really help you in time, check out other friends stories on Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram? also.
Take care
Anne
Thank you for replying Anne,
It is early days but I am feeling hopeful. I actually ordered the book "Feel the Fear and do it Anyway" just before so I am hoping that may have a positive impact on my state of mind.
I will check out the forum you suggested.
Thank you,
Ruby Sparks
You are welcome, take care and keep in touch if you need to xx
Well day 2 of 5Mg and feel a wee bit woozy but not as bad as the 10mg. Gonna keep on them until a week throng back up to the 10mg. Just want to know if it on 10mg and u feel better do u need to go up to 20mg?
Also I have been using a sleep hypnosis app on my fone st night and it knocks me out!!
I have always been a bad sleeper and wud never have believed this wud work but it does x
Hi Louise
We are all different, so doing what is best for you to manage is the way to go. its not necessary to up to 20mg if 10mg is working for you, its just that if ur on 10mg for about 8 weeks and still getting anxiety then you increase but if you are happy on 10 mg and if its working then no need to up your dose. keep in contact with your doctor to ensure all is going well ur doc will give u the best advise.
The sleep hypnosis App seems to work well for lots of folk. must check it out, I use my deep breathing to get to sleep, but I could use both.
Take care, stay strong you will get there, every day is a day closer !!!
Anne x
Anne,
thanks for the reassurance. Am still off food but at day 4 on 5mg, not nearly as bad as the first day. And after that first night of not being able to sleep, feels like I slept all weekend and am still woozy and fuzzy this morning despite having had about 12 hours sleep (very weird as I'm usually an insomniac).
funny thing is, about a half hour/hour after taking my dose in the morning, get the yawns terribly. Then once that goes, a bit of nausea. A strange pattern to follow. I feel like my own science experiment, watching for the new signs every day.
Rubysparks - I had the extreme thirst first two days. Just could not quench it, no matter how much I drank. That's eased off a bit too.
Might check out the other forum too. Just can't express how good it is to know there are others out there and I'm not a freak! I know the stigma thing is supposed to be on the decrease, but it's still there and so this is something I've shared only with my doc and husband.
Have a good one all!
Carol x
Hi Carol I'm on day 4 with 5 mg and I felt nothing really to start. I take my tablet at 6pm but last night
I was shaky,anxious and crying I don't like this feeling.
I feel ok this morning but I am dreading tonight. Also goin away to see family at weekend how can I act normal taking my tablet at dinner time. I don't want my family to know.I can't bear thinking I'm gonna get worse x
Hi LittleNell,
Seems we're on the same schedule, both time-wise and dose-wise. For me the first day has been the worst. I take mine in the morning so I get the shaky, anxious sweats first thing at work.
I had a friend stay over on the weekend, so can kind of relate to the difficulty going to see family. And you're also like me in not telling anyone about it or wanting anyone to know - I totally understand that.
You know what though, I think the worst is our worrying about what will happen (hello anxiety). I got through a whole morning with my friend and her wee girl being over and it wasnt' the fun experience it should have been, but it wasn't so bad in retrospect. Maybe my friend thinks I wasn't so chirpy as I sat and tried to make conversation through the yawning and nausea, but I can live with that for now. And I did get through it without needing to take the propanolol I've been given for anxiety attacks. If you're taking your tablet at dinner time, then maybe the worst of it will hit (if it does) when you go to bed? Or maybe try taking it a wee bit later while you're on the visit, delay the onset until you're in bed?
I know Anne has suggested some breathing exercises, maybe that will help?
And you know what, we're both on the road onwards and upwards and yeah, it might get a bit sucky at times but this is the road to recovery and we can both look forward to being our old self again. And if it all gets too hard, well, there are loads of people here who are so supportive and understand just what you're going through.
Take care and be kind to yourself.
Carol x
Hi Carol and Littlenell,
You have nothing to be ashamed of in having these problems, would you hide it if you had a chest infection or a broken wrist no, you didn't do this to yourself, and I bet there's folk around you that's on cit that you don't know about, but you would definitely support them if you knew, well its the same for all of us, I am not ashamed and I have told everyone that will listen ha ha, I am 51 this month and have never experienced anxiety till August this year, after the death of my Mum and everything became too much, I am not ashamed I had to go on Cit as it shows I am trying to get better, so please don't feel u need to hide it. you are normal just having a bit of anxiety etc at the moment.
I am proud of you starting Cit and persevering, even with all the awful side effects as well as everything else you are trying so hard, u deserve to get there will all the support you can get.
Stay strong and you will get there and the deep belly breathing will help you too, just give it a go.
Take care
Anne
Dear All,
My husband on Cit for 3 days and feels anxious. I'm trying to understand his feelings...
I'm also on antidepressant Mirtazapine and had side effects for 2 month.
We have two kids and I'm afraid that they might feel some uncomfortable staying with us.
It is really hard time for our family.
We can not support each other.
Thanks for all of you.
Elena