Hi there. Been on citalopram for 2 years now - low dosage as only 10mg. I have tried and failed to come off it and now I'm struggling with stress and anxiety and the 10mg is not enough. To be fair today has been a bad day but Citalopram's Magic is becoming less potent. My mum is in the final stages of Alzheimer's and we thought we were losing her 2 weeks ago. My 87 year old dad is bravely visiting her every day but life not easy for him as he had a stroke last year. They reached 61 years of marriage today which is amazing. I'm typical sandwich generation as I have a young son and elderly parents who depend on me. Is this a blip or do I need to review my medication?
Aw sally sounds like ur having a rubbish time, might b worth seeing ur gp and trying 20 mg's if u feel 10 isnt cutting it u can only try an see obvs discuss with ur gp i was like u plodding on fine on 10 till i had some stress and i had to up to 20 mg to a few weeks to settle but think im getting there now. Good luck keep posting x
Happy Aniversery to your parents and as I am...you are very lucky to still have them both...God Bless.
The Citalopram...wow..I'm surprised your Dr. hasn't raised it....you must be sensitive to meds as I am too. My Dr. after a while wanted me to go from 10-20....I got that "headache" again at 20...so I went back to 10.
BUT my Dr. said 10 is not really the "theraputiec" dose...she really wanted me on 20.
I would tell the Dr. you want to try 20...see how you feel..
Morning Sally,
Sad as the situation has become it is wonderful that your parents have so far spent 61 years of marriage together and how many years before that too, just wonderful.
Okay first things first, the previous posts have nailed this one already however, I will repeat, you do need to increase. Initially 20mg, but be prepared that you may (or may not) need to increase further , but in the meantime make an appointment to see your GP asap. Do not feel guilty if you say that your GP wanted to see you, due to the family situation, if things changed with regarding your dosage, it has worked for me and definitly nothing to worry about. In fact my GP first suggested it as a means past Reception!
You must forget all about coming off until way into the future when you have levelled and are mentally and physically strong enough to try. This should be done slowly gradually over time. Anyway, forget it completely for now.
Do you not have any other adult support in your Family to help you with all this? You are not coping with it is for sure. Do not take me the wrong way here, you have a great deal on your plate, support is something we all need from time to time and this is your time. This is something else you should talk to your GP about regarding your increase. Your increase is not just to get you by, it is to help you level out and let this sticking plaster for the brain repair what needs repair. Then you may be in a position both mentally and physically to deal with most things without any other issues arising for you. That is why you need more support than you have at present.
Alzheimers groups, parent groups etc., may be in your area so, have you tried CAB or online for information?
One thing you do have until things are better for you is, us!
Keep posting and we'll give you what support we can.
Regards,
David