i have bad anxiety and i am on 20mg of Citalopram. the effects i got are: very tired, 1 hour sleep, i seem more depressed and anxious then usual, banging head ace, and confuse. i wont to know if the effect will get worse and how long. i got collage tomorrow and i am not sure if i could go feeling like this. plus i started 2 days ago.
thanks
Hi Liam, i tried citalopram 10mg and i only lasted 5 days, if you want to know why i will tell you. But i couldn't handle them and the increased ... Everything!!
I'm afraid it lasts for anywhere between 4 and 8 weeks, and the symptoms don't get much better till then, if you can stick it out i would, its a good medication, it just wasn't the right one for me.
I convinced my doctor to change me to venlafaxine, i don't get any side effects whatsoever and it has the same effect as citalopram, although i am on beta blocker propranolol aswel because i still had the surge of panic attacks on the venlafaxine.
Its up to you really, if you feel you can make it through then try, it is worth it, and your doctor will tell you the same. If after a while you cant then don't be afraid to ask for an alternative.
And i haven't been at work for the past 2 and a half weeks and have another 2 weeks sick note from the doctor, plus with the lack of sleep do you think you'd be able to concentrate on what your doing? ... Only you can decide if you can go to college because everyone is different hence why i changed my meds.....
I hope this helped some......
hope it gets better for you soon
Danielle x
thanks for the reply i just hope it get better soon because it just making me feel worse i can not sleep and i do not feel like eating at all. this is my first time on medication for anxiety and the only feeling im getting is too give up on it but i know there a light at the end of the tunnel. if the effect not gone (decreased) by next week i might ask for something else and i hope everything well for you
plus im on nicotine patches and i started at the same time is it recommeded
thanks
I cant see a problem with it, just more stress from giving up smoking too.....but honestly if you can power through this then do, i couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, felt like i was going crazy tbh.....I've had panic attacks for 8 years now and this is the first time I've sought medical help also, so I'm just learning as much as you.
Now this isn't to pit you off citalopram but just fair warning, citalopram actually made me get depression and anxiety and made me feel like i was going crazy, like literal crazy, and this isn't going to get better after 1 week, you have to give it up to 4. If you can do it then I'm so happy for you and it will make life better, you just have to get through the rough patch, sorry, there's no way around it unless your doctor will prescribe you diazepam for the 4 weeks, although it is addictive so i doubt he will, but its worth asking......also make SURE you ask for beta blockers, it will make things a bit easier, maybe its just the push you will need aswel.
Danielle x
my friend use to take beta blockers but i never knew what the where for (never asked) so i might ask if i make it much easier. never thought there will be side effects like this. i have read that citropram is the effective one for anxiety hope it works. thanks for the info
Hi
I was on citilapram for three years. When I first went on them I also had side effects but you need to persevere.
At the moment you are not well, that is why you have been prescribed them.
Liam, go to college be positive that you will beat this. Don't give up.
Jane
thanks jane i will go collage if it not that bad
Hi Liam when I first started taking citilapram I had an unusual side effect in that I was laughing at everything,that lasted for a couple of weeks. I had bad anxiety with citilapram, mood swings, increased insomnia ( I already have this so that is why I said "increased insomnia." Dry mouth a lot, weight gain. But the worst of all for me personally was when I stopped taking them ( and there is a horrible cold turkey. ) Well when I stopped taking citilapram and after the cold turkey had gone I felt less intelligent, less cognizant, could not hold a thought or set of instructions in my mind like I used to be able to. I used to be able remember several windows xp installation codes ( as I used to work with computers ) and my ability to think a problem through was greatly diminished. Oh yes and the brain fog which has not cleared after two years off citilapram. I believe my case to be a bit more extreme than some on here, but that being said I considered myself to be a normal geezer reasonably smart and that. until * CITILAPRAM * We generally go through life thinking that it only happens to the other guy or girl,wellI'mhere to tell you that that just ain't true.I would love to be pre citilapram again. Peace out Liam ....Make a good decision M8 .... Neil G
sound i like i should stay on them. i also got insomnia and it has got worse and i also work with computers lol (mostly repairing them know a bit of coding also studying in collage in computering) just at the moment i just get negative thoughts just trying to tell my self it the side effect. i just dont wont to flip in collage or have a break down just hope it might get better tomoz because i cannont think straight at all.
Sometimes Liam you have to wade through a whole river of s**t to get to the good stuff.....in this case its more than true.....and honesty is the best policy when it comes to citalopram, I'd hate for someone to come on here and tell you its going to be plain sailing because to be quite frank, its really not, and i doubt anyone on here is trying to put you off the tablets, but sometimes sharing real life experiences is the best way to describe something. From this forum site I have learnt citalopram has done wonders for some people but also that this drug is not for everyone....just remember they don't make the drug to fit you perfectly, its about finding the drug that works best for you.
No, for the next 4 to 6 weeks things are not going to get better, everyone is different, some people it only takes 3 to 4 weeks, for others citalopram never improves their lives, its about how you feel on it, no one else.
so we can all share our experiences with you, good or bad, but you must make up your own mind.
I hope citalopram does start to work for you in the near future and things get better for you, i honestly do, because to be quite honest i wouldn't wish panic attacks or anxiety upon my worst enemy, its not something nice to have or to be brushed aside lightly. This awful condition effects your whole life, trust me i know, and its a pain in the arse to get over......but you will, it will take a whole lot of personal strength, but its doable.
I can only wish you the best of luck whichever road you travel down.
Danielle x
P.S beta blockers stop the transmission of you brain telling your body to release adrenalin into your body......which is what a panic attack is........think it may calm anxiousness also as this is just your body getting ready to do this.....like your own 'just incase' mechanism.........because it stops the adrenalin release it also stops things like your heart racing, sweats, tremors, tingly hands and feet, panic, hyperventilation etc.
thanks alot for the info i would also like to here some experience to (have read couple and most are good) and i will give beta blockers a try. the thing i really hate is that you cart hardly sleep on these and it not good when you have to be up at 6 for collage. but like you said you have to have s--t days to get to the good ones just hope i feel a bit better later (but i think i wont). i been axious for about two years i used to be out going but it like something just suck out all my fun part of my life away so i thought i give this a try. thanks for info has been very helpful to me.
You wont love, I'm sorry but its true, especially with the lack of sleep, that's what finally sent me over the edge......and no I'm not trying to scare you, that's just what happened to me...........Im 24, used to be bubbly, happy, funny, outgoing, mainly FUN........but not any more.
Please trust me when i say i know what your going through, and its hard for me look like I'm cutting you off at every turn you make, but i just don't want you to be under any pretences of this medication......you ARE going to feel like this for a while, maybe even worse as it gets more into your system.
Like i said i gave up citalopram after 5 days and changed to 2 other medications which work really well for me, but I'm still not back at work, i haven't been to work since i started in the medication, been off for 2 and a half weeks now and have a sick note from my doctor for another 2 weeks......i hate being off work, but I'm a carer and there's no way on this planet id want my anxiety, depression and panic attacks to have an effect on my residents lives, so instead of taking that risk I've chosen not to go back until i can guarantee myself that this wont effect my work. I'm very dedicated to my job and wouldn't want anything to jeopardise it. If this means a long stretch off work then so be it, but I've had to weigh out the positives from the negatives of going back or staying off work, and its just not worth the risk, sometimes you have to put yourself before others.
I would implore you to take that advice sometimes because sometimes we forget to put ourselves over anything else, but sometimes this decision has to be made.
In an ideal world either the medication wouldn't have side effects orbit would start working straight away so it didn't mess with your life, but unfortunately it doesn't work like that and your going to find yourself faced with some harsh choices.......just remember that YOU should be at the top of your list, don't make anything harder than it needs to be and don't put yourself at risk.
Best wishes
Danielle x
Hi Liam
Yes, don't give up on them yet - you need to give them a chance to work and it does, unfortunately, take 6 or sor so weeks for your body to adjust to them. I started taking them about 7 years ago and I remember the side effects you describe. I'm coming off them now and getting side effects from that now, but I think Cit was hugely helpful for me.
I know 6 weeks sounds like an eternity right now, but it will be over before you know it and then you will start to feel better.
Good luck with your college work and just take it a step at a time and try to be kind to yourself!
Allison
i felt find i did to day but a bit weird tho but someone said the effect can come one day and the other day it not that bad is this true.
and thanks allison and dan for your help
I just felt awful for the whole 5 days, so past that i don't know, sorry.
Danielle x
Citilapram definitely changes you, not for the better either. I also had bad anxiety, panic attacks, terrible insomnia, bipolar like mood swings, laughing at absolutely nothing ( that was really embarrassing ) I never got head aches though but having said that I've never had normal headaches only hang overs and when I was ill with say flu for instance ( the worst head aches I've ever had was when I had Meningitis as a young teen, I swear I never knew they came in that size.) After stopping taking citilapram ( there is a fair bit of cold turkey, although it does fade incrementally day by day ) I was left with what I consider the worst of the side effects, Citilapram numbs your brain I took them for 3 years and I've been off them for 2 years and I still suffer from a lowering of my cognizant abilities eg: serious lack of concentration, loss of the ability to think complicated problems through, unable to hold anything in short term memory say like a set of instructions at work,terrible brain fog. I reckon I'm about 25 % dumber than I was pre citilapram.... My advice is stop now and bin them you don't need them.....Good luck
Bigzapper, I don't think you should be advising him to stop. OK, so it wasn't right for you, but I probably wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for Citalopram. It does help a lot of people and hopefully it will help Liam too.
Liam,
I just started on this path and so I can't give you practical insight, but I can say that pretty much any med you'd take will take time and adjusting to it, and it is not a precise situation. Some people have to try a few. Hopefully you will not. Also, what I am telling myself which may be helpful for you is it took a while for me to get to this point so it will take a while to improve... just have to keep reaching forward.
GL to you.
-Tasha