Well following a admission to hospital 3 weeks ago for extreme fatigue, weight loss and pains in my abdomen and many test including a colonoscopy which all came back 'all clear' I've been persribed anti-depressants for stress and anxiety.
I have always had anxiety since my early teens but have NEVER been medicated for this I have always just 'dealt' with it. However with the pressures of work and imminate house move and young family I think my body/brain finally gave in!
So I'm trying medication in the hope I can lose the anxiety and get my life back on track, after reading many scare stories of the side effects (which nearly put me off) I finally gave in and took my first dose tonight - I was given sertraline 50mg last week as the first option but after what felt like a heart attack (I'm 30 btw) on the 3rd day I threw the towel in.
Having researched since I now know 50mg was quite a strong dose to start on!! So here I am round 2 and a new drug - this time Citalopram 10mg and I started my first dose tonight...well when I say first dose I took a quarter of a tablet effectively (2.5mg) I'm starting slow this time and building it up, I also have Gilberts Syndrome which makes some drugs reactive differently.
I'm going to keep this thread going to help explain any side effects and hopefully dispell and scare stories and hopefully share my own happy ending.
Stay tuned!
Hi David
Wonderful idea! This will be of real benefit to new users. Also we are all here for you too xxxx
Hi David, Ive been through a similar experience however I started on something different, then I was given citalopram, I started at 10mg, upped to 20mg after 6 months and last week 40mg, stick with it, I can honestly say it takes a few weeks to see an improvement, until last year, I never understood the effects of stress on the human brain. The doctors told me I was suffering from Stress & Depression, my body was a wreck, but it was my brain that needed to take a rest.
Citalopram has given me my life back ! Stick with it!!!
I am changing from cital to Zoloft at 3rd week,now at 100mg, not feeling the effects. Was on 40mg of cital but it seemed to shop working? Feel more withdrawal and high anxiety did you go through any of this?
David
David you will be OK on CIT .I hated sertraline. Nearly sent be over board. Been taking 20 CIT for 18 months but I felt great after 6 months .I only take them out of habit now. All I can say how down you are keep saying to your self you feel great !!!! If you don't you will brain wash your self,feelibd down depressed and anxiety. Be positive you will get there and you will feel fantastic again .all the best mate
I am off cital and am taking Zoloft 100mg. Went up from 25mg, and 20 mg of cital, next week off cital went up to 50 mg of Zoloft, 3 rd week been on 100 mg of Zoloft (been 4 days).
Doesn't feel like it is working
Thanks all for your messages I think I'll need this diary just as much as readers may appreciate it.
Hopefully it keeps my mind off any (at all side effects)!
Hi, I've been on 10mg Citalopram for the last 18 days, the side effects to begin with were truly awful but with the help from lots of people on this forum I've stuck it out and each day is getting easier. You may well feel like chucking it in again (I had no choice this time, I've caved in before after a few days, but couldn't carry on the way I was) but please try and stick with it, we are def all here for you xxx
David, have a look on the 'has anyone NOT had side effects' thread, there are so many interesting bits to read xx
So it's the morning after the night before!
A few things to note from last night, firstly it seem to take longer than normal to get to sleep, I felt really tired but I just couldn't drop off. When I did fall asleep I kept waking and developed a cracking headache - I suffer with migraines so whilst this may be unpleasant to most my pain tolerance is quite high so I just tried to sleep through it.
Other than that I don't feel any worse than I've been feeling the last couple of weeks anyway. So I'm going to get some breakfast in me and just rest as much as possible today - luckily I'm signed off work so have time to get this drugs working.
I just want to get through the worst of the side effects so I can try getting back to normality then hopefully the 'light at the end of the tunnel' will eventually follow.
Thanks Marf
I realised myself that I can't deal with things on my own this time after the AD I was first given last week and the horrible side effects I had I tried to get myself back on track but it wasn't working and after a sobbing sessions yesterday I knew I had to give these a go. Good to hear things are getting easier for you it helps to have good support around you - I have a fantastic wife who herself had to take Citalopram some years ago so she understands how this all feels. Interestingly she started on 20mg, started taking them the day she left the doctors and never experienced ANY side effects!
Hi David, did u ever ask your Dr about Lexapro? Beth
So dose number 2 tonight - hopefully the hammering headache doesn't follow when I hit the hay tonight! I do have some good painkillers from my stay in hospital which I'll take if needs be!
Other than that today has probably been the best day I've had for a while, been for a walk with the family then did some jobs around the house.
Feel a bit tired now though - so I'll try and get an early night after tea.
So the morning after the night before (again) and happy to report that no headache, no real issues really apart from I do find myself waking throughout the night but I settle off again quite quickly.
So I think I'll continue on 2.5mg until the end of the week then I'll increase to 5mg then hopefully my body/brain will continue to ease into them.
Compared to the side effects I experienced on Sertraline this is a breeze so far!
It'll be interesting to see if going on them bit by bit works well re side effects, I went straight to 10mg and have felt appalling, although I don't weigh much and am not good at tolerating any drugs anyhow xxx
Hi Marf
I very rarely use any type of drug - I won't even use paracetamol most of the time. So was very fearful of taking these tablets but the alternative was far more scary!
The side effect I'm trying to avoid is loss of appetite - I'm 6'2 and already lost 1.5 stone over the past 4 weeks so I'm keen not to lose anymore. My appetite still hasn't returned but I'm making the effort to eat well and snack little and often.
Can I ask what side effects you are experiencing and how have they developed?
Thanks for your support X
Sorry for the gap in updates but the good news is that there hasn't been too much to report back, the rest of the week on 2.5mg was pretty ok, some sweaty nights but broken sleep reduced.
I have been on 5mg since Sat night noticed increase in broken sleep the first night, have also had some loose stools and Sunday night felt a bit sickly so just got an early night. All very manageable however and I can't guarantee any of these symptoms are due to the AD as many can be the result of stress.
So I'll plough on with 5mg to Weds then I'll increase to 10mg. When you think about coming off these tablets it's recommended it's done in stages so my thinking is you should introduce them in stages also. It appears to be working for me and it's just my way others may be happier to jump right in.
So a quick update, I've now been on 5mg since last sat - day 8 at the new dose and 2 weeks all in.
I had my first panic attack since being on cit on Thurs whilst out driving, it passed fairly quickly but I felt down for the rest of the day as I lost confidence in the tablets.
This was made worse as the day before I felt great, really happy, caught myself smiling throughout the day and was ME again, I stupidly thought they had 'kicked in'.
No I'm back to feeling groggy, very little enegy, I have a knot in my chest and feel panicky/scared. Last night the sweats also seemed worse like I had a fever.
I was planning to up my dose to 10mg on Weds but after my good day I thought the current dose is working. Now the side effects seemed to have ramped up on 5mg it's put me off increasing. So I'm thinking should I wait for the side effects to subside at 5mg then increase or just jump to 10mg and ride it out??
I so want to be well for Christmas and be happy for my kids, I'm already beating myself up every time daddy needs to go upstairs for 'a rest'!
A bit lost this morning! 
I've been on 10 for 32 days and now seeing an improvement (although today's not great). I'm thinking that your side effects are happening every time you ramp up the dose, I've read for instance that if you go from 10 to 20 then you have to go through hell again to get there ( I might be wrong, I'd be happy for some to contradict me). You are still quite early on in your recovery so I wouldn't worry too much, at week two I was still a wreck. I reckon you might feel strange again at 10 (might be worth doing it sooner than weds) but then it'll be a straight ride to feeling better with a possible few hiccups on the way!! Good luck xxx
Hi Marf
Good to hear your seeing some improvement!
I think I'm going to bite the bullet and up to 10 tonight, the way I see it I'm already feeling rubbish at 5mg so may aswell feel rubbish at 10 and get going!
I've been in bed all day so far, only got up to make some toast, was a bit teary so I went back to bed so the kids don't see me upset - feel like I'm failing them and my wife at the moment.
Hey who knows perhaps it won't be too much worse, I'm glad I already got 2 weeks under my belt and it went by in a bit of a blur so hopefully another 2 and things will start to get easier.
We're also in the middle of selling our house and buying another (we may complete before Christmas) so timing of this episode couldn't be worse!!
I'll keep you updated X