Hi my doctor put me on 20mg tablets but since this is my first day and attempt i have been reading that alot of people just take half for a while is this ok? by the way its for depression caused by drinking alcohol every night for last 4 years to deal with boredom at home at nights because moving to an new area with next to no friends in a place i really didnt want to live, even though most night was just a few cans and only a few heavy nights out over 4 year but doctor told me thats all it takes!! also is there anything else i can take to help vitamins etc? my diet over last few year has also been terrible mostly take away food which has stopped now because i seen that bad diet can also contribute to depression.
Hello Steve. Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear that you have had a bumpy ride but good to hear that you are trying to manage your problems.
the medical recommendation is that anyone new to citalopram should start on 10mg for 1-2 weeks and then move on to 20mg. Citalopram helps to promote serotonin levels, so it is better for your body to have a gradual induction - this helps with the side effects as well (you might go off your food for a few days, you might sleep less).
i'd say that after about 5-6 weeks on citalopram, you will start feeling more upbeat & your worries should feel more manageable.
if you think you need more help, ask your GP to refer you to counselling or perhaps CBT.
one thing I will say (and apologies for sounding like a mother) is that citalopram will provide you with some breathing space to sort yourself out & work out how to get yourself back on track.
As for diet - you are right, you. can make yourself feel better by eating better - and you don't need to become a top quality chef! Small steps can make all the difference, you don't need to go for immediate radical changes. Every day, have a glass of milk, a banana, and a handful of cashew nuts. You've got a load of B vitamins right there.
for a quick evening meal, go for a baked potatoe with tuna & cheese. Omega-3 in fish and eggs is great brain food. If you can, stay away for stimulants such as coffee and tea and just replace with water.
our bodies are an amazing piece of kit and you will recover. Give yourself some time and try to be as positive as you can.
Exercise is another fab factor in feeling good - if you can afford to, consider joining a gym or perhaps sign up to a regular foottball/tennis/badminton/karate class.
Believe in yourself Steve!
Best of luck with everything, come back & let us how things are going.
sleepy crow 
steve54328 I don't think there's anything wrong with having alcohol in the evenings provided you do it in your own home. I know what you mean about boredom but if you take up cooking, this is an enormous help. Preparing yourself a really nice little dinner and then looking forward to it in front of telly or playing some nice music works against that boredom like magic. Also get yourself a dog for company. You then have good reason to get out of the house and walk. Its surprising how many people you can meet when walking your pet. Why not have that drink in the pub and then go bac to cook a good meal? Never let yourself have liquid dinners! Get in some ingredients for a nice little meal and you create something special to look forward to. You seem to have a doctor who is negative about a bit of alcohol! Change him for a start as he is adding to your depression. One night a week go to a concert or to the cinema. That way you stop that drinking. Dare yourself to have two nights a week without alcohol! That's a good start and you begin to admire yourself for exercising discipline. DO it. Try a night without a drink and in the morning you have a reason to celebrate because you did something you thought you could never do! You can get out of this rut if you really want to. One evening write some letters. Do not buy alcohol for 3 days. Just start something new in your life and you will enjoy the difference. You are not alone in picking up a drink in the evenings. Neither are youo alcoholic because you don't have alcohol for breakfast! Above all Thing Positive!
steve: Sleepy Crow has also suggested some nice dinner snacks. I love to prepare bakes spuds too. They are filled with potassium and good for your health. I take mine out of the oven (or microwave), take the potato out of the skins carefully and then grate cheddar cheese into the potato mix. Put that back into the skins, pepper, little pinch of salt, paprika and slivers of garlic and back into the oven to crisp. Delicious. Make sure you have potatoes, bananas or tomatoes in your diet as potassium is highly important for the health. This is an easy dinner for you to prepare so why not do it this evening and then let us know how you found it. Take care now!
steve it's me - again! You ask about vitamins that could help you. It is recognized millions of us are short on Vitamin D which comes from sunlight. I read somewhere that rickets is returning to the UK. If you can't get enough sunshine you should take Vitamin D3 supplements. Fruits and vegetables don't contain that vital vitamin. But they do have plenty of other vitamins in them. One of the best foods available today and dead easy for you to prepare are avocados. You can make shrimp cocktail an stuff them into the avocade after mixing it with the flesh and the rest left over make a tasty meal with iceberg salad. Make a nice sauce if you can't find a good one in a supermarket. Mustard, tomato sauce, cream, grated garlic and dash of your favourite tipple. You have no reason to feel so depressed. Whenever I feel depression coming on I tell myself millions are far worse off than I am. Some fight for their country and return without arms and/or legs and are often in their late teens. So do think more positively about your luck in life compared to others. It does help. And do try to wean yourself off citalopram! Do this very gradually. In the end it is you who is going to profit. Now go and get some good things together for a nice evening meal.
thanks for the swift replys, great new ideas i have taken up a bit of fishing at nights keeps me busy but when ever i think about goin home it kind of starts again and all i can think about is having a drink because it makes me feel like my self again but had 2 nights off the drink now some how!! my doctor told me that a couple beers a night will be fine but my brain is tellin me otherwise! I see coming here is a good choice even making me feel better know other people also feel the same way, last week i felt like the only person on the planet :-)
Hey Steve,
Vitamins aren't very good, research has shown that they provide little to no help, research also shows that taking multivitamins can be bad as you can get too much of certain vitamins. I did a little research about this a while ago, I have an eating disorder so get a it OCD about health.
A good diet will help you heaps, and I'm assuming u have the Internet so google some ideas.
I'd say like everyone else start on 10mg, my first day I took 20mg and it was a fun experience so I took 10 the next day and stuck with that for a week and then went to 20mg, so much better from keeping the side effects under control.
You're taking the right steps and really should be proud of yourself for taking the first steps :-) alcohol is such an easy thing to get hold of to break up those boring nights in some of us just fall into that trap, Cit helped me to stop drinking and I feel to.much better for it.
Steve that fishing is wonderful news. Do you catch anything? If so you should try fish pie! Prepare some potatoes, debone your fish and put into an over proof dish in melted butter. Place the fish inside the pan, pepper lightly and intertwine it with mashed potatoes, leaving the top layer of potatoes into which you then grate some fine cheddar. Lastly pour some cream over it all so that it seeps through it. Put into your oven and take it out when crispy and brown on top. Bon Ap!
Hi Steve
2 nights off the alcohol....WELL DONE YOU!!
you can do it!!
how about you start to keep a daily journal & give yourself a small challenge every day. How about writing in your journal in the evenings before you go to sleep and plan your day ahead?
Have a go at trying to reduce your alcohol intake week by week -Just try your best. I am sure it won't be too long before you feel more in control.
great that you are enjoying the night finishing! Good that you are trying to keep yourself busy.
do you read? I find that there is nothing better than getting lost in a good book.
take it easy Steve
sleepy C
Steve: Sleepy Crow is right about books of course. I am not a reader but am a writer. The idea of keeping a diary is an excellent one as it distracts you from lifting your elbow if, instead, you reach for a pen. I note you drinking beers. At least that is not hard alcohol. Of course if you really serious about wanting to cut down, why not add a tablespoonful of salt to it? This will get you off it for all time! That is, if you are brave enough to do it and want to ruin a good can of beer!
Something else to consider....
have you looked at the MIND website?
they are a fantastic organisation that run a range of courses and drop-in sessions for folk with depression, anxiety etc. worth checking if there is something in your local area that you can consider attending.
in my experience, talking about your issues with like-minded people who understand what you are going through is therapy in itself.
give yourself praise for all your positive actions so far - you are definetly on the road to recovery
I started on 10 mg now l am on 40 mg ,l am now so happy that l stopped drinking alcohol, l use to drink everyday for 10 years.
Also I'm not sure how old you are but I brought a ps4 and that has helped with the bordem I used to feel at night, also I download movies to my laptop and recently me and a friend go and play badminton together which is so much fun and great exercise.
im 35 wish i had the money for a ps4 :-) no didnt catch a thing but maybe next time, yeah had a read about vitamins being not much help. had first tablet 7 hours ago fingers crossed thank u all for ur help
Fentanyl is a pain reliever. Morphine patches are attached to the parts of the upper body which send signals to the brain. Citalopram is not a pain killer but is an anti-depressant and very habit-forming. I know somebody on Temesta for over 20 years. She is now zombie like and no way can she live without a high dose of Temesta. Doctors should not be prescribing such drugs as they are fully aware they may be creating addicts.
steve why don't you change your doctor? Putting you on 20mg should not happen! S/he clearly is looking for long-term patients! Take a look at the side-effects and maybe you will change your mind about returning to this medic. Far too many doctors are putting people on to anti-depressants and counselling should be advised first. There are other ways of getting over depression than becoming a *.
*permanent pill popper.
Well it was a birthday present I couldn't afford one either lol.
But good luck, Cit has been a great help for me and a lot of other ppl, I think you'll do great with it :-)