I've posted before but I'm still really struggling with cit after more than 10 weeks on 20mg mornings are terrible with depression at the moment & often get the shakes in my legs. I was struggling a few weeks ago & nearly cancelled a Pyrenees cycle trip , whilst over there though I was fine & had quite a lot of red wine every night but although looking forward to coming home my mood has deteriorated since returning , has anyone suffered similar & could my 20mg dose be too much for me as I wasn't this low without the meds ?
I too am 10 weeks in. On 40 for last 2 weeks. Like you I feel worse than ever with depression and anxiety.
I ve heard it said it can take months to work for some people.
I wander if 40 is too high for me as felt better on a lower dose.
All so confusing.
U could try lowering the dose to 10 mg i did well on ten for a few yrs
Thanks for the reply , did your dosage get upped to 40 because the 20 was having no effect ? I have a doctors appointment in just over a weeks time & think he might try & up dosage but as I have such trouble getting myself out of bed & can hardly face the day I'm thinking a lower dose may be the answer. Hope things work themselves out for you soon. Thanks again
Hi Tom
10 weeks is kind of early still. You really just have to keep on going. It is tough getting through all this, but things do improve with time. Recovery really does happen slowly. Took me 6 months. Worth the wait.
Increasing your dose won't give you a marked difference immediately and it won't necessarily make you better any quicker. We all need diffeent doses for our different bodies, so it's trial and error getting a dose tailored just for you. If you want to increase, it may be better to first go up to 30mg as jumping straight up to 40mg is quite a big leap.
Remember, it gets worse before it gets better. It really does. You just have to get through this difficult time.
Being over on a cycling trip I expect was fun, exciting, you were exercising ....... all the things that will increase your serotonin, our feel good hormones. This is what the meds do - hangs onto them and makes us feel better.
Now that you've returned, the serotonin has probably settled back to normal and you're feeling flat once more.
Give the meds more time - you'll feel as good as when you were on that cycle trip.
K x
Hi Kate just an opinion please.
How long would you say is reasonable to try a dose for before considering an increase. Some people report moving up and up in a matter of weeks but surely the starting dose has not been given adequate time to be effective.
I was on 10mg for 3 weeks and had 2 days breakthrough severe anxiety I was increased to 20mg just over 2 weeks ago and second lot of side effects are now at a more manageable level. My gut reaction would very to try and stay on this dose for a fair length of time before even considering an increase. What are your thoughts?
I've been increased to 40mg, the side effects are gone but I am not feeling any better with the depression and the anxiety. I am sleepy all the time time and my mind won't settle down . It's been 7 weeks now since being on 40mg. I am wondering if I should try something different
How long had you been on it before increasing to 40mg. How long did your side effects last when you went to 40 and how did they compare to the start up side effects ?
I ve been on cit for 10 weeks, 2 weeks at 40. I feel dreadful. I did have some improvement till about 3 weeks ago. I think 40 may be too high.
Without knowing how long you have been on it all together it is hard to say.
My dose was upped as I had been feeling better on 30 then crashed so they suggested going up. I think I would be better on 20 or 30 but might try and stick 40 a bit longer. I have a 7 month baby so this hell.
I was on 20mg for about 18 months then it wasn't working anymore. Went to 40 seven weeks ago. The side effect went away after four weeks(including a rash). Now I am not feeling well little sleep low energy, no interest in any activity. I exercise when I can but its hard to keep going.
How long did it take to work when you first went on it ?
About a year. But I was in a good place so now I am not sure if it worked or I was feeling better on my own. Right now I am not in such a good place
A year is a very long time for them to start working. Perhaps you just started feeling better on your own.
I was really good for about a year but I started feelings about a month after taking them. I took Paxil before it worked well then I stopped. The side effects was worse for me so I didn't want to start it agian
I don't think moving up through doses too quick is a good idea because you don't know if that smaller dose would work for you, and why take a larger dose if a smaller one would suffice. Think you're right - time must be given for them to be effective.
It is hard to know though, because you have to give them weeks and weeks before you can tell. I reckon a good 2 months on a dose before increasing. Progress is hard to see as its often so slight, but if you look back you'll probably see small changes.
Often people start these meds, suffer with side effects, don't see any results after a few weeks, increase the dose, suffer more side effects, still no results, increase again etc etc. You really have to let the dose settle, really settle .... and just wait. Trouble is the meds don't work like other meds - you take meds and start feeling better within a few weeks. These meds take months often. People also often think that because nothing has happened within a couple of weeks and are probably still suffering with the initial side effects, that they need to increase. Increasing then causes more side effects making them feel worse. Definitely need to let one settle before considering an increase.
I recovered on 20mg and am glad I didn't have to increase. Took me 6 months. After a few years on it I then reduced to 10mg as a maintenance dose and stayed on that for years. Second time on the meds (20mg again) I started in August 2014 and started getting better around May 2015 - much longer.
Yes thats a good idea to stay on 20mg for a good length of time. Now that the side effects are just about manageable, its time to wait ..... and it will feel like its dragging on and on.
Let the meds do their magic on you xxx
Thanks Kate
It's just that my mood swings before having meds don't seem as bad as what I'm going through now , just very tempted to see if things might settle if I reduced my dose to 10 or 15 for a couple of weeks & see what happens , at the moment mornings are a right off & it's impossible to return to work. Thanks again for all the advise .
Thanks , that's what I've been tempted to do , maybe see what happens after a couple of weeks.
It always gets worse before it gets better though. And you also just have to wait ....... and wait, and wait some more. Personally I wouldn't reduce from 20mg - just keep on with it, push on through anything that's thrown at you .... and wait. Both times I've been on these meds I've been on 20mg and I didn't see any results for months and months. Just think, by Christmas
One dose, patience, perseverance and faith in the meds - mix it altogether and take once a day. You will get there xxxx
Kate
Really appreciate the advise , it takes me two weeks just to get to speak to my GP, it just seems that most people have more results this far in, I thought a slight reduction might just be the ticket but I'll see how things go this week. Thanks again xx
It's very difficult to be patient isn't it when you are unable to work. Employers only have so much patience and I've had a lot of time off with the lead up to this anxiety.
Also any tips on the insomnia it's making me so tired the next day which on top of side effects is difficult. It's like my brain pings awake and that's it as regards sleep. Just nothing works to help- any tips anyone?