Citalopram 40 mg

[Wyominganxiety]

I have been on citalopram for 6 weeks total a month on 20 2 weeks on 40, I really can't tell if they have kicked in yet I still feel my anxiety pretty strong still getting really nervous panicked in certain situations and my hands are always sweaty or cold and clammy, has anybody had this medication take longer than 6 weeks to start noticing a difference?

[CopingwithEx]

Hello, I was on citalopram for about 8 weeks and noticed a difference but it took a while for it to kick in! I stopped as within the first couple of weeks I had bad side effects (being spaced out all the time) which had an effect with work. Not on any medication now, have been prescribed fluextine but have been putting it off for about 3 wks. X

[Wyominganxiety in reply to CopingwithEx]

I'm not experiencing any horrible side effects anymore, but I don't feel happy and less stressed like my doctor said guess maybe I'm being a little impatient.

[Agora1 in reply to Wyominganxiety]

Hi Wyominganxiety, please stay on it...The fact that is was increased to 40mg will take a little longer to reach full efficacy. Patience is a virtue especially with medication. Being on the right meds, the right dose can make a difference in how you feel after a while.

Also remember that a medication is not a miracle drug and needs something else with it. Whether it's therapy or using other modalities, it is necessary to work with the meds in order to find relief for your symptoms.

Hang in there..it will start working soon. xx

[Wyominganxiety in reply to Agora1]

Thank you, I'm going to stick with them just gets frustrating sometimes.. I keep thinking of future things coming up and always ask myself if I'll be able to do them.. been sick lately too so I'm sure that's not helping me

[Agora1 in reply to Wyominganxiety]

Being sick always brings us back a few steps for sure. However, don't project too far into the future. We only have today to worry about. The goal right now is feeling the effects of the medication working for you. From there everything else will fall into place. x

[Wyominganxiety in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for your encouraging words of advice. Think I need to just rest and get over this sickness and in sure I'll feel a little better all together. 😁

[Dahl in reply to Wyominganxiety]

Taking a newish medication, having to cope with anxiety and your immune system fighting a virus is an unfortunate combination to deal with all at the same time. All you can do is ride it out and wait for a better time. Be kind to yourself because you're coping with a lot all at once. I've been on Citalopram 20mg for about the same period of time and I often think it's not doing anything, but when I look back to where I was and how I was struggling 3 months ago the improvement in my life is obvious to me. My first focus was on my diet and foods I could easily swallow and I'm really pleased with the healthy diet I have now. Sleep is better, my quality of sleep is good but my times of sleeping are still a little off. And my next focus will be a regular exercise routine for 20 minutes I can do at home anytime. Retraining ourselves to complete one task at a time instead of doing everything all at once while we worry about tomorrows tasks seems to be a common mental adjustment for most anxiety sufferers. Stick to it, you may be doing better than you think at the moment.

[Dahl in reply to Agora1]

Excellent advice as always. Anxiety and impatience nearly always go hand in hand and when you've been so familiar with your mind overthinking everything it's not easy getting our thinking to slow down. It still requires a mental effort of retraining ourselves, medication alone will not do everything for us and constantly reminding ourselves to stay in the present moment and simply complete the one task in front of us is sometimes as frustrating as the anxiety itself.

[Agora1 in reply to Dahl]

I totally agree with everything you said Dahl. It's true that it is a matter of retraining our brain. With anxiety, we tend to be all over the place and have trouble focusing because we don't stay in the present. The "what ifs" start taking over leading us down the road to the future. When feeling overwhelmed I have found it beneficial to address one task at a time, like you said. You will feel the accomplishment as you check that progress off. You are right in that with anxiety comes impatience. We want everything to happen immediately. There is nothing that can accomplish that, not medication, therapy and especially not wishing things to be better.

It takes work and the willingness to go forward a little each day, never looking back, never going back. One step at a time, baby steps are accepted as long as the goal is the same, Anxiety Free.

Thanks for sharing Dahl...Hope you evening is going well.