Just started on citralopram for my anxiety. Suffering with a few side effects at the moment. Anyone have any personal experience?

[gems1181]

[janicecarrington]

hi gems yes i`ve been on citalopram for severral years, they suit me fine.some people they dont. when i first started taking them my anxiety was worse, but persevered with them til they got into my system properly then its a slow process it doesnt get better all at once. i was told you do need a higher dose to help anxiety . hope this as helped & reassured you a little. stay strong & hang in there.xxx

[gems1181 in reply to janicecarrington]

Thank you Janice! I must admit I am much better today and feeling much more positive about it all! The doc has started me on them for anxiety and am seeing her again in a week and a half so we'll see how it goes. Thank you for your supportive words. xx

[Hidden]

Hello there. I was on Citalopram for a long while, at the start i was very anxious about taking them as i am with any medication but i felt i needed something so i decided it was best to take them and deal with the side effects. In all honesty the only side effects i had was not being able to keep my legs still, feeling of creepy crawly things in my legs, my mum use to call it the eebie geebies if this is how it is spelt . Anyway i was on these tablets for a few years to say the least, the side effects only lasted approx a month if not that but they were tollerable. After several years and until a couple of days ago i was asked to come off them and go onto something different as i was unsure the citalopram worked any longer. I suppose it really depends on the severity of your depression as mine has got worse instead of better over this past 2 years of losing my mother so they no longer work for me. I started on 20mg then i went onto 30mg and tried 40mg but the 40 i feared was too much for me so i stayed on 30.

Hope this helps a little bit and if you feel you need to talk then i would be more than happy to listen and help and support any way i can.

[gems1181 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Deborah! I suffer with anxiety so hoping a fairly low dose will do the trick! The side effects so far have been limited to diarrhoea, dizzy spells, drowsiness and yawning so actually not too bad. No eebie geebies yet! I am feeling much better today so hoping the most acute side effects are over!

Thank you for your support and kind words. I hope your new medication helps. x

[duckula]

Hi there, I'm on 20mg citalopram. I've been on it for several years for anxiety. When I first started on them I felt worse for about 2 or 3 weeks. I seem to yawn a lot but then I've cut caffeine completely out of my diet recently so that could be why. Generally I feel really good and I'm not planning on coming off them. Hope that's some help.x

[gems1181 in reply to duckula]

I must admit I have also been yawning a alot!! So far I'm having good days and bad days - the worst side effects for me have been the diarrhoea and the dizzy spells. Hoping they don't last too long! Thank you for your reassurane duckula. x

[natty1982]

Stick with them they are a very good drug hope all goes well

[gems1181 in reply to natty1982]

Thank you natty! Looking forward to the side effects going away and hopeful they will help! x

[miarose]

I can't tolerate citalopram,or any ssri drug, does anyone take any other type of drug for severe anxiety,...I am so delighted this has worked for you.but I really need something.I am doing CBT it is good but Ifind it hard to relax.any suggestions please....

[gems1181 in reply to miarose]

Can I ask what it is about citalopram you can't tolerate? I'm still suffering side effects myself.

[scotland4ever]

hi everyone i have been prescribed citalopram 2day 1 10 mg dose a day , i am nervous about taking the first pill i have read too many bad reviews on google . Is there a specific time to take the pill ie , am or pm. I will give it a go hopefully everythings goes well.

all the best to everyone

[gems1181 in reply to scotland4ever]

The doc has started me on 20mg tablet once daily. She told me to take it in the morning, but I know you can take it in the evening. I haven't noticed a difference whether I take them with or without food. So far the side effects I've suffered are diarrhoea, dizzy spells, yawning. All of which are unpleasant but manageable and so far everyone has said they side effects only last 2-3 weeks so I know they will be over soon. I was very nervous about starting citalopram - I've avoided them for the last year! I know everyone is different but you won't know until you try them. Good luck!

[scotland4ever in reply to gems1181]

Thanks gems , on day 3 of taking citalopram side effects started about 4 hours of taking the 1st pill , yawning , anxiety got worse but this is a side effect and aches and pains. started taking them in the morning the side effects might kick in when i am at work which will stressful. The side effects are unpleasant but knowing what to expect helped. Thanks everyone its good to know i am not alone and this is a great site.

[Hidden]

Citalopram works different for everyone and not everyone will suffer the same side effects but i feel the side effects from this medication are a lot less to deal with and much easier to cope with. Anyone on this medication i would hope can cope with their issues. I do hope you all get better soon. Be forceful with yourself is the answer to any problems, i know its easier said than done and i know only too well how hard things can be, if you ever wish to ask anything or talk about anything then i would be more than happy to listen. I am someone who allowed the panic attacks become a large part of my life so suffering every day and with different symptoms is a life long thing for me now. We are all different in the way we feel but rest assured the only person going to get us through this is ourselves. No matter how many tablets we take or who we see it really is ourselves that get us through the days. Take good advice, do the breathing, get to relax, take time out for yourselves, its the only answer we will ever really find. Good luck all. x

[cheekipixi]

Hi,

I tried this medication and felt so knocked all the time I had to stop it, but ive been on alsorts of medication and none really help much, apart from im carbamazapine and i hate it cos it takes my highs away, I would like to try CBT but nobody will help me access this.

I hope this works for you though.

-x-

[Hidden]

Hi cheekipixi you say no one will help you access the CBT. your doctor should refer you if he or she has a full history of your condition. I asked my GP to refer me to something called unlimited potential. I would suggest maybe looking at their website and seeing if there is anything they can do for yourself or if they have partner bodies that could possibly help. Speak with your GP and insist they send you somewhere for help in gaining CBT if they refuse and your not happy with their decision then i would either do one of two things, change my GP which can be a nightmare to say the least or i would complain to the medical board or even the practice manager. Sometimes our GP's are not always sympathetic to our needs and think we can cope but luckily my GP is great. Good luck and if you wan to look on the website it is

unlimitedpotential.org.uk

Good luck