Citalopram problems

[Roz31]

I was prescribed citalopram starting at 20 MG it immediately had a bad effect on me I was very sickly and nausea the next day  I reduce it to 10 mg on GPs advice but this continued on that day and by the end of the day I had a terrific headache and my blood pressure had zoomed up extremely high and I had to go to the emergency doctor at 1 o'clock in the morning of course I have now been taken off it after only two days and the GP has talked to me and said that I need to be on something and so she will start me on sertraline next week as anybody else had any side-effects like this I am now really worried about taking sertraline and that this horrible stomach feeling and high blood pressure will come with that one too any advice would be welcome thank you 

[Hidden]

Hi what an horrific experience for you.  I understand you being reluctant to try another med but just because one made you ill doesn't meant that another one will too.  .  I presume sertraline has different ingredients in it otherwise your doctor wouldn't prescribe it.  It can often be a case of trial and error in finding one that suits you.

I tried 2 before I ended up on sertraline which suits me fine.  I have been on 150 mgs. now for 6 years and the only side effects I get are a dry mouth and nasty dreams.  But I consider these a reasonable trade off.  Good luck.  x

[Olderal]

Hello Roz, I'm probably not going to be much help as I always seem pretty immune to any side effects of drugs. Maybe being male helps a bit as the dosage is always given as the same what ever one's weight or body size.  I'm sure that as a 14 stone guy any drug will have less effect, good or bad,than it would have on a 9 stone lady. 

Before you ask ,no, I am not 7 feet 3 inches tall which would make my 14 stones the perfect weight. Its a bit heavy for my 5 ft. 10 inches.

Please don't worry about Sertraline. If you have a good GP they will go to considerable trouble to find a suitable drug thats right for you , but that will be much harder if you are in a constant state of fear about the drug you are prescribed. Try and give the drug a reasonable chance.Often side effects which show in the first few days will vanish or lessen as your body becomes more accustomed to the drug. However read the information on the drug fact sheet,included in the package and make sure you get back to your doctor quickly if any of the side effects they list as serious occur. 

Unfortunately anxiety often comes with depression which does n't help. You could explain this to your GP who could maybe suggest ways to reduce your anxiety about drugs. Read the Drugs.com site on which a great many users (American mainly) detail there experiences of antidepressants, but do read it sensibly as every drug on there has some users who've had problems.

Olderal.

[Roz31 in reply to Olderal]

Thanks so much for your reply Olderal...my gp gave me beta blockers to try and help with the anxiety, but they seem to be giving me stomach ache as well!! I seem to be very sensitive to these drugs.It seems that these ssri's can increase feelings of  anxiety and depression when first taken and presumably that's what sent my bp up...so worried that the sertraline might do the same....  I have only got these anxiety and depression problems as I have got ongoing unexplained pains in my upper back whjch are exacerbated by the anxiety...one big vicious circle..really getting me down!!!!

Best wishes Roz