sullencitalopram

[Kevin Hodge]

woohoo! got the "crazy-people" meds now!

i'm looking forward to having an upset stomach on top of my ibs, and the six weeks of feeling worse before i start feeling better sounds groovy too.

anyone else take citalopram? your thoughts? i'm going to try it for my anxiety.

i'm just about to go see if i am allowed to have booze with it, your experiences on this sort of thing will also be welcome...

Originally Posted by sullenskink

woohoo! got the "crazy-people" meds now!

i'm looking forward to having an upset stomach on top of my ibs, and the six weeks of feeling worse before i start feeling better sounds groovy too.

anyone else take citalopram? your thoughts? i'm going to try it for my anxiety.

i'm just about to go see if i am allowed to have booze with it, your experiences on this sort of thing will also be welcome...

You're welcome to it, made my anxiety more heightened like spaced out over alert. If I was startled it was over exagerated in my sight/sound like woooa. Then again all meds are different from person to person, you might be fine and they suit you.

Good luck with the "crazy medicine" Mr Skink.

Lots of people have done well on Citalopram. I've tried it, but it didn't quite suit me.

Hope it works for you.

[Bamboo]

Hi there sullenskink,

I took citalopram for 2 months. After about 10 days i really improved, i was happy, but it did nothing for my anxiety, but it didn't last, they just stopped working after about 7 weeks so i was back at the docs and he gave me the newer version, escitalopram. I didn't really notice any side effects, other than they didn't work. for me .On the subject of booze, i didn't have any problems. However, they might suit you, hope they work for you.


Bamboo

[Kevin Hodge]

thanks for the comments so far, and keep em coming

just want to point this out...i had a mental health nurse assess me a wee while ago, about the same anxiety that i just had this pill prescribed for. i said at the time i was anxious about going on anti-depressants, etc, as i have seen, in my line of work, that lots of people (lots of people) go really wonky for about a month after starting to take them, ie they get worse before they get better. she said, word for word "that's a strange thing to have heard about them". i told her that i've seen this time and again in my line of work, it is backed up by fellow carers and by the psychiatrist we deal with etc etc etc. would she budge? nope...

freakin doctor today warned me i may feel more agitated for a few weeks after starting on them, the packet says that you may feel dread, suicidal, etc etc after starting them...what freakin gives with the mental health nurse?

[Kevin Hodge]

about to take my first one and go to bed. doesn't feel too clever, this...bloody pharmaceutical companies and their profitable side-effects

must remember to keep my plasma ball on next to my bed all night, and leave "song to the pharoah kings" on infinite loop all night.

goodnight, i'm off to the narcotic realm...

[scarlet_diva]

Wow........ groovy pic.

Good luck with those meds.
I did try citalopram & didn't get on with it too well, but don't want to discourage you as everyone's different and I know it's helped loads of people.

[Kevin Hodge]

well, i took my citalopram last night. then i went and sat down to play halo for a bit before bed. after about 20mins...my stomach sort of noticed something was not quite right.

hm. woke up at about 4-30 am with rather strange goings on in the tummy department. i had a churning sort of feeling, like bloating, but i also felt i might be sick or have a "rear evacuation". this was bad enough to stop me sleeping properly for the rest of the night. i was lying there semi-consciously mulling over the idea of irreversibly ruining my brain chemistry for the next 3 and a half hours, and waiting to make a dash to the loo for one of two probable reasons. fun

that said, i get a bit...vulnerable overnight; feeling ok today, and quite good about the fact that i am doing something which might help me reduce my anxiety through the trials which are inevtiably coming my way.

dr warned me of tummy upsets, but said it usually settles down. the after-effects didn't entirely ruin today, although i'm used to IBS.

just one thing - the tablet is tiny, only twenty milligrams of active ingredient. if that amount of this stuff can screw up your guts so much, just how frickin poisonous is it?

oh, when i checked on wiki it said you run a slight risk of permanent sexual dysfunction! thats a lot of compensation for so little disruption to my life.

i mean, it's probably statistically extremely remote and all, but that doesn't stop me buying lottery tickets

[sophie79]

Not to scare you sullen. But I wonder if SSRI's do alter your brain chemistry forever. Before Seroxat I was just super anxious. If I come off it now then I go into a kind of psychosis that's like some awful bad trip.

Then again, thats Seroxat, well known for being a bugger to get off. The modern ones are probably much gentler.

You will probably feel weird and out of it for a few weeks, with some physical manifestations too. Be prepared to for a much flatter emotional response to things and some loss in sensitivity. Meh, I just made it all sound bad. Whoops. I still think the pro's outweigh the cons though. Like you say it's just those first 6 weeks.

[Kevin Hodge]

i heard about the flatter emotional response...i know it's easy to be blase about that (like, "great!"), i think that could be really bad if it went on too long, but there are a lot of things i need to get on with in my life right now to improve things for me, and i can't be doing with feeling frantic all the time. i've been feeling really panicky all the time for about 6 months, i can't sem to relax at all, no matter what i try. so i want to give these a try to get me through some stuff that is going on just now and then i'll come off and hopefully things in my life will be more settled by then, and i can work on getting settled without chemicals.

what is meant by physical manifestations, just physical symptoms like tummy upset, vision distortion etc? i get that sort of thing so much anyway that i wouldn't be that bothered unless it was quite bad.

[sophie79]

The citalopram should definitely take away that panicky feeling. All those racing uncontrollable thoughts will slow down and seem to dissapear. There will be peace in your head Not surprising it's so hard to come back from paroxetine.

Yes, I should have been more clear about the physical part. I had dry mouth and dizziness mainly.

[Phantomy]

I have been prescribed 20mg citalopram, but I am going to take 10mg at first because I don't want side effects! I will go up to 20mg myself after 1 or 2 weeks. I will probably get side effects at 10mg, but I would guess they will be more mild than if I took 20.

I havent seen the tablets yet (picking them up tomorrow) but I hope they aren't too small to chop in half :/

[John]

Originally Posted by Antony

I have been prescribed 20mg citalopram, but I am going to take 10mg at first because I don't want side effects! I will go up to 20mg myself after 1 or 2 weeks. I will probably get side effects at 10mg, but I would guess they will be more mild than if I took 20.

I havent seen the tablets yet (picking them up tomorrow) but I hope they aren't too small to chop in half :/

Not necessarily. I started on 20mg and had really bad side-effects. After a month the doctor moved me up to 40mg and I suffered the same all over again.

Sullen, I was told that it is best to take Citalopram in the morning rather than at night. Otherwise you are sleeping through the time when the drug is actually working.

[Kevin Hodge]

Originally Posted by John

Sullen, I was told that it is best to take Citalopram in the morning rather than at night. Otherwise you are sleeping through the time when the drug is actually working.

hmm. my dr said that lots take it at night so that if it upsets your tummy, hopefully you'll sleep through it. as for the mind effects, i thought it was one of those "gradual build up" type effects that affect you all the time, rather than the pill being like a bonk on the head which wears off after a while. i don't really think that for any concrete reason, though.

the lack of consistency of information about these pills is far from reassuring. i have a consultation with the doc in two weeks, maybe i'll ask him about morning vs night.



pf...no stomach trouble at all last night, i wonder if it was just something i ate the night before.

i am getting worried about...pills affecting my brain though. new thread...

[Kevin Hodge]

Originally Posted by Turnip

Turnip took that for just under two years. Helped Turnip's depression more than anxiety to be honest. Side effects-wise it wasn't too bad; Turnip was still able to get moderately smashed without too bad a reaction, heavy-drinking wasn't good for Turnip though. It also gave Turnip a dry mouth and an increased propensity to bruise. Aside from that, a good med in this root vegetable's opinion

that's a good, reassuring account, my beta-carotene rich, cruciferous friend

[Winnie57]

I started taking 20mg Citalopram yesterday (this is my second day) and I've been getting waves of nausea, loss of appetite and tummy pains.

I'd like to ask Mr Skink or anyone else how long it takes for these feelings to subside?

I don't mind about the loss of appetite as the Mirtazapine I was on before caused me to eat too much and get fat.

[emgee]

Citalopram was the most 'neutral' of the ad's for me. Neither good nor bad effects, in fact it felt like I was taking nothing.

[Kevin Hodge]

Originally Posted by Winnie57

I started taking 20mg Citalopram yesterday (this is my second day) and I've been getting waves of nausea, loss of appetite and tummy pains.

I'd like to ask Mr Skink or anyone else how long it takes for these feelings to subside?

I don't mind about the loss of appetite as the Mirtazapine I was on before caused me to eat too much and get fat.

hey winnie,

i'm pretty sure that any stomach upset was very short lived for me, maybe just two or three days. my stomach is EXTREMELY "disturbed" at the best of times anyway though, so it would take some pretty bizarre or extreme symptoms to not seem "normal for me".

winnie, just wanted to say that i'm doing really well on citalopram, and i hope it works for you. i felt pretty upset on weeks three and four, i was quite frightened, upset, and had bad dreams, but i had expected this and now i feel like i'm coping much better. the circumstances of my life have been very crazy since i've been on it, and i frequently find myself wondering why i'm not going completely insane right now. honestly, the only answer i have is that the citalopram must be helping me an awful lot, i should have caved in ages ago.

i hope it helps you winnie, i do believe it's time you were getting a break. just remember to maybe expect some disruptions and persevere, my doc said it should work by about week 6.

incidentally, mine ran out on thursday, and i can't get more til monday when the docs opens. anyone know how to get the minotaurs off the ceiling till then? they only seem to speak italian

Originally Posted by Winnie57

I started taking 20mg Citalopram yesterday (this is my second day) and I've been getting waves of nausea, loss of appetite and tummy pains.

I'd like to ask Mr Skink or anyone else how long it takes for these feelings to subside?

I don't mind about the loss of appetite as the Mirtazapine I was on before caused me to eat too much and get fat.

I never did, I was changed to them from escitalopram and havent been the same since, I stopped taking them after weeks of hell.

[Winnie57]

Originally Posted by sullenskink

hey winnie,

i'm pretty sure that any stomach upset was very short lived for me, maybe just two or three days. my stomach is EXTREMELY "disturbed" at the best of times anyway though, so it would take some pretty bizarre or extreme symptoms to not seem "normal for me".

winnie, just wanted to say that i'm doing really well on citalopram, and i hope it works for you. i felt pretty upset on weeks three and four, i was quite frightened, upset, and had bad dreams, but i had expected this and now i feel like i'm coping much better. the circumstances of my life have been very crazy since i've been on it, and i frequently find myself wondering why i'm not going completely insane right now. honestly, the only answer i have is that the citalopram must be helping me an awful lot, i should have caved in ages ago.

i hope it helps you winnie, i do believe it's time you were getting a break. just remember to maybe expect some disruptions and persevere, my doc said it should work by about week 6.

incidentally, mine ran out on thursday, and i can't get more til monday when the docs opens. anyone know how to get the minotaurs off the ceiling till then? they only seem to speak italian

Thanks for the account of your experience sullenskink. I'm glad you're doing well - I think I can cope with the tummy problems if they don't last too long. It's important to me to be able to keep on working.
I would suggest an Italian phrase book if you can get hold of one but not sure if it will have a translation for: "Begone ye beasts!"


Sorry you had a bad experience Moody Mare - from other people's accounts it sounds like yours was an extreme reaction - I hope you do feel better soon.

[peaceseeker]

I too had a very bad experience with 'citalopram', I won't try to put anyone off as it doe's seem to work amazingly with most people, so please, please stop reading NOW if it will worry you, but the time I had was very bad, mostly increased my feelings of self hatred, I could not believe how much I hated myself, I was only having about 2-3 hours sleep per night and waking fully alert about 3.30 in the morning, then two hours later feeling really bad. I was having some really freaky dreams, it was like watching the TV, really detailed and much like watching a Stephen King movie. I was taken off of them quite quickly, after having suicidal thoughts, after about 8 or 9 weeks of these symptoms, and don't feel the same since, my anxiety seems very uncontrollable infact, and I'm left feeling quite depressed (but not badly so, just not happy), sorry to mention this, but just understanding the point 'Moody Mare' made, I do feel a little better than I was 1 month ago though, little by little builds to make a lot, hopefully!.

[Kevin Hodge]

Originally Posted by Winnie57

Thanks for the account of your experience sullenskink.
.

no probs

Originally Posted by Winnie57

I'm glad you're doing well - I think I can cope with the tummy problems if they don't last too long. It's important to me to be able to keep on working.

i also had my sleep disrupted and felt pretty wired when i first started.

evidently even missing it for a few days can bring about insane results! i woke up last night after some really insane dreams feeling really really tense and manic. i was like "what the hell is wrong with me?!"...then i realised that i don't normally feel anything like that, and soon i would have my nice drugs to calm me down again. really drove home how well these buggers are working for me. i hope i'm not worse again tonight : /

Originally Posted by Winnie57

I would suggest an Italian phrase book if you can get hold of one but not sure if it will have a translation for: "Begone ye beasts!"

i started thinking out loud about half-cannibal burgers. their english seemed to remove remarkably after this, and they seem to have got fed up of hanging round here.

[W!llow]

I'm on Citalopram too have been for some years now am on 10mg now though. I tried other anti-depressants which had bad side effects for me but this one was the best, but I know everyone responds differently to meds so what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

incidentally, mine ran out on thursday, and i can't get more til monday when the docs opens.

me too sullen, well mine ran out today are the doctors open as normal monday? I am terrible for putting my repeat prescription in, I always feel like I'm being told off by the receptionist, so I decide I will be more organised in future, but does it happen?

[Winnie57]

^ I feel really sick today. I didn't sleep and had stomach cramps all night.

I have had to ring in sick for work. It's ironic that I've never had time off with depression but I've had to ring in sick because of side effects from medication which is supposed to combat depression.

I haven't taken my pill today as I'm scared it will make me feel even worse. I'm going to go back to the docs and see if I can get it put down to 10mg to start off with.

Sorry your withdrawal is making you feel weird sullenskink - hope you manage to get your meds soon. You can have mine if you want!

[Kevin Hodge]

Originally Posted by Winnie57

^ I feel really sick today. I didn't sleep and had stomach cramps all night.

I have had to ring in sick for work. It's ironic that I've never had time off with depression but I've had to ring in sick because of side effects from medication which is supposed to combat depression.

I haven't taken my pill today as I'm scared it will make me feel even worse. I'm going to go back to the docs and see if I can get it put down to 10mg to start off with.

Sorry your withdrawal is making you feel weird sullenskink - hope you manage to get your meds soon. You can have mine if you want!

yuck, sorry you feel horrible winn. i'll be ok, i don't mind temporary blips like this, and i'm sure that's all it is.

also, i feel i get a strange sort of, er, insight, from what happens to me when my head screws up. my dreams last night, although disturbing, were also quite interesting.

[W!llow]

hope you soon feel better Winnie.

[Winnie57]

^ Thanks W!llow and sullenskink - it's a good excuse to have a lazy day.

[Winnie57]

Just in case I put anyone off with my post about the side effects. These have already subsided and I have already noticed a change in my mood after four days. My anger and despair seem to have lessened. I think my nausea might have been heightened by a glass of lager I had on the Friday which might have been unwise with my body still getting used to them. Apparently nausea is a common side effect and wears off quickly.

[IRIS]

I am on ecialopram - I hve had vision problems which my opticain thinks could be related to the drug - apart from that i don't think there have been any major side effects, i think they have saved my life.

[wobbly]

I too am on escitalopram & never really had any significant side effects with it. Like all things though these are a trade off for the benefits that the drug brings. I think my sex drive has been reduced but with 3 boys already that's not a bad thing! I also think my emotions have been stifled to some extent but, again, as I was living in some kind of constant fear before, this is not a bad thing. So, for me, they've done loads to help get me back functioning relatively normally again without feeling the flight or fight response kicking in all the time.