Citalopram - anxiety about taking drug?
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January 2006, i was diagnosed with depression, had a lot of things going on in my life that that time - was quite stressful, i stopped eating, was having panic attacks, and it was al very scary!
dr put me on 10mg citralopram, and i was a bit im not taking them, but i ended up taking them, and 6 months later my dr told me i was well enough to stop taking them. i have and now i manage panic attacks on my own - which i feel is a huge step!! and i had no withdrawel symptoms - 10mg isnt that much
take them - they will make you feel loads better!! trust me!!
good luck and feel better soon
10mg is quite a small dose so don't worry about it. There aren't withdrawal symptoms that I'm aware of - just the risk of a relapse if you come off too soon. You won't get hooked on them.
A lot of the initial side effects you mention wear off after a while. stick with it.
long term medication is not the answer
try to relax yourself and think positively
engage in more healthy activities
keep yourself occupied
get support from friends and family
and gradually stop the medication if possible
i was taking chlorpromazine for a problem, i believe this is in the same family, and found it to have the effect on me of making me completely apathtic to doing anything ie: "i could get annoyed, if i wanted, but i cant be bothered to". i found the excessive tiredness didnt work for me, and my doctor took me off them. i couldnt really talk about the long term, but i hope this helps... j
10 mg is a lot - start cutting down.
Medication can ease the symptoms but not the cause. You should also see a therapist or councillor to help you to find the cause of your depression and deal with your issues.
I have anxiety and depression and having been trying an alternative therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique and it has really worked for me and helped me a lot. Since using it I have been feeling a lot better. It's very good at getting rid of all kinds of negative emotions and dealing with all kinds of issues quickly. It does sound bizarre but does work. Might be something that can help you. These are some links
about it.
I used to be on Citalopram. 10mg is the starting dose, so don't worry, if they increase it it will be gradually and when you come off it it should be gradually as well.
I didn't find coming off it that bad, compared to others I've been on, so don't worry too much.
I took Citalopram for about 8 months several years ago. It was the first anti depressant that I had ever taken and I was a little scared to take it. Anyway.I did.and I'm glad I did. It really helped me out of a hole! There were some side effects at first which didn't help my anxiety disorder at all at the time! But once I knew that they were just side effects of the drug I was OK. Everyone can experience different side effects, mine were sleepiness, and once my skin came out in a rash of tiny blisters when I got in a bath. The worst thing was that I had a reduced sex drive the whole time I was taking them, and the feeling that I was not 100% with it all the time :( Another POSITIVE thing about Citalopram, is that I didn't have any problems coming off them, I just reduced the dose for a couple of weeks and then came off them. I didn't have ANY withdrawal effects.
Last year I had a bit of a relapse, and before it got so bad that I was in 'the hole' again, I went back to my GP and between us we decided on a short couse of SSRI's again. She was going to put me on Citalopram again but I asked if there was anything else (cos of the sex drive thing) and she told me about Escitalopram which is a newer, I suppose more refined version of Citalopram with less side effects. I took them for several months with NO side effects (apart from being a bit more sleepy the first week)...infact I almost forgot I was taking anything! BUT.when I started to reduce my dose to come off them I had some very strange withdrawl symptoms. I did it tho and feel great now :) The tablets got me to a place where I could start to think rationally and work through the way my mind works. The thing that helped me long term was some cognitive behavioural therapy (tried other therapies first that didn't help as much. CBT felt it helped me to sort out my thought processes and make sense of them, kind of like clearing out old clothes or something.very satisfying!) but I couldn't have got to the counsellor and listened properly without the tabs. Anti depressants aren't scary as long as you see them as a short term aid.
Good luck and take care :)
I've been on Citalopram (20mg) for just over 2 years. I was prescribed them when I had depression, but am still taking them to keep me on "an even keel". I have anxiety too. They have helped me enormously, and the only side-effects I've had has been tiredness, and headaches for a few days when I started taking them.
I have some very bizarre and very detailed dreams, since being on the tablets, but my G.P. thinks that's due to anxiety, not the pills. He assures me that they are not addictive, and I plan to start coming off them shortly
Hi Please don't worry its the only one with the least side effects i think, i have been on 5 different ones and citalopram has really helped and doesn't really have bad side effects i have been on 60mg for well over a year and am just coming off it and as long as its slowly ( IE reduce to every other day for 2 weeks b4 you stop and then ask them for 5mg for a week.
I'm on 60mg and after 1and half years on it i have gone down to 30mg for 2 weeks and the only side effect is being a bit shaky and feeling a bit detached from the real world but i know i have been on a high dose so it will take longer you will be 100% Fine
Its a good AD stay with it xx lou
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