Citalopram experiences

Has anyone here been on citalopram (20mg)

And more specifically straight after fluoxetine, cos thats my situation.
well i've been on citalopram for a few days now, and have been sweating quite bad, trouble sleeping and that sort of stuff.
Is this too soon to be having side effects?

Basically i'm asking:

1) What side effects you had
2) Did citalopram help you?

Many thanks.

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Reply 1

Anonymous #1

1) Was really cold all the time, felt nauseous a lot.
2) No, but another antidepressant eventually did.

It takes a while to kick in so give it time and try to put up with the side effects for now. Good luck :smile:

Reply 2

student_rock chick

I was on it for a few years and no side effects for me at all.

Reply 3

clinicallydepressed

Anonymous

which one worked?

cos i got started on fluoxetine, didnt work.
if citalopram doesnt work, i'd like to know what the next best option is, even though i know all people are different

Reply 4

Anonymous #2

Side effects don't just vary between medications but between people, so I'm a bit reluctant to post this, but I will :smile:

With citalopram, I was (correctly) warned that it would take at least two weeks for me to dip below in terms of effects and adjust to it, before it having a positive effect. Actually, it was more like 4-5 weeks for it to finally make a positive difference.

In terms of side effects: emotionally - my emotions were much stronger, my concentration was poor, and I had suicidal thoughts. Physical effects included feeling even more lethargic, problems with eating and, oddly enough, I had a very runny nose!

Having said this, though, it WILL get much worse before it gets better, as your body reacts and adjusts... you've got to hang on in there. If possible, surround yourself with supportive people (or at least people who are aware of your situation).

Reply 5

clinicallydepressed

Anonymous

Side effects don't just vary between medications but between people, so I'm a bit reluctant to post this, but I will :smile:

did it end up working?

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

clinicallydepressed

which one worked?

cos i got started on fluoxetine, didnt work.
if citalopram doesnt work, i'd like to know what the next best option is, even though i know all people are different

well I've been on about 9 or 10 in all including fluoxetine and citalopram. Mirtazapine is what I'm currently on, it took a while to work but then I felt pretty great. I would suggest giving citalopram a proper go though; antidepressants take a while to take effect and unless the side effects are too appalling for you to put up with. There isn't really a "next best option", it's totally different for different people, I know people that mirtazapine hasn't worked for.

I agree with anon#2 often you can feel worse before you feel better.

Reply 7

Lauren-silk

tbh I stopped taking anything, none of the drugs worked and I found that my conviction and willpower became stronger by them not working that I could help myself. But as people have said, everyone is different and what works for some people doesn't work for others, hang on in there

Reply 8

clinicallydepressed

Lauren-silk

thanks this is the problem because with uni coursework and stuff i dont know if i can handle the few weeks of being really down before it starts to work.
wish me luck :rolleyes:

Reply 9

mullings1

clinicallydepressed

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/30003676/

I hope this helps :smile:

Reply 10

spatula01

Like everyone has said, there is a breaking in period of a couple of weeks in which I didn't sleep very much but once it was over there were no side effects. I found that I had to up my dosage at that point but it wasn't really too much of a problem. One thing I would say though is that, for me at least, it didn't make me feel happier persay but it made the low points less horrendous so don't be surprised if it doesn't make you want to jump around like a loon.

Reply 11

Anonymous #3

The only side effect I've had is delayed ejaculation. Which can be quite frustrating at times.

Reply 12

SoundDevastation

Side effects that went away after a week or so... included hot flushes, shaking, headaches, nausea, sweating.. Side effects that were consistent were anxiety, paranoia, restlessness, insomnia, lack of sex drive..

I came off Citalopram mainly cause of the anxiety and insomnia.. it didnt help me a huge amount.

Mirtazapene made me lethargic, sleepy and massively increased my appetite.. as i had body image issues, putting on weight was a very bad point which is why i came off them immediately..

Venlafaxine were the ones i eventually found stable.. I did not suffer any serious side effects and they allowed me to get space to sort my head out.

Reply 13

Lauren-silk

clinicallydepressed

thanks this is the problem because with uni coursework and stuff i dont know if i can handle the few weeks of being really down before it starts to work.
wish me luck :rolleyes:

good luck

Reply 14

petromasha

I get really really vivid dreams that I remember every single night thanks to citalopram

I did get palpatations to start with, quite badly, as well as a dry mouth

But they helped in the end, on the highest dose, with lots of exercise to get my energy levels up :smile:

Reply 15

YAP

It's worked for me - 20mg started to do something, 30mg seems to have sealed the deal. Side effects at first - occasional diarrhoea, felt anxious (but that might have been the benzo withdrawal). Those cleared after about 5 days, then a couple or three weeks of not thinking I was much different, then I started to notice that I was.

I did think it was giving me insomnia, but it turns out I was over-sleeping due to depression (10 hours a day) and assuming that's what I still need. So, I've cut that back to 8 hours a night, sleep much better, and feel more awake. Something to bear in mind for if you start having similar problems in a while - it took a psychiatrist to point that one out, as my GP didn't twig.

Reply 16

becki08

I was on citalopram after being on fluoxetine and experienced no side effects. What you've described though does sound like side effects and they should wear off within a couple of weeks. Citalopram has helped me although it seems to have stopped working now (I've been on it nearly 2 years) so I'm going to try and switch soon. I hope it helps you. Different people have different experiences of anti-depressants so don't worry if people have described different things.

Reply 17

Anonymous #4

clinicallydepressed

1) In the first couple of weeks I had a bit of trouble sleeping and some very vivid dreams but nothing unpleasant
2) Citalopram helped me massively - antidepressants are different for everyone though, and it may take a while to find one that works for you. Just make sure you give each one you try some time - took about 2 months for citalopram to work for me, but it was great once it did.

Both my mum and my sister tried citalopram straight after fluoxetine and they didn't get any side-effects (won't necessarily be the same for you, but you asked for experiences, so...)

Hope you feel better soon :smile:

clinicallydepressed

1) Had nausea for a couple of weeks, thats about it
2) I think its been life changing for me, its taken about 5-6 weeks to kick in but really pleased witht the results.