The Student Room Group

antidepressents - Citalopram

Im wondering if anyone has had these? Are they any good how bad are the side effects etc? Ive read the leaflet it says they can cause fits, suicide thoughts, panic and vomiting. These factors are exactly what im trying to avoid lol (panic, fainting). I think its a bit risky chemicals messing with my brain and thoughts yet I want to get better has anyone been on these before?
cheers
Reply 1
suicide thoughts? bit ironic really..

Sorry no useful info :redface:
Reply 2
friendlyneutron
I've been on citalopram for about 3 years and it's REALLY helped. The only side effects I've noticed are a bit of a dry mouth sometimes, and when I was on the highest dose I felt a bit numb, but it's a lot better than feeling like utter crap. Also, some nasty withdrawal effects when reducing the dose but nothing that wasn't sorted for me by just temporarily taking some more of the medicine. Its not addictive and you don't feel like its "messing with your brain". Best of luck with it, it really helped me. If you need any advice then feel free to PM at any time :smile:


Thanks, is it easy to come off though? How long after you started taking it did you feel any better? Thing is im on and off all the time some days im in a crap frame of mind other days im fine and wonder why I was like i was the day before. Ive been hesitant to even go out the last few days due to fear of feeling dizzy/panicking its all in my head :confused:
Glad its worked for you its persuaded me to take it :eek: :smile:
Reply 3
can you get over-the-counter anti-depressants? just a query.????
Reply 4
Indu.Mitra
i've been on anti depressants for over a year, and the results are shocking, no one seems to recognise me because i've become so much more jolly!... i wouldnt worry about the side effects they usualy wear off after the first month... dont worry.. but whateve rhappens don't give up!


Cool maybe people should take anti depressents instead of all these illegal drugs, ive always worried about it just covering up the symptoms rather than getting rid of them also I thought taking them for years could be dangerous? Then theres the comming off them what if all the symptoms suddenly appear again really bad? If you haven't yet figured it out, im an hypochondriac :rolleyes:
--------------
Icy Ghost
can you get over-the-counter anti-depressants? just a query.????


No, really doubt it.
Reply 5
Icy Ghost
can you get over-the-counter anti-depressants? just a query.????


You can get herbal remedies over the counter such as St. Johns Wort, which has been shown to reduce depression in people with mild to moderate depression. But it has interactions with a number of prescription drugs, and should not be taken without consulting a doctor.
Reply 6
Indu.Mitra
yeah dfeinately.. but i think the whole image of taking drugs seems to appeal to people more than taking anti depressants. DONT take drugs.. especially when youre on anti depressants. I dont drink, smoke or so any kind of illegal drugs.. and i think thats probably why the anti depressants have worked so well on me. All the best with you though, i really hope you start to feel better soon.
--------------



look dont worry. let me just explain something to you. You know when you've been down for a fairly long period of time.. that's calld depression.. but the reason its an illness is because its like this:
let's say there's a wall in your brain. and everytime you're down.. one brick falls from the wall... and because you've been down for so long.. theres a huge gap in your wall.. which causes two walls.
See what usually happens is.. when people have been down.. but can bounce back.. its because they still have enough bricks; their wall is still strong... so the sadness can't break the wall. But once your depressed.. the sadness just flows through the gap.. it doesnt bounce back.. because there's nothign to bounce back from. What the anti depressants do is hey build that wall back up.. stronger.. so next time youre down you can deal with it better and bounce back faster.
I doubt the symptoms should reoccur.. because the wall is very strong. And what the anti depressants do is they ensure u still have loads of extra bricks incase you really need them some time!


OK thanks for the explanation, is it your own or the doctors, :p:, nah I think i'l start them tomorrow, better than being like this. Glad they are doing their job for you :smile:
Reply 7
Riddy
Im wondering if anyone has had these? Are they any good how bad are the side effects etc? Ive read the leaflet it says they can cause fits, suicide thoughts, panic and vomiting. These factors are exactly what im trying to avoid lol (panic, fainting). I think its a bit risky chemicals messing with my brain and thoughts yet I want to get better has anyone been on these before?
cheers


It's common for betablockers and similar medicine to have as side-effects, the actual effects you're avoiding. I think a lot of people will agree that GPs often hand out these kinds of medicine just because it's an easy quick-fix and doesn't make them have to actually diagnose anything.

Citalopram has a pretty bad side-effect which is profuse sweating.

If you read more, it will tell you that any side effects go away after 2 weeks. It takes a while for your body to get used to them.

I'd say, think about changing your lifestyle a bit, looking for proactive ways of feeling better and if that doesn't seem to work, then consider the medicine.

Oh and it's a very mild anti-depressant. You don't have to be bordering on a nervous breakdown to be prescribed this stuff. In my case, I think my GP didn't really have a clue. I was just in a bit of a crap mood the day I saw her.
--------------
An important side-effect is difficulty getting erections and reaching orgasms.

That's definitely something to take into account if you're a guy.
ill have been on citalopram for 3 years this december 23rd, yep i left it til the day b4 xmas eve lol that was a sh***y christmas

ive found it really helps the only side effects ive had are dry mouth and sweating, which isnt brilliant news i know but its worth it when you feel so much better. i tried st johns wort but it didnt work for me in the long term. several times (because of bad organisation of getting the prescription in lol) ive ran out and its not addiction but i do feel quite bad pretty quickly if i miss even one. but it just means i have to stay out of ppls way until i get them otherwise i can become miss mardy and bitchface lol
Reply 9
i took citalopram for a while - recommended after id been on prozac and that had adverse effects. i still found citalopram to have negative side effects, the most annoyign one the numbing effect. i thought numbing would be a godsend, it was in fact the opposite.
Reply 10
Explain what you mean by numbing lol? Is it feeling nothing? If so surely its good.
As with a lot of anti-depressants their effect varies from person to person so unfortunately they may work for some people and not for others. My boyfriend took citalopram for a few months before moving onto venlafaxine.

At the time he was really very depressed and his mood was terribly unpredictable yet after a few weeks of taking them it seemed to even out a little. He didn't seem particularly happy as such, he was certainly less depressed but very much apathetic (which probably relates to the 'numbing' effect people are mentioning). He said that his mood swings were a lot less erratic but at the same time he just felt 'a bit out of it'.

As others have mentioned the sweating is a major side effect, as another friend of mine has complained previously, particularly during the night. Also the dry mouth, lack or gain of appetite, nausea, fatigue, decreased libido and if he ever missed one he used to get quite shakey.

Oh, and never drink alcohol when taking them (and most anti depressants I guess), I have witnesed some disasterous effects from pills and only a few drinks.
Reply 12
Well you'd think numbing is good but it isnt, its possibly the most dangerous thing in the word apathy. If you're numb you just dont feel anything towards anything, and so your judgement is limited.

as for alcohol - yes, never a good idea. With prozac i had one drink and didnt have coordination of my limbs. Citalopram was sorta ok with me but DONT do it, it has different effects on different people.

One of the things i noticed too, which sounds trivial but became frustrating, was i could never reach orgasm anymore :-\
Fleece

One of the things i noticed too, which sounds trivial but became frustrating, was i could never reach orgasm anymore :-\


Yes I mentioned that before. It definitely affects guys a lot. I think I was totally misdiagnosed when given this ****. I got all the side-effects, none of the so-called benefits I was supposed to get. Stopped after a month.
Reply 14
I think it kinda helped me because if i hadnt gone to get "help" then who knows where i'd be. But it didnt take long for me to realise that id rather not have mind altering drugs just to live. So i found other ways. I'm really reallllllly against how quickly and easily the doctors give out anti-depressants, honestly it apalls me.
Reply 15
Sarky

You can get herbal remedies over the counter such as St. Johns Wort, which has been shown to reduce depression in people with mild to moderate depression. But it has interactions with a number of prescription drugs, and should not be taken without consulting a doctor.


Ah thanks :wink:
Reply 16
Those kind of side effects you will get with any anti depressant as it's a very fine system and you are (as you said) knocking it way out of balance by taking these things. That said if you're feeling bad enough to be prescribed them to start with then it's probably the best course of action to give it a go.
Ive been on citalopram 20mg for two years now - I've had no known side effects, apart from when I've accidentally forgotten to take them for a few days in a row and I've gone really funny - very depressed and low, weird thoughts (yes sometimes suicidal) and generally not well at all. But that was because I wasn't taking them correctly and not because of the medication itself I hasten to add. They've helped stabilise me but its not the be-all and end-all - you've got to make the changes too, which I have certainly learned from experience. And they are awful to withdraw from - so NEVER do it without professional advice. However each person is different and I cannot offer any universal advice to you - they may affect you differently than they do me and others taking it. What I will say is good luck with it all and I hope they help you in some way.
Reply 18
Hi,
I have been on citalopram 20mg for 6 months and have found they really helped me. I am also going to counselling, and I think it is important not just to use these drugs on their own, but they have given me the energy and the strength to try and put my life back together after feeling really depressed. The side effects were bad at the beginning - I slept for 15 hours a day for a week, had a very dry mouth and felt odd, the only way I can describe it is feeling drunk in a kind of disorientated way - but they have worn off though I still get very tired (but that could just be a symptom of the depression.)
You should think carefully about whether you want to take medication but if you are feeling very depressed and that is affecting your everyday life and your doctor suggests it you might want to give it a go. I was too ashamed to try medication for some time and wish I had got it earlier. It is nothing to be ashamed of and could really help.
If you are going to take it give it at least a month before you give up on it because it takes some getting used to and the positive effects dont happen immediately.
Good luck and I hope you feel better soon xxx
I do not know man