New prescription for Citalopram

Hello,
I am new to this forum and was looking to hopefully connect/share/listen to others who might be going through a similar situation.

I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for the past year and finally decided to talk to my GP about it. Yesterday she suggested that i try a medication to help. She gave me a prescription for Citalopram 20mg and wants me to start with 10mg for the first week and then ramp up to 20mg the second week. I just started this medication yesterday and noticed ive been yawning a lot / / feeling tired / laughing about things more. Im not really sure what to expect with this medication and would be interested in hearing from others about it.

The depression/anxiety started about a year ago when i was violently abused by my x b/f which landed me in the ER. I spent 5 months disabled and lost my job. After that i started looking for work and decided to undergo some surgery i needed, the physical recovery / pain took a toll although. I had a huge falling out with my mother and seems that relationship is over. And loosing a friend to cancer. Ive been stressing really badly now for quite some time about not being able to find a job or having to find myself homeless. Ive grown very reclusive and have pretty much just stayed cooped up in my home alone since last November. I have several friends but was very sad to see that none of them would come to visit or offered to help when i was truly in need after the abuse/injury.. they seem to just want to party or hang out when everything is ok. ive grown quite bitter towards them over this and find them to be very selfish and uncaring. actually grown quite bitter to people in general and dont feel like opening up to anyone - im tired of being hurt. Posting here is a big step for me.

There is some good news.. i recently got a job and am supposed to start on Sep 27th. My birthday is coming up in a few days.

-Lilly

Hi Lilly,

First of all: Lovely name you have; and happy birthday to you.

I took citalopram for 4 years and I can assure you that it helped me a lot. Tiredness is the most common side-effect, but it should not discourage you from taking it. Other side-effects you might notice are a reduced libido/sex-drive. It doesn't cause weight-gain or loss as far as I know. Also, in the long term, it should be able to make you feel less stress, anxious, and angry.

Your relationship with your mother most likely is not over 'forever'. 'Forever' is a very ong time, isn't it The relationshi could be repaired in a matter of weeks. You would not beliee what happened to my parents andI one daya few years ago, but now our relationship is strong once more. Regarding your friends, it also happened to me that I was 'ignored' when I became depressed. I believe this is because the general population don't understand depression and don't want much to do with it. The life you're about to enter will be difficult, and when you emerge from all of this, things might never get back to the way they were. I mean, people you knew might have vanished and you will most likely be a completely new person too. You shouldn't shy away from all of this though... re'inventing your life might just be part of your recovery and just what is needed.

Take care,
Kevin

Hey Lilly,
Its good to hear you got a job.
That for me is one of the best ways to get yourself going again.
I took Citalopram for a few years also.
I remember a few of the side effects but it was nothing major from my experience.
I had serious anxiety and depression and found they did help.
I do remember one time i was on them and i drank way too many vodka and rebulls.I stole a chair out of a take away and threw it over a fence!
So erm dont mix it with too much caffine or alcohol..you have been warned
I would like to say though.When your on these medications, its a good idea to eat pro-biotic yoghurt and maintain a healthy diet low on carbs and sugar.I believe doing that alone would increase alot of peoples mood.
I know what its like to spend alot of time alone with depression.Too many years..but what keeps me going and helps me motivate myself is thinking of the darkest period of my life and remembering it gets better at some stage.Right now im on a low but compared to my worst its a piece of cake
Keep up the good work and if your comfortable with the idea i think a counselor if its feasible is a nice way to iron out the creases and make the most of your new start.

I have a birthday coming up soon myself,im considering it my fresh start.I wish you the best for yours too

Thank you so much for the replies and words of encouragement.

Kevin, it was interesting what you said about re-inventing my life.. starting fresh and hopefully moving on to something better. I am really hoping that is the case and that i will have the inner strength to do it, along with some help from some medication. Sounds like tiredness is a pretty common side effect. Would taking it at night help with some of the tiredness during the day? As far as it effecting libido, well the least of my worries and am not sexually active right now anyway.

Eypicsyl, thanks for the bday wish and hope that you have a wonderful bday also. Perhaps an opportunity to start fresh for both of us.. ill proabably end up staying home though.. don't have anyone to celebrate it with and its no fun celebrating your bday alone. Also thats good to know about mixing alcohol with citalopram. Perhaps thats going to be enough incentive for me to think twice when im tempted to self medicate with a few drinks.

-Lilly

I should have mentioned that abou alcohol. Citalopram and it (alcohol) are like worst enemies. Each time I drank it while taking my meds, I felt abyssmal afterwards. By abyssmal, I'm talking suicidal to the extreme. Anyway, as I recall, you can take the tablets at any time during the day (yes, at night if you want), but I do'nt think it will change the tiredness that the tablets bring to you. You're welcome to try though. I just always took mine in the morning, but my doctor said that I can take them at any time, but generally 24 hours in-between takings.

Kevin

I think something may be wrong... its now day 4 on this medication and im feeling tired/sluggish and more depressed than before i started.. im not really sure what to do. This is all new for me. Today is my bday and should be a happy day but im feeling awful and dont even feel like getting out of bed..

Feliz cumpleanos / breithlá shona duit / happy birthday / joyeux anniversaire

...give it some time. take it easy and get some rest. The 'start' of treatment with citalopram can be rockey. You must be patient - it's important to be, but report everything back to your doctor.

Kevin

Hi Lilly

Ive been on Citalopram 10mg for 5 weeks now and like you I didnt know what to expect. During the first 2 weeks,my head felt fuzzy and i was feeling literaly ' high'. My speech was 'slow' and i also felt very sluggish. I take my tablets at night and would sleep almost immediately after taking them. I also found that i was 'emotionless'!! Normally i cry at the silliest of thing, but during this period, i was unable to show any emotion, either sadness or happiness. I fetlt like my emotions were wrapped in a blanket. During the 3 week of taking, i found myself with more energy and found i could complete more tasks (before i would start on the washing up and have to stop midway, cos i would loose my motivation and would have to sit down for ther rest of the day). By the 4th week, i didnt notice any difference to the 3rd week, but now at 5 weeks, I can honestly say that i am feeling much better. I have a more positve outlook on life, have more energy and can now face people. My relationship with my long term partner of 6 years came to an end 2weeks ago because of my depression and anxiety (caused by stress at work) and although it hurt, I am coping with being on my own and 'getting on with it'!!! My emotions have come back and i feel like i have a personality and a sence of humour again. The only side effects i am experiencing now is nausea, weight loss and waking up around 5am every morning. I can handle these as long as i continue to improve and i am so glad i perservered in taking them. With alcohol, i didnt drink for the first 3 weeks and can now only tolerate 2 glasses of wine instead of my usual daily bottle of red. Anything over 2 glasses makes me feel quite sick and i find i only drink 1-2times a week now. Dont give up,things will improve - there is light at the end of the tunnel.

WITH ALL AD,S YOU GET WORSE BEFORE YOU GET BETTER, as your body ajusts to the new med. dont worry its normal. i lot of people give in on meds because of side effects ,but if they had stuck it out thing,s become cool.

Lilly,

I took Citalopram (brand name Celexa and pharmacologically almost identical to Lexapro) for about 3 years. I took it at night because of the chance of drowsiness, but by the time I quit taking it, there was no evidence that it was still making me sleepy. If you are not, I would suggest taking it at night.

Remember that you don't get full effects for 4-6 weeks. If at the end of that time, you don't have good results or if you continue to have symptoms that make taking it a problem, go back to your doc. There are many anti-depressants that can be given and each of us respond a little different to them all.

Good luck,