Citalopram

[missmooncat]

Does anyone have any experience of taking Citalopram? I have been taking 10mg for about 4 months,they made me feel better after about 4 weeks.Do you know if you can build up a tolerance to them as they don`t seem to be having the same effect as before.I`ve started to feel really depressed and don`t want to come out .Do you think that I could do with seeing the doctor and getting my daily dose increased? If anyone has any experience about them ,please help -thanks

[steve208]

hi

I do have experience of taking this medication and i think i was on 20mg. You could see the doctor asking about uping the dosage but he/she will want to know the reasons for doing this. I wont ask the particulars of how you feel etc. Anyway just wondering if you have access to counselling etc of some sort? Medication should always be used in conjunction with some form of counselling. The medication should be more of a short term measure aimed at controlling the way you feel then counselling should look at the underlying reasons.

I hope this helps and should you have any further questions or worries please post back and will try to help.

[missmooncat]

I`ve never been offered any form of counselling,I thing i will ask the doctor if he could arrange any.I think would help me a lot more than pills.

[andy-hughes]

This is my anti-depressant of choice, although I find 20mg works for me. The does may be a little too low if you are feeling down, so have a word with your GP about increasing.

I find the smoothest tranisition in changing doses is to alternate every other day for a couple of weeks, then go to two out of three dasy, and the onto the increased, or decreased dose regularly. This prevents any unfortunate swings while you adjust to the new amount.

[steve208]

I am some what surprised that you have not even been offered counselling but i suppose it depends upon the judgement your doctor has made of your circumstances.

NHS counselling services tend to be very overstreached though it can vary accross the country as to how ridiculusly long the waiting lists are. Furthermore when ever there are spending reviews (read cuts) of local services the axe always falls upon mental health services. A real shame given the fact that there is so much scope to help so many with their problems. Anyway thats enough of my ranting.

I would suggest the following website for information and advice. The Depression alliance also have local self help groups which I think I would attend if I could, and they run a pen pal service so you can write to someone who maybe in a similar situation to you.

http://www.depressionalliance.org/

As a large national mental health charity MIND have a helpline to offer advice and help.

http://www.mind.org.uk/

You could always contact the samaritans should you be in a situation of despair. I didnt feel able to ring them so emailed and they were helpful though i must say they are more people to bounce feelings off they cannot offer advice etc.

Oh and just wondering what age range you fall in because you maybe able to get help elsewhere aside from those organisations mentioned.

I hope what i have said is useful and anything else you want to know then please ask.

[philandlil]

I was on citalopram from october last year and i felt better at first then that wore off after maybe a month i was taken off them completly last month with no alternative to help my depression, i felt terrible after coming off them (i had chest pains, migraines and i felt dizzy all the time).

[Aprilis]

I agree with andy-hughes. I too am on citalopram 20mg and find that they are the right choice for me. 10mg is a low dose and it may be that you need a higher one but only your GP will be able to judge that. I would advise you to go back and talk to your GP anyway seeing as your symptoms have worsened. If you feel counselling would also be beneficial then do ask for a referral.

[little coojy]

i was on 20mg citalopram for about a year, i was on them for panic attacks, i found that after a year or so they didn't have much effect so was switched to other types can't remember the name but they didn't suit me at all had some kind of reaction to them and ended up in hospital for a week which is when they put me on sertraline which took a while to kick in like most antidepressants do but now i'm not to bad best ive been in years actually, i have to take 100mg in the morning and 100mg in the evening, been doing this for just under a year as well as being on a lupina project (a type of counciling for panic attack victims) and i am able to do more now than i have done in the last five years of having those bloody things.

[Kay]

missmooncat. The usual starting dose for Citalopram is 10mg and depending on you feel your GP may up it to 20mg. If 10mg is not helping you any longer then you need to see your gp. Citalopram like all ssri's are not be messed with as they effect the serotonine levels in the brain. Serotonine is actually in our spinal fluids and sends messages to the brain. A recent survey showed Sertraline/Lustral as being the best ssri,with the least side effects with the least withdrawal symptoms...

[purplelily]

Hi missmooncat. Loads of good advice so far. As FINA says, the usual starting dose for Citalopram is 10mg, and your doctor will normally ask to see you after a month, to discuss how it's working for you. I went up to a dose of 20mg about 6 months in, and eventually went up to a dose of 40mg a day. After taking this for a few years, I took myself down to 20mg a day (I luckily had no side effects, but wouldn't recommend doing this without advice from a GP) at the beginning of this year, and started taking 20mg every other day from February. I'm now completely off the medication and feel great.

I agree that you should have been offered counselling - my GP offered counselling from the 2nd month of taking Citalopram (i.e. once the medication had a chance to start working), and it was really helpful; I'd definitely speak to your doctor re this. The NHS will normally offer you 6 free sessions of counselling, and will then tell you about alternatives, if you feel you need to continue.

All the best. xxx.

[missmooncat]

thanks all of you

Iam waiting to see my doctor now and will discuss it with him.He just put me on 10mg day,and that was it he didnt say to come back to see him or anything,I just get repeat scripts each month.I will have a good talk to him.

thanks

[missmooncat]

thanks for the links too steve208,am going to have a good look at sites now

thanks

[lubilu]

hi all,i was on 20mg for 2 years and they did wonders for me,i felt so much better on top of the world but please be aware when you come off them that there are side affects which are bad,your GP will tell you that there are no withdrawl symptoms but there are as alot of people on here will tell you so.my gp told me to stop so i did and after 2 days i felt dreadfull,i had headaches,fast heart,shakeing,very bad dizzyness even moveing my head slightly caused me to nearly fall,it causes sickness extreme fategue basicly you feel that bad you wont be able to do anything.i went back to my gp and he put me on a low dose 10mg to ease the side affects which as worked but i im still on the dam things and its gonna take time to come off them.what im saying please way up what is best being on them or coming off them.be carefull and talk to your gp.