Citalopram 5mg ..2 Weeks In

Hello,
I am taking citalopram for morning adrenaline/anxiety issues i have had for the past few months. Had many tests done to rule out health issue and all were negative ( chest xrays, ekg, blood, urine, cat scan of head, numerous thyroid test etc). Doc thought it may be my hormones. Only really happens in the am but I feel like I cant calm down and get hot rushes and brain on overdrive. Anyway I tried not using anything but gave in and started Citlopram. Doc gave me 2 mg and said start with hald 10mg but I was extra cautious and started with 5mg. Well I have been on 5mg for almost 2 weeks and only had some slight problems like nausea and feeling very tired. Other than that I feel much improved already. I also woke up most mornings gagging, sometimes to the point of vomiting and had no sex drive or appetite for 2 months. Hormones I think.. So my question is... Should I keep going with this medicine? I dont really want to increase the dose does anyone think 5mg could actually work for me for awhile? I just want to stop because I hear all the bad storied about the larger dose you are on and the longer you are on it it becomes terrible to withdraw from. I know I am thinking ahead but if I can maintain myself on a lower dose then if I have to come off it I may not do so bad when withdrawing. Thoughts and comments welcome. I am a 40 year old female who suffers from morning anxiety and occasional panic attacks. The only other med I take is Lisinopril for blood pressure. Thanks so much friends, reading all of this gives me hope that others can help me as to what to do.

REPLY

REPORT

Sorry meant to say doc gave me 20MG pills.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Kay,

No appetite, no sex drive, and a vomitting reflex are all associated as being side effects of Citalopram.

• nausea
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• stomach pain
• drowsiness
• excessive tiredness
• uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• excitement
• nervousness
• muscle or joint pain
• dry mouth
• excessive sweating
• changes in sex drive or ability
• loss of appetite

I think if you were to up your dose to 10mg from 5mg, you may or may not experience these side effects to a greater extent. The only way to really find out is to give it a shot though. Personally, if I started experiencing heavier-set side effects, I would consider changing meds to a similar drug (or natural drug like St. Johns Worth + 5HTP combination) 5HTP works great for anxiety, while St. Johns Wort covers the depression. You may want to look into these if the side effects become too much. I've taken the St. Johns Wort + 5HTP together and have had great results in the past.
Judging from the quality of your post I would think that you would be able to handle yourself very well in the event of Citalopram withdrawal effects. Make sure that if you do decide to up your dose, to do so on a day that you would normally not have much to do, just in case it seems overwhelming to you. Just my opinion :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Hi David. Thanks for your reply. I may have worded it wrong. I had these symptoms before I started the medication. I think from having the anxiety for those months I could not eat cause I was nervous and for the sex drive..well..who knows why I lost that. I know the gagging was from nerves .. so I actually got my appetite back now that I am on meds and thr gagging is better. Like I said also I am trying to stay on the lowest possible dose that is effective and was wondering advice if that sounds feasible? Thanks again for helping.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

I do believe that if you were to consistently take a 5mg dose (over a long period of time/possibly as little as a couple months) you would build up a physical tolerance to drug; meaning your brain gets used to the chemical changes the meds cause. But what I'm getting at is 5mg is feasible until you feel like it's not as effective over a longer period of time. Does that make sense?

Because this drug has strong withdrawal effects, your definitely doing the right thing by only taking the amount that you feel like you need at the time. I would keep doing exactly what you're doing now to play it safe in the long run. And when you do feel like you're ready to stop taking the medication, continuously take a lesser dose every so often till your off it.

I'm glad I could be of help!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Thanks David. That's helps me a bunch and confirms I am making the right decision. I have been doing a bunch of reading about this drug and I am glad to have started on a low dose that I feel a have a better handle over it then starting high and then weaning off in the future from a high dose or like you said, building a tolerance. Atleast if 5mg builds up then I can go to 8 or 10 if needed which is still relatively low as opposed to going from 20 to 30 etc. Appreciate your time and thanks again. I will update here periodically. I am also trying to eat better, exercise and take a multivitamin daily. Also looking into yoga and meditation as well.
=)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

If you need any sort of nutritional or exercise related advice, I'm currently pursuing a degree as a sports dietician. I would be more than happy to give general exercise information or critique your dietary habits to help you stay on the right track.

Yoga and meditation is a powerful combination once you get into a routine of doing it. I highly recommend sticking with that on a consistent basis if you're able to! One thing you might be interested in researching is 528hz frequency music, along with 396hz, 417hz, 639hz, 741hz, 852hz, and many more. These frequencies have certain healing properties to our biological chemistry and can be very helpful during meditation or yoga. What happens when you listen to these frequencies is, the vibrations of that tone vibrate (stimulate) certain parts of the human body that sort of act like mental and physical therapy in a way. Aside from the frequencies listed above, there are others that are specific for each part of the body.

I look forward to hearing back from you when you update on your progress :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Your situation and mine are very similar. I've found, because of the flushing issue, that I sleep better with the fan blowing in my face. I also take lisinopril (as you do) as well as amylodipine for B/P. I have recently been given citalopram instead of the lexapro that I've been taking for about a year and a half. I have new insurance coverage where I work and it will not pay for lexapro. I'm still not sure if this new medicine is a generic for lexapro - I get conflicting responses. So far so good though- no reactions, and I'm hoping it will treat my libido better!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Its been 3 weeks now and I increased to 8mg but I swear it made me feel dizzy and zoned out so I am back on 5mg now. My doctor thinks that I should just go on ten but I told her I think I am just real sensitive to these meds and if they work at a low dose then I am just gonna stay on that. Do you think taking the lisinopril has anything to do with me feeling anxious? I have been on lisinopril for awhile 20mg and its the combo lisinopril ..lisino hydo which is water pill also I guess. I was going to taper off the celexa cause it made me feel weird at first. Nothing terrible but I was zoning out and felt a bit forgetful. I want to give it some time though and also do other things like exercise etc and see if I can taper down maybe after a few months.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Does going up 5mg of celexa cause side effects over again?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Does citalopram help with being able to heal from childhood sexual abuse if it helps what signs should I look out for? I used to be on 40mg of it and a day later got told when I was training for a footy side a teammate said your on the right medication stick to it. Similar response from work got told that I was the hardest worker he's ever had at the time untiI I hopped off 40mg back to 20mg then things started to turn to s***. would this medication help me to survive from what I've mentioned.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Run like hell dude that drig cooks your nuts making you a eunic no your balls actualy shrink and move north like a litle boy p
I was on 10 mg for 1 month and had turned into a girl like Bruce Jenner

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

sometimes it feels like my mind goes blank. I had a phsycotic reaction a few years ago and haven't been the same in my mind. it feels like my brain transmitters get disconnected...and scares me. I try to self talk myself into being okay and lay down to calm down . I started taking celexa yesterday and this morning it was worst. should I stop the celexa and stay on the .0125 of klonopin . I really do not want to be on any drugs but cant seem to get myself back to a normal state. I also have thyroid problems and over 60 yo. any suggestions.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hi I too suffer from Anexity depression I've been on so many antidepressants and my dr put me in 5- mg for one week then 10 mg well going up I had many strange thoughts I didn't feel well I weaned off them and feel like crap feel depressed thinking on going back on jus 5 mg at night!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I'm with you on your issues with Citalopram. Morning anxiety makes you feel almost scared then you feel sick. I just started taking the medicine but was on it before and got nerved over the same side effects you are having. You do have to give the medicine time to get in the system good but going on higher dose helps with less side effects but the higher the dose the harder the withdrawal. I'm trying to give it another shot but I'm also on xanax to help with the anxiety which causes my shakes once that is taken it levels the anxiety attack. This may not help much but just know your not alone and I thankyou for your question because now I can maybe find some comfort in folks comments:)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

7 years in . Started on 20's .Been on 10's for around 4 years . Going to start cutting them in half for the next few months hoping to free myself of them . I don't feel like myself anymore

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Jasper (# 15)

I started on 10mg citalopram 1 week ago was so sick reduced my dose to 5 MG and take it with 1 gravol with ginger works for me sleep well and wake up feeling my old self again I keep it this way just need this low dose to feel calm during the day

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hello, I have been having episodes of what my GP said were anxiety attacks, which I thought was weird in itself since I ...

1 REPLY

I'm on 10 mg but started experiencing mild fibrillation, slightly depressed and a feeling of exhaustion has been inc...

1 REPLY

I have been taking this drug for 7 years or around that. I love it. I was a mess, It has helped me contol my anixaty I s...

4 REPLIES

I have been on this medication for about six months now and I have run out of refills. What signs should I watch out for...

1 REPLY

was on sertraline 25mg for 2 weeks with dreadful side effects. Changed to Citalopram 3 days ago. Very tired, headache, a...

2 REPLIES

I Have been on these pill a year. I. Weigh 206-210. Now, I am at 229, very disgusting. I am going to quit taking them to...

1 REPLY

I am on citalopram 10mg. I am only taking it temporarily as I want to get therapy instead of staying on AD's. I want...

Hi, I just switched to CVS and my Citalopram smells funny. I didn't like it from the start and now I am getting head...

2 REPLIES

For about 3 to 4 weeks now I have been having trouble sleeping. I wake in the middle of the night and my mind starts goi...

1 REPLY

A while a ago my daughter was being bullied at school, which drove her to take an overdose, thank fully she was ok and i...

76 REPLIES