Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: MIS71MUM on September 18, 2015, 11:03:14 AM
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Hello All
I am super sensitive to taking medication and have started 5 mg, for now, of Citalopram. Even on such a minuscule dose I get dizzy, drowsy, shaky and an upset tummy. As soon as these settle, I'll increase it up a bit. I know we are all different but anyone got any advice please? It's really hard to take an AD when you have underlying health anxiety. Oh and my anxiety levels have increased too 😓
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Hi Sparkle - thanks for your reply.
My GP wants me to get to 20 mg eventually. He doesn't mind that I effectively taper up as it were as long as I do eventually. I think my side effects are quite common for this medication, so I hope to stick with it. It's just that I always think of worse case scenario every time! Just hope for the old me to come bouncing back soon, I feel like I've been waiting for her for ages 😕
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Hi Mis71mum I know how you feel I am super sensitive to AD's too. I recently had to stop the try cyclic Dosulepin because it was making my palpitations worse. In the past I tried an SSRI and the anxiety was awful, so I refused to try any of those from that group I am currently taking Mirtazepine 30mg having increased from 15mg in the last two days. I was assured by my gp that most people in the practice are taking 45mg. They haven't made me feel anxious at all and the reviews online are good....just waiting for them to help my mood. I hope this helps, as it maybe an option for you to try if you don't settle on Citalopram
Is anyone else on Mirtazepine?
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Hi Mis71Mum
you mentioned dizzyness.
This drug is known to often reduce blood pressure and this can cause dizzy spells or faints when taking it.
The reverse is the same when coming off this drug.
When dropping it down again or stopping completely your blood pressure can bounce back at a higher level with all the risks associated with that.
:-\
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I'm on 10mg per day. I started it earlier this year for anxiety. Doctor warned me that I'd feel worse before I felt better. After 2 weeks side effects had vanished.
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I have been away from the forum for 2 weeks and have felt very low. I have just spent half an hour here and feel better. Perhaps the medical profession could bottle the forum and give it out on prescription :)
Seriously though, there is a place for medication but sometimes it is given out too readily. I am not sure whether I am ready to go down that route and am still resisting it due to fear of side effects and dependency.
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I have been away from the forum for 2 weeks and have felt very low. I have just spent half an hour here and feel better. Perhaps the medical profession could bottle the forum and give it out on prescription :)
Seriously though, there is a place for medication but sometimes it is given out too readily. I am not sure whether I am ready to go down that route and am still resisting it due to fear of side effects and dependency.
Babyjane, I couldn't agree more! This forum has kept me going through some very difficult weeks. On here, I don't feel alone or isolated. There are so many ladies willing to give advice and support.
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Hi Mis71mum I know how you feel I am super sensitive to AD's too. I recently had to stop the try cyclic Dosulepin because it was making my palpitations worse. In the past I tried an SSRI and the anxiety was awful, so I refused to try any of those from that group I am currently taking Mirtazepine 30mg having increased from 15mg in the last two days. I was assured by my gp that most people in the practice are taking 45mg. They haven't made me feel anxious at all and the reviews online are good....just waiting for them to help my mood. I hope this helps, as it maybe an option for you to try if you don't settle on Citalopram
Is anyone else on Mirtazepine?
Hi Orchid - on a previous thread, I remember a couple of ladies who were taking 45 mg each. I think they rated in as a good one.
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I'm on 10mg per day. I started it earlier this year for anxiety. Doctor warned me that I'd feel worse before I felt better. After 2 weeks side effects had vanished.
Thanks cubagirl
Will keep plodding on then. You never know I may only need 10 mg. have some diazepam for back up and emergencies but so far not used them.
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Me I'm on mirtazapine. Took about 2 weeks for the drowsiness to abate then it was fine ,must say that the anxiety disappeared within in days . Give it time although I know it's not a nice place to be in until you adjust,I do empathise.
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20mg is the usual starting dose. I have had many side-effects to various ADs over the years, I can't tolerate the nausea with any of them. Your brain should become 'used' to 5mg by Monday don't be in a hurry to up the dose until you are used to any odd feelings ;)
I take 5mg a.m./p.m. without problems.
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Hi CKLD
Yes I think you're right, the feelings are odd! And will keep to the 5 mg until Monday. I know it's early days, but although I've lost my appetite, I haven't had any nausea yet.
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How do you feel 2-day? By now you should be 'used' to any strangeness ;). I feel strange in my head and legs today because I couldn't take my meds last night ::) but I know it will pass.
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Hi CKLD Thanks for asking after me, I really appreciate it.
Yesterday I hardly made it off the settee but today after about 4pm, I came round a bit. I didn't get dressed but I cut the grass(in my onesie), swept a few floors, showered the kids and had a bath. Was doing okay, then got a shot of anxiety out of nowhere, and i'm back to square 1 again. It really upset me. Then I started a downward spiral of thoughts thinking that i'll never get well again.
Tried to distract myself best I could.
Upset too because my Mum almost told me to pull myself together earlier. It's not her fault as she's never had to take AD's before.
How come you didn't take your meds last night, were you poorly? Hope you are okay now xxx
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Mums :kick: - I stopped telling mine how I really was feeling after she told me in 1988 when I had my first ADs 'don't lead your husband a dance as your father led me' - no support there then! In 1992 'Oh your poor husband' ……. >:(.
People don't get it! if we could 'pull ourselves together' we wouldn't need chemical support :bang:
I have had a head cold = snuffles and slight queasiness: therefore I didn't take my evening BB or AD ……. hence the wooziness during the day ::)
Like U, I often thought 'I will never be well again' and 'what if I eat and it makes me feel worse' :'( - for years! until the BBs helped ease any queasy feelings when it became less. Phew!
Of course, you probably got up and at it without eating? ;) = sudden drop of blood sugar which can cause anxiety surges.
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Hi CKLD
Hope you are feeling better. I had a good nights sleep for a change, even let the kids stop up with me for company. Really enjoyed last night.
The worst of the side effects for me are the increased anxiety, so hope that passes soon. May have to think of increasing my doseage once I settle down a bit.
Yes I did get back at it without eating :-\ just totally forgot about food.
Yes - Mum's eh! She did apologise but I think she was telling that i'd have to help myself to get well instead of doing nothing!
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My Mum is lovely. But I avoid telling her how I genuinely feel as she then gets upset and I end up having to comfort her, and reassure her that none of this is her fault etc, etc.
Then I have to put up with her anxiously asking 'How are you feeling?' all the time and usually at inappropriate moments like when my DD can hear.
So I just don't confide in her really. It's not her fault. She's actually an intelligent woman, but she's rather silly and self indulgent. I know she loves me, but it's a rather selfish love.
Mis71Mum, if you can, try and take the fact you had that little burst of productivity yesterday as a very positive sign. Clearly the Citalopram is trying to kick start your mood to improve, but it's still early days. Think of your brain as a battery that has been drained to it dregs, and the Citalopram like the jump leads. Just give them time to nump start your brain again.
You will get better. Hang on in there and keep posting.
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Hi GRL
I think my Mum is trying to act as a buffer between me and my Dad, as my Dad knows what depression is like. I think she knows that he's worried about me and then she tries to step in to help. I know she means well but she has no idea how hard it it to motivate yourself when you feel so down.
It's funny you mentioned my brain being a battery, when I spoke to a counsellor on Thursday, he said I was expecting too much to ‘bounce back' and I should think of recharging my batteries instead.
Yes i'm glad I had some energy yesterday and will take it as a positive although I was a bit spaced out for the first couple of hours of taking it. I need to keep myself busy and positive and ignore the voice that keeps telling me that I don't need medication!
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GRL - i enjoyed your pill diary btw ;)
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Thank you :)
It's definitely a case of recharging yourself, and a slow but steady healing process for you.
I have spent nearly 2 years getting into this awful peri mess, so it would be disingenuous to think I can just magically recover in a couple of weeks.
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I began taking my AD at night so that any side-effects weren't causing problems in the day time .
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Right now, I'm in a play centre with my kids. Not the best of places to have come too in my current state! Massive shock to my nervous system as to how noisy things are, when you've been at home/at parents for a month!
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Will you be OK :-\ - when I left Hospital after the various visits required I was aware of how fast traffic moves and how noisy the outside World is :o
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Think of your brain as a battery that has been drained to it dregs, and the Citalopram like the jump leads. Just give them time to nump start your brain again.
You will get better. Hang on in there and keep posting.
Thank you so much for this, I have written it down. I found it a really helpful concept.
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Glad to help babyjane :)
The way I see it, is that if you have been wrestling with anxiety and depression (hormonal or not) for some time it literally drains all your mental energy and resources until you're running on empty and some serious damage is done. This is what therapists mean when they say depression happens when you have been strong for too long. You have made too many demands on your emotional and mental resources for too long, and finally they give up and shut down.
You can't just bounce back from that in the space of a few weeks. Your brain needs repairing and gently coaxing back into smooth running order again. If it took months to drain your mental resources down to empty, then it stands to reason that it will take months to recover fully.
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I agree: the longer the brain has been depressed the longer it takes for medication to give relief ;) - it's an organ often forgotten!
Mis71 - have you talked to your Dad about depression? I never did with mine so didn't get an insight into how he actually felt.
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This is what therapists mean when they say depression happens when you have been strong for too long. You have made too many demands on your emotional and mental resources for too long, and finally they give up and shut down.
This makes perfect sense. Over 50 years of locking away emotions and living with chronic stress and underlying anxiety for various reasons. No wonder I am not feeling well. Thank you again.
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Hi all
Had an awful nights sleep last night. Don't think I managed more than 3 hours and woke up this morning anxious and bad tempered.
Took a diazepam to help calm me down and also my Citalopram. Problem is, thoughts are creeping into my head that I should stop taking them. I know this is my anxiety tying myself in knots as usual. But can't seem to stop thinking about how and when I'll get better. I keep analysing myself daily for an improvement and it is not good for me.
Back at doctors on Wednesday.
I felt really depressed when I stopped taking the Sertraline so don't want to end up like that again.
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When we eat it's almost instant. Medication however takes a while for the body to adjust to and for the sufferer to feel improvement. It can take 7/10 days before improvement begins ;-)
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How do you know whether to stick with an AD or not? Not sleeping very well at the moment and feel bad tempered, moody and really nervous all the time.
Also if I was to see GP about trying something else, would I be messing with my brain chemistry by swapping and changing so soon.
Also feel quite withdrawn and have some dark thoughts which are unsettling.
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Hi Sparkle
Can you remember what side effects you went through with Citalopram?
M xxx
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Hi, to be honest 5 days is not enough to see the benefit. These things can take weeks to show their good effects. But also very quickly show the bad effects. I have just upped my dose only a tiny bit but after 2 weeks I am still more anxious, sleeping has altered for the worst. I remember when I started them I was much more anxious but the logic is if they make you worse to start with they know they will ultimately work. Swapping now would be counter productive. I think you need a month to 6 weeks to really feel better.
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The side-effects are pretty similar in all brands of ADs. Try to stick with them for at least 3-4 months, the not sleeping may be because your brain is worrying about if you will benefit/not from the medication. For me the nausea was instant and after 3 days I had to stop ………… but we persevered and hey ho! eventually ::)
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Sparkle - I know exactly what you mean about the side effects. The one where you are almost watching yourself is the one that scares me the most. I missed my dose last night on purpose and took a diazepam and it's been nice not to feel scared for a change.
However I still feel like I have drank 1000 coffees!
CKLD - what do you mean about stopping after 3 days....do you try another AD or persist with the original one?
Back at the GP at 11 for a review, so will update you later. xxx
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I had to stop taking the ADs because of the nausea. My GP tried several different types until we found something that I could tolerate. Prozac made me feel like I was walking on 7" heels [remember Elton John's footwear?] and I knew after 3 days that if I had taken another tablet I wouldn't have got out of bed :o
Escitalopram 5mg b.d. suits me as far as depression is concerned. Not a cure but it enables me.
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My GP appointment has left me a little confused!
Basically he thinks I could continue with the Citalopram and may increase it to 10 mg but couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't get bad thoughts etc. He also prescribed me Mirtazapine in case I felt like I need to switch!
Hmmmm now what do I do? Will have to think about that one?
I am going to read my Mindfulness book to try and clear my head. Also got my first physcotherapy appointment tomorrow so may discuss it with him.
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Hi Miss71 Mum,
I've been reading your posts with interest as I too started with citalopram 2.5 years ago for symptoms of anxiety, now knowing that they were related to hormonal changes. I started with 10 mg and increased to 20 mg within two- three weeks as the 10 mg did not have any effect on the symptoms. I don't recollect any significant side effects different from the bad symptoms of perimeno that I was experiencing. It was really a year after when I also added HRT that I did begin to feel significantly better. Everyone is different though. I have now gone back to 10 mg. and continue with HRT. I don't plan to change this regime any further as it works for me well. Sometimes the AD helps the effect of the HRT, as in my case, I doubt I would have managed to improve on the AD only.
Milamam
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Hi Milamam
I'm really glad that you have a regime that works for you....it gives me hope.
The problem with my anxiety, is it is turning me into my own worst enemy! My GP will prescribe me whatever I want by the sound of it, but i'm just too afraid to take it, or to see it through. I had good results 12 years ago with venlafaxine but am kidding myself if I say there wasn't any side effects. I do remember increased anxiety and poor sleep being some of them. But at 32 and having no children back then, I just got on with it.
As each day goes by, i'm taking by hrt and getting more of that in my system so soon I hope to see the benefit of that. And maybe, just maybe with my talking therapies and mindfulness, things will slowly start to take shape.
Fingers crossed and all the best to you xxxx
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Fingers crossed! Just give some time to the combination to settle. i know it's easier said than done! My major issue was anxiety as well. It did settle, after about 4 months on HRT combined with the AD. Also 5 mg of citalopram is really a small dose so don't expect magic immediately.
Keep posting, you know there is soo much encouragement here, which was instrumental for me as well!
Milamam
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For me the problem is the side effects, do I push on with 5/10 mg of Citalopram? or give myself a while off.the AD's and give the hrt, counselling and mindfulness time to take effect?
I'm such a lightweight with side effects!
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Think back. Are the side effects worse? R they the same? R they improved at all?
Are you able to tolerate them?
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I think it's the fear/increased anxiety and agitation that's the worse with Citalopram. And the feeling of being scared to be alone is awful. I think I'm going to either continue with the Citalopram at 5 mg and maybe switch to taking it before bed or give myself a couple of weeks off.
I don't think I'm quite ready to jump into a third one just yet.
I will have missed 2 doses by end of today, so will need to make my mind up by tomorrow if I'm going to carry on with the Citalopram.
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Agitation is a known side effect of some meds for some patients.
Give yourself a couple more days without, then begin 5mg at night. 5mg is a low maintenance dose which is what I take at night and at breakfast.
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I know how difficult it is feeling the way you do but you really won't be doing yourself any favours chopping and changing medication for one thing your poor body/mind won't know what's going on and another thing you've not giving anything a fighting chance of working. Decide which regime you want to try and stick with it for at least one month. Start keeping a detailed mood/food/symptom diary it's all too easy to become bogged down in it all and not realize sometimes just how you feel. My husband was always asking each day how are feeling and sometimes I truly didn't know if I was better,worse or any different I was so consumed with it all ,it really helped to have something to look back on for reference and slowly I saw that yes actually I was starting to improve. Also try not to look for the negative effects,think positive as much as you can,easier said than done I know but if you start off thinking this is going to make me worse then it probably will ;)
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Good advice! Me: I'm worse if anyone asks me how I am - I then have to make a decision ::)
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Yes you are both right. I'm over analysing everything. I never thought I'd say it but I actually enjoyed the calmness of the sertraline over the Citalopram. Anyway the Mirtazapine will be staying in the cupboard until next year if I need it.
Got myself a diary too.
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Hi everyone
Been thinking, dangerous I know! I'm going to go off grid for a month. I need to get myself well and have time to sort myself out. Will be back in touch in a month or so.
Thanks for all your support so far xxxx
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Good luck and keep that diary going ! ;)