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[discogirl]

Just been prescribed citalopram for anxiety.

 Thing is im a bit worried about taking it as a common side effect is insomnia and my sleep whilst not great is so much better than it was. I would take it in the mornings but am concerned as some of the drug would still be in my system come bedtime.

Would appreciate any experiences on citalopram good and bad. thanks x

Sorry just realised i should have posted this in personal experiences not all things menopause.

[MillieMoo10]

I used to take citalopram and had no problems whatsoever with it.  I took 20mg in the morning (started on 10mg for the first 3 weeks) anxiety was gone in 3 weeks but was put up to 20mg as doc said it was more of a working dose or something.  Anyway I had zero side effects and it worked a treat.
Don't worry and good luck discogirl 

[discogirl]

Hi MillieMoo10

Thats so encouraging to know thank you.

Its just taken me so long with the sleep issue that i dont want anything to upset it.

my plan was to start on 10mg.

can i ask do you take it now still or if youve come off it how easy was it to come off?

im taking mine with 10mg amitriptyline which ive been on for 2yrs now. i take the amitriptyline in the morning as well as i think im used to the amitry now as it doesnt make me sleepy.

[Penguin]

Hi I've been on 10mg citalopram for 18 months or so now. I take it in the morning and have no issues sleeping. My dose is lower than the standard dose but I've tried and failed twice to increase to 20mg. I don't feel it's doing anything for me anymore, so am seeing a psychiatrist in April to taper off and hopefully try something else. I still have an almost constant low level of anxiety so it really isn't working for me although that may well be because of the dose I'm on. Side effects initially were dry mouth and peeing more.

[CrispyChick]

Hi. I take escitalopram. So very similar. But dosage is usually half of citalopram.

I'm same as penguin. Taking a very low dose. 5mg. Have been here for years. But it's not doing anything. So I plan on increasing.

Never affected my sleep.

I too find it hard to increase. So this time I've been given liquid so I can increase 1mg at a time. I'm sure citalopram comes in liquid too. Might be an option for you penguin??? X

[Penguin]

Hi. I take escitalopram. So very similar. But dosage is usually half of citalopram.

I'm same as penguin. Taking a very low dose. 5mg. Have been here for years. But it's not doing anything. So I plan on increasing.

Never affected my sleep.

I too find it hard to increase. So this time I've been given liquid so I can increase 1mg at a time. I'm sure citalopram comes in liquid too. Might be an option for you penguin??? X

Wow I'd not thought of that! Whole idea of going to see a psychiatrist is to get liquid to taper with, but perhaps trying an increase with liquid is a better option. The 10mg tablets don't have a dividing line and just crumbled when I tried to use a pill cutter! Will your GP give you the liquid do you think?

[discogirl]

Hi I've been on 10mg citalopram for 18 months or so now. I take it in the morning and have no issues sleeping. My dose is lower than the standard dose but I've tried and failed twice to increase to 20mg. I don't feel it's doing anything for me anymore, so am seeing a psychiatrist in April to taper off and hopefully try something else. I still have an almost constant low level of anxiety so it really isn't working for me although that may well be because of the dose I'm on. Side effects initially were dry mouth and peeing more.

Hi penguin
I have almost constant feelings of dread which are quite horrific so i empathise your anxiety.

Ive been on 10mg amitri for 2 yrs and i too find its not doing anything but i dont feel mentally well enough to taper off just yet.

Can I ask what happened when you tried to increase to 20mg?

Ive just started intermediate cbt as well so im hoping that may help.

I hope your appt with the psychiatrist goes well xx

[Penguin]

Hi I've been on 10mg citalopram for 18 months or so now. I take it in the morning and have no issues sleeping. My dose is lower than the standard dose but I've tried and failed twice to increase to 20mg. I don't feel it's doing anything for me anymore, so am seeing a psychiatrist in April to taper off and hopefully try something else. I still have an almost constant low level of anxiety so it really isn't working for me although that may well be because of the dose I'm on. Side effects initially were dry mouth and peeing more.

Hi penguin
I have almost constant feelings of dread which are quite horrific so i empathise your anxiety.

Ive been on 10mg amitri for 2 yrs and i too find its not doing anything but i dont feel mentally well enough to taper off just yet.

Can I ask what happened when you tried to increase to 20mg?

Ive just started intermediate cbt as well so im hoping that may help.

I hope your appt with the psychiatrist goes well xx

I wonder sometimes if mine is dread too. It is a constant ongoing feeling that something is seriously wrong with me and that, even if I have zero symptoms, they just haven’t found it yet. In the rare instances I don't feel it about my health, then it focuses on something else. It's exhausting.

So yes, the citalopram. Increasing sent my anxiety off the scale, I was paralysed with fear, looping thoughts, could not calm down without diazepam. I'd wake up early and be immediately in a state of panic. Plus I had excessive sweating. I'd walk down the end of the street and my hair would be wet from it. The dry mouth got so bad I had to sip water constantly. I could have coped with the dry mouth but the increased anxiety and the sweating were too much. The GP told me that it was more of a jump to go from 0 to 10mg than from 10mg to 20mg but I didn't find that to be the case. I didn't have increased anxiety when starting on the 10mg at all. If getting a 10mg tablet plus some in liquid form for if they want you to increase is an option, then I'd go for that. The GP told me that 10mg is a little old lady's dose so maybe why it hasn't done much but I could not cope with the increase and I did persevere for a fortnight the second time I tried.

Also I've heard that escitalopram which CC is on, is a cleaner version of citalopram (they are sister drugs, but you need less of escitalopram). I wonder if I'd have done better on that.

[discogirl]

Hi Penguin

Its really awful. I haven't been on utrogestan since last May, after that I was on cyclogest until December '23, however I had unopposed estrogen as I wasn't absorbing the cyclogest so I had a heavy bleed and then a biopsy. All was okay, but even during the 3 mths off hrt I still had the anxiety. So although I've wondered if it was the utrogestan causing all this as I've never been good on it I think it's been the anxiety/feelings of dread all along and although I really didn't want to turn to more meds, needs must.

I think some of us are very sensitive to meds increase and maybe the liquid form might suit you better as you can control the dosage better.

Thanks for sharing your experience x

[Penguin]

Hi Penguin

Its really awful. I haven't been on utrogestan since last May, after that I was on cyclogest until December '23, however I had unopposed estrogen as I wasn't absorbing the cyclogest so I had a heavy bleed and then a biopsy. All was okay, but even during the 3 mths off hrt I still had the anxiety. So although I've wondered if it was the utrogestan causing all this as I've never been good on it I think it's been the anxiety/feelings of dread all along and although I really didn't want to turn to more meds, needs must.

I think some of us are very sensitive to meds increase and maybe the liquid form might suit you better as you can control the dosage better.

Thanks for sharing your experience x

Were you on the utrogestan every day? I am on it 12 days per month but really struggle with low mood and heightened anxiety after the first few days, then with the withdrawal when I have to stop. However, the anxiety definitely predates starting hrt, its just not getting the hrt dose right makes it worse!

Good luck to you as well. I am very sensitive to meds, so hopefully you'll be fine on it and it'll really help.

[MillieMoo10]

Hi MillieMoo10

Thats so encouraging to know thank you.

Its just taken me so long with the sleep issue that i dont want anything to upset it.

my plan was to start on 10mg.

can i ask do you take it now still or if youve come off it how easy was it to come off?

im taking mine with 10mg amitriptyline which ive been on for 2yrs now. i take the amitriptyline in the morning as well as i think im used to the amitry now as it doesnt make me sleepy.

Hi Discogirl

I don't take it now came off it about 10 months ago.   It was hard to come off but I had been on it for 9 years and came off it without the doctors advice/support (silly I know but I didn't realise withdrawal was a thing!) I tapered over about 4 weeks when I should have done it over at least 6 months - lesson learned !  I also think I was not only hit with withdrawal but also hit with the full force of the menopause that the citalopram had been masking ( I was one year post meno at this time) The reason I came off it was because I felt I'd been on it a long time but I also wanted to see where I was with menopause symptoms.  I started HRT about 2 months after stopping to see if that would help the anxiety and that is still a work in progress to get the dose right  that works for me.  I am much better now but still have low level anxiety so if I can't improve that with HRT I would consider going back on the citalopram with the knowledge that if/when I were to come off it again I would do so properly!
Best wishes

[CLKD]

I take the sister drug, escitalopram.  5mg at breakfast, 10mg at night.  I had been on various ADs since 1988 which eventually my brain became used to.  Hence the swaps, most lasted at least 12 years. 

Withdrawal may be troublesome: I can't remember which 1 but it took 9 weeks of gentle reduction of dose.  I will never consider giving up the ADs as the deep depression meant that I was unable to get out of bed at times  .  For anxiety I have an emergency pill as necessary.

I found over the years that I had to take a different medication or I wouldn't get enough benefit. 

For the intense early morning anxiety which left me terrified my GP prescribed propranolol to ease the surges which woke me suddenly. 

Let us know how you get on disco girl. 

[Katherine]

Hi Discogirl

I know someone who was on citalopram 20mg and she slept even better than before. She said she slept more deeply so less likely to wake up due to noises,etc. it was very helpful to her for anxiety too. I wish you well honey hope this works for you.

Katherine x

[CrispyChick]

Very interesting thread.

Milliemoo - very intriguing that you noticed meno symptoms once stopping citalopram.

Penguin. We're at similar stage. I'm defo thinking up my escit to a place where I just dont care about the niggles. Yes, some of my per stuff is sooo bad, I know it'll shine through, but I do think there's a lot of other gunff going on that my brain just focuses on.

At the start of my peri, the GP convinced me it was all anxiety, so I did get up to 10mg. But the physical peri was still there - funnily enough! So I must've hotfooted it back to 5mg.

Only 6 months ago I was thinking of coming off. But, as I dabble with my hormones, anxiety and mood are affected. So now I'm very much staying on and hoping to increase in order to calm some of those affects.

My GP happily prescribed liquid. I just asked as special request. I've always found if hard to increase. I think citalopram may come in 2mg increments as drops. Because it's double escit.

[Anonymous1]

I have a long term mental health condition and have been on Citalopram over 10 years.  I experience side effects the first 4 weeks whilst body was adjusting to it.  It has helped with anxiety.  However, it can cause some long term side effects.  It can affect sexual function.  They can also be very hard to come off.  It took me 2 years to reduce my dose from 20mg to 15mg.  So I would try and stay on lowest dose possible.  There are herbal alternatives but obviously they are not available on prescription and best taken under the supervision of a suitably qualified alternative health practitioner.

Peri/Menopause has exacerbated my mental health big time.  I noticed a big improvement in my mood within a few days on Evorel 50 but have had problems tolerating Progesterone. I am not on the full dose yet but I feel calmer on progesterone. 

Flower