my illness is depression and anxiety, my medication is citalopram ,is that enough info smartasawhip?

Answer 1

Yes, i know what you mean.

Citalopram is safe and well tolerated in the therapeutic dose range of 20 to 60 mg/day

Citalopram can have a number of adverse effects. In clinical trials, over 10% of patients reported fatigue, drowsiness, dry mouth, increased sweating (Hyperhidrosis), trembling, headache and/or dizziness, sleep disturbances, arrythmia, blood pressure and ejaculatory problems. In rare cases (around over 1% of cases), some allergic reactions, convulsions, mood changes, anxiety and confusion have been reported. Occasionally, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide or self-harm may occur or increase in the first few weeks, before the antidepressant effect starts.

Good luck and I hope you'll feel better.
and continue seeing your doctor.

Answer 2

I am sorry that you are going through the painful illness of depression and anxiety. One frustrating aspect to treating this illness is that there are no tests one can take to indicate which medications will work best for the individual person. There are many choices within the several different categories of drug types and it is really trial and error finding what works best for you. You and your doctor also need 2-3 months of the medication to adequately access whether a specific trial medication is working or not. These trials can be really painful months as you wait. But don't forget that there is a lot of non medicine based things you should be doing in the meanwhile such as counseling, support groups, learning about the cognitive-behavioral aspects of healing anxiety and depression. You are not powerless in this. There are things you can do to make yourself feel better. The important thing is to keep taking the medication even if it feels like it is not working until you talk to your doctor. Often they will add a medication or they will wean you off that one while starting you on another. Don't give up because what works for one person with a certain chemical make-up may not work for you with a different make-up. Most people eventually get relief.

Answer 3

Hi KEbo,
I hope I didn,t offend you with my answer. If I did, I apologize. I didnt intend to. I can't remember all of my answer but I wasnt being sarcastic when I mentioned the spelling of "ssris" and then said, "Oh now I got it, you mean SSRI's" I actually didn't understand and then the light dawned and I realized what you were saying. I suppose I could have and should have deleted the first part of my response but I didn't think of it.

I have Major Depression with Anxiety also and it is no fun, as you know. I was tried on citalopram and it helped me but my psychiatrist and I found that Effexor works better for me. As you know avery one responds differently to medication so that what is good for one is not necessarily good for another. To speak more about "developing a tolerance" to a medication. With SSRI's
I don't know if it is technically called "tollerence" or not, but sometimes the body adjusts.

With SSRI's, as the initials suggest, the medication works by selectively reducing the reuptake of serotonin thereby increasing the level of serotonin available for transmission of nerve impulses. As you probably know, lowered levels of serotonin in the brain are thought to be one of the most common biochemical reasons for Major Depression and all of the symptoms that go with it.

When nerves transmit impulses to other nerves using serotonin, after the impulse is transmitted, there is an enzyme that is secreted to break down the serotonin so that nerve is ready to fire again. SSRI's work by inhibiting the release of this enzyme. Sometimes the body tries to adjust to this by trying to produce more of this enzyme. How often this occurs or how significant this is, I don't know. Your doctor should be able to tell you if this is an issue or not.

I really do hope that something I've written has helped. This having Depression is hard stuff as you know. My depression is much better than it was but I still have a number of significant symptoms that the medications don't take care of. I'm trying as well as I am able to get my life and my thinking into a more healthy place to try to beat this disease but I'm having a tough time with it.
God be with you.

Answer 4

Keep taking the medicine....

I had a breakdown a couple of years ago, and I was treated with Citalopram - it seems to take forever to get working, but keep at it - you will eventually feel better. I found that counselling helped too....

Answer 5

Why not try to find a decent psychotherapist or counsellor to work on the causation of your depression and anxiety, this may negate the need for protracted use of medications and have other emotive benefits ...

Go Well ...

Answer 6

i suffer wiv the same thing - but citalopram didnt suit me, jus keep taking the meds & do something evryday, like take a walk, jus so ur not staring @ 4 walls

Answer 7

i was on citalopram 20 mg. keep taking them and they should work after a while but with me it made me feel worse and physically ill. if in doubt see your gp .

Answer 8

Ask Your Doctor!
Your Pharmicist might be able to help you, but talking to a medical professional is the best idea!!

Answer 9

i feel for ya. i have anxiety and vertigo. not a good combination. i cant take antidepressants so i take klonipin (clonazepam). ive been wanting to try hypnosis or accupuncture but i cant figure out how to make my insurance pay for it. until then, if you need someone to talk to, i'm usually around somewhere.

Answer 10

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."