[Closed] Happy tablets; Citalopram... thoughts/comments please!

No no no no it is not the way. My father was doing twenty mile walks in june this year he was then proscribed flux.... (prozac), that made him sit in a chair all day with a dry mouth, then the ****er doctor proscribed him this Citalopram without looking at his many medical conditions this made him ill to the point of he could not dress himself, struggled with solid food.

My father is now in hospital and is mentally very weak, he shits himself, has some childlike mannerisms, is basically not the same person all because these tablets reacted with a existing condition.

Whether your in perfect health i don't know but i can not stress enough that those tablets are not your root to utopia, get out on your bike, learn how to cook well, take up gardening, have more sex, pick up a guiter, hang out with your friends but for **** sack don't take that crap you've been given.

Citalopram is an SSRI, look it up on wikipedia.

They buy you some breathing space, some time to begin to be objective about your current situation. They only change the way you view where you are, not the situation you are in.

You will be a bit shaky at first, then they become second nature and you feel more 'normal'.

Made me able to sleep for England.

Will mess up your libido for a time after you stop taking them.

Will give you amazingly vivid dreams/nightmares after you stop taking them.

Not a solution, just a rest stop along the way.

Sorry get them in the bin now. What do your family/friends perhaps employer think of your situation. Why are you on them, whats happened can I or STW help?

I was on that dose 7 years ago for about a year. All I can really remember them doing was making it hard to get a stiffee. They didn't seem to do much else.

I'd recommend them to ppl with premature .........

Fix the undelying cause of your problem. Pills are a sticking plaster.

Some say they can leave you in a worse state than before you went on them, but this might be nonsense. Mind you, I do have my moments 😀

More or less what crikey says - use them to get over the worst of whatever it is you're going through, but please dont think of them as a long term answer.

done quite a lot of good to the person i know who takes them. a sticking plaster they may be, but at times a sticking plaster is whats needed... getting out, learning to cook etc isn't always an option, fwiw.

sorry to hear about tails' dad, but imo thats more to do with poor doctoring than the drugs themselves. the person i know didn't get on with others before it, but had a good understanding doctor who was happy to experiment.

if you have an issue which is rearing its head in a disruptive manner at the moment, then, assuming the doctor recommends it, it might be worth a try to get you through this particular period.

afaik 40mg is about as high as the doses tend to get (could be wrong though).

...and it is suggested that they don't mix well with alcohol...

I ended up living at my dads*, drinking brandified coffee for breakfast, spending two hours in the pub in the afternoons, drinking wine with my dinner, then whisky and or port afterwards.

To be honest, all the time I spent taking citalopram I was pissed whenever I wasn't at work...

(* in a box room, with my clothes in plastic bags, and my bikes in bits in his conservatory, and my self respect in tatters)

Tails, i'm truly sorry to hear you're dad's 'ended up' like so due to those tablets.

You're offer of support and assistance is also very kind indeed. Thank you!

I used to take prozac as said, for about 18months, what a pain in the ... won't be doing that again!! the chat with the doc' more or less went along the lines of I just need to sort some stuff out for the next few months so wanted something to help, i'd taken diazapam in the past too, and felt that could be more appropriate but he felt this would be better - more suited.

Completely agree with the 'sticking plaster' analogy, and certainly not a long term thing.

I'm currently suffering with a lack of quality sleep (living back at my folks, so they're up and about in the morning, neighbours are noisy pikey f*ckers (subaru with massive exhausts)... which compounds things.

Great, I go to hospital with a suspected damaged uretha so have to have some endoscopy, and now it could be difficult to get it up.... bloomin great ;)) (nothing wrong with little lad thank god)

Just a culmination of things, work (and the lack of it).. living at my folks ... lack of sleep ... lack of cash... parents having some rough times (dad 70, mum 60, *nearly* ended in divorce a few weeks back...)

certainly nothing to complain about to anyone else, and certainly nothing compared to what some others are going through, just finding it difficult to stay focused, concentrate, sleep, motivation (lack of)

Haven't been to collect them yet, just got the prescription today.

thanks again,
Jonathan

yes hungry monkey the doc was crap but you know you go there for help, what was he supposed to do not believe him. To often these docs prescribe drugs saying oh must be depression.

go to see a councilor someone you can be really open to. you can speak here if you like i don't know you nor will i judge you. just please flush them down the toilet.

YOU CAN BE HAPPY WITHOUT DRUGS.

crikey - not too dissimilar here.

Had no where else to go, couldn't afford (still can't) to rent or buy anywhere at the moment due to 6 months of having no income other than the sausage (£60 per week!? - my outgoings were more than that, despite cutting them down!!)

As it happens, i've got a rather interesting meeting tomorrow which may well turn the tables and start bringing some regular, well earned cash in. ... if it does, then things that side should be a little better..

jt

Is there anywhere else you could live, back at the parents doesn't sound like the safety net it could be?

Sleep is a big problem, try and worry about it less, your body will correct itself natuarally.

jonathan, there's a fair few depression sufferers on here (including myself), so if you need/want some serious advice on dealing with things there's a wealth of knowledge and experience here to tap! We're all willing to help too 🙂

i know where your coming from tails, and i really do empathise (sp) with your fathers situation, but i do think that they have to be looked at on a case by case basis. i know my friend's life would be totally different had they not been able to take the drugs, and would not be achieving what they currently are (which is what they want to be doing).

as said before, its by no means a long term solution, but it DOES help in the right situation.

The irony is i'm not unhappy, just not jumping around with joy!

I've got some excellent friends, family don't really 'get it'...

I'm sure I read or saw somewhere something along the lines of "the unquiet mind" which is pretty apt at describing the constant churning and seemingly endless brain activity.

As an example, I used to be able to sit down with say, a book on software development, read through it and by the end of it, have learned my way through whatever it was I wanted to learn - and producing some half decent results with the subject being learned as opposed to memorised, the same applies to classrooms or whatever, and now, it just doesn't 'sink in' ... it's been like this for about 6-8 weeks (yes, i'm trying to resolve the trigger!)

jt 😉

Sorry to hear things have got to the point where you're having 'happy pills' prescribed, and saddenned to hear about your dad, Tails.

I've been on several antidepressants in the past: fluoxetine at first, then citalopram, then a [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor ]SNRI[/url] that I can't remember the name of. Basically they turned me into someone with deep, deep lows and amazing highs into quite a boring, average kinda guy, for the time I was taking them.

Looking back, that might not be such a bad thing, actually, and I could do with that occasionally now. However, I would really miss the ability to have a boundless, unrestrained laugh every now and then, which is what those drugs took away.

You just need to find something to get you through the low bits. Oh yes, I know VERY WELL, that that's a shedload easier said than done, and I haven't found anything to help me. Sometimes, when I'm feeling a bit better, I can look at the bigger picture of myself and see that if I can just cope with the sh!tty times, the good times are alright.

Sheesh, what a silly ramble that all was. Take the pills for a bit if you want, they probably won't kill you, but they may well make life quite a bit duller.

Just a culmination of things, work (and the lack of it).. living at my folks ... lack of sleep ... lack of cash... parents having some rough times (dad 70, mum 60, *nearly* ended in divorce a few weeks back...)

buddy your not in a to dissimilar position to me i lost my job in july but this week have two interviews.

i worry about cash to a point (you have signed on i hope) I have just sold stuff i don't need to raise money.

as i said my dads in hosp my mother is very worried but is strong, it's not ideal living at home but when I'm not job searching I cook. Try it, it's great fun learning something new.

Sorry to rant i just think you can do it without tablets.

look at petesgaff cancer thread, that guy is ****ing awesome so open with the forum with his feelings and he is going to make it and have a long beautiful life and so are you.

once again sorry to rant 😈

If you are still wanting to read Jon, I would reccomend and book on NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming. ISBN 0-7499-1489-0

I've been an RMN for the best part of 20 years, the last 16 has been assessing folk that end up in A&E self harming or going for it properly, and ime Citalopram is a first choice GP medication, that works for some, but is primarily cheap. If you want a chat mail me.

I've been an RMN

Really Mean Nutter? Right Muddy Nightcrawler? Royal Mail Nurse? (Helping posties back to work after long weeks of waving banners and drinking tea outside sorting office gates?)

If you feel you need them, then use them. If you don't, then don't. Simple as that...only you cna make that decision.

As above you need to sort the underlying problems etc, but the suggestion that they're pointless and you should flush them down the toilet etc is just stupid.

Sounds to me that you possibly know already that you might not need them - great. When you're in the situation where you're so depressed that you're incapable of doing much, then SSRIs can be a huge help to 'kick start' you into getting active and going about your usual day, and starting to look at the problems.
Good luck and feel free to email me.

Citalopram kind of evened me out and helped with sleep but i felt listless and board, most days seemed to feel like i was just going though the motions at the the time my GP also recommended exercise although i didnt feel the drive for it.

Far more GPs now have the option to prescribe exercise properly and there are schemes in different parts of the country where the nhs will pay for gym memberships etc. [url= http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/exercise/information-for-gps/?locale=en ]Clicky[/url] Of course in the short term you could just get out on your bike more.

I found Citolopram to be bloody crap, side effects can go on a bitand tit has a tendency to push suicide rates up in relation to other ssri meds as well. Mind you 20 mg is almost nothing as a dose, so don't worry too much I'm currently on sertraline, which I find a lot better, mind you I'm bipolar and on mood stabilzers and anti psychotics as well, so it's kind of hard to tell sometimes which is doing what.

That's not a lot of help really is it?

I took a low dose of citalopram for a few months after three "once in a lifetime" type events occurred at the same time and left me struggling a bit mentally.

I didn't suffer any side effects like the ones listed above and am a bit doubtful that the very sudden side effects described can really be attributed to citalopram unless it was prescribed at a very high dose.

What the drug did for me is give me a bit of "mental breathing space" which included sleeping properly after 6 months of sleeping 2-3 hours a night. It also helped me to get things in perspective and find the energy to tackle the root cause of the issues. I didn't have any issues coming off the drug but I guess this could have been because I was taking a low dose and came off it slowly.

I appreciate everyone's different but the only person the original poster should really be talking through their concerns with is their GP.

Good luck fella.

[i]side[/i] effects = effects

Go and see a therapist. Try it half a dozen times or so and see if it helps.

I was in a situation where I had to do something or I'd be out on my ear so my wife made me find someone to help and it was amazing how quickly it did help.

I don't know why you are in the situation that you are in, it may be something completely different than my situation, but I think there is nothing to be lost in seeing someone and it is treating the problem, not just the symptom.

I had to pay, but it was some of the best money I ever spent. (except for my Cervelo :-))

Been on citalopram for about 2 years. Used to have fluoxetine and still have 'down' periods. Citalopram is great though. Feel totally normal on it apart from some mild down periods. I've suffered from depression for years and it's the best thing I've ever been on.

My Dad's on it too (he's mental too :-)) and he reckons it's brilliant (and he really should know about tablets the amount he's been on!)

I took taking Citolopram for anxiety.

First time they helped me relax and be a lot more tolerant of people and my surroundings. However I felt that they turned me in to the walking dead with no spark.

I stopped taking them as I felt they were becoming less effective in helping me but with the zombie side effect.

I did try once more but never again. Apparently they are to be taken long term to get maximum benefit so beware

Good luck.

By my various gods, how many of us are there on here with mental problems...???

Every one's reaction to SSRIs is different. The prescription guidelines (which you can download) basically say, try a generic, if that doesn't work, try a different one and repeat.

Personally, I found Citalopram saved my life - went from gibbering wreck after a nervous breakdown, back to normal functioning self. I cannot rate it highly enough.

taking 30mg of citalopram to help with depression due to on going neuropathic pain which the doc thinks is MS along with a bucket of other meds. Not had a pain free day for nigh on 11 months now. All ready cost me my road bike as a hobby and the pain getting worse in my arms is threatening to take away my photography. Hit 40 this year and thought, woooooo things get better then this bombshell gets dropped.
Not nice at all. Currently waiting on seeing a Shrink and getting assessed(sp) as to what may help.

Saying that looking round for a mountain bike as there is a tiny part of my mind that wont give in to this MS crap and hoping i get a break at some point, but thats another thread.

Jon - citalopram is absolutely a last ditch solution.

they're not a 'happy pill' - they're an 'emotion number' - i do know people who have benefitted from them in the short term.

they're a bugger though, one friend of mine took them for depression, only to suffer from panic attacks as a side-effect, the doctor said "we've got some more pills for that..."

another friend was helped by them, only to struggle to lower her dose - this caused all sorts of horrible withdrawal effects.

only you can say wether you think you need the help, but don't jump into a 20mg dose straight away, start for a week of 10mg's every other day, then go to 10mg every day, then give that a MONTH - to see if that helps.

(raising your dose, and lowering your dose, should be done slowly)

everyone i know who's been on this has had a horrible time getting off it. the Doctor really should NOT be starting you off with 20's without seeing how you react to 10's.

Just to say a massive thank you to everyone who's taken the time to reply. very much appreciated indeed!

I feel I have a good firm understanding of (my own) depression and how my mind is working (overly analytical) and the effects of drugs it should have, i'm no Dr but I know myself, which I think is important, and knowing that these aren't a 'cure all' magic potion - far from it, to quote, some mental breathing space and that's exactly what's needed while I carry on sorting out things - in a clear (or clearer) more focused perspective and outlook.

Let's see how today's meetings go 😉

I've read, had tears in my eyes and been amazed by Mark's dealings with the big C. That man certainly does deserve an accolade and recognition (STW Man Of The Year!?) for his strength and determination.

Right, i'm off to get a shirt ironed.

Jonathan

Been there, done that for 18 months. During that time, I got a new job, got divorced and got over the problems I had, so I came off them.

A few years on, I am happy, content, remarried and generally enjoying life.

They are not a cure, but they help you find a cure. Mine was to make big changes to my life and, when they were made, I got happier and no longer needed them. Make those changes yourself and you may not need them.

By the way, exercise helps a lot, no matter what it is. You have no idea of how much DIY I was doing at the place I used to live at during my divorce, but it helped a lot.

OK, a brief summary of my view on SSRIs.

I've never taken and ADs, nor been in a position to need to be prescribed them.

Last year, Mrs North got, frankly, to the end of her tether. So, my experience of AD consumption is from the perspective of carer, rather than patient.

First, she was prescribed Seroxat. It didn't agree with her at all, making her physically very ill.

[b]Lesson 1[/b]: not all drugs work for all people all of the time. Don't just stick with it if it doesn't work for you.

After a break of a few weeks from Seroxat, the doc tried Citalopram, which she seemed not to have the same reaction with. So, she went with it.

[b]Lesson 2[/b]: Doctors have a pretty standard formula for prescribing ADs. Pretty much Seroxat, Citalopram and Fluoxetine seem to the first and second choice drugs.

After the initial "getting onto them" reaction of a couple of weeks - mild nausea, for Mrs North, rather than the violent sickness of Seroxat - she settled down pretty quickly. Her dose was 20mg, which I believe is that standard initial dose.

The doc then wanted to up the dose. Mrs North said no. She was feeling the benefit of 20mg, but did not want to have any stronger effect just yet (and was also fearful that she would be made as ill as she had been by the Seroxat). Additonally, Mrs North was aware of one person who had taken their own life while on - and thought to be as a result of - Citalopram. I made a promise to her that i would never be further away than 20 minutes from her in the event that she felt everything had become too much again.

[b]Lesson 3[/b]: take control of your own medication and health.

Mrs North described the effect of taking them as being like seeing the world through a letter box. She no longer felt the depths of despair that she had, but equally could not attain emotional highs either. Her world was one where she wasn't altogether numb to emotion, but it was noticeably restricted.

Was this good or bad? Well, given that she'd gone right to the very edge, for her to achieve some emotional and rational stability was a good thing. Mrs North recognised this, and was happy with the softening of the blow that she had encountered.

[b]Lesson 4[/b]: the drugs can give you a bit of breathing space.

At the same time, however, Mrs North also found herself a CBT counsellor who she really connected with. She wasn't the first person Mrs North saw, but was the person to whom she attributes the greatest success in her recovery. Straight "listening" counselling was not enough; it took the work of someone to challenge her, and examine her thought processes to really make progress.

[b]Lesson 5[/b]: the drugs alone won't cure anything, but the ADs and the right therapy - chosen by you - will be a much more effective combination.

The final element of her road to recovery was general health. Exercise and sleep. We suffered badly for a while with our pikey neighbours having their music pounding through the walls at all hours, and this really affected her. A stand up row with the blok next door seemed to help slightly, as did time off work to get her head together, sleep and concentrate on getting better. I also made sure that I adjusted my lifestyle to work for both of us in getting her better, and I think that was useful as I provided a shoulder to lean on.

[b]Lesson 6[/b]: You need to get all the orhte factors in place. It won't happen immediately, but taking one step at a time will massively help.

As a result of the above, though Mrs North was suffering a very deep depression and had effectively had a nervous breakdown, she was able to take herself off the Citalopram after only six months. She was pleased when she did that - in the usual way, over a period of time - as she had not become entirely dependent on it. Instead, she had used it only as the crutch needed to be able to take on the other things necessary to start the road to recovery.

So, is it all bad? No, it may well be the right drug for you. It may well have similar effects to your experience of Prozac, but approaching it in the terms decribed above may mean that you get to lessen that effect and rely less heavily on the ADs. As for whether it's specifically the right drug for you, I bet you'll get as many people tell you it worked for them as those who tell you it didn't. If you're going to give it a go, just do your best to check yourself, both in a physical and mental sense. OK, that's not easy right now, of course, but asking yourself the quesiton of "do i feel better today than yesterday" may well help you decide more quickly if it's the right AD for you.

Good luck.

Personally, I found Citalopram saved my life

Same here, I suffer with anxiety badly and it seemed to be getting seriously worse a few years back to the point I wasn't sleeping at all, I would jump at any noise and had stomach cramps 24/7.
I went on 20mg of citalopram for approx 1 1/2 years and it was brilliant as it allowed me to seek help in councelling.
I've been off them for about 2 years now and still suffer with anxiety but I'm able to control it a bit better now thanks to the councelling and citalopram.

Well put Ourmaninthenorth.

one in three of us (IIRC) will have treatment for mental health issues at some point in our lives. SSRIs area useful tool and a treatment, but not a cure.

tawny - check ya mail! and keep schtum - these people do not know you at all! Just remember that some prospective employers may see this - your username does not hide much!

YGM

[applauds OMITN]

one in three of us (IIRC) will have treatment for mental health issues at some point in our lives.

Interesting thought that. I suspect that, if the percentage is that high, the definition is pretty wide.

However, certainly from my experience as an interested third party, I am intrigued by the number of people I know who have suffered from mental health issues.

It is, in my view, of great value that these things are more out in the open.

[applauds OMITN]

😳

That's the look of embarrassment. Er, thanks. Just trying to help, and from a slightly different perspective.

Just really nicely put, sensible and honest without leaping to attack/defend any particular strategy. Could do more of that kind of thing on threads like this.

Could do more of that kind of thing on threads like this.

I think maybe objectivity is hard if you're either in the midst of something, or have a view not based on any sort of experience (i.e. prejudice).

I'm lucky, I guess, to have fallen in the middle. No idea if I'd say the same if I'd been in Mrs North's shoes, though..!

anti depressants have their place. But in my professional experience they are overprescribed

there are many reasons for this. patient expectations (ie i want something now doc), poor doctoring, lack of timely access to counselling/psychotherapy on the NHS which are just as effective as drugs and in an ideal world would always be my first choice. We also live in a pill for every ill culture- ie your feeling a bit miserable hears a pill to sort you out. the list could go on and on. However antidepressants are often indicated and as doctors are encouraged to screen for depression these days it's hardly surprising their use is rocketing.

Right personal experience, I had a shit year last year losing 2 close members of my family in tragic circumstances 3 months apart. Did i feel shit -yes, did i feel suicidal -hell no. However with time doing things i enjoyed support from family and friends and EXERCISE i got better with time. Did i take pills- hell no as i felt that they would not change the life events that had occurred and were npot the answer for me. Many doctors would disagree with my comments and i try and help patients make up their own mind regarding treatments. Obviously if they are actively suicidal or severely depressed they need treatment or urgent psychiatric assessment

so back on topic, ssris are largely safe Citalopram is frequently prescribed as safe in overdose(relatively) good for symptoms of anxiety and depression and relatively non sedating compared with other antidepressants.

It sounds to me that you feel that you have been given this script as the doctor felt he needed to do something. Obviously if you are not keen to take them you should probably return. But if i were you i'd probably try and focus on the positives in your life, don't dwell on negatives you cant change cos they only make you more frustrated, avoid drugs and alcohol and exercise- endorphins help!

you could also do an online depression screening tool like the HAD score or phq-9
also you could try online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy google moodgym- you might find it useful.

obviously if all else fails get further professional help!

Have a look on drugs.com or go on to scholar and search, loads of good information. Even try UKpatient, some patient feed back maybe on there. I don't take the drug myself but I use some of these sites when researching drugs and their contraindication, good luck.

Reading the whole thread through you can see the problem, some love citalaopram some hate it and some are indifferent. Treating depression is not like treating tonsillitis - you give drug a and it will be better in seven days- different things work for different people. I find that taking the ptaient seriously , listening and iunderstanding are often as effective as the drugs themselves. I just wish i had more time per patient to enable me to provide a better service.

I never prescribe seroxat now a nasty drug with awful withdrawal effects.

but reading the threads the genuine consensus is you need to work this out for yourself and find your own solution. I would argue that few people go through life without experiencing a depressive episode and it is largely a normal human emotion. However if your mood is consistently so low you cannot function properly in society you need professional help.

[i]AndyP - Member
If you feel you need them, then use them. If you don't, then don't. Simple as that...only you cna make that decision.[/i]

This looks like the best and simplest piece of advice on this complex subject I have heard

bananaworld - Member

I've been an RMN

Really Mean Nutter? Right Muddy Nightcrawler? Royal Mail Nurse?

RMN = Registered Mental Health Nurse. Not sure why we lose the capital H in there.

Not at all suprised how many folk on here are/have been depressed. One in three and all that. I am suprised how many of us on here work on the other side of the thermometer, so to speak. *waves at smell_it*

FWIW, OMITN and Dr Nick both speak much sense on this thread. And I am not a big fan of seroxat either. Little else to add to their comments though.

One other little point regarding possible side efects: there is a newer version of Citalopram called Escitalopram or 'Cipralex'(brand name). As mentioned earlier, 'normal' citalopram is amongst other things, not very expensive. Escitalopram costs a [b]lot[/b] more (still under 10 year licence) and may not be available as a prescription due to its cost to the presciber (of course you pay your flat prescription fee whatever you get). It is supposed to have the same good bits as citalopram but with fewer side effects, so if the side effects put you off Citalopram it may be worth asking for this. I have only known a couple of patients take this, so not really enough to coment on whether the obviously optimistic drug-rep blurb and heavily funded Randomised Control Trials I read about match the reality for patients though.

All the best!

I must admit that I do get a little frustrated by the "no, don't take them, put them in the bin" approach. It's certainly true that positive thinking, exercise and even diet can make a huge difference to depression, but equally some depressions can be so profound and crippling that you just can't manage this. Dealing with underlying causes is key if there are some but this isn't always the case, sometimes depression can hit out of the blue without any decernable cause, it may just be a chemical imbalance, I've had periods of cyclic depression that seemed to descend even during good times.

I do agree that anti-depressants are over prescribed but I do think that they have a place (although, as others have said, not as a long term solution), I don't see taking depressants any differently to taking paracetamol to cope with tooth ache until you can get it pulled (and some people won't take painkillers and insist that you should endure the pain).

At the end of the day it's a personal choice and more often than not a cost/benefit analysis between side-effects and improvement. As someone who's had more than their fair share of mental health issues (not just depression) I've come to a compromise between medication and therapy/learnt skills. Cycling is also a huge benefit.

Perhaps another thing to add is about side-effects. I've been reasonably lucky and never had major problems, some people have major reactions (there have been well publicsised problems with Prozac and Seroxat) so if you are going to take something I think that it's really important to start off on a low dose and increase with proper medical supervision; some GPs do seem to give the impression that they're just prescribing them to make you go away.

I am on them and have been for around 5 months though unlike most I am not suffering depression. I suffer from occasional panic attacks and anxiety which I put down to heavy cocaine use in my twenties. They have helped me a little by just leveling things off. But I cannot comment on them with regards depression as they do not (and are not required to) alter my state of mind. They do stop the 'butterflies' I get in public places though.

I will say though that the first 3 weeks they made me feel absolutely attrocious!!

I was on 20 mg of this several years ago after having what can only be described as a "breakdown " which crept up on me from I don't know where.

Result was a trip in tears to a very understanding GP who was very supporting and helpful.

First thing she did was to have a long chat then sign me off work for a month and to give me a prescription for 20mg once a day with a warning not too expect miracles and explained that it takes around 2 - 4 weeks for C to kick in.

No unpleasant side effects for me other than the slightly dry mouth which I could live with.

When it did kick in it seemed to totally compress my range of emotions, stopped the dreadful lows brought on by my breakdown , which was great , However it also prevented any highs to the extant that I found myself thinking " This should be great fun, but I am not getting that buzz today " in my case this was a small price to pay as the lows were bad, a very dark place I don't want to go back to.

After a while my GP suggested maybe some councelling may help and as my employer had a scheme which provided some free sessions I took up the suggestion, for me that also helped.

In the end I made a staged return to work after 4 months and eventually after about 9 months also came off the C in a staged managed way over a period of about 2 months, this was agreed with GP after several discussions where I made it clear I didn't like the idea of being on anything long term and she agreed that was a sensible approach not wanting me on anything long term.

I know every one is differant but my outlook now would be "Talk to your GP, Take their advice, explain your reservations BUT most of all give it chance to work "

I was very sceptical about such pills before but now I have to say I realise they have a place and job which they can dso very well given chance.

Good Luck on your journey and I hope the dark place becomes a thing of the past for you as it has ( so far ) for me

AFAIK the NICE guidelines state that first line treatment for depression should be a generic SSRI - hence the GP's use of fluoxitene (PROZAC), paroxetine (Seroxat) and Citalopram as a first drug of choice.

This would suggest that newer drugs like Escitalopram and Venlafaxine (Effexor) are seen less initially in a primary care setting. GPs prescribing guidelines for Venlafaxine (Effexor) are even tighter these days

GPs are also advised I believe to provide each patient a leaflet that describes things like they take 3-4 weeks to work; perhaps first line treatment only helps about 60% of patients rising to 80% when a second choice of AD is used. Together with the withdrawal effects and the need to taper off these drugs under medical supervision.

Curry, Friday? Damn your problems, Curry is the cure!! Maybe a couple of Pale Riders