Citalopram – what do we know?

Not tried Citalopram but I did have Sertraline, for me it was awful and I decided that anti depressants weren’t for me. I also had a few sessions of CBT therapy on the NHS but I found those of limited value. What really helped me witgh my depression was Transactional analysis therapy. Unfortunately not cheap (£50 a session) and also not currently available on the NHS, but it did work for me.

It’s not more selective, it’s just a tweaked version designed purely because the patent on Citalopram has expired, so they need to keep coming up with new variants to make money.

The patent on escitalopram expired too, over 18 months ago, and generics are freely available.

Worked for me, and I was incredibly wary of taking it. Didn’t use it for long – just long enough to get my head straight and into some useful CBT.

Mrs North took it after seroxat made her very ill. Citalopram also worked for her – though she said CBT was the life saver for her.

Hope you get well soon MoreCashThanDash.

It works for me. Reduces feelings of anxiety and lifts my mood. I did get more anxious initially, but that died down within two weeks. I do suffer side effects: –
– reduced sex drive by a degree
– less sensitive to initial sexual stimulation
– occasional restless feet
– I am often tired
– some sleep disturbance

On the other hand – I don’t prefer the idea of being dead to being alive. This as far as I am personally concerned is a huge positive.

The patent on escitalopram expired too, over 18 months ago, and generics are freely available.

Surprisingly, they don’t have another SSRI replacement under Patent…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lundbeck#Key_products

Maybe there isn’t much money in SSRI now as so many are out of patent.

EDIT: They’re also naughty boys…

On June 19, 2013, the European Commission imposed a fine of €93.8 million on Lundbeck and fined several producers of generic pharmaceuticals a total of €52.2 million after Lundbeck made agreements in 2002 with the other companies to delay less expensive generics of Lundbeck’s citalopram from entering the market. In return for the ability to maintain a monopoly on the drug’s manufacture, Lundbeck offered payments and other kickbacks.

I’ve only been on it for 6 weeks but I think It’s kicking in. I’ll stop taking it as soon as I don’t do the job I’m doing at present, as that’s the root cause of my probs. 😕

–

I’ll stop taking it as soon as I don’t do the job I’m doing at present, as that’s the root cause of my probs.

That sounds very familiar. I’m now worried I have multiple forum personalities.

Can I ask if you tried anything else before getting to the medication?

Been working for my (now ex gf) well. 10mg but she is 8 stone drip wet.

Without it she was a Jackal and Hide character I walked into the house wondering who I’d be living with that day (she worked nights I worked days).

With it I was able to live with her again without the thought of a new patio. I could tell instantly when she had missed a dose though as clear as black and white.

Can I ask if you tried anything else before getting to the medication?

Stella or McEwans Champion ale. (7.3%, lovely)

she was a Jackal and Hide character I walked into the house wondering who I’d be living with that day

That’s mental health? I thought that was marriage!

😆 @ essel

Maybe there isn’t much money in SSRI now as so many are out of patent.

EDIT: They’re also naughty boys…

SSRIs are a fully generic market now, no point launching a brand when there’s 10s of different super-cheap options out there. Yep, pharmaceutical companies have been known to do bad things sometimes. But let’s not derail the thread.

Citalopram and other SSRIs are very effective medications for a large number of people and allow huge numbers of people who suffer from depression and anxiety to function in the world more easily. Yes, many find that antidepressants are not for them, but on the other hand many people find they make their lives significantly better. Individual anecdotes are interesting to read, but they don’t tell you anything about how you personally will respond to a drug, because everyone is different. The people who can help best with questions and doubts are medical professionals, and the OP would be best advised to listen to them and take their advice, rather than soliciting opinions from randoms on the internet.

I was on it for a while last year. Never noticed any effect (either good or bad). Dr said that he usually starts with citalopram as it has the fewest and least severe side effects in his experience.

He switched me to another drug, and still nothing after a month. So raised the dose. A couple weeks later, POW! It kicked in overnight like someone flipped a switch. The doom, gloom, and haze was gone. However, its creeped back in for me so the Dr upped the dose again just today as I may have become a bit acclimated to it.

With these types of drugs, they usually start on a low dose (maybe even too low to be effective) in order to see if you have any sort of adverse reaction. And it may take up to a month of use for it to build up in your system to a theraputec dose.

And as stated above, it depends on what is lacking in your particular brain chemistry. Different drugs work for different people and the only way to find the right one is trial and error as tests are still under development.

It worked for me. I spent 18 months on it about ten years ago and it (along with a divorce) allowed me to change quite drastically. My mother claimed it allowed her to get rid of the angry man abd get her little boy back.

It might not be for you if the above is what will happen!

On side effects, I found I dreamed very vividly for the first few weeks, then dreamed normally. Previous to starting on it, I rarely dreamed at all.

On the other hand – I don’t prefer the idea of being dead to being alive. This as far as I am personally concerned is a huge positive.

Ain’t that the truth.

Yep.

I was started on citalopram in ~2000 having finally accepted that suicidal thoughts and endless crying wasn’t just teenage angst and not normal. For me, it was like a lightswitch. Within 3 or 4 days I felt substantially better. I went up and down the dosage and came off a few times, but found I would inevitably go off the rails after a few months so finally accepted I’d probably be on them forever. Side effects weren’t dramatic – the main ones were a moderate loss of libido and a very dry mouth. I was never really offered anything in the way of talking therapies.

For some reason, I seemed to stop getting a benefit from the tablets in ~2014. No idea why. I took ~7 months off work, during which time I weaned off citalopram and went onto Mirtazapine which felt like having a trapdoor opened underneath me. Horrible stuff. Came off that and onto Sertraline, and was on cloud 9 for a couple of weeks (mainly from the relief of being off the Mirt I think). It seems to give me an element of stability, although I’ve been doing some talking therapies alongside it.

In my experience, neither drugs or talking therapies on their own are a fix. If it’s proper clinical depression, both are needed.

Comments like:

I wouldn’t touch this shit. It’s treating the symptons, not the cause.

really just show ignorance of the subject, and it’s attitudes like this that mean mental health still has a stigma in society.

If you’re lucky enough to have health insurance with your work, they usually have some pretty good talking therapy things available. I’m still a bit of a mess with anxiety and low mood, but I hope I’m making some progress.

I wish you all the very best. Remember you’re far from alone. Happy to talk offline if you need/want.

Thanks frazzledbrain – was prescribed Mirt last year and decided against taking it.

Work (civil service) can get me 6 counselling sessions, which I hope will be better long term than the group CBT my GP got me last time. That seemed to be more about coping mechanisms rather than individual support to deal with the root causes of the anxiety. Suspect my problems really need some support to make a couple of life changes – whether I need medication to calm me down while I do that is something I need to discuss with the GP.

Seems to be a lot of people who have tried it and been on it a long time/ever since.

Sorry to hear you aren’t feeling too good MoreCash.
There is also an online CBT course, which a GP can direct you too. It’s free under the NHS, they give you a password to access it.

The last few years I had a really hard time as some of you might have read on here.
If you open a medicine book anywhere, I’ve probably had medicine from that page. SSRI’s, Antipsychotics, Lithium, Mood enhancers, you name it I’ve been prescribed it. I was sectioned twice after suicide attempts. I’ve had CBT. None of the above really worked for me.
What did work was mindfulness.
The other way I felt better was through music. Think of a time in life when you were happy. Really happy. Birthday party, wedding, birth of kid, when you finally lost your virginity, bike trip with crazy friends, whatever and think of the music playing at that time. Go on spotify or whatever other music streaming and make a playlist of that music from good times. Play the aforementioned music as loud as you can, either through speakers or headphones and dance round the house like a lunatic. This releases some kind of happy endorphins that bring you back to a good place mentally.
Call old friends and arrange to meet. When you’re down I can guarantee meeting friends will cheer you up. I hated that idea but was forced to go to a wedding against my will. I had so much fun with friends there it just brought me back.
I am now on zero medication, my life is great once more, I have a woman I love dearly and am in the process of buying a beautiful home in Austria.
It might sound like a clichè, but it really does get better. I am proof of that.
Mail in profile if you want to talk whenever.
On your original question Citalopram made me fat, lose interest in everything including sex. That just made me even more depressed than I originally was. I would highly recommend you try everything possible before medication or you will find yourself trapped for a while.

Mindfulness was a big part of the group CBT course. Have to say, despite previously doing quite a bit of “meditation” type stuff in the past, I just never got it, either on the course or online stuff. My mind just filled with stuff on repeat loop. I am giving it another go though.

MCTD mindfulness is just learning to notice that your mind is full of stuff and what that stuff is, then accept it and move back to your focus. If the same stuff comes back, just notice it again. It’s like standing on a beach watching the waves, you can see each one and be interested in its height, the white horses etc but you don’t have to surf on them or get swept away. Some days the sea is calm, some days it’s stormy but you can always stand on the beach and watch. You’ll never be able to calm the sea by watching it.

I’ve noticed a few depression threads on here the past couple of days.
It’s reminded me how valuable this forum can be in terms of sharing insights and information.
Time for my tea, but look after yourselves, all. 8)

Been on citalopram for more than a decade ..only 20mg though. Felt awful when stopping but ….one weekend I was away on my own and forgot the stuff .normally I know within a few hours when it’s missed but on this occasion I was doing meditation and being mindful without distractions. For some reason as long as I kept mindful I seemed to have no withdrawal or unpleasant symptoms .Lasted several days like that.
Meditation is so helpful for me . harder work than taking a pill maybe but find a simple technique ..do it regularly and soon things will change for the better IMHE

People who come off it abruptly instead of tapering off get problems – a colleague used to stop abruptly, get panic attacks then concluded he had better stay on it for life. For some reason of his own he refused to ever cut down in small steps which is how you are supposed to do it. He is now stuck on it with a number of side effects (digestion, blood pressure) which he has to take additional pills to counteract.

If you decide to go on it, get CBT counselling or change your life to treat the cause of your problems. Definitely set a time limit of how long you are prepared to stay on it, doctors seem very keen to put people on endless prescription renewals.

Most of all dont use such stuff as a way of merely enduring a crap life instead of actually changing your world and getting rid of situations and circumstances which stress you or make you unhappy or sad. Its easy to take a pill, numb out and just continue endlessly in the same situation, I have seen that with other people way too often, scared me away from any pills and into counselling, best choice ever.

I tapered and felt so awful I went back to the 20mg …probably permanently

Most of all dont use such stuff as a way of merely enduring a crap life instead of actually changing your world and getting rid of situations and circumstances which stress you or make you unhappy or sad

I think that is one of my concerns, apart from side effects, that I might cope with some medication, and not actually resolve anything

Haven’t read all the replies, sorry. It did nothing useful for me either – though on the plus side I didn’t have any noticeable side effects. But then like many others I need to fix my life in order to get better. About the only “drug” I have found which worked for me is natural endorphins from exercise – though that’s easier said than done sometimes as I’m fighting a balancing act between getting the mental benefits of exercise, and getting depressed by it because I’m nowhere near as good as I used to be (and never going to be). Though strangely I’m feeling about as good as I have done in ages today (having been about as low as I’ve ever been in the last month or so) – I’m fairly sure I know why and it’s totally unrelated to exercise.

“meditation” type stuff in the past, I just never got it

Meditation comes in many forms!
It can be prayer,colouring,calligraphic handwriting even base jumping.
It’s a technique for concentrating the mind,forcing it to be quiet if you like.
Mindfulnesses is only one vehicle to take where you need to go.
It’s very subtle and effective and works for a lot of people.
However some minds are more stubborn and need different techniques.
Zen meditation is a step above and requires more gumption.

The mind and body needs to be in harmony,when this harmony is not in synch then depression rears its ugly head,however its not ugly at all!
It’s to be welcomed as a natural invitation to pay attention to what your body and mind is telling you.
It’s an opportunity for spring cleaning if you like.

I know it’s not easy but if we can quiet the mind,it then gives us the chance too see what is behind the dark door,it’s not that scary,you might also find some light!.

This course sorted most of my shit out!
It’s not easy by a long haul.
Life sucks sometimes!
https://www.dhamma.org/en/index

All the best Mr Cash,I mean that 🙂

Was on sertraline for 18 months for severe anxiety. First two and last two weeks are less than good. Random urge to burst out crying in the street etc. Beyond that the only noticeable side effect was increased appetite and resultant weight gain. Other than that it was a completely positive experience and coupled with CBT they both sorted me right out. No regression since I came off them around September last year.

I tend to read more on here than I post (unless I’m selling something). Posts like this remind me why the forum is so great. I’ve been having major issues for months and after reading the experiences and honesty of many on here I will be getting booked in for a chat with my GP next week to see what’s the best course of action for me.
I always thought I didn’t need help and that tablets won’t do anything for me, time to man up and make that phone call.
Thanks all.

Scott B – this place is amazing for advice and support. Come back and ask if you need anything. I can’t believe so many people I’ve posted with over the years on different things have popped up on here and some of the other “down” threads having gone through the same sort of thing.

i normally steer clear of these threads as i have just been through it my self, and it was all pretty raw…

i have had 2 serious breakdowns in the last 12 months which has lead me to be ill health retired from work. it all came about after taking shit for too long and just giving it the MTFU. i am now on a 40mg dose of the citalopram after having some very long chats with the GP, who is bloody brilliant. i never wanted to take anything, but after counselling and cbt did nothing but make things wors i went for it. bloody glad i did ads its helped no end. i am, after 9 months, getting back on track, sleeping, being more sociable even with my family. i am also starting my own business and looking forward to the day, instead of looking out and wanting to cry. im not saying everything is peachy but its definately getting there. anyone having issues feel free to give me an email. if i can help i will as i have been there and know how shit it is.

It’s taken me a few days of knowing about this thread to post on it as I always prided myself on being ‘mentally tough’ and ‘depression is just a formal diagnosis for needing to MTFU’. In short, I am probably still in a bit of denial and taking citalopram is my ‘dirty secret’. I have been taking this for about ten months – 20mg dose.

My issue was more what I would call acute and chronic anxiety rather than depression. It is 100% work-related. I applied for a promotion, got it and instantly regretted it as I was (and still am to a certain extent) out of my depth work-wise. I tried mindfulness and it did help – but not enough and not at the right times. It also became too onerous as it went on. Realistically I could not just ‘go to the cinema’ on a whim as I have a real life with a full time job and two kids. My wife dragged me to see the doc.

I didn’t think I had too much of a problem, but he seemed pretty concerned – almost as though he was glad that I had gone to see him early, but sounded like I was in a bit of shit state. I literally couldn’t function at work. Even if I could have worked out how to do stuff by being logical and looking how it was done before, I couldn’t concentrate for the blind panic. He offered to sign me off for two weeks, but I didn’t take this option. It seemed like going out and getting pissed. It would feel great while it lasted, but the guilt and apprehension would build. So he gave me the option of citalopram – I was wary (I have never liked taking medication unless absolutely necessary). But I agreed.

So, the first three to four weeks were hell. I couldn’t sleep. The sweat pissed off of me most of the time. The really worrying thing was that although I knew that these were side effects, they were real. It wasn’t like a bad hangover when you can convince yourself that the paranoia and depression are temporary. This was real in my head. I wouldn’t wish those first few weeks on my worst enemy. I let riding buddies down because I couldn’t face seeing people who would expect me to be ‘normal’. Gradually, though things got better. Not a lot, but enough.

Looking back, there was a longer second phase. I wasn’t on the bottom any more, but not much better than before. The anxiety would come in fits and starts, but it wouldn’t last. I would say this lasted four or five months.

After this point I think I really started to feel the benefit. Anxiety still comes, but I can calm down and focus. I don’t spiral uncontrollably any more and I am more able to relax when not at work. In short, the anxiety I feel is proportional.

In terms of continuing, I am going to see the doc again soon. I don’t want to be dependent on this stuff to be able to live a normal life. I have no idea of how to go about this, but if the initial few weeks are anything to go by the one lesson I learnt was not to underestimate the effects. It is no wonder that prescribing this stuff to younger people is taken very seriously.

The one other thing that this stuff has really helped with is not feeling guilty when enjoying myself. I used to be very down on myself. If I was laughing at something funny I would check myself and think stuff like “you shouldn’t be laughing – you’re shit at your job, you should be taking it more seriously”. Now I have learned to appreciate the moments when I am wrapped up in the moment and forget about my work troubles. Riding my bike helps. Riding uphill gives me time to mull, so I go into ‘bloody-minded’ mode. Riding fast downhill doesn’t give me time to think about anything else.

Hope this helps and that no one I know thinks any the less of me for it.

Dannyh – thank you so much for posting up on here.

acute and chronic anxiety rather than depression. It is 100% work-related. I applied for a [new role], got it and instantly regretted it as I was (and still am to a certain extent) out of my depth

I literally couldn’t function at work. Even if I could have worked out how to do stuff by being logical and looking how it was done before, I couldn’t concentrate for the blind panic.

I don’t want to be dependent on this stuff to be able to live a normal life

This is all me. Really interesting to read what you have been through. I’ve been astonished how many familiar names I’ve seen on the forum for years have spoken up on this thread.

No one thinks any the less of you for this – those of us who are there, or have been there, no how tough it is to face up to it and tackle it. What you have done is admired, not looked down on, and being willing to talk about with those of us still “in it” is really, really important.

Hit rock bottom April last year, made the call to see the doctor and just broke down.

Was prescribed Citalopram and like many did not want to be dependent on pills, diagnosed with anxiety and stress, Dr was outstanding with the care he provided and continues to do so.

Many people seem ashamed they are suffering from this and try to keep it secret, my advice is dont. You will be surprised by how many people feel similar to you in varying degrees and how many people want to help not just telling you to MTFU.

Take it one day at a time, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Jason

I have been on them now for three months during a hard patch…and the realisation maybe I have had a dark cloud over me for many many years effecting my judgement.

Weaning off now and going onto fluxotiene (sp?) as I have been tired and very unmotivated which doesn’t help positivity. Physically weird feelings too like a tingly sensation over the top of my scalp (very similar to a sensation I got smoking some strong herb at uni)….usually during a period when I would be down like returning to my empty home…very odd. Oh and muscle weakness…physically fit but would lift a shovel and feel instant muscle fatigue! odd

Echoing others here, this is why I love the forum here…lots of real people happy to help and discuss with others.

Physically weird feelings too like a tingly sensation over the top of my scalp

Ant in my brain was how I described it – quite like it as it was a sign the pills were doing something – don’t get it any more, which is a shame….

Thanks to MoreCashThanDash – it took me a while to post on this thread as I outlined above.

The other thing I ought to mention is my wife. To be fair to her she has been superb. During the first fortnight or so she saw me in a state that would have totally freaked me out if the roles had been reversed. At the weekends I was literally hiding under the duvet. I can say I reduced her to tears on at least one occasion – I still feel like I was tapping into a collective pool of goodwill and so reducing her enjoyment of life to marginally enhance my own.

Anyway – on the proper topic of this thread – if you do opt to start taking these you need to be committed to it. If the early days are anything like mine, you will want to flush them down the toilet at some point. Be aware that it is not an instant miracle cure. However, if you give it a chance, you may well reap considerable benefits. This sort of stuff is not now ‘exotic’ for GPs. I’d be willing to bet it is one of the most common things they deal with.