Depression and Citalopram

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My doctor diagnosed me with depression a week ago an prescribed me with an anti depressant called 'citalopram'.

A week on I am still suffering adverse side effects including dizziness, nausea, fuzzy-headedness, unwanted tiredness, low sex drive and headaches.

Has anyone else thats taken this drug experienced this?

those are all known side effects. most will improve over time as you adjust to the drug, but the sexual dysfunction may be permanent, even after stopping the drug.

I am prescribed it but having issues actually taking it, as I am worried about side effects and having it make me more anxious and contributing to suicidal feelings and essentially making me feel worse, its happened before with other anti-depressants. So yeah not sure what side effects I will have if I take it.

I was on lithium to manage my bipolar, but was still depressed so pdoc added citalopram. I was on this combination for over a year and tolerated it well. After an overseas trip during which I reduced my lithium, I started developing mania so the new pdoc swiftly took away the citalopram. I developed severe withdrawal effects including head-shocks. The pdoc admitted she was wrong to take me off so quickly and I went back on the drug and reduced slowly.

Lesson is reduce the drug slowly. Also if you have bipolar you may be at risk of developing mania if you are on antidepressants.

Sounds like typical side effects. I'd suggest sitting it out a bit longer, and then going to discuss it with a doctor or pharmacist. Of course, how long you sit it out for will depend on how bad you find the effects, and how patient you are.

I take citalopram and don't really have any side effects. I guess I've been pretty lucky with SSRIs.

I'm on 20 mg citalopram for anxiety and I never experienced side effects. It varies from person to person. When I got put on them, I was told by the doctor I could experience side effects but they would disappear as soon as my body adjusted to the medications.

I've been on it twice for anxiety, and I ended up quitting both times on my own when I couldn't get switched off it. It caused me to feel really messed up, and later on I found out why. I have cyclothymia and for anyone with bi-polar or cyclothymia, citalopram is somewhat useless for treatment and may aggravate the downcycle part of it.

For symptoms, the yawning was the most interesting symptom. The symptoms you describe are right on. I experienced most except nausea. The fuzzy-headedness was the worst for me. I couldn't do focus on anything, and I slide right into depression.

Side effects are normal for the first few weeks as your body gets used to the medication. After a few weeks most side effects subside and after another few weeks the depression begins to lift. It just takes time.

If a few weeks has already passed and the symptoms haven't started to simmer down, I'd contact your doc to let them know. Doctors are bombarded with all of these different brands/doses/mixes of drugs to try prescribing patients each year. What works for one person may not for the next, or need a different dose. So it's best to keep them in the loop. They certainly don't want you to feel really sick.

I've been on it for three years and these are side effects I suffered with. Eventually, my body has become more accustomed to the pills, so I don't feel tired or sick anymore. My sex drive is still affected, though. But I'd rather that than killing myself.

I took it for awhile but decided not to because these kind of side effects made me more suicidal and down than usual. My GP said I should wait it out, but I couldn't deal with these changes in my thinking.

I read that Citalopram is not for everyone and for some it might even make things worse. Apparently one has to try quite a few different kinds to find the right one.

I have been on Citalopram for about a year now. I had side effects for the first week, and then they gradually subsided. The meds pretty much sedated/knocked me out for the first two to three days. I kept yawning all the time, felt achey all over my body, and had dry mouth. Like I said though, the side effects do pass, so I think you should stick with the tablets dude. They DO help. For me anyway.

I actually wrote a citalopram diary, if anyone would be interested in reading it?

I have tried this and it didn't help me at all, quit it immediately and drink a green smoothie each morning instead or smoke pot.

These side effects are really common and they should subside somewhere between 1-2 weeks. The worst side effects for me were constantly over-heating and needing to sleep every afternoon for a few hours. The sexual side effects are like other (illicit) drugs, where it's difficult to get going, but when you do, it's much more intense than usual. If they're going to help, you'll know around 4-6 weeks. The first time I took citalopram (40mg) after that time frame I felt like a totally different person, walking on clouds and genuinely happy! After 6 months I decided in my drug-induced wisdom that I didn't need them and then gradually descended back into my old self! I've been prescribed them since, but I've never felt like that again. My doctor said there was no reason for them to no longer work, but they didn't! I was then prescribed Sertraline (100mg), but again nothing! Has anyone else experienced this? Is it common? What can I do? My advise is to stick with the citalopram and hopefully it will work for you like it did for me the first time around. Also never discontinue abruptly, it's like your worst ever hangover x100.

Over the years I have tried most of the SSRI's. I have now been on citalopram for several years without side effects. From talking with others it seems hard to predict who will and will not experience which side effects with any of them. What works great for one person is terrible for another.

You have to wait several weeks, your body first started to get adjusted and first then you'll be able to tell if you'll tolerate it in the long run if it helps you or not.