Depression & Anxiety

Due to depression I have put on over 28lbs and was sleeping whenever I could.

I am suffering from depression and anxiety. 6 weeks ago my doctor prescribed Citalopram daily. Then prescribed Zopiclone as I went from a person who slept all night with 1-3 hour sleep in the afternoon. I dont sleep unless I take the sleeping pill and have had an awful time with aggravated anxiety attacks and panic attacks for no reason. I was not having panic or anxiety attacks before taking Citalopram although I have in the past. My doctor has now suggested I ween off Citalopram by taking 1 every other day and I am feeling much more like me. The grey haze is not there all the time and I feel more lightheaded and the voice in my head is much less chatty and much more peaceful. Have you had this experience, can you advise me,  could the Citalopram have had such an adverse effect? My doctor wants to prescribe another antidepressent on thursday and I am REALLY WORRIED.

I am and since 16th february excercising daily either swimming for 30mins -22 laps or walking 40-59 min

I have been at home medically unfit for work for the past 6 weeks and have not been drinking the 6-8 coffees a day with 2 sugars each. I have not had the ability to concentrate or the want to see anyone,

I would love your feedback

I'm really, really sorry that you're feeling unwell. I hope you feel less anxious soon.

I don't have experience with that particular medication, but I know that each antidepressant can have wildly varrying effects on different brains. Zoloft helps a lot of folks, but it increased my mania and suicidal thoughts. The trick is to pay attention to your own reactions. If Citalopram  made you have a bad episode, then it is not for you; it doesn't matter how anyone else reacts to it :)

Are you going to therapy as well as taking the medications? It sounds like you could use someone to talk to, especially as you've been at home for a bit. Some doctors would rather send you on your way with a pocket full of pills, but at this point duel therapies might help - medications and talk therapy - in order to explore the basis for your depression and anxiety. Again, please accept my best wishes for your good health.

Thank you for your caring reply.

I have been referred for CBT but the lady doing the session is a trainee and in needing clarity on my life focused on my childhood, teens and I have left the three sessions I have had feeling more down than the last session.

I am concerned about the CBT and changing antidepressants will I have another bad experience Ifeel like I have lost the whole of February

How people react to medicines can vary from person to person. Also, the dose has to be taken into concern too. How many mg of generic Celexa are you taking when you do take your meds?

From what it sounds like, I'd switch medications, and if you're new to using anti depressants sometimes it can take a while to find what works for you. What works for one person might not work well for the next.

I know I'm personally allergic or hyper sensitive to a lot of medications, in particular anti-depressants. I went through Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, and many others that I don't recall before I found out Celexa worked for me without causing me a ton of terrible side effects (I fainted with Lexapro, which is strange considering Celexa and Lexapro are practically the same thing).

Trying medicines is like a juggling act with your brain, it can be really frustrating sometimes, and is not often a quick fix. Also, sometimes starting on too high a dose can cause problems (like anxiety attacks). I'd listen to your doctor, but remember you know your body best and what is and isn't good for you.

Don't give up on finding a match that works for you though! Sometimes a combination of medicines is just what you need too. It can take time though, so until you find your body's best fit, try to get into a regular routine, even if its really hard, and get back to work if you're able to. Dealing with depression can be a long, hard road.

I've been on medications off and on since around 10 years old. Its only been in the bast few months, 10 years later, that I think I've finally found the perfect match for handling my depression and add (I take a combination of celexa, strattera, and adderall.. the strattera for me makes all the difference in the effectiveness of both my adderall and celexa doses).

A lot of times though the medicine that works for you will still have some side effects, it just depends what you're willing to put up with. When I first started strattera I could barely eat and threw up the first time I took it. After a while my stomach got used to it. Now I just get dehydrated really easily, but after practically dropping out of school and doing nothing for a year and a half, the effort is worth it. I'm now back in school, loving it, and with the honor role grades I used to have.

Just don't give up and keep going! Eventually you'll find what you need.

Hmmm... are you going to sliding scale/ free clinic? Is there any way to request a non-trainee for CBT? And, are you on any type of medical leave?

Is the therapist receptive to your wants/needs from your sessions? It can be very difficult to re-hash your story to new people ad nauseum. Do you have any previous therapists that could forward session notes to her? Sometimes this saves going over things that you aren't in a place to discuss, but gives the therapist proper background.

It sucks to feel like you're losing progress by changing meds and doctors, but, like quest said, finding the magic combo can be a long road. Messing around until you find what works for you is the way to get better. And you will get better.

I've been in that place where time has disappeared - it isn't pretty. I wish I could come give you a hug, sweetie.

Dont feel bad it could be worse. After my second baby I was put on the same medication for post pardum. Well its 5 months later and Ive gained over 40 pounds so it could be worse. Not that I don't feel your pain though. Why does stuff have to be so hard!?

Thank you so much for your replys and taking the time for me.

I am on paid sickleave and the CBT is on the NHS. i have an appointment with a trained therepist on thursday.

I do feel like I'm going crazy

I am taking one 20mg tablet every other day to wean off the Citlopram as the Doctor suggested (Saturday and yesterday.) Yesterday was ok but when I say ok a few panic attacks and anxious moments but I felt OK. Today I am feeling much more like me, I have actually smiled today and laughed once yesterday and today. I haven't cryed today.The grey haze is light not there all the time and I feel more lightheaded and the voice in my head is so much less anxiously chatty and much more peaceful and not giving me a hard time.

I went out and managed a class of pilates (never done it before) today it was a good class!

Will I feel even better tomorrow?

What are these drugs doing?

I am scared what will happen next.

Could the Citalopram have had such an effect?

My doctor wants to prescribe another antidepressent on thursday will I loose another 6 weeks will I get worse again ?

 I am REALLY WORRIED.

I'm wondering can I manage without drugs?

It sounds cheesey, but time really does heal all things. It will take time to regain your good mental health, and all you can do in manage one day at a time. I'm so happy you went to pilates! It's good to get out and about, even just for an hour.

Please don't be afraid of changing medicines - it can take  a lot of adjustment to find the right combination. And weird emotional effects are normal - the meds affect us all in different ways, and there have been days where I - and the people around me -  have seriously doubted my sanity, due to medication brain weirdness. The effects will even out, and when they get the meds right, you'll feel much better.

And, after a while, you may be able to manage without meds. I no longer take any antidepressents, and take buspar only for stomach problems, not my brain anymore :) It will pass - it feels like it never will - but you can do it. It takes time, but you'll get better.

Good luck on Thursday! I'm glad they've found a regular, trained therapist for you.

Hi there

I slept 4 hours last night without Zopiclone!

Weaning  off 20mg Citalopram by taking medication alternate days since friday - I have taken them saturday, monday and today the anxiety is worse in the day when I take the tablet.The last three days the grey haze is not there all the time and I feel more lightheaded and the voice in my head is much less chatty and much more peaceful not beating me up so much. The grey haze is slightly darker in the evening and I am more anxious from around 6pm. I have felt more like me though which has been great.

Have you had this experience, can you advise me, could the Citalopram have had such an adverse effect? My doctor wants to prescribe another antidepressant on Thursday and I am REALLY WORRIED.

I don't want to go out or see anyone but if I decide to exercise I can go out and because I am powerwalking or swimming I can ride the anxiety or panic attacks.

I can't move myself properly to get out of bed before 11 but I can control what I eat and when I exercise but can't concentrate to watch tv but I can trawl this site.

I can't keep people around me happy.

I am concerned about changing antidepressants do I need pills will I have another bad experience? The doctor wants to start new ones on thursday I think prozac.

Do you have experience of CBT?

I would  really appreciate your feedback

I've had some cbt before. I guess it did help some. Honestly, at the time all I really needed were some anti-depressants and somebody to talk to. So yeah, it helped. However, it can't fix a chemical balancing problem in your brain. It can help you learn to better cope with anxiety/depression/ect though.

I tried explaining this before, but I'm not sure if my point got accross - everybody reacts to anti depressants differently(just as everybody may show their depression in a different manner). Depression can even cause anxiety/phobic like symptoms.

Just because Citalopram (aka Celexa) did not work for you does not mean other anti depressants won't. I cannot stress this enough.

As I said before, finding the right anti depressant for you can take a little bit of trial and error with medicines.

Switching medicines isn't a big deal, so try not to stress so much over it.  Just make sure that you keep a list of prescriptions that don't work for you (like citalopram/celexa) so that if you ever switch doctors they know what you can't take.

Your reaction to citalopram is not common, and there are many other types of anti depressants that work differently. Once bad experience in no way means you'll have other bad experiences with other medicines!

Here is a link that gives a general overview of the different types of antidepressant medications and what you can expect with taking antidepressants and other medications for mental health.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/6202 6.php

Hope this helps!

Original Post by questobefit:

However, it can't fix a chemical balancing problem in your brain.

Thank you for your replies.

Re chemical imbalance in brain ....today I really get that, I don't have a handle on my anxiety at all and managed to get out of bet at three in the afternoon and been jittery all day. I can't understand CBT can help if I am like this I felt much better yesterday and the day before.

CBT can help, but only so much if there's a real, and severe problem. I know when I first did CBT I felt pretty silly, but since psychology has a lot to do on attitude and outlook I let myself be open and serious about it, even if it sort of seemed weird. It can definitely help you balance out your emotions and get a handle on controlling your psychological state. However, in more severe cases, where the person is unable to really function in day to day life (like I was and you are) I do believe its overall effect can only do so much. But I suppose it depends on the person.

Honestly, I used to be very anti medicine most of my life, and while I was able to function off of medicine for most of it, I was barely able to, and it was miserable. I do understand the anxiety problems, I really do. Mine got very bad before I got back on medicines. And while the medicine might not have worked right away for me, there was definitely at least a subtle but important differences within the first week. My meds didn't start working at full capacity for a good long while, but even that little bit in the beginning was enough to let me start to get back on track.