In this post we will look at some information regarding Citalopram, and I will share what my personal experience was like when taking this drug.
What Is Citalopram?
Citalopram is an antidepressant used to treat depression (obviously!). It is in a class called SSRIs, which stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It works by increasing the amount of serotonin your body produces. Serotonin is a natural chemical in the brain that helps promote mental wellbeing.
It can also be used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) anxiety disorders and eating disorders. Primarily it is used to treat depression.
Citalopram Side Effects
Most antidepressants come with a long list of possible side effects and Citalopram is no different. The possible side effects you may experience include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Decreased appetite and weight loss
Stomach cramps
Diarrhea
Constipation
Heartburn
Drowsiness
Muscle or joint pain
Dry mouth
Decreased sex drive
There are a number of other side effects, some more serious than others, so please consult your doctor or medical professional to manage these side effects. Often the side effects will wear off after the first few weeks of taking Citalopram, but again, please keep your doctor informed about what side effects you are experiencing so that they can manage your symptoms.
How Long Does Citalopram Take To Work?
Antidepressants can take a while before you start to see their full effect. Citalopram can take up to 4-6 weeks for the effects to be seen, however you may start to notice improvement in as little as 1-2 weeks.
Citalopram Half Life
The half life of Citalopram is 24-48 hours, with an average of 35 hours. This half life increases by 30% – 50% for people over the age of 60.
The half life simply means how long it takes for half of the medication to leave your system.
Benefits Of Taking Citalopram At Night
A lot of antidepressants need to be taken in the morning because they have a shorter half life and the effects tend to wear off by the end of the day. Citalopram has a longer half life so it can be taken in the morning or at night. The benefit to this is if the medication is making you drowsy, you can take it at night before you sleep, as that is the best time to feel drowsy. Generally, the drowsiness effect and other side effects will wear off over several weeks of taking it, so being able to take it at night makes it easier to tolerate these side effects.
How Does Citalopram Make You Feel At First?
At first, Citalopram is likely to make you feel drowsy and possibly nauseous. In the early stages you are more likely to feel the side effects more than anything.
When you first start taking Citalopram, it is likely you will not feel any benefits. These usually don’t kick in for a month or two.
Citalopram For Anxiety
Although Citalopram is primarily used for depression treatment, it can also be used off label to treat various anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
Citalopram Withdrawal
Stopping any antidepressant abruptly may result in antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. It is important to taper down and gradually stop taking the medication. This gives you the best chance of not experiencing any withdrawal symptoms.
Whether you experience withdrawal effects from Citalopram will be dependant on how quickly you stopped taking the drug, as well as what dose you were on and for how long.
The known withdrawal effects from Citalopram can include:
Nausea
Irritability
Dizziness
Headache
Nightmares
Tingling sensations
Vomiting
Citalopram And Alcohol
Citalopram does not increase the effects of alcohol, but combining the medication with alcohol should still be avoided.
There are a number of reasons for this, including that alcohol can increase the side effects you may be feeling from Citalopram, including dizziness and nausea. Alcohol is also not good for depression and anxiety in general. Although it can sometimes feel like a great escape from our problems, it only leaves you feeling worse the next day. If you are serious about improving your mental health, then alcohol is definitely something to be avoided if possible.
Can You Take Paracetamol With Citalopram?
If you need to take paracetamol with Citalopram that is perfectly fine. It is not a pain relief that has adverse interactions with Citalopram.
Can You Take Ibuprofen With Citalopram?
It is best to avoid taking Ibuprofen if you are on Citalopram as it may increase the risk of bleeding. Look for alternative options, such as Paracetamol.
Citalopram – My Experience
During my fight against major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder I was prescribed Citalopram. In the early stages of taking the drug, I experienced dizziness, tiredness and a dry mouth. Neither of these side effects were particularly extreme, so I was able to continue taking the medication in the hope that these side effects would wear off over time, which they did.
I can’t say I got any benefit when I was on Citalopram. I started on a fairly low dose and over time this was increased. After giving it a while to see if this helped, my doctor suggested I come off the medication and we try something else. We slowly tapered off Citalopram over time, and l am happy to report that I felt no withdrawal effects while coming off it. All in all, this drug can help some people and improve their depression symptoms, but I was not one of those people.
Why I Stopped Taking Antidepressants
Although my Citalopram experience was not particularly bad compared to some antidepressants I have been on, it was just another in a long list of drugs that didn’t seem to work for me.
It took a long time to realize it, but the solution to my depression and anxiety was not going to be medication. Fortunately, there are a number of treatments for depression that don’t involve medication or side effects, and I came across one that actually worked.
The course that worked for me and finally turned my depression around is called Destroy Depression. It is a step by step guide on how to treat your depression without meds and what you can do to stop it coming back.
You may notice on my website that there are very few products that I promote. This is because I need to try the product before promoting it, and it needs to work before I promote it. Destroy Depression ticked all of those boxes for me, and I was finally able to get out of my 10 year depression funk by following their system.
It has a 60 day money back guarantee and zero side effects, so there is really nothing to lose by trying it. All that I would suggest is to actually apply the things that it teaches you, and hopefully you get the same results as what I did.
Click here to check out Destroy Depression
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