Citalopram. How long until it works?
- Thread starter Lestat
- Start date
Hiya, I am not a professional in any way so I can only offer peer support. Citalopram usually takes up to 6 weeks to work at its maximum effect. It depends on what the issue is, what to take while you are waiting. Such as if it is for anxiety, they can give you a benzodiazepine such as xanax or valium for short term use until it kicks in( be aware though, they are addictive). If it is for depression, they can refer you to therapy, definitely ask at least if there's anything that can perk you up until the citalopram takes effect. Good luck.
Tolerance grows towards diazepam and soon your dose won't work as efficiently as it did when treatment began. I am on 30mg of diazepam a day-yes thirty. I have grown a massive tolerance to it, I should come off it really and I will but just not right now. Until your citalopram is working to its highest effect could they increase your diazepam? Be careful though, it is highly addictive and there is withdrawal from it.
Diazepam will only temporarily relieve symptoms of anxiety - it doesn't make the anxiety better overall and in most cases it actually makes it worse over time as your body ends up with a lower tolerance for dealing with anxiety when you medicate the symptoms away - that and withdrawl from diazepam actually causes anxiety. As Lynn said, it is highly adictive and if you take it every day you can realistically only expect the effects to work for a couple of weeks until the dose needs increasing. By the time you are taking 10mg or so daily, it is really doing nothing for you apart from staving off withdrawl anxiety.
I have a Diazepam script but I will only take the stuff in desperate times (less than once a month at the moment) so it still has an effect if I do really really need it to. I take a beta blocker (propanolol) which is much more effective for overall management of my anxiety and I take mirtazepine as an anti D and anti anxiety that really does bring down my anxiety levels overall rather than "temporary relief".
6 - 8 weeks is typical to feel the effects of new medications, as long as they are taken exactly as prescribed every day. Too many people decide after two weeks they are not doing anything and/or only take them haphazardly (or try to take too many) and then wonder why they do not work.
I hope you can discuss with your doctor other ways to manage your anxiety that doesn't involve benzos - benzos are great for very temporary relief but over time they can do more harm than good.
I have a Diazepam script but I will only take the stuff in desperate times (less than once a month at the moment) so it still has an effect if I do really really need it to. I take a beta blocker (propanolol) which is much more effective for overall management of my anxiety and I take mirtazepine as an anti D and anti anxiety that really does bring down my anxiety levels overall rather than "temporary relief".
6 - 8 weeks is typical to feel the effects of new medications, as long as they are taken exactly as prescribed every day. Too many people decide after two weeks they are not doing anything and/or only take them haphazardly (or try to take too many) and then wonder why they do not work.
I hope you can discuss with your doctor other ways to manage your anxiety that doesn't involve benzos - benzos are great for very temporary relief but over time they can do more harm than good.
I would ask about beta blockers for anxiety if I were you. I don't know how citalopram is for anxiety - it didn't agree with me at all - I just know that Mirtazepine is good for anxiety. Speak to your doctor about taking an Anti D that can help the anxiety too - maybe citalopram will do that, but it is good to get some reassurance regardless. I am not saying don't take the diazepam - its good to have as an emergency measure - but it will stop working if you take it every day.