Citalopram/therapy

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#1
I was prescribed Citalopram this week and not had any experience of antidepressants, except for Prozac years ago and it gave me migraines so I stopped after a week. I went to the doctors, and she knows me fairly well, knows what my husband is like so one thing lead to another and I heard myself, in tears, telling her I often think of suicide and probably would do it if anything happened to my youngest son. (Even as the words came out there was a little voice saying WTAF are you saying!). So anyway she said I could use therapy and alsoprescribed Citalopram. She knows about my migraines but just said that there is some contraindication with migraine medication which worried me as I'm getting them quite often at the moment. Since I'm short and not overweight, I decided to start on half a tablet for a couple of days and see if I felt anything (physically). I took it at night and straight away I knew I wasn't going to sleep. Maybe I was just over tired but I seemed to wake up again. I was awake for most of the night and then I noticed shooting pains in my ankles. In the morning I felt like a zombie with a sore head. It felt like every bone was slightly aching but especially my jaw. I know you are supposed to give them a few weeks but is that normal?? I could barely get out of bed. Is that an indication straight off that they are not for me?? I couldn't imagine having to work through feeling like that? Secondly, with the therapy, I know I have unresolved abandonment issues from when I was left twice in my childhood and teens and I still feel pretty angry about it. But I said I didn't want to go to a therapist because I've dealt with it for so long now, I don't feel anything is going to change and it just brings on the tears talking about it. I don't expect a stranger can begin to understand the feelings I had/have and anyway, what can they do except tell me to love myself, move on etc? I don't really want to lift that lid. It won't take away what happened, it won't delete all the files. I don't know... just musing.
 

MisterBGone

ReaLemon
SF Supporter
#2
I can't remember that one for sure, but I've probably been on it at some point. As I believe there are something like 6 different classes of antidepressants (& I may be remembering that wrong...), you've got a lot of options. I believe with milder more typical/common/normal side-effects, they can be present in the beginning and then fade away altogether, or become much more manageable/tolerable. What you're describing here sounds a bit more severe to me, and I would not hesitate if I were you to contact your doctor and let them know of this discomfort you are experiencing from the side effects or, or byproducts of the medication. : )
On therapy, what you state or belief is fine and good. And while a controversial topic round these parts (as are meds, by the way). For someone who has been through what you've been through, that is almost exactly the recipe for some benefit of significance. Provided that, of course, you find the proper treatment in terms of the right therapist, and etc. They are trained (or should be) in helping out with this sort of thing. And while you've been navigating the difficulties of life thus far, it is not likely to go away in it's entirety on its own. And furthermore, may in fact be affecting you even more so in ways that you are not even familiar (if they are repressed into the sub, or unconscious).
Not going to lie - it isn't fun. I always kind of equate it to physical therapy. But if you think of it in terms of the amount of damage that was done &/or is being done. Then it shouldn't come as quite so much of surprise that this is to be expected as the case. (sorry i can't quite think at the moment; so sorry for the world salad, or sorts~) hope this helps, or doesn't hurt! ; )
 

MisterBGone

ReaLemon
SF Supporter
#3
Also could request to be referred to psychiatry (in addition to psychology, should you so choose therapy), if you're just seeing your GP/PCP & think that it is warranted. As, like anything else, the gulf between specialist & one in family practice or internal medicine, is "wide!" :) if I were really concerned about committing suicide, that is probably what I would do-
 

MisterBGone

ReaLemon
SF Supporter
#4
In therapy, it is better that they are a stranger, so as not to bring to the table all of your "baggage," that would otherwise, or could compromise their judgement. Allows them to be more objective in their dissection of your problem(s)/issue(s)! ;) For example, if it was someone you knew, they may have their mind half made up already before you even finish your story (because of this, that & the other thing that they already know of you from your history together).
 

Ash600

Of dust and shadows
SF Creative
SF Supporter
#5
Hey there @BlueGreen , with Citalopram, it can cause restlessness as one of the known side effects so perhaps that is what you may have experienced when you took it. The akathisia may explain those shooting pains in your legs. Other side effects such as insomnia may be responsible for the way you felt the following morning. Although citalopram is from the same class as Prozac, this is one group of meds whereby sensitivity to one med will not necessarily translate to others.

Yes, there can be side effects and a dip in the way you feel particularly within the first 2-3 weeks of commencing treatment. Hopefully they will resolve, but of course do make notes of any untoward effects and report them to your doctor or dispensing pharmacist.
Regarding the citalopram and your migraine medication, I'm assuming here that you may be on a tryptan such as sumatritpan? It's generally not recommended to be taken these two types of meds together, or at least with caution as it may increase the likelihood of seroternergic effects. Of course a lot depends on the frequency and strength of what migraine meds you take as well as the strength of citalopram. Halving the dose of citalopram may help to offset this, but then you could be running the risk of administering a sub-therapeutic dose. It's a hard call to make but definitely something worth discussing with both your pharmacist and doctor regarding this issue.
 

Sunspots

To Wish Impossible Things
Admin
SF Supporter
#6
Hey Blue

My first thought was whether it's worth trying to take it in the morning rather than at bedtime. I don't know anything about the medical side but Ash knows his stuff.

As for therapy, I was pretty sceptical too. I knew what the problem was, I'd been dealing with it for decades so what could anyone possibly say that I didn't know already? But it's not about what they can tell you, it's about what you can tell them. No, it won't take away what happened but it can take away the power those things have over us. Everyone's different, it might help, it might not but you won't know unless you try it.

Sending hugs *hug
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#8
In therapy, it is better that they are a stranger, so as not to bring to the table all of your "baggage," that would otherwise, or could compromise their judgement. Allows them to be more objective in their dissection of your problem(s)/issue(s)! ;) For example, if it was someone you knew, they may have their mind half made up already before you even finish your story (because of this, that & the other thing that they already know of you from your history together).
Thanks for all the advice @MisterBGone , I really appreciate that and it's given me things to think about. I'm not sure how to describe what I meant about stranger because talking to someone I know is even less likely or desirable. I guess just expecting someone 'random' to even understand what it feels like for a child to experience what I did. I'm having trouble getting my thoughts together and the words out *wacko
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#9
Hey there @BlueGreen , with Citalopram, it can cause restlessness as one of the known side effects so perhaps that is what you may have experienced when you took it. The akathisia may explain those shooting pains in your legs. Other side effects such as insomnia may be responsible for the way you felt the following morning. Although citalopram is from the same class as Prozac, this is one group of meds whereby sensitivity to one med will not necessarily translate to others.

Yes, there can be side effects and a dip in the way you feel particularly within the first 2-3 weeks of commencing treatment. Hopefully they will resolve, but of course do make notes of any untoward effects and report them to your doctor or dispensing pharmacist.
Regarding the citalopram and your migraine medication, I'm assuming here that you may be on a tryptan such as sumatritpan? It's generally not recommended to be taken these two types of meds together, or at least with caution as it may increase the likelihood of seroternergic effects. Of course a lot depends on the frequency and strength of what migraine meds you take as well as the strength of citalopram. Halving the dose of citalopram may help to offset this, but then you could be running the risk of administering a sub-therapeutic dose. It's a hard call to make but definitely something worth discussing with both your pharmacist and doctor regarding this issue.
Thanks so much @Ash600, I was hoping you would know! :) Yes, I take Almogran and that really worried me. I've been getting migraines every week recently and migraines and taking away that pain is my first priority so I decided not to take the Citalopram. It would be too stressful on top of everything else worrying about those meds together. I'm not sure I had restlessness, it was more really sharp pains in my ankles/heels. Very strange. All those strange symptoms just put me off taking them any more. I don't want to spend weeks and months of my life trying to get it right - my son went over a cliff last summer so to speak, coming off his and getting different ones. I think I'll leave trying any more.
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#10
Hey Blue

My first thought was whether it's worth trying to take it in the morning rather than at bedtime. I don't know anything about the medical side but Ash knows his stuff.

As for therapy, I was pretty sceptical too. I knew what the problem was, I'd been dealing with it for decades so what could anyone possibly say that I didn't know already? But it's not about what they can tell you, it's about what you can tell them. No, it won't take away what happened but it can take away the power those things have over us. Everyone's different, it might help, it might not but you won't know unless you try it.

Sending hugs *hug
Hi @Sunspots and thanks :) I've decided not to take them. Tbh, I don't think it's worth it for me, most of the time I feel OK. I woke like a zombie and my husband bounced out of bed as he usually does and I just thought, I need my head about me, he'll run rings around me and I just can't waste months of my life trying to figure out if they make things any better. I had therapy before when I had PND but it was described as 'situational anxiety' because I had my MIL writing nasty letters to me and implying I was an unfit mother and all sorts of other toxic crap at the time. So talking to someone helped - mostly because I finally had someone sane to talk to and I realised it wasn't me! I still do think it would help but now I'm also thinking, well, I'm this old and nothing can change it, I've lived with it this long, I can continue. Oh, and also I would have to tell my husband and he would tell me we can't afford it *huh
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#12
*rofl

Could well be, except I know it can't be because mine spends almost every waking hour sitting in front of his laptop! *huh

Lately, I have found I can't be bothered with him. I don't even have the energy to get annoyed with him. One the one hand, I'm letting his gaslighting and crap wash over me, on the other I'm wondering if I will get to a point I can't bear to live with him any more. The more I've learned about narcissism, the more I see through him.
 

KA9

Gone with the wind
#13
I wasn't satisfied with Citalopram. And yes it can actually enhance suicidal thoughts at the beginning of therapy.

If you also suffer from migraines, ask to get prescribed Duloxetin. After years and years of my neurologist and psychiatrist throwing me back and forth, I got it prescribed in ER for both the depression as well as migraines and it seems to be helping. Ask about it. Note it takes a few weeks to become effective.
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#14
I wasn't satisfied with Citalopram. And yes it can actually enhance suicidal thoughts at the beginning of therapy.

If you also suffer from migraines, ask to get prescribed Duloxetin. After years and years of my neurologist and psychiatrist throwing me back and forth, I got it prescribed in ER for both the depression as well as migraines and it seems to be helping. Ask about it. Note it takes a few weeks to become effective.
Thanks @KA9 for that info, I'll look into it.
 

Please Donate to Help Keep SF Running

Total amount
$70.00
Goal
$255.00
Top