Citalopram / Celexa help

Hi all,

My doc just started me on Citalopram 10mg and atarax for anxiety/panic disorder. I’m having some issues and am hoping for some advice.

I’d been having non stop anxiety/adrenaline and extreme emotional lability- particularly in the morning - for almost a month straight. Peppered in with a bunch of panic attacks/often feeling on the verge of one.

I’ve taken Citolapram/Celexa for 5 days now. Taking before bed.

Day 1-3:
I was nauseated, threw up once, weak, sweaty and a little shaky...most of this would subside by the afternoon
but the constant feeling of non stop anxiety/adrenaline (mainly located between shoulder blades) and racing thoughts were gone! I felt much more like my old self again. My sex drive actually had increased, my appetite returned, food tasted good, and diarrhea was calming down.

Day 4:
I felt a bit less nauseated, but still shaky, sweaty, and super spacy. Upon waking I noticed that my jaw has a small tremor. By the evening my anxiety was back.

Day 5 (Today):
I woke to an INTENSE need to move and felt super agitated. My toes, fingers, hands, arms, legs everything just felt like that had to wiggle and go and move. I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I went for a run/walk and it didn’t help. I could not sit still. It felt much different than anything I’ve experienced before. I couldn’t stop crying and felt crazy. I ended up taking .5 Ativan that I’d had left over from a previous prescription because the atarax didn’t touch anything. It calmed me down a bit, but not fully.

I know that Citolapram isn’t supposed to work for a few weeks and you’re supposed to power through some of the side effects, but does this seem normal to anyone? Anyone else have or heard of this happening? It sure seems like an episode of akathesia, but idk. My doctor is unavailable until tomorrow and I’m unsure how to progress. Power through? (Scary af) Reduce dosage? Stop?!

This feeling is just as awful if not worse than before starting - albeit a different kind of awful.

Thanks in advance.

Post Edited (GanglionCyster) : 5/25/2020 4:50:00 PM (GMT-6)

long time celexa user here-yes celexa usually takes a month to work. took 6 weeks for me. its a gentle drug for me -by far the easiest on my system of the ssri,s i have taken.how ever we all react in different ways to these meds. i had a terriable reaction to lexapro -which is a stronger version of celexa. what dose are you taking? i started at 10 mg. also this med is better taken in the morning usually. celexa is by far the best ssri i have taken and feel blessed i tried it. its so gentle you dont even know you are taken a med at all -except anxiety is gone. keep us informed of how things go and hang in there. you WILL get better eventually.

I am a citalopram user for many years. It seems as if each person's first few weeks/sometimes months is a difficult adjustment. After that initial adjustment period the side effects settle down or disappear. Keep in touch with your doctor to manage side effects. Personally, I like to start low and go slow to allow a smoother adjustment when starting a new medication. I now take the maximum dose of 40 mg daily with no problems and my generalized anxiety is much improved.

sounds likea good plan from your dr

Hi Joy1989,

Welcome to the anxiety and panic support forum.

Citalapram (aka Celexa) are SSRI's. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. The thing with these medications is they can take awhile to work. Though you can start feeling better sooner, they can take six to eight weeks to reach full potential. So being patient is the key. I would let the doctor know what is going on. It could just be a side effect that may go away in seven to ten days. Or the medication might not be right for you. The doctor may be able to give you something to calm you at night. What time of the day are you taking the medication? If you are taking it in the evening, it might be the reason for poor sleep. Some medications are suppose to be taken in evening, some not.

I hope that things get better for you. Stay safe.

Hugs, Karen...

I take citalopram, and have for many years. It works great for treating my anxiety. But it takes time to get the full effect; I think it took me about two months. Even after that, there seemed to be more subtle good effects as time went by. It makes me feel pretty normal now that my brain chemicals are in balance.

Take care and hang in there.