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Citalopram to escitalopram

Posted , 8 users are following.

john_vince54836
john_vince54836

Just want to ask the group,

Who among you shifted from citalopram to escitalopram? Can you share your experience ??

Thank you

0 likes, 65 replies

65 Replies

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  • dawn66355
    dawn66355 john_vince54836

    Posted

    Hi John, I have but it is very early days, I was on Cita for about 10 years came off them and after 6 months after suffering anxiety I went back on Cita for abut 1 month as the doc would not give me "es", but I convinced him eventually to try me on "es", so this is my second month on "es", no side effects really to talk about, but it is still early days xx

     

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 dawn66355

      Posted

      Hi how was your two mos with escitalopram? Can you tell me your exp with citalopram for 10 yrs? How was it?
    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 john_vince54836

      Posted

      So far so good, anxiety is a lot better, but my leg is still going at work (if you know what I mean), 10 years of cita was great, came off as I thought I was ok, but I think because I was on it for so long my body could not cope without it sad x

       

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 dawn66355

      Posted

      Well for me i think if i need to take it for lifetime then so be it... Rather than being miserable again... Hehe.... Its like taking diabetic meds or any maintenace meds..what citalopram dose are you taking before??

      I know it will work soon... So stick with it...

      Jv

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 dawn66355

      Posted

      During the 10 yr you took Citalopram ? How was it? Is it smooth ?? Or did you feel any blip???

      Thanks

    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 john_vince54836

      Posted

      No blips - everything seemed smooth, usually lifes ups and downs, but Cita just took the edge off smile

       

  • ellie1909
    ellie1909 john_vince54836

    Posted

    I switched to Escitalopram after 2 weeks on Citalopram. My GP wasn't happy with the side effects I was getting from Cit (I lost a lot of weight). It certainly has made me less nauseous than Cit did - I was surviving on rich tea biscuits and satsumas, all I could stomach. I've now been on Escitalopram for two weeks. I'm still a bit dodgy in the mornings but it lifts once I get started and go to work. I do have to say it feels "cleaner" to me but I can't elaborate much more than that. I take it at 8.30pm and am pretty regimented about that because I read it's best to take it at the same time. I also try to eat just afterwards to be kind to my stomach.

    It is early days for me but I am better than I was in the lead up to Christmas. It does give me peculiar dreams, but perhaps that's my brain having a sort out after a really rough time. I've gone from not even being able to bear having my husband talk to me and being so tense it hurt because I was so anxious (mid December) to being able to go back to work and look after my sons. Not fixed yet, ultimate goal is to be able to travel outside my safe zone (about 3 mile radius from where I live) but I must stay positive.

    The switch from 10mg of Cit to 10mg of Escitalopram was thankfully pretty seamless for me, especially considering it was a dose increase (10mg of esc = 20mg of cit). I do get headaches fairly often towards the end of the day but that could eye strain, not necessarily the medicine - either way they haven't been so bad I've had to take paracetamol, I just go to bed!

    Hope that helps a bit! Ellie xxx

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 ellie1909

      Posted

      Thank you ellie .....

      Ive been trying to determine wether changing citalopram to escitalopram is beneficial... Been on citalopram for 4 1/2 months at 10mg , i feel different compare day 1,,, flat mood to happy mood ,no depression.less anxiety... Able to travel... But im still looking forward for my motivation to kick in.. Still have more than 1 yr supply of citalopram ... But in willing to change my meds if i need to..been on citalopram before and it does bring me back to normal.. Hopefully feel more better after 1 more month...

      Thanks

    • Marf
      Marf john_vince54836

      Posted

      Hi John, I've been thinking the same, should I up the dose or change to escitalopram or just carry on for a bit longer, I've been taking 10mg for 14 weeks? xxx it's all such a long yucky journey! xxx
    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 Marf

      Posted

      Can you tell me the improvement you see during the 14 week,has your mood been lifted?do you still feel depressed???
    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 john_vince54836

      Posted

      My main problem was anxiety, and I have seen a vast amount of improvement, did not think I was depressed but when I think about it when not at work I don't want to do anything, I walk the dogs and then can not be bothered to get off the settee, that I am afraid is still the same, but I am hoping with a little bit more time that will change, if not I will be back to the docs .... I want my life back, and I am not living at the moment -just existing sad xx

       

    • Marf
      Marf john_vince54836

      Posted

      I think my mood has lifted but the anxiety is still bad xx
    • Marf
      Marf dawn66355

      Posted

      dawn, I'm the same, how long have you been on it and how much dose wise are you taking? xx
    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 Marf

      Posted

      I was on Cita for a month 10mg and now on Escitolapram and I am on my second month 10mg (which equates to 20mg Cita), so still early days xx

       

    • Marf
      Marf dawn66355

      Posted

      I've done 13 weeks on Cita 10mg. Why did you swap? Xxx
    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 Marf

      Posted

      i swapped because there are suppose to be less side effects, and as I had been on Cita before i thought my body would be used to it so a change would be better, also as it is dearer than Cita my doc would not give it me at first, so I then made it my mission to make him give it to me lol ;-) x

       

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 Marf

      Posted

      Base on what i read anxiety is the last thing to disappear especailly morning anxiety....
    • Marf
      Marf dawn66355

      Posted

      Be interesting to see what it's like for anxiety, I'm sooo fed up of feeling so bad all the time xx
    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 john_vince54836

      Posted

      My anxiety was very bad after coming off Cita, heart pulpatations, really tight chest, and I had a melt down at work, but the pills have really helped, not 100% there yet, as my leg still jiggles up and down at work, but a lot better than I was x

       

    • dawn66355
      dawn66355 john_vince54836

      Posted

      TBF I can't see a real difference between Cita and ES, but reading up on ES there is less chance of weight gain and ES apparently is better for Anxiety, it is a purer version of Cita hence why you take less x

       

    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 dawn66355

      Posted

      Im giving myself one more month at 10 mg then decide wether to upped dose or change to esci... Im still willing to give cit a little lonner for it helps me before to go back to normal self
    • Marf
      Marf john_vince54836

      Posted

      I've read that too but how long do we give it before thinking it's not working? Sorry, being negative today 😬 xxx
    • john_vince54836
      john_vince54836 Marf

      Posted

      Hi marf,

      How are u? Hope your doing fine

      Hope to hear your update

      Thanks

    • adam06205
      adam06205 ellie1909

      Posted

      Hi Ellie,

      How you getting on?

      I'm due to Switch from citalopram to escitalopram today .

      Iv had bad side effects on citalopram.

    • ellie1909
      ellie1909 adam06205

      Posted

      Hi Adam,

      Good thanks. The switch has gone well for me so far. As long as I'm prepared the night before I'm not waking up with the major anxiety in the mornings. I've been at work everyday without any major jitters (a couple of moments when I've felt a sudden minor flare but it's died away quickly). I haven't challenged myself with long journeys yet, but will be in the Easter holidays. Contemplating going abroad in the summer with husband and children - now if I manage that without a panic attack at the airport it will be the ultimate breakthrough.

      I don't have any particular side effects anymore either, apart from a headache now and again but I work in a school so that might just be because I'm doing long noisy days with primary age kids 😉

      I'm very pleased with Escitalopram, and extremely grateful to my GP for putting me on them. I'm looking into hypnotherapy, acupuncture and an improved exercise and diet (and finally totally quitting smoking!) to really nail it down.

      Hope that helps!

      Xxx

    • adam06205
      adam06205 ellie1909

      Posted

      Aww that's great to hear. Well I look forward to starting the Es tonight. Hopefully I won't get the side effects as I did of citalopram.

      Do you sleep ok off escitalopram?

      My doc has said to start on 5mg of Es . Or should I just go with 10mg

    • ellie1909
      ellie1909 adam06205

      Posted

      Well, I went from 10mg of Citalopram to 10mg of Escitalopram, so I basically doubled my dose overnight. I had had such bad side effects from Citalopram and I can't say I noticed a difference in their severity - if anything they lessened quite quickly. I was able to eat something other than breadsticks and satsumas (the diet of champions?!)

      Sleep wise, I take mine at 8.30pm and I haven't noticed an impact on me falling asleep, but I am a champion sleeper, it's one of my favourite things to do 😂 I did however get very strange dreams. Some anxiety related, and some which, to put it delicately, made me realise perhaps my libido was higher than I had previously thought! But the dreams are more rare now. I wake up actually feeling like I've slept now. I never thought I had depression, only anxiety and was just a bit down because of the effects of anxiety, but looking back I now think perhaps I was depressed as well and so mornings were just hideous. My children can actually now speak to me in the mornings and have me reply as nice mummy not anxious/nauseous mummy.

      Xxx

    • adam06205
      adam06205 ellie1909

      Posted

      Aww I love a good recovery story. I'm glad your making good progress.

      What side effects did you have off cit?

      And did you not feel any withdrawal from cit while switching.

      And omg your right I wondered why I never had a appetite. I hardly eat anything. And I can't sleep of cit.

      Maximum 4/5 hours sad

      My jaws been clenching for a full week at night and during the day.

      That's why I'm switching.

      Scared to go through the rough week again.

    • ellie1909
      ellie1909 adam06205

      Posted

      Thank you. I'm not totally recovered, I won't be until I can travel again. But I am so much better than I was.

      I had a lot - nausea, dry wretching, diarrhoea, anxiety at an all time high, I couldn't bear even being spoken to I was so over sensitised, dizziness, shaking, I was a mess. I had to take 5 mg diazepam on Christmas Day I just couldn't handle it.

      I personally felt no withdrawal at all from Citalopram, but I had only been on it 2 weeks when I switched. Escitalopram just felt cleaner to me, it's hard to describe, but it just felt nicer.

      Once you are sleeping better I imagine you will see improvements. Lack of sleep is not good for anxiety at all, as I'm sure you know.

      Xxx

    • adam06205
      adam06205 ellie1909

      Posted

      Thank you Ellie for your quick response and support. I was on 10mg of cit for 2 weeks also, so I guess our switch is going to me very similar. And yes your right sleep makes a big difference I hope I sleep better off es.

      At least your better on the Es then cit.

      And I hope you make a quick recovery.

      I ll stay in touch and let you know how I get on xxx

    • ellie1909
      ellie1909 adam06205

      Posted

      No problem Adam, I'm glad I could help a bit. Do keep us posted how you get on. Good luck with it, I hope you get some relief soon. It's a journey but it's worth it.

      Xxx

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