I've been on 20mg citalopram for sometime, but after a difficult couple of months, its been put up to 30mg. How long before this increase takes effect and I feel the benefits?

Thanks

I've recently done the same thing and I found it took about a week. I increased to 30mg about a week and a half ago and I've got my motivation back. I feel human again. My flatmates have commented on the difference.

I'm glad that this post is here... I have been on 20mgs of Citalopram since Sept. 9th and although it has helped, I still do not feel like "myself" and have bouts of "bad" days and feelings. I am considering an increase as well. I think the 20mg is just poking through but not getting me "all the way there"

I am interested to know if you notice a favorable difference in the increase in dosage.

I started on 20mg for about a month, then got increased to 40mg a little over a month ago. My therapist said that I should see the full benefit of the increase within 6 weeks of upping the dosage (which means by next week). The depression is a lot better, but still not 100%, and it hasn't helped with anxiety (although the doctor said it should). My therapist said that at my next appointment (in 2 weeks), if I'm struggling, she'll call my doctor and talk to him about changing something.

I will be making this same jump from 20mg to 30mg starting tomorrow. I can only hope I have the same favorable results as you have all had. Very nervous.

I am also about to increase my dose of citalopram this week, it is helpful to know other people have had benefits from doing this. It is reassuring and also makes me less anxious about it.
And for those who are also about to change dosage it would be good to know how you get on and when it starts to kick in.

peacelily

Hi, how is everyone doing on their increased dose?
I had to leave work after a half day today due to being so incredibly sleepy and having no concentration at all. I really think it's because of the meds. I slept this afternoon but i don't get much sleep at night time due to waking after horrible lucid dreams. Is this a common side effect? Does anyone else have these side effects? How can I manage them? I'm not able to take time off work and need to have enough sleep and concentration to work in a high pressure autonomous environment.

Any advice would be really helpful.

peacelily

I am on about day 4 of 30 mgs of Citalopram up from 20 mgs. So far so good aside from an awful mid-afternoon early evening yesterday. It was really bad. I ended up taking .05mg of Ativan to help calm down and relax. After all that I was just plain exhausted but managed to go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for 35 mins which also seemed to help.

Today has been okay... I'm at work... I can tell it's there, but nothing crippling. Very tired still even though I had a decent night's sleep. I have no trouble falling asleep and seem to sleep pretty well through the night. I can only attribute the exhaustion to the meds... I am hoping and assuming that there is a waiting period before the increase takes full effect. I think I could be close to breaking through this misery and I am hoping that the increased dosage will get it done.

Good Luck to everyone else on this path!

BE1 - I found that increasing dosage 1stly to 20mg, then to 30mg helped somewhat in a couple of weeks, particularly going to 30mg.

But...

Peacelily - I am having the same problems sleeping and the very lucid but weird dreams that you're having. I've gone from 20mg to 30mg two weeks ago, then up to 40mg yesterday. Only getting about 4 to 5 hours sleep a night, but having so many dreams that when I wake up I feel like I haven't had any sleep. Gave up trying to sleep and got up at 4:45am this morning. I saw my doctor yesterday and he said if it doesn't improve in a week with the increased dose, I should swap medications.

Last night I was just completely hyperactive, felt rather like I was slightly drunk. Very odd.

Anyway, good luck everyone and I hope we're all on the way to recovery! :)

I am with you all with the dreaming... my dreams are not bad, just very lucid and very weird. Not sure where some of this stuff is coming from! I have no trouble whatsoever falling asleep and I do so-so throughout the night. I do wake easily in the middle of the night which is a sign (along with the dreaming) that I am not getting that deep-needed sleep. This only aggravates our anxiety since are mind is never fully at ease and resting. Good Luck.

Hello citalopram people! Thankyou for your replies, its encouraging to know there's other people feeling similarly out there. I'm still on the 30mg and still having the weird dreams but I helped to wrap christmas presents this weekend and have been to work today although I felt awful.
How is everyone else doing?
Hope you are finding the medication ok and that you are making progress.
looking forward to hearing from you all

peacelily

Hi Peacelilly, glad to hear you're able to get a few things done! I'm still having strange dreams and not sleeping particularly well, despite trying two types of herbal teas, stretching exercises, some swimming when I feel up to it and oils which are meant to promote sleep... *sigh* Anyway, my dr is swapping me to avanza - mirtazapine, so I start that in two days time and hopefully things will improve. Keeping my fingers crossed for less dreams, cause at the moment I'm having trouble telling what I've dreamt and what actually has happened...

It's kind of frustrating, cause apart from the sleep/dream issues, citalopram was working really really well.

How's everyone else?

Just checking in as I too am on 30mgs, up from 20... I have seen much improvment. Almost to the point where I don't notice it anymore. So hang in there, it will get better. I am about 3 weeks into the increased dosage. Good Luck!