Citalopram for Panic Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Pun...
• October 1, 2021

"This drug has been a miracle for me. Before taking it, I was housebound for years. I’ve tried many other meds but couldn’t handle the side effects. My doctor started me on the liquid 1 ml/2 mg and increased by 2 mg each week until I reached 20 mg. Titrating so slowly helped me have no side effects. I finally have my life back! God is so good!"

• Anonymous
• April 16, 2018

"I have been taking Celexa for three weeks. I did have side effects such as some nausea, decreased appetite, trouble sleeping, fuzzy-headedness, drowsiness, and a small headache. These side effects got better each day. After a week of being on a 10 mg dose, the side effects were very minimal. Then I increased to 20 mg, and the side effects started over again and got better after a week. I am not 100% yet, but I am far from where I came from. Looking forward to each passing week as I know it will keep getting better. I was afraid to take this medication. It sat in my cabinet for a few months until I couldn’t stand myself anymore. I took a Klonopin with my first dose, and it helped a lot. Then I took a Klonopin when I increased my dose to 20. Have not had any Klonopin other than those two days. The Celexa does a great job at abating the anxiety, and my only regret is not starting it sooner. Didn’t rate it a 10 because it makes me super tired. Each day that feeling lifts a little more."

• Lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2019

"I’m on week 2 of the 10 mg dose, and so far, haven’t seen any improvement. I know it takes a few weeks to work, but the side effects suck (shaking, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, loss of appetite). Praying things get better soon, cause I can’t afford to lose any more weight, and my panic attacks are affecting my work."

• mag...
• May 23, 2010

"I was given this medicine for panic disorder to wean me off Xanax. It's working great, and I only have to take it once a day. I've gone from 3 Xanax a day to 1 every 2 days (unless the sleeping medication does not work), then I'm more likely to panic because of the sleeplessness."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 23, 2014

"I have had panic attacks for 10 years. I've been extremely scared of trying medication, but I finally got desperate enough to try citalopram. It's been nearly 2 months since I started, and I have yet to feel any relief whatsoever. Started with 10 mg, then upped to 20 mg. I'm thinking about quitting."

• Pho...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2021

"I have only been on this medication for about 2 weeks, but I am already seeing improvements in my ability to cope and rationalize in moments of anxiety and panic. I'm currently taking 10 mg and will be going up to 20 mg starting next week, and am looking forward to continuing this medication. I will mention that yes, the first week was tough with the side effects. Thankfully, I was off from work because my anxiety initially increased, and I had nausea and an upset stomach every day, along with being generally more tired. My hypochondria got worse. Don't let this deter you from taking this medication. I am a highly anxious/panicky person and was able to get through it, and am now feeling better than I have in months. I highly recommend this medication. I finally feel some hope for my future."

• Me0...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2021

"All of a sudden, I started getting weird anxiety and panic attacks while driving. It was so bad that I really couldn’t ride with anyone. The doctor performed all kinds of tests and didn’t find anything. I went for an eye exam, and my vision was double as bad as the very first exam. The doctor prescribed me citalopram 10 mg. I’m kind of nervous to take them after I tried one the other day. I may try half of one at night. Has anyone had the anxiety panic attacks while driving? If so, would you let me know how it was!"

• des...
• June 25, 2015

"I have been on 60 mg of citalopram for the past year to treat panic and anxiety disorders. At first, I was pleased that the medication seemed to be working, but after a while, I was feeling lethargic, tired, and numbed. Not myself. I want to go off it, but I am scared of what the side effects might be. I definitely don't want the panic attacks back, but I feel that I am walking around half asleep. I want my normal energetic self back!"

• Lyn...
• March 7, 2016

"I have only been taking 10 mg for a week now, and so far the side effects have been minimal. I will be bumping up to 20 mg once my tummy gets used to them. I was previously on fluoxetine last year but stopped as I thought I wasn't benefiting as much as I should be from them. Starting them, I went straight to 20 mg, and I had horrendous side effects: shaking, sweating, choking throat feeling, crying, and feeling like I was going crazy. I have not had this on citalopram. It is very early days, though, and will up. My tight throat sensation has come back, which causes more anxiety. It had dramatically minimized since taking, I was also on propranolol for a week to see if that would help, which it did, but I was insistent on taking these ones."

• Mum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2020

"I’ve been on this drug, citalopram, for 3 weeks. I had been on sertraline before, which worked well for my panic/anxiety but gave me tummy issues. I’m still struggling with the increased anxiety. Calling GP tomorrow to chat, hoping this is normal and will aim to carry on to the 6 weeks."

• Nor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2019

"This drug helped me a lot. My panic disorder came through mainly from my own abuse of substances, etc. Words can’t describe how bad they were - my head was totally gone! Give this drug a chance! I’m talking months, don’t expect it to happen overnight. Felt bad for the first month taking them, but whether that was the drug or, like I say, I was in a permanent state of panic anyway. Give it time. I still get odd blips, but persevere with it! Been on them 6 months and plan to try to come off them soon. Can’t imagine it’s going to be easy, but there you go!"

• mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2015

"I've only been taking this tablet for one week so far. Sadly for me, my problems of panic and anxiety have become so much worse, causing me to now have to take a beta blocker. I'm still on citalopram and my beta blockers and will see my doctors next week to see what I need to do. I will update you again."

• Anonymous
• January 14, 2012

"First I started on 40 mg, and I guess my body got used to it. I had to go up to 60 mg, and everything started getting better. Then, my doctor told me he had to take me back down to 40 mg because a warning was released that anything over 40 mg could cause a malfunction with the electrical signals in the heart. I am back on 40 mg, and things are progressively getting back to where they were to start with. I think I need to change medicines."

• BDA...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2017

"I started taking Citalopram in liquid form from 1 drop to 10, and currently, I am on month 5, taking 20 mg a day, and yes, it has worked, completely stopped my panic attacks. From side effects, I thought I couldn't handle the fatigue and yawning, which were pretty much all the time, however, what worked for me is taking this medicine before sleep. I still get heavy dreams, but I am not so tired anymore."

• Kao...
• January 10, 2017

"I have tried a lot of different antidepressants in the past. Few would work but stop working for a while. I even took one where it just simply made me feel like I didn't want to be bothered with anyone. The sound of someone's voice made me cringe, and if someone touched me, I just wanted to rip their faces completely off. But since I have been on Celexa, I feel absolutely excellent, and I was taking Abilify with it. With those two combined, I would pray with people and counsel with a youth group. Enjoyed the heck out of life much more. But unfortunately, I can't afford Abilify anymore, and I have been trying, but no luck. I wish a miracle would come my way. But this is just wishful imagination on my part."

• Bar...
• August 1, 2017

"I have been on citalopram for two years. I started on Venlafaxine but took badly, so I switched to citalopram 20s. I had a few side effects, so I went to 10s. I worked my way up to 30s pretty okay, but I recently got upped to 40s, and three weeks in, I am dropping to 20s as I've never felt so low, so lonely, so down, and I even cried... sick and fuzzy heads, family pointed out I was not myself, horrible feeling, brought about bad morning anxiety, which ruined the whole day. But I'm now more determined than ever to beat this myself. I have been trying, and so far it is working, learning to love myself and think positive. It's all about believing in myself. Good luck."

• Lat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 28, 2016

"I am new to this world of taking an antidepressant, specifically Citalopram. I was prescribed 10 mg. I started with 5 mg for 4 days to see how I would respond per psych NP's orders. I am small in stature and under 100 lbs. I had a succession of traumatic and stressful major life events occur all in a matter of 6 months. The result has led me to have debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. I know I have lived with undiagnosed mild depression and OCD tendencies and anxiety for fear of being labeled, but these last months broke me. I take Ativan 0.5 to 1 mg as needed only for sleep. I am going on 2 weeks of Citalopram at 10 mg and am noticing small improvements. Does anyone have any experiences similar to mine? Suggestions or input appreciated."

• rea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2022

"I have always felt 'normal' up until the last 6 months, so when I developed social anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia, I tried everything to overcome it - yoga, talking therapy, exercise, etc. Nothing was working and my panic was getting severe, so I very reluctantly tried Citalopram. The first couple of weeks were crap. Side effects included depression, increased anxiety, waking up feeling wired, needing the toilet as soon as I woke, sweaty feet, panic attacks at night, and a huge loss in appetite and energy. After day 4, I nearly gave up, BUT I AM SO GLAD I STUCK IT OUT! No more derealization almost immediately after starting Citalopram. After 3 to 4 weeks, I was feeling almost like my old self - and 6 weeks in, I actually can't believe the change. I still experience anxiety, but it feels much more manageable, and I am no longer having multiple panic attacks or bouts of anxiety a day. In conjunction with CBT, Citalopram has been life-changing. Please stick it out for at least a month!"

• 39M...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 22, 2022

"Started taking at 30 years old for newly developed panic disorder. Started at 10 mg. Had worse anxiety attack for the first couple of weeks but didn't experience panic afterwards. After a year or two, I developed the side effect of a random feeling of about to ejaculate. I didn't mess myself but thought I would. I dropped the dose to 5 mg, and it seemed to work at least 80 to 90% as well without having that side effect. I wouldn't get full-blown attacks at 5 mg. After seven years, I stopped taking it since I did experience some emotional blunting and loss of libido at 5 mg. Within seven months of stopping the medicine, the panic attacks came back. Mainly while driving on the interstate. I was using 25 mg Benadryl to abort panic attacks at attack onset while not on this, and it works well but makes me sleepy, and after the fifth time or so, I decided to go back on it at 2.5 mg. Been on it about a month with no panic attacks but some mild anxiety still when driving at times. I always keep a 25 mg Benadryl on me just in case."

• Arc...
• July 18, 2016

"I was originally prescribed citalopram 7 years ago, diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and it had very little effect. It was later discovered I had bipolar disorder; I was prescribed citalopram a few times, and it never did much. A month ago, I was again put on 20 mg citalopram, but this time for panic disorder. We noticed a change almost instantly; I haven't had a day of panic since I started this medication, and my overall anxiety is much lower too. I had a few side effects (some nausea, loss of appetite, sleep disruption), which I'd never experienced with this drug before, but most of these faded in week two. We have noticed my dissociation is much worse than usual - normally happens 2-4 times a week, is now happening daily."

• Kel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 4, 2021

"I had to take some time off work due to panic attacks/anxiety and the inevitable following depression. By taking time off, I mean I literally downed tools and left. Been suffering from severe anxiety the majority of my life and never sought help or treatment until I was on the brink. I was first prescribed sertraline and due to cognitive anxiety, I had a very bad day, to say the least, which landed me in A&E. Sertraline has helped a lot of people from what I had read, but it wasn't for me. Called my GP the next day and was prescribed citalopram. I was nervous about it but reassured by friends who have also used the same drug. This is day 14, and I have never felt this way in years, it has been a miracle drug for me and lifted everything away with barely any side effects (a bit of a headache prior to taking it). Everybody is different and will have different reactions to medication, but all I can say is that citalopram is doing what it says on the label for me, and I'd recommend it."

• CLA...
• June 10, 2023

"Tried 10, 20, and 30 mg but didn't alleviate anxiety or panic attacks. It did improve my mood, however, I found myself a lot more positive and energetic. I split the pill into smaller doses and gradually tapered up. Only side effects were jaw clenching and sleep disturbance. No withdrawal tapering down. I've personally had no luck with SSRIs, but give it a go and see if it works for you."

• jim...
• January 26, 2014

"I've found it to work great for depression. But the panic attacks are severe. I got 2 kidney stones while off citalopram. 3 weeks stayed off, 1 month no panic attacks. No hard heartbeat, but I get teary-eyed."

• nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2023

"I am on week 3 of citalopram 20 mg and still struggling, although I am having times of improvement. I assume I just have to persevere. Can anyone tell me at what point it might be worth upping my dose or changing to a different med? The panic and dread feelings are still there, but not quite as bad. Any advice is welcome."

• CCa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 5, 2020

"I started citalopram back in 2017 as a result of my anxiety with panic symptoms. The initial 10 mg dosage did nothing. As I progressed through therapy, I was placed on 40 mg daily. The first few months were great, then all of a sudden, I was panicking worse than before. I had a rapid heart rate and breathing, sweating, and I was always irritated. Leaving home was a huge chore for me. I finally got taken off the medication, and I relaxed a bit, but another medication would have done way better."