Comparing Citalopram vs Pristiq

For Anxiety and Stress I took 10 mg for 10 days and then 20 mg per day. It was working well only few side effects in the first 10 days , like being tired and dizzy. I am able to sleep well and my heart is not giving me hard time with palpitations or chest pain. I found that after I take the medication in the morning , it is better to sleep or to lay down. At night it is easy to go to sleep. Sunlight is a good addition to the medication to help me to get better ( vitamin D). I found that drinking a lot of water and walking are helping me too. The medication started to help me from the first day. Good luck!

For Anxiety and Stress I am a 64 year old woman. I had suffered depression and anxiety for many years especially since early hysterectomy. I dealt with it and functioned. A smiling depressive. I needed to have a firm talk to myself to force me to socialise with colleagues who never knew the struggle. I could become an emotional wreck when alone over a TV advert. I started citalopram. In the beginning bizarre unpleasant dreams were disturbing. But they settled. Things have definitely improved. I still suffer from anxiety, fatigue & insomnia. However that overwhelming feeling of hopelessness of waiting for god as it were has left me. I can take pleasure out of things without wanting to cry. Life is certainly improved since commencing the drug.

For Depression Psychotropic medications are appropriate for the small percentage of us who would literally die by our own hands if we didn't take them. For that reason, their relative levels of effectiveness are often viewed by us through a completely different lens (realistically) than by those who take them for less serious reasons. Even bouts of major depression don't constitute a definite reason for taking pharmaceuticals. If it keeps you alive & lets you to work towards having something better BEYOND just 'existing', it's working. Try to reevaluate the manner in which YOU are evaluating the medication's effectiveness based upon what it is TRULY intended to do. As with everything in life, maintaining realistic goals & expectations is key to happiness.

For Depression On my first day of Pristiq, I noticed an immediate surge of energy (coupled with a racing heart and a feeling of disorientation). I am somewhat sensitive to mediciations generally so I was prepared to inherit some of the side effects. What I have experienced in my first week is tiredness, irritability/difficult sleeping, grinding teeth, nausea (vomited 5 times on night 1, which settled on second day), loss of appetite and general stiffness around my neck and back. I trust these symptoms will settle in the coming weeks but thought it may be valuable to share my first week, for those who are a little sensitive to medication. In regards to my mental state, I can safely say my mood has been moderately chilled, unfazed and without any anxiety.