Citalopeam

[Pete53]

When someone on Meds stops on their own it usually ends up badly for them and their family. Most medicine has side effects and most antidepressants take time to build up to therapeutic levels.

There is also the dosage anount that needs before it is dialed in. I am always uneasy when folks discuss what they think is wrong with a med. Its just a plain hard fact that what works for me may not work for you.

I take this med and compared to what I was like 10 to 20 years ago its a miracle.

[hedgey]

Yeah, I'm a genius. I don't take pills. This was my first. Was told by doc to take 10 mg up front for seven days and then take 20 mg after that. Well having never taken Pills I thought one pill was 10mg and Two was 20 mg. Turns out I have been taking 40mg. Talk about jumping in head first instead if wading in. Hopefully This will help with my insomnia.

T8r, don't feel bad. I did the same kind of thing with my Clonazepam. Told to take two 1mg pill each night. Okey doke, not much help, but you do what the doc says. Then noticed I was almost out, told the doc, she looked it up and saw that the script had changed to 2mg tablets. So I was taking 4mg a night... doh! Plus 50mg of serequel & 1mg of Lorazepam.

I went home and checked the bottle. Yep, they had changed from 1mg's to 2mg's. There had been a change in psych staff, so maybe they didn't tell me, or maybe they did and I just forgot.

The new doc is new to the VA. She told me and my therapist that she was shocked at the number of Vets who were being prescribed loads of benzo's (benzodiazepines) because apparently they all do pretty much the same thing, and you can become dependent pretty easily. Meaning that if you forget a dose, you can have a nasty reaction.

So don't feel bad. I just wish to he!! that they would make the pills different colors. Why do they all have to be little white pills!!?

Forgot to add - I've been on 40mg of Citalapram since summer '08. Still very depressed, SI, extremely realistic dreams (prazosin made them worse). I don't understand why they never consider switching from Citalapram to something else. Just keep adding other things. Sigh.

Edited January 9, 2012 by hedgey

[Notorious Kelly]

Hate the pill-splitting; I've made that mistake and took too large dose also.

When I had bad reaction to Citalopram I called 800 nurse and she said discontinue it and notified my PCP.

[Pete53]

If you give your primary Doc a good reason they can request pharmacy not to split pills. I told my Doc that I would not split but take evey two days and she told pharmacy to give me prescribed dose with no pill splitting.