Published on 12, July, 2020
Please fucking help. I've been on Citalopram 10mg and that made me really sick and even more suicidal. I've been prescribed Fluoxetine recently which has scary side effects still, but is it more likely to make me worse because of its sensitivity? The sexual side effects are scariest, then nausea and vomiting is second.
I have only ever taken antidepressants once many years ago - and it was Citalopram. The side effects were HORRENDOUS and I would never dare take another SSRI again as a result. They made me feel suicidal too - extremely so that I was all ready to make plans and do it, not just thoughts. Thankfully I had my husband with me to get me through it - he had to take time off work because I wasn’t safe to be left alone. I’d never take them ever again. I’m sorry you’ve had a terrible experience with this drug too. Take care.
I was at a lecture where a psychiatrist was talking about the risks of changing antidepressants. What he said made sense ... basically, if someone is very depressed they don't have the motivation to even kill themselves. Starting or changing medication results in the person still having suicidal ideation, but being less depressed. As a result, they can act on the negative thoughts before the full antidepressant effect of the medication takes effect. Certainly on in-patient wards patients who were changing their medication were supposed to be monitored more closely at such times.
SSRIs work by reducing the reuptake of serotonin at the synapse between neurons. Serotonin is involved in passing electrical "messages" across the junctions (synapses) in the chain of nerve cells. In non-technical terms, serotonin is like the acid in a car battery - it is needed for the cell to "spark". The body then reabsorbs the excess and the cell returns to what you might call the "off" position, waiting for a new signal to come along. SSRIs leave more serotonin in the synapse. It takes time for the neurons to get used to the new level of serotonin. It is a bit more technical than that, but that is a rough analogy.
I had the same and attempted suicide but thankfully failed. They are horrible medication those.