I'm glad the attack passed, Lisa.

I think one thing that is important to keep in mind when it comes to psych meds is that every single person reacts differently. I had read that my SSRI often caused insomnia-and it makes me drowsy(ish), thank god. You don't know until it gets into your system to see how it works with your own special brand of Lisa chemistry!

Good luck with it. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Hi RD, Sorry I didn't see this post sooner... thanks for the post :) You described almost exactly what I experienced when I first started taking them. I'm on 20mg every day, and I got the nausea thing the first day (but never had it again after then). The spacing out, and vision problems are what I had yes... also trembling, more anxiety/jittery at first. But all of these wore off for me within 3 weeks. Thanks for passing on the advice of pharmacist and doc. I take them in the morning, and though I don't find they make me drowsy after taking them... but I am simply sleeping WAY too much! Granted, because I spent so much time sleeping, or tired, or trying to do what I wanted to do that day with less hours to do it in, I am not AS anxious as I was. Though it seems to be replaced more by a general depressed state.

Hey kers... yeah I agree, each has special brand of chemistry, thus reactions.

Which brings me to a new question in relation to this. I need some advice/opinions... Okay, for the last month I have been sleeping ridiculous amounts. 12 hours a night on average, and then sometimes naps in the day for a couple of hours. Sometimes I sleep 12/13 hours, sometimes just 10 but need a nap in the early evening. At first I thought it was depression as it started about 2 weeks after I was assaulted, and those 2 weeks I was the opposite - high alert, little sleep, little eating emotionally all over the place. Then I went to lots of sleeping, lots of eating, waking up depressed and then not wanting to get out of bed anyway, some suicidal moods. The suicidal moods, over eating has levelled out a bit more now. I wake up depressed a lot of days, but some I don't now. I also don't feel the "I have nothing to get out of bed" feeling all the time anymore. but the sleeping issue is persisting.

I thought it was just depression. But I'm doing better than I was with that, I'm not on rock bottom so much anymore. So I thought it could be my brief relapse into smoking skunk every day again. But since Ive stopped that a few days ago I'm still sleeping stupid amounts, and it is depressing me that I wake up 12 hours later, haven't heard my alarm, and haven't started my day before lunch when I plan to get up early to try to get some routine back into my life.

Is this oversleeping issue related to the Citalopram, or an after effect of the assault, like a depression or something? Could Citalopram have this effect nearly 2 months after taking it? I can't try to get on with my life if I am sleeping through most of it.

Sounds to me like depression. I could be wrong but this is what I did for yrs before I went the other direction and NEVER slept.

Probably just a combination of everything that you are going through. I know this sounds crazy.....Sleep can be very healing also, so for awhile I would take advantage of it. Don't let it go one for too long, but you may just need the rest. If it last too much longer, have someone call you to wake you up, get up, get on a routine, exercise, or walk, be healthy.....

If you can get into a routine with doing healthy stuff in awhile it would help.


Hope this helps.

It could be both actually. I mean it may be helping depression as you really have no idea what shape you would be in without it after the assault since you were already and newly taking it when it happened. You may be worse off with no meds. Then again you may be better off without. I looked the drug up and it is listed as an SSRI. Have you taken other types of SSRIs in the past? If so how did you react? I know for me SSRIs make me worse and depression worse. I was always asleep it seemed on mine.

There is really no clear answer due to your circumstances and the timing. I think tinkering with your meds may help with doctor's help of course to see. But downside is if you go up you could get worse if it is meds doing it, and if you go lower same thing if it is the assault. Trial and error is really going to be only option to find out. Good luck and I do hope you start to feel better.

It took me several years to find the right combination of psych meds. Believe me when I say that I have a whole lot more confidence in them now, than when I first started out. I'll tell you one thing though, if a side effect ever made me feel that badly, I'd tell my doctor with a quickness you wouldn't believe. I'm not interested in feeling bad (I already got that going for me). I just want to feel some semblance of normalcy in my vast range of emotions. I'm not really qualified to give medical advice, but I hate to see you suffer if you have other options. It might've been a panic attack or it might've been a side effect. I wouldn't play around with it too much. Just my two cents. I hope you start and stay feeling better. Take care.

Thanks She Cat, Veiled and Morgan...I appreciate your comments.

Totally agree She Cat, sleep can be healing as is routine and exercise. The exercise one I am sorting by doing some long walks. Ive been oversleeping now for a while, and I have important assignments I must do so I think I need to start working on the routine. It's not quite working at the moment, though as most days I don't even rouse to my two alarms and wake up calls.

Veiled - yeah, you pointed out exactly my thoughts. I can't guage if I'm worse because of the meds, or would be even worse off without them. I had an SSRI when I was in hospital, Zoloft. I came off it within 2 weeks of leaving hospital, mainly because I was still suicidal... I just couldn't feel it. So I ended up standing with my toes over the edge of the platform and letting a train go past to get any reaction out of myself. I came off it after that. I didn't notice anythign positive OR negative about it... I just didn't feel, though I was still obsessive over suicide at the time. Ithink you are right... I will speak to my doctor about it next week when I can get an appointment.

Morgan... thanks for your comments. Good point about not being interested in feeling bad, that you just want some semblence of normalcy. I totally feel the same!

Cheers people.
Lisa.