Agoraphobia & Social Anxiety Support Group

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this "safe place."

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sobe 08/22/2009

I am getting the impression that my citalopram is no longer working for me these days.
My panic has been at an all time high, (mind you, the stress around me is still as high as ever) and I can't seem to deal with anything anymore.
I'm seriously considering talking to my doc about stopping the meds, so at least I don't have to endure the side effects anymore.

It used to work well, then my doc wanted to try another med as I had a major breakdown while on citalopram but it didn't work for me, the side effects were horrible , so I was put back on the citalopram but ever since it seems like it's not working well anymore and lately it feels as if I haven't taken my meds, but I have.

Anyone else experience this?

sobe 08/22/2009

btw, the drug he changed me to was Effexor. HATED it!

deleted_user 08/22/2009

There are lots of other drugs to try, so if this one isn't working for you go back to the doctor and get something else. But don't just stop taking the medication---you could have side effects from withdrawal that are WAY worse than anything you are dealing with now. Work with your doctor to wean off the medication, and if he/she won't help you, then find another doctor that will. SSRI's can "poop out" after a while--sometimes you need to increase the dose, or change to a different medication. It happens, and your doc should be able to deal with this problem .

sobe 08/23/2009

thanks for warning me, I've already gone through that once before when my doc told me to stop taking Citalopram and start taking the Effexor. The pharmacist warned me that I had to wait a week after stopping the Citalopram before I started the Effexor, but no one told me to slowly wean off one or the other. So I had it twice, going cold turkey off the Citalopram in order to go on the Effexor, and then a month later when I told the doc that the side effects were way too severe, going cold turkey off the Effexor so I could go back on the citalopram.
I am already on 40mg and any higher than that on Citalopram doesn't improve things any so this is as high as I can go.

I am not a 100 percent certain yet but instead of trying something else and going through all the withdrawal and side effects again and maybe again, I think I'd rather just stop the whole med thing and go back to basics.

deleted_user 08/24/2009

Hi Sobe I just started taking citalopram and it's working wonderfully for me but my son took it a few years back and he said that after a while it stopped working for him as well. He also took Effexor and he didn't like the fact that he had trouble waking up in the morning and if he forgot to take it, which he often did, he had some pretty bad episodes with depression and anxiety. You can try the basics but it seem to be easier with something that can take the edge off like the meds.
Shrinkingviolet is right there are other meds out there you just have to find the right one. Just remember to wean yourself off of one before starting the next. I tried citalopram a couple of years ago and had a horrible panic attack after just the first dose so this time when I agreed to try it again the doctor told me to slowly wean myself on it, taking only 5mgs a day and working up to 10mgs, which is what I am taking now. It worked like a charm. Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

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