Citalopram experiences?

[Howll]

I'm still an anxious mess, and it's mainly fear of seizures or having seizures when alone/in public. I've always suffered with anxiety and was on Citalopram for 18 months when I was 17, around 2 years after my first seizure.

I've read places that anti depressants can lower seizure threshold in some patients. However on doing some research, I've seen a number of studies that shows it has no effect, or in some cases a reduction of seizures in people. When I was on it before I noticed no change in my seizures, but that was almost 10 years ago and I'm even more of a state now. So I've had my second dose, because at this point I can't cope with day to day life, but I'm still worried it'll make my seizures worse. They've worsened this year, I've had no grand mals but do have petit mals every 6-8 weeks or so, which I never had before. I had another eeg and MRI and nothing had changed there so there is no physiological reason for the increase. My thoughts are that stress and anxiety can be a trigger for some people, and the only thing that has changed in the last year is my increasing anxiety, and that could be a factor in my increased seizures so I bit the bullet and decided to start taking them.

Does anyone else take them without any problems? Guess I'm just looking to put my mind at rest. My doctors didn't seem to have any concerns in prescribing them and know my situation.

 

[Porkette]

Hi Howll,
If you are taking seizure med the anti depressants will reverse what the seizure med is supposed to do and trigger seizures. If you aren't seeing one you may want to start seeing an Epileptologist these Drs. specialize in E and will treat the person with the least amount of meds and can pinpoint the cause of the seizures.
Just like you I have had absence (petit mal) and complex partial seizures for 45 yrs. and when I was a kid I was afraid to be alone at times but then when I found out about famous people who had E and how they didn't let their seizures stop them I got out there and had fun . One person who really surprised me was the singer Elton John he's had seizures a few times over the yrs. but he still continues singing and flying all over the world. You may want to keep track of your seizures and see if you notice a pattern in your seizure if they are happening at certain days of the month and at certain times of the day or night. If this is happening the seizures are being caused by hormones changing. I had that problem when I was younger but then I started taking vitamin B12 along with putting coconut oil on my skin and using CBD oil (medical marijuana) and my seizures decreased to the lowest in my life.
Try and keep yourself busy so you have less time on your hand to think of stressful things. Stress and lack of sleep are the 2 main causes of seizures happening. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[Howll]

Thanks Porkette. I actually don't take seizure medication. Part of my anxiety is taking medication, so taking Citalopram is bad enough. However because I took it previously with no bad effects, I've managed to force myself to take it. I do have an epileptologist, he's suggested SSRI meds previously. I also don't take seizure meds as my epilepsy isn't that severe, I fear the side effects short and long term outweigh the positives at this time, I may be wrong but I just can't bring myself to try. Seeing all the horror stories of people taking meds and their seizures getting worse frightens me, I think if I'm only having a small seizure every 2 months why risk messing it up?

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Howll, found a few threads that might be of interest:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/help-citalopram-seizures-15902/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/citalopram-20112/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/anyone-taking-citalopram-celexa-18686/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/citalopram-sickness-20792/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/best-worst-antidepressants-20220/

Aand this at epilepsy.com is a good discussion of which anti-depressants are better or worse for people with seizure disorders:
http://www.epilepsy.com/information...s-their-contribution-seizures/antidepressants
This is the key paragraph:

The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have the next highest seizure risk (which is increased by toxic levels). The newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—fluoxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, citalopram, and paroxetine—and serotonin receptor modulators—trazodone and nefazodone—are intermediate in risk, as is venlafaxine, a combined norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) carry the least risk.

 

[resaebiunne]

My psychiatrist put me on Lamictal as a mood stabilizer. My epileptologist took advantage of this and boosted my dose several times. It made my seizures worse. Edoc responded by ramping down the Lamictal until it was at the dose my psychiatrist started it at. I took advantage of the dose I was on and at my next psychiatrist visit I told her to take me off Lamictal. I'm now on Depakote for seizure control and it's made a BIG difference.

Worst case, you try a new drug that doesn't help and then you wean back off of it. The damage isn't permanent. The risk of trying a new drug is worth it especially if someone can monitor you in case something happens. You may not think your seizures are serious but continued seizure activity can result in damage to your brain or worse (look up SUDEP).

 

[Howll]

My psychiatrist put me on Lamictal as a mood stabilizer. My epileptologist took advantage of this and boosted my dose several times. It made my seizures worse. Edoc responded by ramping down the Lamictal until it was at the dose my psychiatrist started it at. I took advantage of the dose I was on and at my next psychiatrist visit I told her to take me off Lamictal. I'm now on Depakote for seizure control and it's made a BIG difference.

Worst case, you try a new drug that doesn't help and then you wean back off of it. The damage isn't permanent. The risk of trying a new drug is worth it especially if someone can monitor you in case something happens. You may not think your seizures are serious but continued seizure activity can result in damage to your brain or worse (look up SUDEP).

I was initially given Lamictal for that reason. I know the risks, but unfortunately my mind works in weird ways. I tried taking the Lamictal and was in such a state that I almost instantly threw it up. My anxiety levels are bad day to day, but when it comes to taking medication they shoot up. I don't know what it is or why I'm like it. I just hate anything medical, I hate going to the GP or hospital.
I went six years unmedicated without a seizure and really thought that was it, after a heavy night drinking last year I had a Grand Mal and since then I've been a mess.
I'm winding myself up about the Citalopram now, even though I've read many positive posts and articles stating that there is very little chance of it having any effect and the fact it didn't have any affect regarding my seizures when I was on it before, my mind switches straight to worse case scenario. I'm not seeing my neuro until the 17th to ask him, my GP didn't seem concerned about prescribing them, but I'm like, should I stop taking them until I've seen the neuro? But I'm already on day 3 and feel like I'd be just going backwards if I stopped.

The above post pretty much sums up my everyday life in regards to how I think, a big rambling mess of thoughts, feelings and scenarios.

 

[Nakamova]

Hey Howll --

Are you seeing a therapist or counselor for the anxiety? Sometimes a therapist can help as much as the meds.

 

[Howll]

I've done counselling and it didn't help. I've asked my GP to be referred to psychiatry but as I saw her for an emergency appt. she didn't want to right away, I'm going back in a few weeks to see how I'm doing on the Citalopram and if I feel the need to be referred to a psyche she said she can.

 

[Nakamova]

I hope you feel better (and calmer) either way!

 

[seagull]

I not surprised Elton with stone lighig
When my e was at it worse after child was born they said baby blues at it worse with auras constnd head aches in real mess I knew it was physical but got fragged off to mental hospital and put on massive amounts anti depressants it made it worse so they upped it again.in the end I discharged my self threw pills away things settled down 3or 4 a day..then last year I had something very painful and put on very mild dose of one I given before and no problems

 

[Howll]

Well I'm on day 5 and I'm feeling OK, the side effects are nowhere near as bad as Sertraline. I am curry signed off work with anxiety so I'm hoping these get me to a place where I can function again and get back to work. Fingers crossed!

 

[seagull]

It rough old thing anxiety do you get panic attacks

 

[Howll]

It rough old thing anxiety do you get panic attacks

Yeah, daily. Especially when I have to go to work and travel alone, I think I'm edging towards agoraphobia and this is why I want to do something before it gets out of hand.

Day 10 on Cit and nothing out of the ordinary, I did have one day where I felt a bit jumbled in the head and an impending doom feeling, which I kept thinking could be seizures but then I get that with anxiety too. No real improvement yet, back to the doctors tomorrow as I'm signed off work and need a sick note. I didn't want to get signed off initially as I was worrying myself about sick days etc but I thought I need to do this for my own health, I need some time out to collect my thoughts and get used to the medication, and ensure it doesn't cause anything nasty. Ive had no real bad side effects which is good, ive seen a lot of people say they feel awful on these at the beginning, and on sertraline I felt horrific. All I've had is sleepyness in the day, bit of a headache and fuzzy feeling, dry mouth, so I'll take those and run since it could be a lot worse.