I went on Citalopram (Celexa) for anxiety last year...

Speaking from experience the side effects I initially got were mild nausea & feeling a little tired. My mood also dropped for a couple of weeks but my anxiety never got any worse. After a few weeks that all disappeared & I was left with no side effects at all on 20mg. It worked wonders for my anxiety.

I think your fear of trying the medication is blown out of proportion by your anxiety. Yes, there are some minor side effects at first but as I said they will go away.

I don't think you have anything to lose by trying the medication & in fact stand to benefit quite a lot potentially. Why not give it a shot?