[Squibbles]

Hello,

I have had some issues with a couple of SSRIs I've taken recently - namely blurred vision. I was on sertraline (25mg) for 4.5 weeks - the blurred vision didn't improve at all over this period, and was interacting with my studies/day to day life, so I discontinued it.

I then started taking 5mg of citalopram straight after discontinuing sertaline, and have continued taking this for the past 7 weeks. I started off low with plans to increase to 10mg gradually, as I'm sensitive to SSRIs. However, around the 3-4 weeks mark, my vision started becoming blurry again. While this has not been to the same extent as with the sertraline, its quite annoying, and doesn't seem to show any signs of abating. I've remained at 5mg - which has had positive effects on anxiety and my mood, though I suspect I'll have to increase to 10 for it to be noticeable.

I was wondering what caused this blurry vision, and how long it will take for it to disappear - if it does disappear. Incidentally, I didn't have this issue when I was on 10mg prozac - I had to stop taking this though as it was doing nothing for my anxiety, only depression, and had other issues associated with it like sexual dysfunction.

Thanks everyone

Squibbles

[sewerrats]

Blurred vision is part of depression, with the small amount of meds you take i wouldnt really hit depression, you can have to much of a med and to little . 7 weeks on 5mg of celexa is like 2 and a half mg lexaro, like taking a headache pill ,

SSRIs decrease the concentration of acetylcholine in the brain as a side effect of its mechanism to increase serotonin. Acetylcholine is important in constricting the pupil allowing the correct amount of light into the eye dependent on the environment. I think it also affects the lens muscles too. Basically it means you can't focus properly which gives you blurred vision.

I've been on several SSRIs but not all gave me blurred vision. I'm afraid I can't remember which ones did/not cause that, but I do remember that the side effect eventually went away, or I just got used to it. You say that Prozac/fluoxetine didn't cause it, so maybe there is another SSRI that wouldn't cause blurred vision without the side effects of Prozac? You could always try another class like SNRI such as venlafaxine or even a tricyclic as some are less likely to cause blurred vision than others. Unfortunately it requires you to try it and see as there's no guarantee what works for one works for another with these things.

All the best,

*Willow*

[Squibbles]

Thanks for the replies

Sewerrats - the blurred vision definitely came about after I started taking sertraline and citalopram. I even had it for the 11 days I was on clomipramine (horrible med btw).

You say its a low dose - it does still seem to have some effect on anxiety though, and I do feel more motivated than I did when not on any meds. Some people seem to benefit from low doses of meds while others need higher doses - incidentally, the American Medical Association states that people's response to drugs can range from 4 to 40-fold. Hence why some people benefit from 2.5 mg of prozac, while others need 80mg before they benefit.

Weepingwillow - that makes a lot of sense, thanks. I haven't tried paroxetine yet but I'm a bit wary of it - the side effect profile looks worse than citalopram and blurred vision appears quite common. The GP I spoke to did mention venlafaxine or duloxetine as a possibility - but I generally found prozac to be too 'agitating' this time around and I think the SNRIs are even worse in this area.