[Loial]

Hey guys,

I'm now on 20mg of Citalopram for a second time to help with generalized anxiety & some low mood.

Last time I was on it at 20mg, it worked wonders & I had no noticable side effects after a couple of months.

This time it doesn't seem to be working quite as well. It's helped my mood a lot but my anxiety is still there & I seem to be getting some side effects this time. Over the past couple of weeks or so I've noticed myself having a noticably poor memory, or even sometimes feeling a little confused. I guess I've been on the Citalopram for about 2 and a half months or more now.

Has anyone else had these side effects with SSRIs? I notice they are listed under side effects as "common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people".

My main issue with it right now is I meant to be starting college in a month and a half... obviously these sorts of side effects are far from ideal for studying. I was wondering whether trying another SSRI might solve the problem, especially being as it's not working quite as well this time but I'm hesitant since I know I might find others worse... I'm just not sure.

Thought I'd ask for some input before talking to my pdoc.

[Travelinglady]

I haven't noticed the memory problems and confusion with SSRIs, but my memory is gone and I am often confused with benzos such as Klonopin and Xanax. Yes, talk to your doctor about it. You definitely don't want that as a student!

[Loial]

Thanks.

I gave my p-docs office a call today but he isn't in. They've sent him a message, taken my number & said they'll see about moving my appointment up.

Will update in due time but still interested to hear if anyone else has had memory problems on SSRIs.

Poor memory is also a symptom of depression itself. Not sure if you're experiencing a side effect or in increasing low mood? I've not heard of citalopram (or SSRIs in general) being much help for anxiety specifically. It's good that you are inquirying with your doctor. Please keep us updated if you're so inclined. >Hugs<

[Loial]

SSRIs are quite widely used for generalized anxiety disorder I believe. I guess a lot of people get confused when people use anti-"depressants" for something other than depression but they can be!

It could be because of my anxiety, but the reason I assume it's a side effect is because it seems to bother me even when my anxiety isn't that bad.

My p-doc is pretty switched on though so I'm sure he'll know the best course of action.

[Loial]

So, it took a long time to get an appointment sorted due to one reason & another!

As it happens, my gran passed away recently so things only got worse.

My p-doc was of the impression it's likely anxiety/depression causing the forgetfulness, since it came on a while after starting the Citalopram.

I've currently been at 30mg for a week & he plans to have me up to 40mg soon.

He said it's usual to try to get the most out of one SSRI, before resorting to trying another.

Hopefully I'll get some benefit soon... sleeping a lot right now on top of forgetfulness / anxiety.