Medication crossover

[bookletters]

I am crossing over from 40 mg of citalopram that I had been taking for 7 months (4 months at 40mg) to venlafaxin 37.5 (which will be increased in the next two weeks, and again after that etc).
Even if I felt citalopram did not do enough / much for me, do you think I am going to be having bad side effects? (The doc said "not necessarily but maybe she was trying to be nice!).
So far today, I have been sick once, then managed to drag myself out of bed at 2pm and did a little bit since then but my mood is not great and I am finding hard to cope with things.
Any experience of crossover? What should I expect? Please none that are going to freak me out more!!

[Sweetpea]

%^% for you. As I have said I crossed straight from Citalopram to Duloxetine I was prescribed Clonazepam to take to take me through the first couple of weeks, so I did not suffer at all. We are all different and hopefully you will have a trouble free changeover. S x x x x

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[bookletters]

Thank you Shaz, doc says it won't necessarily be bad so.... we'll just keep our fingers crossed!!
The evenings / nights are so much easier compared to the mornings pfew!

[Sweetpea]

Oh I know. As the day went on I got better and by the evening I was a different person. Which I could not understand. But after joining the forum I learnt that this is quite common with depression. S x x x x

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[Catbrian]

Hi Bookletters

I'm pleased to hear you are trying something new for the depression.  In the long run, it can't do any harm.  It doesn't sound like Citalopram was doing much for you anyway

I would try not to worry too much about any bad effects from crossing over your AD's.  They are probably both in the same AD group.  However, if you start to feel any bad effects, contact the GP and discuss your options, don't suffer unnecessarily.  

In my recent experience, I had to completely come off years use of Citalopram within 3 weeks, before I could start the current drug regime.  That was a nightmare, my brain was mush.  

I hope you start to feel the benefit of the new AD very soon.  And, of course, let us know if you start to feel untoward.

[bookletters]

Thank you Cat!!!
I hate citalopram and feel it's done NOTHING for me that I haven't done for myself (if that makes sense!).
I got worse for 3 months with it (to the point where I was almost unable to leave the house at some point!) then after that I kept trying to convince myself it had (timidly) kicked in... but that would last a day or two then I would crash as bad as ever...
So angry that the GP let me suffer so badly for so long, I did try to tell them how much of a bad state I was in but they were like "nah, it's the venlafaxine wearing off" / "give it more time" / "it's a very efficient drug".... sorry but after 3 months if your patient tells you "still not sleeping well / still not eating well / very up and down".... don't you think the meds aren't doing their job?!
I am really grateful the pharmacist gave me the confidence to ask another GP for advice. I went back to thank her yesterday and she said "oh, a lot of the GP go by evidence and don't listen to the patient's feedback, but if all antidepressants worked for everyone, there wouldn't be so many on the market!". How very true....

[Catbrian]

For years, I was in disagreement with a couple of GP's that AD's did carry physical withdrawal effects, if you stop too quickly.  Some Doc's just seem so disinterested.  For me and many others, a typical AD withdrawal includes dizzy spells accompanied by a strange sensation, which I usually liken to little electric currents passing through the body into my finger tips.  Whenever I forgot to take a dose, I would only remember the next day by this sensation kicking in by late afternoon.  Recently, I happened to mention it to my new Psychiatrist, and she agreed it was typical AD withdrawal.

Keep us posted....

[bookletters]

Yes, I too can tell immediately if I have forgotten to take my AD, it does have a physical sensation (for me it's more like your muscles are more tense and your balance is a bit affected....).