Hi Docs

Apologies if this is outside of your area of expertese but I thought that I would ask anyway as I respect the answers that you give on this forum.

I have been takign Citalopram (20mg) for 4 months now due to health anxiety (worried I had HIV - I do not). I have also been having CBT as well as generally sorting my head out and feel 100% over the anxiety now (although obviously the drugs must have played a part).

When I first started taking them I got all sorts of side-effects mainly severe sweating and a very floaty head. Over the last month I have started getting severe night-sweats, to the point that I wake up and I am drenched. It was like that when I first started taking the tablets but it did go away after a while but has now come back. The other side-effect I seem to be getting is that it takes me way longer to orgasm that it used to. I often have to try really hard to make it happen. It's exhausting!

I am going to go to my GP and talk about coming off the tablets but wanted your opinion on the side-effects as my GP seems fairly disinterested. Can side effects of taking these tablets carry on this long? The instructions (as well as the GP) say that they will normally go away after a few weeks. The swaeting part did but has certainly come back at night. I don't want to risk my sanity by coming off them too early but also it is fairly unpleasant having the effects.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Many thanks

James

[Dr Jose]

Hi, James!
All those side effects are certainly related to taking medication such as citalopram. It is also true that most side effects can gradually decrease with time. However all patients are different and different people react in different ways. Night sweats, loss of libido, ejaculation problems, weight gain, are side effects, that in my experience, patient tend to experience for most of the time they have been taking this kind of medications. What you have to outweigh is the benefits obtained with this medicine and the disadvantages in the form of the side effects, and if you can live with them for a few more months. Another alternative is to reduce the dose slightly, perhaps to 10 mg a day. That might be all you need for the time being, especially having had some benefits from CBT. You need to make sure that your GP is aware of all the side effects and how much they are affecting your quality of life. In any case, whenever you feel you are ready to come off the medication, you should always try to do it very slowly and very gradually, under your doctor's regular and close supervision.
Best wishes,
Jose

Thanks very much for your advice Jose. I know many people have said it already but you guys are super stars!

Cheers

James

..and your cute - how can I get to meet you