Citalopram or 5 HTP ..... I need a plan.....Help

[Robert Tressell]

ok, some time since I posted....Anxiety very strong currently, but what a year! Moved house, 2 family deaths and a recent job loss!

Managed to get through interviews and start my new job in January. But guess what? Scared stiff of starting again with a new company.

Been prescribed 10 mg Citalopram, for the third time, but very reluctant to take them, especially as Insomnia as a side effect would kill me ( I have no problems sleeping generally ).

Looking at 5 HTP as an alternative, ordered some, anyone pass on experiences with this, seems like a good compromise if your anxiety is more general like mine than severe or completely debilitating?

Try this for a few weeks first before the life changer ie going on Citalopram?

BTW Found my doctors knowledge of SSRIs wanting, didn't even know about Citalopram / Omeprazole interaction or citaloprams recent heart issue news!

[Terre Nova]

ok, some time since I posted....Anxiety very strong currently, but what a year! Moved house, 2 family deaths and a recent job loss!

Managed to get through interviews and start my new job in January. But guess what? Scared stiff of starting again with a new company.

Been prescribed 10 mg Citalopram, for the third time, but very reluctant to take them, especially as Insomnia as a side effect would kill me ( I have no problems sleeping generally ).

Looking at 5 HTP as an alternative, ordered some, anyone pass on experiences with this, seems like a good compromise if your anxiety is more general like mine than severe or completely debilitating?

Try this for a few weeks first before the life changer ie going on Citalopram?

BTW Found my doctors knowledge of SSRIs wanting, didn't even know about Citalopram / Omeprazole interaction or citaloprams recent heart issue news!

What do you mean Citaloprams recent heart issue news?? I haven't heard either..

[Robert Tressell]

What do you mean Citaloprams recent heart issue news?? I haven't heard either..

dose dependent elongation of qt interval .... think this means longer for the heart to recover between beats.

bit of a worry for us heart attack phobics ( i'm one )

[Terre Nova]

dose dependent elongation of qt interval .... think this means longer for the heart to recover between beats.

bit of a worry for us heart attack phobics ( i'm one )

Is that all meds for this (Anxiety) or just
Celexa? :/ I'm all worried about that now lol cause this is the meds i was planning on taking..

[jessed03]

If you have heart phobia, I guess you won't have too much fun on Citalopram.

Take 100mgs of 5htp every other day for 3.5-4months.

Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes.

This is a good place to begin.

[tailspin]

dose dependent elongation of qt interval .... think this means longer for the heart to recover between beats.

bit of a worry for us heart attack phobics ( i'm one )

Wow, I had absolutely NO idea about this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I take Lexapro, which a) is not helping me and b) I now see is also associated with elongated qt interval. I'm already weaning off it, so I'm glad about that.

I don't actually have a heart phobia anymore. I've had some really thorough tests done on my heart and my cardiologist said my heart was in great shape and that it's very fit. That really reassured me and I haven't worried about my heart ever since. But, I definitely don't want to take a medication which is known to cause problems with heart rhythm in some people.

Interesting that it's only Celexa and Lexapro that can cause this problem (and I think amitriptyline too). Prozac and Zoloft are not associated with this risk - at least according to the article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/791429

As I say, I had never heard of this before. Thanks for bringing it up. Hope the supplement helps you! Best of luck!

[Terre Nova]

If you have heart phobia, I guess you won't have too much fun on Citalopram.

Take 100mgs of 5htp every other day for 3.5-4months.

Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes.

This is a good place to begin.

What is 5 HTP?
Thanks :)

[jessed03]

You've got to love drug companies. Apparently this was known about ages ago, and was kept on the down low. A little like a certain suicidal behaviour that was denied for years.


What is 5 HTP?
Thanks :)

It's a natural supplement (an amino acid) that is vital in the production of serotonin (the happy chemical). It's one of the massive building blocks in it's production.

It works a little like an SSRI, without so many of the side effects. It's pretty popular. Many people take it with other amino acids that compliment brain function, in order to get a complete therapy.

It's available in most health shops. I think in England it's around £30 for a bottle of 60 pills.

Better for mild cases. :)

[Terre Nova]

You've got to love drug companies. Apparently this was known about ages ago, and was kept on the down low. A little like a certain suicidal behaviour that was denied for years.

It's a natural supplement (an amino acid) that is vital in the production of serotonin (the happy chemical). It's one of the massive building blocks in it's production.

It works a little like an SSRI, without so many of the side effects. It's pretty popular. Many people take it with other amino acids that compliment brain function, in order to get a complete therapy.

It's available in most health shops. I think in England it's around £30 for a bottle of 60 pills.

Better for mild cases. :)

Thank you :)

[Robert Tressell]

If you have heart phobia, I guess you won't have too much fun on Citalopram.

Take 100mgs of 5htp every other day for 3.5-4months.

Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes.

This is a good place to begin.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Have you ever taken citalopram 10mg, interested to hear of your experience ?

[Robert Tressell]

Wow, I had absolutely NO idea about this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I take Lexapro, which a) is not helping me and b) I now see is also associated with elongated qt interval. I'm already weaning off it, so I'm glad about that.

I don't actually have a heart phobia anymore. I've had some really thorough tests done on my heart and my cardiologist said my heart was in great shape and that it's very fit. That really reassured me and I haven't worried about my heart ever since. But, I definitely don't want to take a medication which is known to cause problems with heart rhythm in some people.

Interesting that it's only Celexa and Lexapro that can cause this problem (and I think amitriptyline too). Prozac and Zoloft are not associated with this risk - at least according to the article here:



As I say, I had never heard of this before. Thanks for bringing it up. Hope the supplement helps you! Best of luck!

Thanks for the good wishes, much appreciated. Think i'll try the 5 HTP for a couple of months, if it doesn't work, the dreaded SSRI's!

[mike98t]

ok, some time since I posted....Anxiety very strong currently, but what a year! Moved house, 2 family deaths and a recent job loss!

Managed to get through interviews and start my new job in January. But guess what? Scared stiff of starting again with a new company.

Been prescribed 10 mg Citalopram, for the third time, but very reluctant to take them, especially as Insomnia as a side effect would kill me ( I have no problems sleeping generally ).

Looking at 5 HTP as an alternative, ordered some, anyone pass on experiences with this, seems like a good compromise if your anxiety is more general like mine than severe or completely debilitating?

Try this for a few weeks first before the life changer ie going on Citalopram?

BTW Found my doctors knowledge of SSRIs wanting, didn't even know about Citalopram / Omeprazole interaction or citaloprams recent heart issue news!
Damn I take both of theese every day now I'm freaking out

[jessed03]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Have you ever taken citalopram 10mg, interested to hear of your experience ?

The anxiety of taking the med was far worse than any side effects. Once I eventually got over that, I really liked Citalopram, it helped a few things. 10mgs was so low I didn't even realise I was taking it. Not a single side effect or down side. It helped a lot with dizziness and brain fog. Everybody is of course different, but I was happy with my experience. My anxiety was a little more severe, and 5htp just came up that tiny bit short.

[Robert Tressell]

The anxiety of taking the med was far worse than any side effects. Once I eventually got over that, I really liked Citalopram, it helped a few things. 10mgs was so low I didn't even realise I was taking it. Not a single side effect or down side. It helped a lot with dizziness and brain fog. Everybody is of course different, but I was happy with my experience. My anxiety was a little more severe, and 5htp just came up that tiny bit short.

I'll take your advice and try the 5 HTP first. Not happy with Citalopram and this heart issue. Might ask for an alternative, perhaps a Beta blocker I hear good things about Atenol. Was watching the Jim Carrey / Larry King interview last night on Youtube, where Jim spoke of his depression and success with 5HTP and other supplements.

[jessed03]

Yeah, always good to try the least offensive method first. 5htp and 4 months of daily meditation will have some good effects on stress levels, I'm sure of that. It is slightly better for depression, but I did notice better moods on it, which helped anxiety, and made me more social at the time.

You're UK, so there's always fluoxetine (Prozac) which works the same as Citalopram but a different formula, there's always that option.

[artaud]

5-HTP

From Wiki, not that I typically rely on them, but it does discuss issues relevant to this thread.

"Citalopram should not be taken with St John's wort, tryptophan or 5-HTP as the resulting drug interaction could lead to serotonin syndrome.

Abnormal heart rhythm QTc prolongation.
In August 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that “Citalopram causes dose-dependent QT interval prolongation. Citalopram should no longer be prescribed at doses greater than 40 mg per day”. Further clarification issued in March 2012 restricted the maximum dose to 20*mg for subgroups of patients, including those older than 60 years and those taking an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 2 C19.7."