Does Citalopram help for agoraphobia

[Rich A]

Hey... I went to my doctor 1 week ago and told him how i felt,, when i went there i didnt know or even heard of agorophobia,, i left there still not ever knowing or hearing about it,,, i told him that i worrried about everything ,, and didnt like to be around people like going to malls and theatres,, driving far away or travelling... told him i felt different,,, he told me i have anxiety disorder and depression...so me not knwing about any of this I trusted what he said,,, but im only depressed cause i cant do the thigns i wanna do, like feel safe ..and worry free around people or being out places,,,,,,this si my only problem i think if i can fix this i wont have depression ,,, so now I think i might have agorophobia,, wi9ll this medicine do anything for it,, ive been on it for a wee,, taking 20 mg,, ive never taken medication before,,,should i be doing somethign else or taking something else?

[V for Victor]

I know this post is a bit old, but:

I've been on citalapram for several months, and it has helped me a LOT. I've also had a lot of the symptoms you list: A fear of being in certain places, like theaters (which I hate because I love movies!), a fear of traveling long distances, or occasionally, being in large crowds.

Since I started on the medication, I've not had that so much. At least not that I notice. I dunno. Best thing to do is ask the doc about it.

[Rich A]

thanks Victor for replying,, i guess ur the only one smart enought o answer what i thought was a simple question...yeah its been about a month i guess i feel alittle better,,, im starting an anxiety group program in 2 weeks,,, what dose do u take?is there anything u do that has helped you?

[V for Victor]

I take 40 miligrams once a day. I sometimes have a little problem mild depression or anxiety spells, but they're controllable, and I'm learning to cope with them.

Getting involved in a group is a good idea. There's going to be a depression/anxiety group near me soon, which I will attend.

Good luck!

[jitters]

It didn't much help me however I may be the exception I now take dosulepin which seems to help and has less of an impact on my personality. Always check with your doc b4 coming off SSRI's I came off the same medication as you in my arrogance over night... The withdrawal symptoms make a panic attack seem pleasant. Thebest advice is to try CBT and hope you get a good Mental Health Team.

Duncan

[juliana]

I took Citaloprom for 18 months. Before I started taking it, I was severely agoraphobic and was basically a hermit for 4 years -- only leaving my flat to go to doctor's appointments. I was extremely resistant to taking any drugs. I finally got desperate, though, and after trying a couple of unsuccessful medications, Citalopram helped me a lot. Within 2 months of starting to take it, I was doing my own grocery shopping, and within 4 months I was going on job interviews. Before long I was back at work and after I weaned myself off it, I started going out with friends more often and travelling. Those things had seemed impossible for many years. I stopped taking it over a year ago. I still get panic attacks, but they're not as severe as they were before and they don't rule my life. I've been dealing with depression over the suicide of my uncle for the past 7 months and recently I have been anxious about leaving my current job and starting a new one, so I started taking Escitalopram a week ago. I don't know yet if it's going to work for me.

I agree with Duncan. CBT therapy is incredibly helpful. I have no way of knowing whether it was the medication or the therapy that helped me get better because I did them at the same time. Once I was off the Citalopram, though, the techniques I used in CBT and the confidence I had gained were incredibly helpful.

It's so hard to know if a particular medication will work for you. I have a friend who considered Paroxetine a miracle drug. It worked very well for her, but when I took my very first small dose of it I became violently ill and ended up in the hospital for dehydration. I tried Venlafaxine briefly and it made me constantly groggy and fidgety. I actually ripped a hole in a fitted sheet while I was sleeping because my legs and feet were constantly in motion.

People respond so differently to different medications. One can be a miracle drug for one person and a nightmare for someone else. For me, Citalopram was incredibly useful and I'm so glad it worked for me, but it did have some unpleasant side effects. I gained 30 lbs. which basically fell off within a few months of weaning myself slowly off the medication, but it sucked being chubby for 18 months (I'm only 5'4" so 30 extra lbs. was not attractive!). I also thought of it as my "inertia" pill. While I was taking it, I didn't have much energy (all I did was go to work and come home; I didn't have the energy for socializing). I found myself being incredibly lazy when I wasn't at work. I used to sleep through most of my weekends and I couldn't motivate myself to continue my regular yoga routine. It was like I needed external motivation to get me moving. My flat became such a disorganized mess (that was totally out of character for me). Anyway, these medications seem to affect everyone differently. I'm glad it seems to be working for you and you're feeling better. It's good news that you're joining a group.

As opposed to medication, I don't know of anyone who hasn't benefitted from working with a qualified CBT therapist... and the best part of therapy is there are no unpleasant physiological side effects.

[j Hall]

I was on citropram, It does help deaden the brain, but i found i was not able to concentrate, It helps you to leave the house and go shopping.
The problem with me though was after been on this for about 6 months the doctor suddenly took me off these tablets, he put me on some other tablets and i was violently sick, i woke up one night went to the bathroom
and was sick then passed out on the bathroom floor. I woke up and thought im not taking them ever again. Its when coming off the tablets that i dont like, so now i dont want to take tablets anymore, because i dont want to depend on them. I have stopped drinking red bull and vodka as the next day after drinking this stuff it made me more anxious
and unable to leave the house. I have been venturing out on my mountain bike, this has helped a lot as on your bike you can quickly get away, weird my way of thinking!! I am now able to go to the small corner shop, as long as im not in there too long and no cues!! So i am progressing, at one time i couldnt put the bin out!! or the farthest i would go was to the end of the street to post a letter!!