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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Long Do Side Effects Of Dom-Citalopram Persist?

I ve been taking dom-citalopram for 4 days to treat GAD and mild depression, but since I started taking the medication, my anxiety is worse than ever, I have obsessive thoughts, insomnia and loss of appetite. I was warned that this might be a side effect of the medication and that I m going to have to wait 3 to 4 weeks before I can see any improvement but I d like to know how long it is going to take before the side effects start to disappear.
Fri, 19 Dec 2014
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
Hello
Welcome here.
All the SSRIs (including citalopram) can cause anxiety at initiation. It may take 4-7 days to wean off. And the therapeutic effects are seen in around 2 weeks.
To prevent this initial anxiety, citalopram and similar drugs are started in low doses and under cover of benzodiazepines like xanax. Then xanax can be tapered off and stopped gradually when citalopram starts showing its effects.
Discuss this with your therapist.
Hope this helps.
Thanks.
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How Long Do Side Effects Of Dom-Citalopram Persist?

Hello Welcome here. All the SSRIs (including citalopram) can cause anxiety at initiation. It may take 4-7 days to wean off. And the therapeutic effects are seen in around 2 weeks. To prevent this initial anxiety, citalopram and similar drugs are started in low doses and under cover of benzodiazepines like xanax. Then xanax can be tapered off and stopped gradually when citalopram starts showing its effects. Discuss this with your therapist. Hope this helps. Thanks.