Citalopram | My Side Effects

I woke up the other morning and sat thinking about the side effects, both good and bad, that I have experienced since September 2015 when I was started on Citalopram. I thought it would make an interesting blog post for those of you who have no idea what Citalopram is or be interesting and insightful for those of you with a close one on the medication or if you're on it yourself. 

So Citalopram is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor or SSRI and basically means it ensures there enough serotonin to flow around my brain to have a positive influence on moods and emotions. If I wasn't on Citalopram, my brain would absorb all the serotonin and there wouldn't be enough floating around to have a positive impact on my emotions. It is classified as an anti-depressant medication due to its chemical use within mental health conditions, but it is also used with panic disorders as the brain acts in a similar way. It is a prescription only medication so cannot be bought over the counter, and they are definitely not given out like sweets. Taking SSRIs can have a real positive effect on people whose brains lacks enough serotonin, but they are unsafe to be used for people who have no chemical imbalances in their brain. Despite them being a real life-saver for me, Citalopram in particular is a medication that is known for it's many side effects, many of which I have experienced. When I was first prescribed them, my doctor told me it was likely I would experience some side effects for the first 2-4 weeks while my body adjusts to the chemicals readjusting in my brain and this was certainly true.

I once counted the side effects listed on the information leaflet that came with my tablets and there were a grand total of 48 side effects. The list surprisingly included 'anxiety' and 'panic attacks' which blew my mind, but if you look at the information leaflet for paracetamol, it says it can cause headaches!! I did experience 3 weeks of worsened anxiety and panic attacks which was awful and did land me in A&E on one occasion but once I got over the initial 3-4 weeks, everything seemed to settle down. During these first few weeks, I also experienced loss of appetite, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, terrible nausea and lack of sleep, so as you can imagine it wasn't fun for me. I actually met up with friends at a local pub during the worst week for side effects and I can honestly say it was one of the worst experiences of my life, especially because only three of the 8 friends sat round the table knew I wasn't well. 

They all wore off after 4 weeks and I slowly started to notice the good effects of Citalopram. I was feeling positive, I didn't have the sinking feeling I was used to feeling every day and I started smiling and laughing a lot more. To this day, I still do often feel nauseous in the mornings and do get very bad headaches and these are because of my tablets, but its nothing I can't handle, and the benefits of my tablets outweigh the negatives. The main inspiration for this blog post was one of my more stranger remaining side effects which is vivid thoughts and dreams. This side effect has again been confirmed by my doctor to be medication related and it's something that makes me laugh sometimes. I experience vivid daydreams, so much so when I enter real life is it very difficut for me to believe what I was daydreaming about hadn't actually happened. Similarly, the dreams I have are dreams that are so real life and vivid that I honestly believe they've happened. I don't dream about being in a different country or people turning into animals, I dream about my Dad waking me up and making me come downstairs for breakfast, or a normal shift on the ward or going shopping and buying milk and gherkins. The other weird thing is that when I'm at home, my dreams are at home, when I'm at my uni flat, my dreams are at my uni flat or when i'm staying with Ben, my dreams will be located at his house. However funny this may sound, I also have real life and vivid nightmares, like a family member dying, which is obviously horrible and more upsetting after I wake up than if I dreamt about a lion chasing me across a field. 

Another side effect worth mentioning just as a finishing point is that if I take two tablets too close together, my mood can go one of two ways; I either get hyperactive, excitable and show the same effects as drinking 5 cans of Redbull, or my mood increases my anxiety and I feel very nervous, scared and worried. For this reason, I am very particular about when I take my tablets. This was just a small insight into the side effects of my medication but will write another post regarding Citalopram and its functions in more detail and my thoughts about it if this is something people would like to read? Remember all medication works differently with different people and all medications have their risks alongside their benefits.

Love  Luce xo

Bach Rescue Remedy | Product Review

I have always tried to relieve the symptoms of my anxiety naturally through breathing techniques, taking myself out of the situation that's causing me to be anxious, and so on. After my recent diagnosis and 4 week sickness period which I talk about in this post, my cousin bought me a few treats to make me feel a bit better about the whole situation. After suffering with anxiety with travelling to and from work in London a few years back, a friend recommended to her a 100% natural anti-anxiety brand called Bach Rescue Remedies. They provide a range of different product types and state on their website that the products 'gently restore balance between mind and body with the use of Back Flower Remedies'. 

Bach flower remedies are a mixture of natural spring water and wild flowers that the website claim to cast out negative emotions such as fear, worry, hatred and indecision. There are 38 different wild flowers used for different types of negative emotions and these remedies come in 7 different products including pastilles, drops, melts and even pet products. I, however, was given the Bach Rescue Remedy Tongue Spray and the Bach Rescue Chewing Gum by my cousin. At first, I was very skeptical of how these products would work for me but my cousin insisted they worked for her so I was excited to try them. 

Bach Rescue Remedy Spray 20ml

 

This little spray was bought from Holland and Barratt for £10.69 but is also available in other stores such as Boots or Superdrug. It came in a box with instructions. The instructions state to spray 2 squirts of the remedy into the mouth when needed. The taste wasn't something I was expecting at all. It tastes of alcohol, a mixture of wine and Baileys to be precise and I don't like it much at all! When I looked at the ingredients, there was a high percentage of grape in there to help preserve it, so I guess that's the alcohol taste. It states on their website that it is impossible to overdose on any Bach Remedy products due to the ingredients being 100% natural but 2 sprays was the recommended dose and is really all you need. Its a great size for my handbag and small enough to fit in your hand if you need a quick spray, however it isn't very discreet. I have used it at times when my anxiety levels are higher than normal, for instance when travelling on trains, and it has seemed to calm me down but I have received some funny looks while doing it. 

Bach Rescue Chewing Gum 17pcs

These chewing gum pieces were also bought from Holland and Barratt for £4.89. These come in box with a self securing lid which is very handy for the handbag. It contains 17 bits of gum and my gum was spearmint flavour but I think there is a range of different flavours. Again these are available at other stores. The chewing gum contain 4 drops of the Bach Rescue Remedy, but you cant taste it at all - it just tastes like normal spearmint gum! I prefer using the gum over the spray due to the fact that you can go into your bag, pick a piece of gum and chew it. No one looks at your funny like they do with the spray. Again, these really seem to work and the taste lasts ages! 

Whether or not its my brain thinking these products are working or whether the Rescue Remedy within them helps calm my nerves or worries, these products really do work for me. I must point out that these are not a replacement for my prescribed anti-anxiety medication, I tend to grab for these when I become particularly anxious or worried and feel like I need to calm down. Because they are 100% natural too, I don't feel like i'm damaging my body by taking them, especially the gum because it just feels and tastes like normal gum. The price for all the Bach Rescue Remedy products are quite high in my personal opinion, however, they do seem to work for me so I will be repurchasing the gum once I run out, but not the spray. 

Here is the link to the Back Rescue Remedy website for you to have a more in depth look into the products they offer and maybe you can give them a go too!

http://www.bachflower.com/

 Leave a comment down below letting me know your experiences with this brand and if their products worked for you. 

Love Luce xo