Mmkay so I take 20mgs of citalopram a day. It's an SSRI. I try and take it at 6:30 pm every day, but sometimes I get home at like 6:15 and I take it then so i don't have to go upstairs again later or I don't get up immediately my alarm goes off and then it's like eight o'clock and I take it because I've suddenly remembered. This has been a bit worse recently and I think I've actually missed a couple doses, or at least one. I also, very occasionally (and i mean occasionally, like less often than once a week sort of occasionally) i have one drink. Only ever one, and drunk slowly. I'm also fuckin' depressed and I don't know whether I should be blaming myself for taking it erratically & occasionally drinking or whether I should be just assuming it isn't working. I never saw a dramatic improvement in anything but I was told not to expect that and when the doctor asked if it was working I would say I guess I thought I was a bit more stable maybe? because that was about as close to a yes/no answer as I could get. The last doctor I saw also said that it wouldn't take the bad thoughts away entirely anyway. I'm also a self-sabotaging prick, so maybe I shouldn't be on medication at all because all my problems are in my head? I don't know.
15-minutes leeway definitely won't make a major difference in how effective an ssri is. not a psychiatrist here, but it sounds like it's just not cutting it for you.
@budgie I can see how fifteen minutes might not make a difference, but what about the times i end up taking it at like 8pm or 11pm or something because I forgot to pay attention to my alarm?
ok, so, i'm on an snri and not an ssri, and they do work slightly differently. but i take my meds when i wake up and when i go to bed, which can vary from 7am-11am and 10pm-1am, and it causes me no trouble at all. now, i would definitely consult the doctor, since would know better, but i don't think yours should be that different. (actually, the biggest way that timing made a difference to me was splitting my meds into two doses instead of one. but, again, consult with your dr about that.)
@budgie Hmmm. Well, I'll put it to my therapist I suppose, since I'm seeing him tomorrow... Thanks, btw. =)
Citalopram has a half-life in the body of 35 hours, so it's probably fairly tolerant of this. Doses twice a day will keep the concentration in the body at a more regular level, though.
I've been taking an SSRI for like... 2 weeks. I take it in the morning when I wake up, which can vary from anywhere between 6AM and 12PM, so uh. I haven't noticed it not working despite this! Quite the contrary, my brain is... really quiet. It's... weird. But nice. But also very weird. But weird in a good way. I'm just used to my brain always screaming at me... Anyway, sorry, off topic. I guess I have been taking it roughly around 9-10AM, just the last few days I woke up at 11:30AM and then today I woke up at 6AM and took it at around 8AM so >.>; idk, man. But I seem to be okay, so I don't think a 15 minute gap will do anything! It's Zoloft/sertraline, which apparently has a half life of 23-26 hours, so I'm assuming that's why it's not having a bad effect even if the time I take it is somewhat inconsistent. I also have been having a glass of wine with dinner a few nights in the last couple of weeks, and I haven't noticed that having a bad effect either, so I think it's probably okay? Then again, this is my first experience with this kind of medication, so I don't really know nwn;
I take an SSRI and I haven't noticed any difference if I forget it for a few hours past when I normally take it.
It sounds like either this med or this dosage isnt working or isnt working enough, tbh. Probably not just you. Hang in there.
@Morven @a tiny mushroom @ZeroEsper @Lissiel Thanks you guys. That's really reassuring. When I run out of pills next month I will argue a bit with the doctor if they still think I should give them a chance, hah.
Okay, if it's been a month and they're still not working I'd definitely be swapping or at least increasing your meds. I'm not a medical professional but anecdotal evidence suggests that something should definitely be happening by a month. Case in point: I was also on an SSRI for about a month. Nothing happened, doc put me on an SNRI, bam, noticeable changes within two weeks. Good luck! The medicine merrygoround isn't a lot of fun, but you'll notice the difference when you find ones that work.
I echo everything in this thread. I take my meds (30mg citalopram, SSRI) between 10 pm and 1 am, have been on them since December of last year. I notice a difference if I miss a dose entirely, but even taking a dose up to 12 hours late I don't notice anything. Definitely sounds like you need a different med/more med. For reference: I was on 20mg citalopram for a few months, upped it to 30mg because while I could tell it was doing something, it wasn't doing enough. Big change once I upped it (that would've been May-ish?).
@(Not) Literally A Bird Heh I've been on longer than a month, I think I got the initial 10mg dose when I was still dating my ex, so... May... @Kaylotta Huh, interesting... I accidentally missed a dose the other day and didn't notice anything except perhaps that I was more awake the day after, which could have been and probably was related to something else.
D= Okay yes definitely talk to your doc about that next time you're there. It's true that meds won't solve everything, but they should do more than what you're reporting.
