I'M ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD (Cipramil)

Member Name: junkboxjules

Product:	Cipramil
Date:	07/11/02 (8635 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The product works for many people and allows them to get back to a normal lifestyle, It isn't addictive

Disadvantages: Side effects can affect some people

A few months ago I was given Dothiepin anti depressants by my GP to help me deal with panic attacks that I had been suffering with. Unfortunately, whilst they really helped with the panic attacks I found that I quickly put on nearly a stone in weight - as I am already overweight the last thing I wanted was to continue piling on the pounds as I was worried that I would end up more worked up and depressed than I had been when I started taking the tablets because of the weight gain.

I visited my GP again and expressed my concerns and she explained to me that some people do experience weight gain with anti depressants owing to the fact that they act as a mild sedative and therefore you tend to not do as much as you had been doing and are therefore not burning off the same amount of calories that you normally would be, hence the weight gain - I didn't feel that I had been doing any less but accepted her theory and was pleased when she suggested that there was another anti depressant I could change too which hopefully wouldn't cause me to continue to gain weight.

The anti depressant that I changed to is called Cipramil and this is the subject of my opinion.

Cipramil is an anti depressant drug which is part of a group of medicines commonly referred to as SSRI's, (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), these drugs are only available on prescription. It is dispensed in tablet form and each pack contains 28 tablets. The tablets are packaged in a blister packaging with the days printed on the back of the packaging so you know which tablet to take on which day, similar to the contraceptive pill, this is obviously helpful to keep track of what you have taken and is an easy way to check if you think you may have missed a day.

The blister packs are then packaged in a simple white cardboard box which has the wording Cipramil Tablets emblazoned across the front in black text which is highlighted with a green colour banding, be

neath this the box advises that the tablets are 10mg citalopram, this information is highlighted by a light grey colour banding.

The reverse of the box is quite plain but advises, again in black text, a list of ingredients contained within each tablet, directions for use, storage information, details of where the product was made, in this case Denmark and who by, again in this case H. Lundbeck A/S, Copenhagen along with a warning to keep medicine out of the reach of children.

Inside the box as well as the tablets you will find an information leaflet which you should read before taking the tablets.

The leaflet contains information about the following:-

~*~POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS~*~

As with all medicines Cipramil can cause side effects in some people. Most of the side effects that may be experienced are mild such as dry mouth, sweating, drowsiness, lack of appetite, sickness, nausea, diarrhoea etc but in some patients the side effects can be major and can include disturbed vision, difficulty passing urine, low blood sodium, allergic reactions, ie rash, inflammation of the mouth or tongue, mild liver disorder, difficulty in sleeping etc. Most side effects disappear after a few days but obviously if they persist or if you are at all worried you should immediately contact your GP.

~*~TAKING YOUR MEDICINE~*~

This section looks at how you should take your medication - ie if your Doctor has advised you to take one tablet once a day it will be shown on the dispensing label which is attached to the front of the box by the chemist. I take one 10mg table once a day.

Other information included is advice on how to take your medicine, ie swallowed whole with water. Do Not Chew. I was advised by my GP to take the tablet before going to bed and therefore if I did suffer with drowsiness it would not effect me during the day.

The leaflet advises that you will not feel any immediate benefit from t
aking
the tablets, and this is normal for this kind of medication. You should however not stop taking the medicine or change the dose until you have spoken to your GP. If you suddenly stop taking Cipramil you are likely to suffer with dizziness, tingling, anxiety, nausea and a headache - whilst generally not serious these symptoms are obviously not pleasant.

If you miss a dose do not take two tablets just take the next dose when due.

If you take too many tablets you are advised to contact your Doctor or nearest hospital casualty department immediately and take the medication with you.

~*~WHAT IS CIPRAMIL USED FOR?~*~

Cipramil is used to treat depression and to prevent the depression recurring when you are better. It is also prescribed to patients who suffer with anxiety and panic attacks and this is what I was prescribed the medication for.

The leaflet advises that in general treatment for depression is usually around 6 months and for panic disorder at least 3 months, however, this will obviously depend on the individual patient. I have been taking the tablets for about 3-4 months now and have not been advised to stop taking them by my GP - no mention of how long I am likely to need them for has been made as yet, however, I am quite happy taking them at the moment as they are helping me enormously.

~*~MY EXPERIENCE OF CIPRAMIL~*~

I am happy to say that I have now been taking Cipramil for around 3-4 months and no longer suffer with any of the panic attack symptoms that had previously ruled my life. I am now able to get on with a normal life without the constant worry of whether or not I would be ok when I went out.

I didn't believe that I was suffering with depression when I initially visited my GP and indeed even after she prescribed me the tablets - I guess I was maybe in denial as I did not want to be suffering with depression - I had always associated depression with misery
and did no
t consider myself to have anything to be really depressed about, I have a loving husband and son and a nice house - of course I have bad days like everybody else but I certainly didn't feel really down and miserable.

Since I have been taking these tablets I have noticed the following positive changes in my life, things that I often didn't associated with depression were actually major contributors to the way I was feeling but I did not want to consider them to be the cause of me feeling the way I did.

Firstly, obviously the panic attacks - the more I worried that I would experience one the more likely I was to experience one - I guess a lot of it is psychological - maybe the tablets work that way too - knowing that they are there to help may be enough for the symptoms to subside - I don't know but am happy that they have subsided and that I am now 100% much better than I was.

Before I started taking the tablets I had become quite negative and paranoid about things and took many things to heart, such as being overweight, I always expected people to be talking about me and therefore became upset - people were probably never talking about me in the first place - I'm a size 18/20 and am not enormous but I could do with losing weight and I suppose I became quite paranoid about that passers by were sniggering at me or talking about me. I no longer feel this way as my confidence has been boosted since I have been taking these tablets - I won't say that I don't still get down about being overweight as I do often look in the mirror and feel miserable when I see my reflection - however, I know that there are much larger people about than me and that they get on with their life's and make the most of what they have got and I now try to do the same, after all I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful husband and son - not everybody has got that - if other people don't like the way that I look then it is
tough.

<
br>The final thing that I had began to experience is tearfulness - for no apparent reason I would feel really tearful - I am happy to say that this too has subsided.

As for side effects - well I first started taking the Dothiepin tablets and did suffer with a dry mouth when I initially started taking them - when I changed over to Cipramil I did not suffer any side effects at all, possibly this was because I had already been taking an anti depressant before so the ingredients that can cause side effects were already in my body.

I am also happy to report that the weight gain has now stopped - I did gain a couple of pounds during the first month that I started taking Cipramil but feel that this may have had something to do with the Dothiepin and not the Cipramil.

In general I feel so much happier than I did back in May before I started this treatment and I am really pleased that I visited my GP and sought advice - I only wish I'd done it years earlier.

Obviously Cipramil is not suitable for everybody but if you can relate to any of the above symptoms it would be well worth visiting your GP and it may well be that Cipramil or something similar can help you too.

If anybody reading this would like further information or advice and I can help please leave a message in my guest book and I will help if I can.

Thank you for reading.

Julie

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