Posted , 12 users are following.
hi all, been on citalopram for 6 months, since december 18th, spoke to phsyciatrist and they want me to withdraw from 30mg citalopram, by going from 30, down to 20 for 2 weeks, then down to 10mg for 2 weeks then come off completley... isnt this way to quick??
0 likes, 37 replies
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Hope3578 emilyroma98
Posted
They say that 6 months is about average, but many people stay on longer. How are you feeling. Have you been doing loads better? Are you ready to come off? I wouldn't come off if I wasn't ready. It needs to. Be your choice to, not just the GP. A decrease isn't a bad idea though. Just slowly decrease.
katecogs emilyroma98
Edited
Hi Emily
Wondering why your medical professionals are suggesting to withdraw? Have you fully recovered or do they feel the meds aren’t working? Is this your choice?
If you’re beginning to feel well then its advised to stay on the meds for at least 1 year before even thinking of withdrawing ….. however if you feel the meds aren’t working or the side effects are just too much, you’ve had absolutely no feeling of calm at all (even 30 mins), then yes maybe time to come off - though some people do take a lot longer than 6 months.
But ….. from experience, please do not come off within the time span the Psychiatrist says. A month? First time I came off 20mg Citalopram I did it over 6 months, and that was too quick!!! So a month and I’m afraid you’re the one who is going to feel very ill - not the Psychiatrist.
For one, dropping by 10mg is a big drop and that will need a good 2 months + to level out first, and I doubt even then you’ll feel well enough to drop anymore.
My second time withdrawing from 20mg Citalopram I spent a whole year doing it by 5mg and that for me was the best, as I felt no withdrawal at all. Of course, some people will notice 5mg, so you can do this by 2.5mg. My withdrawal plan was 5mg drop every 6 weeks or more.
But a month? From a professionals point of view this might look good on paper, but in reality it doesn’t work like that and the experience is far different to what people might think.
I’d seriously listen to others on this forum who’ve withdrawn and what their experience / time frame has been. Maybe talk again with your Psychiatrist and talk to him about doing this much slower - and stick to your guns. Its your body.
I'm not a professional in anything medical but I certainly have many years experience in taking these meds, seeing the highs and lows. Being professional and talking about them and taking them are 2 different things.
It really pays to do it slow.
K x
Guest katecogs
Edited
I would seriously listen to Kate! she knows what she is talking about. doctors mean well, but its not their body. if you feel well do it slow! trust me-i didn't and I paid for it big time!
Marf katecogs
Posted
hi, sorry to butt in Emily but Kate, could i ask you how you dropped? ive been on 20 for 4 or 5 years and want to come off. so far Ive done 2 weeks of 20 one day then 15 the next which I feel fine on. what do you think my next step should be? Im thinking 15 every day for a month ?? what do you think? Emily go slowly and look after yourself xxxxxx
katecogs Marf
Posted
Hi Marf
I lowered by 5mg each reduction. I bought a pill cutter and cut the 20 into 4 so each piece was roughly 5mg (you’ll never get it exact but what you take one day will be made up in the next dose). So I first took 15mg and stayed on that for around 4-6 weeks (think it was 6 most times), and from there I repeated this drop again and stayed another 6 weeks. I did that each reduction until I got to the last 5mg and then I crushed that piece as was too small to cut anymore, and then I just halved the powder and took that (which was 2.5mg) and stayed on that for another 4-6 weeks. After that I then halved the 5mg powder, then halved again so each dose was 1.25mg, stayed on that another 4-6 weeks and after that I started taking it every other day for a few weeks, then every 2 days, 3 days and so on until I was taking it once a week - then I stopped.
That took about a year.
If at any time I thought I felt uneasy or anxious then I’d have waited longer on the dose or even gone back to the previous dose. But as it was I felt fine all the way through.
Some people may need to reduce by 2.5mg instead of 5mg so would guess that would take even longer to come off.
So you could maybe now try 15mg and probably stay on it 4-6 weeks. After that time and you feel ok, then maybe move to 15mg one day and 10mg another for 4-6 weeks before going down to 10mg as you did with the 20 and 15. Repeat all the way down.
All I'd say is go really slow, listen to your body. If you don't feel right then stay on the current dose and if doesn't improve then go back up to the previous one, wait some more before trying again.
K 😉
emilyroma98 katecogs
Posted
hi all, the reason I want to come off citalopram is becuase I never had mental health issues in the first place, I was put on sertraline originally in november due to sleep issues not mental health anxiety or depression, I was normal happy girl, since I had that bad reaction I've been shoved on med after med, I've been on citalopram 6 months, throughout my time on meds I've gone downhill in a cycle every 4 weeks, for 2 weeks usually, around the time of my period, I'll be extremely depressed and anxious about my mental health, my life has not been normal and ive not been stable since I've been on these horrible meds... so the only idea now is to come off them as the phsyciatrist and phsyciatric nurse believes it could be clashing with my hormones and actually causing similar to pre menstrual depression etc... and considering I was normal before meds they believe coming off them should return me to my normal self
Guest emilyroma98
Posted
What you said really resonated with me I briefly tried sertraline for couple months and gave me awful OCD that I never had before. Been on citalopram for several months for intrusive thoughts no anxiety or depression caused by zopiclone withdrawal but just made me feel worse and the sertraline gave me more symptoms. Haven't got much experience of withdrawing but I'm dropping every 3 weeks by 2.5mg but I'm on much lower dose than you. Everyone seems different some have lot problems others come off easily , Katiecogs does seem to have had lot of experience with them unlike me! They do help a lot of people but just shame not everyone benefits from them.
katecogs emilyroma98
Posted
Hi Emily
Oh yes, I remember now you’d said about being on them for sleep issues. It’s a strange medicine to be put on for sleep as these are known to cause sleep issues initially. I’ve also read some people are prescribed these meds for pain too, but personally I don’t think anyone should take them unless its for anxiety or depression. These meds heighten anxiety, so if you didn’t have it before you’re sure to feel it on these meds.
Sounds like a good idea then to come off these, but please don’t do it how the psychiatrist recommends - if you do it over 2 months you're going to feel a lot worse than you are now.
I would then reduce by 5mg every 4 weeks then (6 if you can), so coming off 20mg should take 4 months ....... unless you want to break down the last 5mg piece and eke that out for another 4 weeks on 2.5mg and then another 4 weeks on 1.25mg. This is still quicker than I did, so slow it down further if you want.
My withdrawal lasted a year because I stayed on 5mg for much longer only because I was comfortable there and was undecided whether to stay or come off completely.
Charlie_T katecogs
Posted
They're also prescribed (off label) for constipation! (increased gut serotonin leads to increased gut motility)
katecogs Charlie_T
Posted
Really? 😮 😮 I'm sure there's much easier things to take for constipation - ie bran or lots of fruit lol 😄
Seems bizarre to prescribe these for anything other than anxiety / depression 😮
I'm sure doctors who prescribe these have no idea what they feel like to take.
Guest katecogs
Posted
Heard some people had them prescribed for migraines. When was struggling coming off zopiclone was told to take SSRI if I couldn't sleep. as they make you drowsy. Doctors seem clueless, like being told going cold turkey off zopiclone would be fine as it was just placebo effect. tapering gradually seems the way to go.
Marf katecogs
Posted
fantastic, that was my plan but just needed back up! thank you so much for your help xxxx
Hope3578 katecogs
Posted
Kate... I was on 10mg for around 18 months, I then decided to come off and the way I withdraw was by skipping one tablet a week gradually increasing the amount of tablets missed each week. So week 1 I missed 1 day, the second 2 days and the 3rd 3 days... This was recommended by my GP. I withdraw within week 7 and I had absolutely no withdrawal side affects or anything, but yet going on these tablets mean I get pretty severe side effects, I expected the same coming off. It was very bizzare. I'm back on 10mg now a year later due to the stress of this pandemic and the loss of my job due to it too. But given this wouldn't have happened I don't know if I would even have been back here because I was doing really well.
katecogs Hope3578
Posted
Hi Hope
That’s an interesting way to come off medication - the other way I’ve heard is when people take alternate doses of differing mg’s on different days, graudlly lowering these doses over time.
Personally for me I couldn’t go a day without medication as my body felt it immediately. There were a few occasions when I’d gone out for the day and further into the day I’d start feeling head, a bit nauseous ……. which made me realise I’d forgotten to take my morning dose. By the time I’d get home later on I’d be feeling quite sick.
Withdrawing how I did it, little by little, lots of time of each dose, my body didn’t seem to notice the missed doses.
Maybe it depends on how your body responds to the medicine as to which is the better withdrawal plan. Interesting how we all differ.
Sorry to hear you’re back on the meds again, but wise to restart if you found the stress of the current situation was affecting you. I did the same - I came off the meds the first time, stayed off a year but restarted due to family illness which affected me a lot, so decided to restart before I started to slip too far into the hole. Another year on the meds and when everything had settled I came off again.
I’m sure when everything has passed by and you’re back in work then I’m sure you’ll be successful in withdrawing again 😉 x
Guest katecogs
Posted
How long did you stay on final dose for, I've just cut down to half of 2.5mg, bit difficult to do as just dust. Like Emily meds made me lot worse but realise have to be careful how quickly you stop. Been having odd day with bit improvement which is more than had before then back down think the waves and windows scenario. Dropping to 5mg was pretty bad but since then levelled out a bit more.
Hope3578 katecogs
Posted
Thanks Kate. Yes I'll likely do the same, do a year and then come off when I am feeling better again. I think I have recovered much quicker this time as I managed to catch my downfall fairly quick.
katecogs Hope3578
Posted
That was like me then - it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the first time I was ill plus second time round was different as I was more depressed rather than anxious, but think as you said I'd also caught it before it developed further.
I've now been off meds again for a few years now.
katecogs Guest
Posted
Hi lemanna
Yes I did that too - 2.5mg and then the 1.25mg doses was ground to a powder. The dose I stayed on the longest was 5mg as at that stage I still didn't know I was going to come off meds altogether, but as i felt fine I decided to try further and further then wondered how I'd be with no meds at all.
Think I was on 2.5 and 1.25 about 6 weeks each. After that I started spacing out the final 1.25 to every other day for a week, then every 2 days, then 3 etc until I was taking it just once a once. Then I stopped.
Guest katecogs
Posted
Thanks for that I'm coming off quicker than you but only because meds making me feel so awful. Been nearly 6 weeks so far the lower I go seem to getting bit improvement some days. Have heard window & waves are sign your brain is adjusting. Must say I agree better to come off fairly slowly. Have got way to go but did manage briefly go out without my husband for first time in quite a while so bit of progress.
shermeena81928 Guest
Posted
Hi, i know this has been such a while ago but if yout still active please could you help, im currently struggling to come off zopiclone and really could do with some advice. did you manage to get of it??