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Citalopram withdrawal

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Saltire
Saltire

On CIT 20mg for 4 months with no improvement to speak of

4 month later and easily more bad days than good and little to no positives to speak of thus far.

Still overwhelmed by depression/lethargy/anxiety. I have TRIED/TRIED/TRIED

I can't put myself and wife through this any longer. No gains and just more and more pain month after month is not on

I feel my Doc is gonna suggest I come off them. The 4 months on these meds have been hell and the last thing i need is 4 months of hell *coming off them

*

Any thoughts/ advice....how you safely taper and is 4 months on CIT enough to cause me some grief coming off them?

Thanks and God bless you all

xxx

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • ian90586
    ian90586 Saltire

    Edited

    Hi Saltire,I feel your pain,been there many times over the years and currently in withdrawal for the umpteenth time myself.

    The answer to your question is yes,after 4 months you will suffer withdrawal to some degree. 4 months is more than enough time to give Citalopram time to work,and your doctor will either suggest an increase,which should be by 10mg,not straight to 40mg from stories I've heard,or swap to another SSRI antidepressant. If you are experiencing anxiety first causing you depression,then Citalopram is a common choice. If you're experiencing depression with some anxiety then you might benefit from a swap to another more energising SSRI like Sertraline.

    If you do decide to withdraw completely,then I would suggest dropping to 10mg for several weeks,then 5mg then 0. The longer you take an antidepressant,the worse and harder it is to come off,and the last 5mg is the hardest. Hopefully at just 4 months withdrawal will not be so severe.

    If you are suffering anxiety and you decide to halt medication,as I am doing,then I would look at the cause of your anxiety. Stress over a prolonged period of time,and fears are the cause of anxiety. There are many things you can do to combat stress and fears without medication.

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do,I know it's a terrible condition to be in and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

    • Saltire
      Saltire ian90586

      Posted

      Thanks Ian the last thing I'd want to do is INCREASE the dose of CIT....anyways, I'm over 65 and doses above 20mg are not recommended

      Tried Sertraline and my COPD breathlessness got much worse and anxiety too

      I think those two are out

      Thanks Ian

    • ian90586
      ian90586 Saltire

      Posted

      Hi, obviously I don't know your circumstances,but I would highly recommend trying non pharmaceutical ways of improvement.. Alongside therapy there are methods like meditation,deep breathing, mindfulness which is living in the moment,proper diet, exercise like walking in and appreciating nature maybe with a dog. Then there is neuroplasticity, rewiring the brain which they say can be done at any age now,that is learning and keeping the mind occupied by learning a new hobby etc learning a musical instrument as an example. It doesn't happen overnight,but neither does antidepressants as you experienced, and there's no side effects! Good luck.

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