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Citalopram withdrawl

Posted , 8 users are following.

andy990
andy990

i have been taking 40mg Citalapram now for 12 months for depression. i was off work for 10 months, i've been back full time now for 5 months.i've been feeling fine for a while now so decided to stop taking them i havent taken 1 for 7 days now.

is there any health issues doing this?

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • tim10746
    tim10746 andy990

    Posted

    there are withdrawal symptoms if you dont slowly taper down the dose over time, I stopped cold turkey a few years back, jitters, anxiety, mind zaps are to name a few, your brain has to resume serotonin production as it was depended on celexa to do so......ask your doc...not safe to stop cold turkey
  • holly_t
    holly_t andy990

    Posted

    It’s not safe to go cold turkey you should make a plan with your doctor to come off them slowly.
  • claire71295
    claire71295 andy990

    Posted

    You shouldn’t stop taking th abruptly as you may experience withdrawal symptoms and/or have a relapse in your mood. The recommendation is that you reduce gradually to come off. I was on 40mg and reduced to 30mg for a couple of months then went down by 5mg every 6 weeks. 

    I’d strongly recommend you start them again and do a slow reduction. All the advice out there says not to stop abruptly. 

  • marsh23433
    marsh23433 andy990

    Posted

    before you stop taken them ,you should come off them gradually otherwise you may get withdrawal systems
  • steven_19614
    steven_19614 andy990

    Posted

    I agree with the other comments Andy. I have now been of them for nearly 3 weeks but slowly reduced my dose over a period of nearly 3 months. I still ended up with withdrawal symptoms but they seem to be easing now.

    Good luck coming off them, I feel much better for doing so more energy etc

  • katecogs
    katecogs andy990

    Posted

    Oooh blimey ...... don't just stop taking them or you'll become quite ill and most likely end up feeling depressed again because its a bit of a shock for the body to suddenly stop.  Sometimes the withdrawal effects don't hit you for a while whilst others feel it immediately.

    I spent a year withdrawing from 20mg Citalopram and doing it that way had no withdrawal effects at all.  Withdrawal effects are nausea, jitters (inner shake), headaches, anxiety, depression, brain zaps, crying etc.  I had some of these once before when I withdrew over a 6 month period which was still too quick.

    I wouldn't say there's any 'health issues' per say, but you won't feel very well which often lasts a long time.  Everyone's different of course.

    Go careful.

    K x

  • andy990
    andy990

    Posted

    thanks for your feed back ive started to take my tablet again and have an appointment at my GP's to discuss lowering my dosage.

    thanks again

    • claire71295
      claire71295 andy990

      Posted

      Good choice Andy! The GP May recommend reducing by 10mg but in my experience it’s better to do it by 5mg every 6-8 weeks. Just do what feels right for you but go slow. 

      Good luck!

  • marsh23433
    marsh23433 andy990

    Posted

    yes,redrawal  symptoms that is worse than the sidev effects of this medicine. Don't  change levels until you speak to your doctor first

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