Coming off citalopram. :(

Hi all. I posted on here in January when I first started coming off citalapram and I've finally done it. Thought you might find it useful to know how I did it. I was on 20mg for 7 years and I started by having half a pill a day for a few months then cut down to half every other day for couple of months then every 3 days. It wasn't too bad at all coz I did it gradually. In the end I got to half a week when I felt the withdrawal buzzy feeling creeping in. Eventually you don't get withdrawal any more. Its took 6 months which seems ages but I felt better as soon as I started cutting down coz I was taking control. You can't just stop. I tried that and its unbearable. Good luck all.

Hi. I don't know if what I'm experiencing is normal. i was on citalopram for about 1 year for PND. I came off them at the beginning of May (over 2 months ago). I was feeling ok at first but in the last couple of weeks i've been hit HARD with all the symptoms I had before I went on them. I am extremely tearful, snappy, low mood, no sex drive, generally feeling useless and fed up. i feel out of control of my feelings alot of the time and it is affecting my relationship with my husband. He's said he doesnt like living with me at the moment, which of course only makes me feel worse. Is it the drugs, has anyone else suffered this several weeks after stopping them? Was referred for counselling and still on waiting list. I was on 20mg then down to 10mg for about 6 weeks before stopping all together on doctors advice.

Hi Jona. I've been taking a reduced dose of Citalopram since May, and am taking it really slowly. I am down from 20mg to 10mg at present, and have decided to stay at that dose till I feel stable. I have been really tired, tearful, aching joints, and having to face the reason I went on the drug, the death of my husband. There have been lots of tears, but I am starting to feel better. I think you have to be kind to yourself and take time in coming off Citalopram. Maybe you need to go back to see your GP, tell them how you feel,and go back on 10mg, an then gradually, over time reduce it to 5mg before you finally come off it. It ay take time, and you need to be in the right place an d have a strong positive attitude. I wish you luck. I am determined to make it. Citalopram was there when I needed it, but now I need to take back control.

Hi, I've been on Citalopram for 4 years and started reducing from 20mg since Oct 2012. I found your website this week. Thankyou to everyone who has shared and thank you to sharon216 for the link to the information on antidepressant withdrawal syndrome by altrostrata on the website 'surviving antidepressants'. This info helped me understand why we need to give the brain time to adjust when taking away an introduced foreign drug that the brain has got used to.

I reduced by alternating 20 and 15 mgs initially for two weeks, and then 15 mg a day for two weeks, then alternating 15mg and 10mg for two weeks, then 10mgs only. After two weeks on 10mg I had four weeks of absolute fatigue until xmas 2012. ( One doctor so helpfully said 'Oh you must need the citalopram', but I did a depression questionaire at the doctors and I could see myself that my responses indicated I wasn't depressed, just fatigued! ).

Anyway I stayed at this 10mg level until March and have been doing a much slower alternation since then. More of a six week cycle. When I got to dropping to 2.5mg I don't think I waited long enough (as I was feeling impatient and only did four weeks at the 5mg, 2.5mg alternation). In a few days on 2.5mg I felt tense, the world was grey and my concentration was rubbish. I was advised by my pharmacist who is amazing to go back and stick at this alternating level (5,2.5) for three months then reduce SLOWLY again. My symptoms disappeared immediately. In future I'm planning to get some drug scales to make my pill cutting accurate. And I think after three months at alternating 5,2.5mg I will work towards a level 2.5mg dose, and then an even drop off. Then off!.

I cut my 20mg pills with a pill cutter (cheap from chemist) and all the useless off cuts I put in a seven day pill dispenser so I can see what I took the night before. At the end of the week I put all the pill rubbish in a used envelope. What a reward to see what I no longer take!. All these bits go in a used envelope before going in the bin. Don't put in the drain as this goes into the waterways. Now I am at such a low dose I do only cut one 20mg pill every second day so as not to have to cut a new one every day. If you do this remember to wrap the cut piece that you will use tomorrow in air tight glad wrap or tin foil to keep their potency until the next day - I had this advice from two pharmacists.

Remember to be kind to yourself. Eat well, gentle exercise. In bed at a good time every night. Not too much alcohol for your adjusting brain!. On recommendation from my pharmacist I benefit from daily magnesium, vit c and flaxseed or fish oil (omegas 3,6 and 9). These will help your brain. I wish you all the best on what can be a frustrating and lonely path.

Ps I have another drug to come off after this and may try an even reduction using drug scales and a razor.

I forgot to say that my pharmacist recommends also taking a good probiotic . This is because most of our seratonin (feel good chemical) is actually created in the 'gut', not in the brain.

Ah...it's so nice to read about others going through the same thing...sitting here typing...as my brain

whooshes around in my head. I've been on some form of anxiety med since my first year of college. I was

having terrible panic attacks at the time. Twelve years later, at 31, I've decided I'm sick of living on this drug. I started nursing school, and have really decided that absolutely no medicine is good to be taking!!! Most of

our health problems can be cured by diet and exercise! So...with my doctors advice I cut my dose in half for a week...then one every other day for two days...and now I've been off for a total of four days. I feel like I'm

going absolutely insane! Head spinning, zaps, incredibly tired, terrible stomach problems, crying,...you

name it, I think I've felt it. Seeing others who have made it through it gives me soooo much hope! I'm going toget some fish oil tomorrow to see if it helps with these brain zaps...I think they are the worst part for

me!!

I know it probably would have been best to taper off more slowly ...but I honestly just want to be done!!

I figure four days into I can't give up now!

Ah...it's so nice to read about others going through the same thing...sitting here typing...as my brain

whooshes around in my head. I've been on some form of anxiety med since my first year of college. I was

having terrible panic attacks at the time. Twelve years later, at 31, I've decided I'm sick of living on this drug. I started nursing school, and have really decided that absolutely no medicine is good to be taking!!! Most of

our health problems can be cured by diet and exercise! So...with my doctors advice I cut my dose in half for a week...then one every other day for two days...and now I've been off for a total of four days. I feel like I'm

going absolutely insane! Head spinning, zaps, incredibly tired, terrible stomach problems, crying,...you

name it, I think I've felt it. Seeing others who have made it through it gives me soooo much hope! I'm going toget some fish oil tomorrow to see if it helps with these brain zaps...I think they are the worst part for

me!!

I know it probably would have been best to taper off more slowly ...but I honestly just want to be done!!

I figure four days into I can't give up now!

I think you're very brave to come off of them like you are!!! Today is my 4th day off - hurray!!! However, I did it much more slowly after having problems trying to do it so quickly. I went from a 20mg tablet, cut it in half for quite a while, then cut it into a 1/4 for about 2 weeks, then down to an 1/8th (which was very tricky indeed)!!! I seem to be completely free of any of those horrible symptoms now and am feeling so much more like myself!!!

Wishing you lots of luck - remember it's not the end of the world if you do take a step backwards and take it just a tiny bit slower

Good luck with nursing school too and keep us informed of your progress. xx

Hi guys, I have just this minute registered on this forum as I have been reading some of your comments on

taking Citalopram. I have been on Cit for about 5 years now and the dosage has very much depended on my personal circumstances when I have had a review with my GP. For example, I was suicidal when I was initially prescribed CIt, so was immediately put on 40mg. For 4 weeks I felt sick, headaches, mood swings, panic.

By week 5, I felt much better. I was on 40mg for a good year and then after discussing it with my GP i managed to work down to 20mg.

Thats dosage lasted for about 6 months and then a change in personal circumstances knocked me back, so i went right up to 40mg again. I have good and bad days, even now. Citalopram doesn't take your problems away, but it does help you to deal with them in a more balanced way. I seriously wouldn't be without them.

Thanks Jane,

yes citalopram has definately helped me at tricky times of my life and were prescribed by a psychiatrist. I am coming off with the agreement of my gp, who is now my primary health professional and known me ten years. I figure I always want the health professionals to be on board if I fall flat on my face again!.

Along the way I have picked up a number of tips about coming off psych medications including citalopram..

From talking to my gp, pharmacist and the drug manufacturers the advice I have gleaned over the past nine years is

"it takes months, not weeks" (drug manufacturer, pharmacist talking about coming off olanzapine or citalopram),

"it is best to take something every day, rather than skip a dose''(gp) talking about tapering olanzapine or citalopram.

"It is best to alternate high and low doses before dropping to a low dose "(drug manufacturer talking about olanzapine ). I have taken this all on board to better my experiences of coming off these drugs.

I have had to ask these questions as I have dropped drug levels too quickly and have had the experience where a drug was taken off the market and there was only a few days supply left. So sometimes the advice was in hindsight!. Darn it!

Of course from reading the posts it would appear that everyone is different and has different methods. Are we also getting different advices from the medical professionals?. So great that we can share and learn from each other. As we do seem to know a lot as we are the ones who are taking the drugs!.

I enjoy sharing what I am learning through trial and error. The most valuable thing I learnt from my pharmacist lately is if while dropping a dosage you don't feel right then stabilise at the earlier lower dose for a while. For me she has recommended that for me is a three month period.

I hope all is going well for you Ruthie pegs.

Well, I had the worst night ever last night. I could not deal with zaps and my head spinning...I had to give

in and take a pill...so much for the not giving up thing. I felt absolutely terrible today...cried and cried to a

friend who thankfully put up with me I think I'm definitely going to have to switch to a much slower tapering off program. I just cannot deal with these withdrawal symptoms and function as a normal

person! This is not going to be easy.

Going to try 40 for two weeks, 20 for two weeks, 10 for two weeks, 5 for two weeks, 2.5 for two weeks, and try to then go off?

Anyone have any other ideas for taper plans? Clearly the "couple days" my doctor told me is not going to

happen.

I have put a post on here before about how I got off citalapram which took 6 months. I just wanted to hop on and reply to some of the recent posts and to say there is no quick way of getting off citalapram. You will suffer terribly and eventually give in and start taking them again. Please please please give yourselves a fighting chance and plan to come off it over several months. It CAN be done without all the side effects, buzzy head feelings and mood swings IF you take your time. Good luck you all. Out of interest, how many of you were warned how hard it is to get off them when you were prescribed them? I know I wasn't!

hybabycakes - No, nobody warned me about how hard it is go get off them! I can only think that the "professionals" don't know!!!!

I haven't posted here for a while, but I could give some hope that you can just stop taking them. I was only on 20mgs for a year, but I did just stop about six months ago. There were ten days of some head zaps, but the emotional turmoil I had and have been going through did not get any worse, or better. I'm not tempted to ever go back to taking any anti-depressant, but I am tempted to run away to the South Seas and run a beach bar for the rest of my days.

Interesting escapee,

I was on citalopram for a year in 2000 and it did take me less time to come off (prob a couple of months , but my memory is dim) and with no problems. Maybe the less time you take them the easier to come off. Certainly I've had difficulties now after taking them for four years.

I have had multiple probs coming off and reducing drugs. My psychiatrist, a psychologist and the psych nurse have never acknowledged that what I was experiencing was any kind of withdrawal syndrome. That is why I have asked questions of the drug companies and pharmacist to find out what is going on.

This is a problem because in this country the psychiatrist reports to the drug company if their patients are having any problems with a drug. However a psychiatrist that says "oh you just need more drugs" ain't going to report a withdrawal syndrome. One drug company did try to contact me back after I had been asking questions about tapering and to find out what my experiences were but rang from another country and left a number and name on the answer phone which I couldn't hear so I was unable to contact them back. Oh well another patient flies under the radar...