Coming off citalopram. :(

These are the tablets.. Higher Nature Serotone 5HTP. Has anyone tried them? A few of my friends who had bumpy rides said they helped.

Oh and I know not too mix,one or the other. Sorry for waffling.

I have tried to reduce slowly and it just doesn't work. I get irritable, and short tempered with my kids which isn't fair on them. I have decided to stick with my 20mg as this seems the right balance for me. I'm gonna enjoy the wonderful life I have with my family, rather than stressing myself about trying to get off them.

Good for you Happy Bee

I was ......and still am considering this myself..if the cutdown doesn't work.

Absolutely it's no competition

My GP did say at one point ..well if you have to stay on them at least you will be a happy old bunny!

True

Am seeing how it goes

I still feel I am naturally low on seratonin...do you think that?

Hi guys, me again... I have gone back on 10mg and feel much better already. Can I just ask, do ou think it's better to take them in the morning or evening? Thanks as always.

Hi guys, me again... I have gone back on 10mg and feel much better already. Can I just ask, do ou think it's better to take them in the morning or evening? Thanks as always.

Hi everyone, I'm back on 20mg- shaving a little bit off a 20mg each day turned me back into a mess. Having reduced quite well from 40 to 30 and then to 20 with only headaches and hunger to contend with I felt that 20 to 10 would be ok...however after becoming suicidal and continually crying I am stuck on 20mg for goodness knows how long! Been on it now for 2 years- not proud but I admit it did take the edge of my emotions, however there has to be a point where your body doesn't need them surely?

Time of taking tablets.....

I started taking them in the morning but that time didn't really work as felt

A... it wasn't consistent time and I was concerned I would forget

B. If they made you sleepy I thought it would help to take at night

so took at night and I must admit now I am reducing..am on second week of 10 mg and intend to do 10 for several weeks... I am not sleeping as well!

So there you go

Clare...read our past posts...poor you..20-10 I could not do..get a pillcutter , get 10 mg tablets from gp and so 15 mg-20-15 -20 until you feel comfortable with it

Suicdidal and crying sounds like I was before I went on 20 mg a day in feb..it's horrid

Am not sure if your actually asking that or not but that's what I did and would recommend

See my posts today actually ,there are no prizes for stopping it

And if it helps and you can't reduce it does not matter

And I am not sure that some of us aren't just short on producing our own seratonin....

Let's be happy on tablets and not miserable :-))

HI Tids, I've always taken them in the evening as they made me a bit tired and out of it if I took them in the morning but it may be different for other people.

Has any body else read that in rare cases ssri's can trigger bi polar? I totally get why it seems better sometimes to just stay on them but the more I've read about the long term effects of staying on them the more concerned I feel.

I've had every reaction listed while comming off and am now down to 5mg with every 3rd day nothing, I am more alert and 'switched on' than I was while on them and am only just realising the impact they have had on my relationships at work and with my family members. One friend said it was as if

I had disappeared and been replaced by someone else!

I would love to hear from anyone who has successfully managed to completely come off them, how long do they continue to affect you and before you feel back to normal, I could really do with some hope for life without citalopram at the moment!

Sorry its me again, I read a clinical trial that said doses over 30mg could lead to serious health problems and am really surprised at the number of people who sem to have been put on very high doses. My husband is a pharmacist and has been really surprised at what seems to be going on with prescribing citalopram, he said Dr's have known for years now the dangers of doses over 30mg so why are thet still prescribing high doses? Any Dr out there who can explain?

Yes it's true, higher doses of Citalopram are associated with patient.info/doctor/Torsades-de-Pointes.htm The MRHA released a 'Drug Safety Update' late 2011, the maximum dose for fit adults is 40 mg

Thanks Benny, thank goodness for the internet, its a shame more GP's don't use it to keep up to date though.

Thanks for that information Benny. My GP here in Germany was aware of this research and after having an ECG, which showed something that shouldn't be there, I reduced my dosage by 50%, even though I was only on 20mg. After another couple of months, we decided that I should stop taking them altogether. I've been off of them for a good couple of months now - I'm never sure of dates because I forget to write these things down, my memory is absolutely shocking. Amazing really that not all doctors are aware of this, isn't it?

I'm as stable as I'll ever be. I'm definitely not depressed, which I don't think I was anyway before I took these tablets. I'm in my 50's, going through hormonal changes, quite moody, lose my temper quickly, cry a lot, don't deal with stress very well, have a 12 year old son with social/emotional/aggression problems and a normal 15 year old teenage daughter, have financial problems and a husband with on-going health issues. All that said, I'll be damned if I EVER take any of these tablets again, I'll manage without them.

Life can be hard sometimes but these difficult phases normally pass and things get better. I live in hope!

I've got one of those special light thingies somewhere in the basement, I think it must be time to get it out.

Bye for now people.

Ruth x

Hi all,

Not posted in a while, but thought I would share my experiences with you.

It has taken me months to get where I am, but finally I have tapered down and am now taking nothing. I was initially on 20mg and had been for two years. Weight gain was my deciding factor to come off the drug, I also feel that the drug caused me to be more anxious.

The way I come off was to go from 20mg/10mg alternate days for three weeks, then 10mg for another 3 weeks, then the same with 10/5mg. I stayed on five for a while and then went 5mg/0 alternate days. Eventually I started to take 5mg every 3/4 days.

I am on my 9th day of taking nothing and I am hoping that if withdrawal symptoms were going to come, they would have arrived by now? Don't get me wrong, I have had the odd brain zap, felt dizzy and slightly nauseous but nothing unmanageable (as yet). I do realise it is still early days though as these tablets stay in your system for months.

I have tried a number of times this year to come off the tablets and each time have had to go back on them as withdrawal has been unmanageable. This is the farthest I have come and I feel that I am past the point of no return and have to stick with it no matter what.

I just feel that maybe the time wasn't quite right every other time I have tried to withdraw.

I would be interest to hear anyone elses withdrawal stories who are now completely free of the tablets.

I wish you all the best on your journeys, it is so hard but so worth it xxxxxxxx

I was on 60 mg for over a year and I just stopped taking it overnight, withdrawal was in phases, it didn't noticeably start until a couple of weeks later