Coming off citalopram. :(

Hello from the States.

I was originally prescribed Citalporam to overcome a nervous breakdown I had in Sept '09 due to extreme hip pain. The meds worked and I was eventually prescribed 40mgs in May 2012 since I was very emotional once again. The 40 mgs worked; however, I tried going off of them Sept. 2013 (pretty much cold turkey) and I have

been battling disturbing thoughts ever since. The thoughts are so intense that I sometimes get a panic

attack. (I've never had panic attacks before). 2 weeks ago I decided to go back on the 20mgs and the thoughts are still there. I have an appt with my doc tomorrow to discuss what is going on.

Has anyone else battled disturbing/harmful thoughts being on or going off of Citlopram? My thoughts are always directed towards my dogs. The thoughts first started with one dog and then moved from that dog to another of my dogs. Please note that I have not acted on the thoughts. Though I am extremely concerned that the thoughts wont' go away.

Thanks

Crack pot

See my old posts

Slow slow

Am now on 5mg daily but it's taken since July to get that far

Slow slow....

Hi, I've been on 20mg of Cit for 3 years now. I've just reduced my dosage to 10mg last week. I had awful side effects whilst on 20mg of excessive sweating. My job as a massage and reflexology therapist was not good when these hot sweats came over me, quite embarrassing. Has anybody else suffered with this symptom? Now I've reduced my dosage the sweats have reduced a lot! The thing is I feel so spaced out, got a thumping head, few palpitations and dizzy. Hoping this subsides soon, any feedback would be great please

please can anyone tell me if they suffered dermatitis while taking citalopram ??????????

i have asked several times but so far no confirmation. i have really bad facial dermatitis and am fed up !

i stopped taking citalopram becuase one of the information leaflets mentioned circular red marks like coins appearing on skin.

i'm a bit tearful, partly from coming off citalopram so quickly but also upset at the state of my face.

if no-one has experienced dermatitis and think it's related to citalopram could you please let me know.

please can anyone tell me if they suffered dermatitis while taking citalopram ??????????

i have asked several times but so far no confirmation. i have really bad facial dermatitis and am fed up !

i stopped taking citalopram becuase one of the information leaflets mentioned circular red marks like coins appearing on skin.

i'm a bit tearful, partly from coming off citalopram so quickly but also upset at the state of my face.

if no-one has experienced dermatitis and think it's related to citalopram could you please let me know.

I have been on Citalopram for...wait for it..... 12 years(20mg throughout).

Deceided to try and come off it as I was still feeling dizzy and unsteady on my feet and it affected my walking..Not depressed in any way.

Went from 20mg down to 10mg over a 3 month period then 10mg every other day. for 3 months also.

End of Nov I came off altogether.

Been 3 weeks now,anxiety increased afraid to walk far and hate people coming to talk to me when Im going from a to b,unless I'm in work or at home or away from busy places.Just hope this goes away soon as my gp has suggested going on Sertraline if this continues.

Anyone with similar experiences duriung the first month or so of coming off or is sertraline any better?

Thanks All,

Good Morning All

I am currently withdrawing from Citalopram having being on it many years with the dose increased to 40mg for the past 3 years. Hence, how I am feeling, led me to look for and discover this forum this morning.

Having read other peoples stories gives me some comfort that this is normal and not 'just me' however I think I may have rushed it....I feel like hell but desperate not to give in to it.

I am working with a Therapist at the moment who seems to be helping and hope that having a clear 'drug free' brain would enable me to make the most of it.

It's so great to meet fellow sufferers, listening to your stories regarding work and social issues, I don't feel so alone.

I am just coming up to 4 weeks without citalopram after going cold turkey and I feel terrible. I am irritable and weepy, which I can just about cope with, but it is the intense pain I have in different parts of my body that I am really struggling with.

My shins hurt when I walk, I get intense eye pains, headaches and the skin on my hands is so sensitive it hurts.

Please can someone reassure me that this will pass, or if they had the same experience. I am determined not to go back on the citalopram but am being sorely tested. PLEASE HELP!

Hi susan 05295

I haven't experienced any dermatitis from Cit withdrawal.

I do sympathise with you though. I had quite a severe outbreak on my face around a year ago.

My GP prescribed a course of a Tetracycline-based antibiotic, Lymecycline.

It cleared up quite quickly, although I stayed on the course for 2 or 3 months.

Anything on your face is always going to affect you...it's right there all the time! And no, it's not vanity.

Have you been to see your GP?

I hope you can get the right treatment for you.

xx

HI all, just wanted to say that I fully understand how frustrating the weight gain is and also the withdrawal symptoms. One day I decided to go completely off of my then 4 years of 20mg Cit. cold turkey. I hallucinated so badly that I almost died.

The weight gain was a big issue, so I went to my doc to talk about options. He told me that I had been on it for too long to ever be able to go off.... without becoming very ill and suicidal. I know this sounds bad to some but he put me on yet, ANOTHER drug, Wellbutrin, to counter-act the weight gain. It worked.

I still hate them both and wish to come off but the hallucinations were so bad, I am scared to try again. Anyone else go through this?

I had been on 20mg citalopram for 8 months when I decided to start weaning off them over a period of about 2 months. I started reducing my dose at the end of October and today (1st Jan) is my first day without them (I had gone from 20 for 2 weeks to 10 for 2 weeks then 5mg, 2.5 mg etc). I feel okay in myself, obviously I know that it's early days in terms of withdrawal but for the past few weeks of dose reductions I have been having what I can only describe as entire nervous system 'jolts' in my body. It's like the feeling you get when you are starting to go to sleep then suddenly wake up with a start, thinking you have fallen. The jolts aren't painful, just pretty unpleasant. I hope they don't last too long.

Having had a full course of CBT and psychotherapy for moderate anxiety and depression I am hopeful that my state of mind has improved, but I am also anticipating withdrawal in the coming weeks, as well as unpleasant physical symptoms. But I am going to work through them. We should all remember that withdrawal is a finite experience and not an indication that depression and anxiety are returning. Stay strong everybody!

P.S. I'm sure many of us are affected by the seasons (I know I am) so if you are suffering from withdrawal as well as a bit of S.A.D. just remember that the days will be getting longer, there will be more daylight and hopefully sunshine and that can really have a positive impact. For this reason I think this is a good time to come off the meds, because as the withdrawal starts to wane after a few weeks, the springtime will also help cheer people up.

Good luck everyone xx

Hey Guys,

Thank you all for sharing your stories.

I'm a young man and have been taking 10mg for almost two years now; since I developed anxiety/depersonalisation during my first year of University. I'm in my final year now and have reached the stage where I really want, and need, to be off the drug. Without realising the drug has slyly changed certain aspects of my personality and I wish to return to my old self, not reliant on medication.

I've been taking them on 2 day intervals for the past 1/2 weeks and now that I have run out of medication, I've decided to bite the bullet and cut off completely, taken the step towards a life not reliant on these drugs.

How would you advise preparing for this? I am back to University next week and have a busy schedule to drop back into. I exercise regularly as this helps my state of mind and eat healthy food as much as possible. Am I in for a rough month?

Any advise and/or inspiration on this matter would be much appreciated from anyone who has experience in this.

I hope you are all staying strong.

Many Thanks,

James x

Hi James, I think with coming off citalopram it's really important to remember that withdrawal is only temporary and not necessarily a sign that your anxiety has returned, so keeping this in mind will help during difficult moments. It sounds like you will be keeping yourself very busy going back to university which is really good and will help you take your mind off withdrawal. Even if you feel like doing nothing, keeping yourself occupied will stop you thinking about negative things. And just accept that you may have bad days but these will become fewer and fewer as time goes on. I've had a few physical symptoms since stopping the meds (see previous post) but knowing that I'm not alone also makes a huge difference. Good luck with it!

Hello AchWeil,

Thanks for your msg on 24th december. It's actually not the withdrawal from citaopram that i think may be causing the dermatitis. i think it might be citalopram itself that is causing it. i have seen a dermatologist who did a biopsy on my face and told me i have dermatitis. the creams he prescribed (protopic, elidel, 1% hydrocortisone ointment) didn't work.

i have stopped citalopram for about 6 weeks now and see no improvement in my dermatitis. in fact it's getting worse.

hence not sure if it's the citalopram that is the cause after all despite one of the leaflets accompanying the tablets mentioned red circular coin shaped marks on skin.

thanks for the info about lymecycline though. i will mention it to the new dermatologist i'm seeing later this month.

Hi guys,

It's really interesting reading your posts. I have been taking 10mg Citalopram for 15 months and just about a week ago I stopped taking it (I am taking also 10mg Amitriptiline at night, same length of time, because I had nerve pain, sciatica for about 3 years and depression too, poss linked to high-pressure job, travel and exhaustion).

When I stopped the Cit, at first I didn't notice anything different and by the time I started getting weird stuff happening with my eyesight, balance, and some of the 'heady' symptoms you guys have described, I didn't at first equate it with the withdrawal. Now I see it's definitely that, but want to know what your opinions are on going 'cold turkey' which I guess is, in effect, what I have done (though 10mg is hardly a high dose!) I also get nightmares but I'm not too bothered about that - at least I'm still sleeping! I do feel mega-drained too, even though I have taken a year off work (because of exhaustion - I'm self-employed so I could do this fortunately) and all I have to do each day is run the (rather large) house and land, and take care of our horses. It isn't much to do really compared to what other people do so I constantly feel guilty - but I feel so physically drained as if I have no muscles in my arms or back (the muscles of which hurt a lot of the time too - does anyone else get this? I think it's worse since the withdrawal). Having gone this far already, I'm not sure whether to continue this way or to cut down gradually. The doctor who prescribed these drugs diagnosed me with CFS /ME / Chronic fatigue 18 months ago but she has now left and the new doc is rather lax and laid back and "oh take some vitamins, you're a spring chicken you'll be fine (I'm in my mid-40s!!) Actually I've started drinking green smoothies, home made each day, and making sure I have the right vitamins and minerals, etc - and cod liver oil high dosage - and evening primrose oil. I used to take this anyway. I always feel as though I haven't eaten for weeks, I'm so weak (yet as many of you have found, this isn't the case and in fact I have gained about 10 pounds

All opinions and feedback on your experiences welcome!

thank you guys ...Sophia.