Coming off citalopram. :(

Hi Ditsy and Clare,

Sorry to hear you are both struggling. It may be that this time is not the right time to come off, I have tried several times over the last 8 years and not managed it due to horrible side effects and return of depression and anxiety. Am trying again but VERY slowly, dropping 2.5mg per 2 months. Dont let the docs bully you into either coming off if you are not ready or coming off too suddenly. Amazing how many GP's dont realise how hard it can be to come off these, suppose they have never had anxiety or depression themselves. One doc told me that I may have to be on tablets for the rest of my life. If I cant manage to come off them this time, then I will probably accept that I have a chemical problem in producting seratonin and will stay on them, despite the side effects and potential dangers of being on a drug long term.

Wish you both the best of luck

PS,

Forgot to say, have been doing a lot of research on the net and am trying omega 3 fish oils, cod liver oils,a really good multivitamin, probiotics as health is supposed to start in the gut, plus eating very healthily - loads ofruit, veggies, poultry and fish. All these are supposed to help with anxiety/depression/ocd. Trying to reduce alcohol too as that can definitely effect me. Am hoping that all this is helping!

Hi beautifullday and Clare

I really can't believe the little knowledge GP's have on Cit I am amazed.

I have downloaded a really good book about getting over Panic Attacks and anxiety. It isn't written by a doctor but he mentions the importance of a good diet and multi vitamins. He mentions healing and Bach flower remedies. I am not sure how you feel about herbal remedies but rescue remedy has helped me before.

I wish you all the best of luck, let me know how you go.

Take care x

Ditzy68,

You're so right about the GP's/Doc's not knowing enough about this drug. I just don't understand how they can not know? My GP just told me to stop - unbelievable. I am completely amazed at the time it is taken and the side affects. I have attempted to live through my severe PMS 12 years ago, had I known what would follow. However, ultimately I should have waken up 8-9 years ago and requested to come off... hindsight.

my suggestion to you would be to replace the medicine with exercise. Studies show that exercise has the same benefits as taking an antidepressant. I would put on some good feel food dance music and dance/march in place for 15 minutes a day. I would also reccoment tapering off your meds slowly. take 15 mg a day for a week, then 10 mgs for a week, then go to 5 mgs (cut a pill in half) then stop taking the meds all together. My dr. said this is the best way to taper off. I hope this helps

I've been on different SSRI's for 13 yrs. now and have try to come off them but always 'crashed. I've just done my first week of 20, 10, 20, 10 and will now be starting 10, o, 10, o, then nothing. Feeling ok, so far...fingers crossed because I SO want to be free of them. To be truthful, I'm wondering, now, If they really help!

Hey guys,

It's been three weeks since I last took my citalopram medication, I can't say it's been easy but I'm ploughing on and hoping that I'll feel better soon, and be rid of the drug! I've had intense headaches for the past week, getting a bit twitchy at times and feeling very fatigued, but it all seems to be lightening up.

Keeping busy, eating healthily and regular excerise has helped me a vast amount. I'd recommend the same for all of you who are trying to come this drug!

I've just ordered some low dosage St John's Wort & 5 HTP medication. I'm going to decide which one to try when they arrive as I've heard they are both great herbal alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Has anyone here had any experience with either? would be great to hear from anyone who has taken them!

Good luck to you all.

James x

A friend, years ago tried St, John's Wort and found it just awful. I remember trying it a couple of years back but I had to go back on SSRI's. I just want to come off everything and get my weight to normal. The weight gain has been extremely depressing.

Good luck James.

5htp 100mg- is really helpful, I have it as a back up when I'm getting low- coming off cit slowly starting from this week and have been taking 5htp for about a month prior to coming down. So far it's ok? - still early though!

I'd never heard of it but just been reading about it. Will try it, if I need it, when I come off this Cit. Thanks!

Hi all, after being on it for over a decade I have come off Citalopram permanently, it has now been 15 weeks. The worst of the withdrawal was over in the first two weeks and I now "feel completely normal". It can be done, just hang in there and you can come off them too. As I've mentioned before, I came off them very rapidly over two weeks and I've never looked back, and I view coming off them as the single best thing I have done for myself and my mental and emotional wellbeing in my entire life. I wish you all the best

TYVM. I'm now wondering if they DID help or they were just a crutch. They didn't stop me crying when things got bad. I've made a lot of changes and got rid of the people who were hurting me. That was the main thing that made me depressed. Oh, how I'm looking forward to being FREE!

Kurani - had you put on weight, whilst on them?

They did help in the short term, but in hindsight I believe I should have come off them after 6 months to a year. I cannot stress enough that I did a lot of "work" on myself with counselling and non medication therapies to deal with the original reason for being on them. I put on approximately 20 kg while on them, and as I understand from my research it will be at least a year before I see the weight I put on due to citalopram really begin to drop. I'm not saying 20kg was due to citalopram, I link a large part of it is lifestyle, so I have some work ahead if me to get back to my goal weight.

The lasting effect of citalopram for me is anger that I was on it for far too long, with the only benefit being profits to drug companies. For too long society has relied on pills to magically fix everything, but we know all too well that doesn't work. It's my own personal opinion that coming off quicker is better, you will feel crappy, but if you have dealt with the original issue in other ways you will get through, people who aren't on meds have crappy days, it's part of life. You will become emotional, you've not been experiencing the true spectrum of emotion while on medication, but it evens out fast.

I've been asked if I would go back on citalopram or similar meds in the future, I'm inclined to say no because while it helped at the beginning, it is not a long term solution and should not be used that way. Still, I don't know what the future holds, never say never.

Drug companies made up a syndrome for effects some people experience when coming off drugs instead of calling them withdrawal symptoms, which just serves to further worry people who want to come off them. My doctor always said don't come off them now, wait till your life is more settled. That will never happen, life is a roller coaster, there's no time like the present to take back control of your life and your well being. Doctors are highly trained and skilled individuals but no one knows you like you do.

It can help immensely if you are seeing a counsellor in addition to your GP when coming off the meds to rationalise any withdrawal symptoms you may get. Some people have little or none, others may have significant effects. Either way, providing the original issue has been dealt with it is not impossible, and easier than you may think.

For the record, I was molested as a child, raped twice as a young adult, I had complex traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder with panic attacks, depression, and social phobia. I had to deal with a large amount of death in my life, attitudes of others to my sexuality, suicide and the breakup of a 14 year relationship. It has been a long road to recovery, and I can't honestly say that citalopram did not have its part to play, but it was my commitment to recovery and the choices I made to deal with my issues through counselling and therapy that I attribute my success to.

A psychiatrist once told me that anxiety and depression will do more harm to me than citalopram will. I sincerely believe that was probably true in the first six months, but after that the complete opposite was true. Citalopram prevented me from truly experiencing life, the good, the bad, the happiness and the sadness. It caused some awful effects on my body (specifically male related things) which have all been resolved since I stopped taking it.

I now feel how I should feel, the way I always wished I could feel like other "normal people" do, instead of a stressed, unhappy and anxious mess that couldn't focus on anything or look to the future with any kind of positivity. I felt that when I was on citalopram, nothing would change, I would continue experiencing all those awful feelings forever.

Now I feel free, the way I am supposed to be.

Sorry if that was all a bit heavy, but I wanted to show you that no matter what your life has been like, there is life after citalopram, you might feel uneasy without the "safety net" but it's worth it and you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

I am now in week 4 of 2.5mgs everyday and things are starting to get better. My mouth blisters are staring to dissipate, with the use of natural toothpaste - talk about a side affect out of nowhere? I am still itching, not as badly, but still itchy. Thanks so much to those of you that PM'd me to share a similar experience. I do find myself more introspective, in that I try to think about the things that annoy me during the day and my responses. I seem to talk myself down from some of the little irritating things that I feel I might have been holding on to while on the cit, which is good.

However, honestly I've been on cit so long I don't remember exactly how I use to feel, especially since I

was given cit at the height of my PMS ( whoa, talk about a bitch ). Cit, is probably the reason I 'm still married, like I said in my original post, it did in fact work at the time.

I so am wishing you all good outcomes and so thankful I found this forum!