Coming off citalopram. :(

Hi Beverley,

Sorry you are having a bad day, are you just starting coming off these tablets or have you come off completely?

Sorry Beverley, just read your other post. You may have come off these too quickly - my doc told me to take several months to come off - have reduced from 20mg in Sep to 12.5mg now so am taking it EXTREMELY slow. I tried before several times taking a couple months to come off and it hit me badly.

You could try going back on a much smaller dose to see if that helps, but if you are feeling seriously bad please go back and see doc.

best wishes

I'm off them but I feel dreadful today

Hi Beverly

Had something happened in your life that triggered it off? I tried coming off before and felt terrible but, looking back, it was someone and not lack of pills that caused it. My timing wasn't right. Your life has to be ok before coming off imo

Hi all,

I've been on Citalopram for 2.5 years since going through a very messy divorce. I hadn't really felt great since 2002 after having my second child and going through quite serious post-natal depression (not picked up at the time).

After reaching an all time low in August 2011 my doctor suggested Citalopram. I began taking the tablets the day I got them and felt incredibly drunk. I then realised that the evening was the best time to take them!

After a few days my lips started tingling and swelling up - I was allergic to the tablet coating/binding agent, so I was given the Citalopram in drop form. It was a bit of a pain at first, but now I'm beginning to start weaning myself off this drug, it's possibly a lot easier than being on tablets. I would suggest to anyone who wants to come off Citalopram that this might be a good way forward. I'm now down to 3 drops each day (40mg/ml concentration) which is about 6mg.

A nutritionist friend suggested taking a high strength vitamin B complex (good for adrenal ie hormonal problems) and high strength omega 3 oil both of which are having great effects at boosting my energy levels.

Another huge factor, in feeling like I can move on without these drugs, is to take some form of exercise. I stopped doing any and I felt rubbish. Now I do a few squats each morning along with about 15 sit-ups. It doesn't sound a lot but it's making a difference. I could go all out and recommend Crossfit to everyone as this is where I'm heading! It's been proven to help depression, as does any form of exercise.

These are just a few ideas that are working for me. Good luck to everyone coming of any medication.

X

Yes you are probably right I did come off too quikly. But went

to see a neurologist at local hispital who yol me to come off

all my nedications. How I gave tried but now I have to go

back to GP this week with such terrible symptoms. Then 11th

see that neurologist again. Dreading it crying all the time. She diagnosed

"functinal weakness" which ever doctor latches onto now putting

ALL symptoms diwn to. Nothing can be done for it so BIG

Cope out . I loose all left side use including speech. Hohum

Well another update- after nearly 3 weeks of a minimal reduction 2.5mg my side effects are beginning to show, I have a cold - I haven't been ill at all since being on the Cit and last night my legs were so restless- so uncomfortable. Had to take 1mg of diazepan to ease the symptons. Honestly the ups and downs of Citalopram should be investigated further Im sure they wouldn't be handed out like sweeties if the medical profession knew what they really like.

Claire1974,

I had the exact same time frame reaction, at week 3 @ 2.5 mgs - dizziness and gum blisters.

I am now at about week 7 and am recovering from the flu ( however it is rampant where I am ) and the gum blisters are not going away. I go back to the dentist this Monday. Oh and last week my tongue was swollen and did bleed on and off. The tongue swelling has now passed and I think a couple of different foods might have been aggravated the gum blisters, so I stopped eating two things I love and eat in abundance :

arugula and shrimp. I have had neither in a week as of today and the gum blisters are back were they were, which just means they're tolerable. However yesterday I awoke with a migraine, which lasted for about 3 hours. I've had some headaches since I started my reduction, but nothing too bad. Today so far no headache /migraine.

The worst though has been the itching - especially my scalp. In my web searches, I can find only a couple posts about scalp itching + cit., both posts said it lasted a long time and then just stopped.

Ok - for the good, I can tell my mood is different in a good way and I am as of the last 3 nights sleeping a little better. I remain optimistic and am going to stay on 2.5 for at least another 6 weeks.

I wish everyone the best - Michelle

Ms. Mac and Sophia -

I am so glad you posed this question. I too have been on this drug for IDK since 2002? I was given cit for

PMS, which I haven't had for years now. So exactly, what does it do to the brain long term if you really

don't "need" it. However it did work for my PMS, way back then..

Hi Michelle

Lost my history, when I had to get laptop cleared of viruses, so can't find the great article I had read about taking Cit.

Taking the many SSRI's helped me through a few bad patches but maybe it was just the placebo effect - who knows? I needed that 'crutch' but, now that I'm in a better place, I feel I can stop. What would happen to me though if I kept taking it for another 14 yrs.? I really thought I would be on it for life as I was convinced I had a chemical imbalance!!!

I just hope I make it without any drugs.

The best thing for me was dance classes. I would struggle to go but come out on a high that Cit. never gave. People say that about the gym, running etc. Maybe I will get back to those activities, now that I have so much more energy.

S

Another update - seem to feel a lot better today. Went to exercise class and felt great after extreme tiredness 2 days ago and weird fluttery feelings in chest. Was worried it might be heart trouble but seems to be quite a common withdrawal symptom. Feeling a lot brighter today.

2004 - 2013 : 20 - 40mg citalopram and 6 unsuccessful attempts to come off.

Oct/Nov 2013 17.5mg 2 "wobbly" weeks after first dropping dose

Nov/Dec2013 15mg - same

Jan/Feb 2014 12.5mg - 3 "wobbly" weeks after first dropping dose

http://saveyourself.ca/articles/anti-depressants.php

At last I found the article I read. I found it extremely interesting, to say the least.

Hi all.

My first post on any medical forum. I have been taking citalopram for about 12 months. Went from 10 to 20, am now on 40 which my GP said was the max. I have been living with a number of medical conditions, which, along with personal issues, have left me with bouts of depression over the years. I resisted anti-depressants, but had to do something from making things worse. I still get severe bouts of anxiety over simple things. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which causes severe tiredness & total body pain. Anyway, I will leave it at that for my first post & hope I can communicate with folk in the same position. Thanks for reading.

Hi Lee and welcome

There are several different threads, on this site, about antidepressants so hope you find one that will help you. This one is about people wanting to come off so there may be a better one for you.

Hi all.

My first post on any medical forum. I have been taking citalopram for about 12 months. Went from 10 to 20, am now on 40 which my GP said was the max. I have been living with a number of medical conditions, which, along with personal issues, have left me with bouts of depression over the years. I resisted anti-depressants, but had to do something from making things worse. I still get severe bouts of anxiety over simple things. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which causes severe tiredness & total body pain. Anyway, I will leave it at that for my first post & hope I can communicate with folk in the same position. Thanks for reading.