Coming off citalopram. :(

Hi every one.

I am thinking of circulating some information in the form of a letter to GPs and mental health professionals in my area about the problems we have talked about on the forum here in 'coming off citalopram'. I am thinking of doing this without telling them which forum we are on and using different names for everyone. What do you think?. I thought the info i could abbreviate would be a small scenario of each persons problems of coming off citaolpram for example

Person A ..... "My doctor said to come off the medication in "x" weeks. I dropped from some many mg to so many mg in so many weeks and the problems i had were........"

For example I would say of myself. "I came down from 20mg to 10 mg of citalopram in six weeks and then I became very fatigued for three weeks and wouldn't consider increasing my hours of work from two to three days a week because of this".

Would any one else like to be included on my list?. Please say if you think this is a bad idea.

Have a great holiday beautiful day and hope you even out on that 10mg well.

I am thinking of doing this list because I think that reduction syndrome is very overlooked and not well understood.

Marbel

Marbel, I think is a great idea and I will certainly be telling my doctor what I think , when I see her next week. Two weeks to come off 13+ years of medication is just not right.

Julie, hope it's not too long before you're in a position. Nice weather, on the way, apparently, for the UK. Give us sunshine!

Thanks Ms Mac, Marbel and Julie for the good wishes. Felt a bit anxious last night and this morning, but its not quite 2 weeks since my last drop, so hopefully its just the normal withdrawal collywobbles!

I think the info for GP's etc is a good idea, just hope they dont dismiss "things on the internet" like my GP does!

Looks like the weather is going to get a bit warmer, Spring is coming, hope you all have some sunshine while I am away!

xx

Had a horrible day and nervous but that's because I have had something go wrong with the house and no-one to help me. Looks like my neighbour has had a flood and not told me.

I have been taking 20mg for over 10 years, and now my life is settle and I would like to stop taking them. I have had counselling and now also go to the gym which helps my mental health.

I started 10 days ago alternating my does from 20mg one day, 10mg next day etc but I feel really anxious, drained and tired.

Am I coming off them too quickly? I need to see the doctor but would like the view of people who have gone through this rather than the text book withdrawal.

I am 46 with a stroppy 13 year old daughter and a husband building his own business whilst renovating the house, so there are challenges but I don't want to rely on tablets any more.

Please help.

Please, Nicola, do it over a month, at least because my withdrawal of 2 weeks was much too fast and I had dizziness and muzzy heads.

Should I carry on taking 20 mg one day and then 10mg until I feel better and then reduce again? or shall I do it another way? I rather do it right and for good than quickly and end up a mess.

My doc. told me to reduce from 20mg (have taken 40mg) every day to - 20,10, 20 10 for week one, then 10,0,10,0 the next week and then nothing. After 13 yrs. that was all wrong.

I would take something like 20, 20, 10 for a week or 2, then 20, 10 for another week or 2, then 10, 5 for a week, then 10 zero. I am not a doctor so please try and see what works for you, If you get dixxy, I would keep with them, slowly.

Thanks, I'll try that....really appreciate your reply.

You're welcome, Nicola. If you have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, I would keep on a low dose until the subside. Good luck.

hi nicola

am reducing my tablets at the moment, have gone from 20 to 10. Its only been a week but i dont feel to bad at the moment, but i do have wat feels like the beginning of a chest cough which is strange as i dont have any other symptoms like a cold or anything.

what my gp told me was not to do 20 one day then 10 the next because you will get more withdrawal symptoms as your body has more cit in it one day then the other.

she told me to reduce to 10 till i felt stable on it, she said it could take 2 weeks or 6 months it didn't matter how long but i must feel stable and have no withdrawal symptoms, then she told me to reduce to 5 and stay on that till i felt stable, the to cut the 5 in half to the 2.5 and do the same with this dose, then wen i felt ready i could stop it altogether.

She did point out very strongly not to reduce to next dose until i felt well and had no withdrawal symptoms

Well it seems to be working as its a week and i dont have any symptoms yet!!!!!!!

gonna wait another week to see if all is ok, them will reduce them to 5.

Hope everything is ok ms mac, remember tomorrow is another day you still have ur health and you can cope with the other things, just take your time

sending hugs to you

Juliex

Julie

My doc. told me small doses would have no effect on the body so I think it would only be the placebo effect that would be working but that's ok!! I would recommend, to anyone, undertaking the withdrawal journey to be very careful and do it slowly.

I felt great when I first came off them but it's been a rocky road since and am sitting here, in the middle of the night, crying and feeling very nervous.

I live alone though and have some worries and through the night is the loneliest time ever. I just need something to take away the jitters that make me emotional but, of course, they won't prescribe tranquilisers, even for emergency use.

I'm the kind of person who cries at the drop of a hat and nothing will change that - not even Cit. did that!

I will be truthful and say I feel like taking a pill but I won't. I've come this far and don't want to go back so along the rocky road I will continue to go. I have to realise it's my nature to be super-emotional and look for other ways to get over the bad periods of life without the pills as crutches.

S

x

ms mac

I admire you so much, after my daughter died, the nightimes where the worst my ex partner was useless we didn't grieve together at all and i felt that i had to be superwoman and hold it together for my other 2 children and the rest of the family, so i felt so alone and used to put the tv on for comfort even when i was asleep it was still on in the background. This went on for years and it was only when i met my hubby 5yrs ago that he helped me be strong enough to realise that i didn't need to tv to go to sleep.

Your determination is astounding and its fantastic that you recognise that its the withdrawals making you nervous and your not taking a cit to help, i cant wait till am in the same position. Mind you its easy enough for me say this as i can help and support everyone else, but when it comes to me then i crumble lol

I also used to put headphones on and listen to music just to take take my mind off things, or knit, my mum taught me to knit when i was young, so i used to knit toys as i am a child trapped in a adult body lol

Hang in there you can do it, i hope your keeping a diary of this journey especially of your thoughts and emotions, so that you can look back and say WOW

Juliex

Thanks Julie so much.

Yes, have been keeping an 'emotional diary' for quite a while now. Depression is such a terrible illness.

Singledom is not always easy as there is no-one to give you a hug and take you out and away from your troubles BUT as you've proved, marriage doesn't always give you what you need either. In a lot of ways, it's even worse to have an unsupportive partner.

I think YOU have been the strong one. I've been through a lot but not much is as bad as losing a child. I think, after that, that you deserved to find a new partner and I'm sure that was a git from your daughter to make sure mummy was ok.

Another emotional day to get through but I will make it. I, usually, have to cry until there are no tears left to shed.

I'm a Reiki Mater but just not good at helping myself but should really try.

Onwards and upwards. Been through a lot worse that this and got there so will get there again. My doctor said I'm a strong person so I have to believe that.

W shall overcome!

Have a good day all and take care of number one.

S