Coming off citalopram. :(

Hi I am week 3 of being off. I am feeling awful. Headache of all headaches. Dizzy. Spaced out. Frightened feeling inside. Grumpy and tearful. Do I go back onto a low doze or keep going.

Hi I would continue for a few days, then maybe you can go back to a lower dose, if you still feel rough, you could maybe see your doctor, i know what your going though its not easy itll get better

Hi Karen, thanks for the response. I will see what tomorrow brings. Think if I could have a reasonable nights sleep I would feel more able to cope.

How are you doing?

Hi all, spoke to my doctor and she said it's good i feel in a position to come off off them and advised me to take it slowly as I may risk undoing all the progress ive made. So staying on 20 mg then take it from there. Keep you posted.

I had a stroke 4 years ago when i was on maternity leave and just 36 years old. I was in a very bad place at the time and was very depressed, so doc put me on 40mg citralopram. I am now in a "happy place", and have tried to come off them, but when i do, i have hot sweats, mood swings, rages, tear, not to mention the 2 stones i have put on too! Is there anyone out there who has come off them and feel relatively normal again? xx

Lisa147 I was on 40mg until recently when I began to taper down gradually. I basically cut down by 5mg every two weeks and was neither up nor down. I'm now down to 20mg but I'm going to stay on this dose for a while as I actually feel better than I have done in a long time. I don't want to take the risk of coming off it completely at this stage - being well is what counts.

When life became unbearable I went from 10 - 30 mg over a 3 year period and then 40 mg over an additional 2 year period. The drug evened out my ups and downs which was a blessing when my anxiety went through the roof. That being said, I felt the good times were compromised when I did feel good so I've been cold turkey for about 6 months. I take a 20 here and there because I'm scared of it exiting my body completely, and sometimes I do feel a tad manic. Some days I get frustrated and emotional but its nothing out of character. If it is I have a fluox, which is not too often. I recognize that my emotional tract may take a turn for the worse, at which point I'll try to catch it and possibly go back to 20.

Besides the lessening of the good times, the only other qualm I had with Citalopram was that I became

inorgasmic unless I took a >2 day hiatus. I could see that seeming a juvenile reason to tamper with chemicals but your not 25 forever and it feels right.

I wanted to share my experience for the people on this page. Its wonderful to know your not alone. If anyone has advice or experience with going cold turkey from high daily doses I'd be greatfull. Thanks

When life became unbearable I went from 10 - 30 mg over a 3 year period and then 40 mg over an additional 2 year period. The drug evened out my ups and downs which was a blessing when my anxiety went through the roof. That being said, I felt the good times were compromised when I did feel good so I've been cold turkey for about 6 months. I take a 20 here and there because I'm scared of it exiting my body completely, and sometimes I do feel a tad manic. Some days I get frustrated and emotional but its nothing out of character. If it is I have a fluox, which is not too often. I recognize that my emotional tract may take a turn for the worse, at which point I'll try to catch it and possibly go back to 20.

Besides the lessening of the good times, the only other qualm I had with Citalopram was that I became

inorgasmic unless I took a >2 day hiatus. I could see that seeming a juvenile reason to tamper with chemicals but your not 25 forever and it feels right.

I wanted to share my experience for the people on this page. Its wonderful to know your not alone. If anyone has advice or experience with going cold turkey from high daily doses I'd be greatfull. Thanks

I have been taking Citalopram since my oldest daughter was born in 2006 though I have come off it a couple of times and had no problems. I have now been taking it for 3 years at 10 and 20mg though mostly 10mg and now feel the time is right to come off it. I took 10mg every second day for a couple of weeks then 5mg every second day and now I take 5mg every three days with a view to get it down to once a week then come off it.

I thought I was doing okay as I only had a few slight dizzy spells but today I feel like I have been hit big time with all the with symptoms you get when coming off them. I keep getting funny turns kind of like a fuzzy/ pins and needles feeling all over my head and the dizzy spells

Posted to early there sorry.

I was saying I have been feeling awful today with the dizzy spells, funny feeling in my head, I am scared of my own shadow near enough as I keep getting this awful scared feeling coming over me like I did when I used to get my panic attacks before I started in these tablets.

I am at the point where I keep thinking should I just go back on them and accept I may never be free of them but at least I will feel normal?

We are going away in 8 weeks and I am scared stiff of going on the plane now these awful feelings are back as I just do not know how I will cope so think going back on them may help and will also mean I will not ruin our holiday with panic attacks as has happened before.

For all of those who have had these things when coming off can I ask how long you had them for before they passed as it would be nice to have a rough end in sight.

I've been reading these posts with interest, as I've been on Citalopram for about a year. First of all, I live in Germany and was not prescribed these tablets by my GP but by a Neurologist. After 6 months, my lovely GP had read about these tablets having a bad effect on the heart, so I had an ECG, where one of the readings was a little high. She suggested I take just 10mg a day, which I did. I tried to stop taking them a few months ago, but gave up because I felt so horrible. f Now I'm trying to come off them again and taking just 10mg (half a tablet) every other day. I feel absolutely awful I've got a nervous feeling in my stomach nearly all the time, am tearful and VERY IRRITABLE but trying really hard to control it and pull myself together. What's worse is that I've not told my husband - he thinks I should just take them for ever!!!! I've also put on half a stone, utterly my own fault coz I've eaten too much, but my appetite just grew and grew since starting these tablets. So apart from feeling very wonky I feel fat and blobby too. Has anyone out there got any ideas what I can do in order to get off them??? I just don't want to go back to the Neurologist because she will just tell me to start taking them again!! All ideas greatfully appreciated.

Hello all. New site user but long time DEVIL DRUG user. I have been on this stuff for 7 years or so now. Memory has taken a hit while on this. So has my energy, desire, motivation and it has affected my job(s). I recently enlisted the help of a therapist and within the first session she pegged this drug as the culprit for my issues. I did not know this drug was a sedative of sorts. It calms you down, I know that but I thought that was just to the serotonin and neroepenephrins assistance. Since I realized this and now can directly pinpoint my mental and physical state to this drug it is time to ween off. I read most of these posts and it looks like I am making the right choice! My only fear is that once I am off this nasty drug, I will be the same droll that I am now. Don't get me wrong, I do ok on this drug, I have a beautiful daughter that is my world, but I am afraid I am not the dad I can be for her. I know I am a good dad but I can be better. 40 mgs for me right now! I am just pissed that I have lost this many years of being in a fog. Any support or pointers???????

Hi everyone, new to forum, so glad I found it! Was beginning to think l was going mad until I read about other peoples experiences. Been on 20mg for 11 long years. After being told by my gp last week that l am at risk of serotonin syndrome as l also take triptans for chronic migraine he reduced my cita dose to 10mg. All was well until yesterday when I started getting many withdrawal symptoms that others have experienced. Today I felt suicidal, paranoid and very teary. Now I know the reason I feel a bit better. Decided to go back to gp asap and sort this out. Good luck to all going through the same issues

Hello every oneI have just found a really good website. Seems to make a lot of sense to me as iv failed a couple of times to come off Celexa. It says to taper of very slowly..10 percent for a few weeks or months. Everyone is different. I'm going to give this a try as iv been on drug for almost 13 years and hate the weight gain. I have to say the pill was a life saver for my panic attacks and anxiety but enough is enough. The doctors here in the States ( I'm English ) told me to take a pill every other day but that's when I had side effects and went back to 20mg dose. Find I'm better off taking things into my own hands. Doctors don't know everything and all they want to do in the States is give you more pills and make more money. Never knock the NHS over there!!

Good luck to you all website www.Survivingantidepressants.org

Today is the first time I have ever posted on a forum. I have been on 20mg of Citalopram for a whopping 11 year as I suffer with anxiety. I have tried so many times to come off them and have never managed it. I'm entering into my second week without it and I feel I'm in a living hell. Reading some of these post has given me so much hope and I'm thanking you all very much. Any advise will be so welcome. What I suppose I'm really asking is how long this hell lasts .