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Coming off citalopram

Posted , 3 users are following.

Supersaint82
Supersaint82

I started taking 10mg of citalopram on the 4 of February, by the 8th I had to stop taking them on advise from an out of hours doctor, I spoke to my doctor last Monday who told me I should take half for 2-3 weeks which I did the week jus gone up until thurs I had no problems, I started to forget things so I spoke to my doctor on Friday 13th yest who told me I should stop taking them completely and that she was going to keep an eye on me, now as soon as she said that I handed my unused tablets back to the pharmasit, now I'm just wondering if I done the right thing I'm also wondering how long half a tablet would last in my system

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • michelle48123
    michelle48123 Supersaint82

    Posted

    Hi Super saint,

    If you last took 5mg yesterday it's going to take another 3days to be out of your system and if you've been having side effects, which is no doubt why you're coming off them, those side effects can last up to a week.

    Is it because of the side effects ?, how bad were they ? Did your doctor explain that they can be very hard to live with but don't last all the time ur taking them, only till the drug does what it's supposed to do.

    If you had very serious side effects, that might suggest an allergic reaction, a rash, chest pain.....I can understand, you would have to come off. But if like me it was nausea , anxiety, loss of appetite, nightmares, they are normal and expected to last a couple of weeks, longer with a dosage increase. There's a whole list of expected side effects, some people are lucky enough not to get any, some get the whole list, but it's just a sign the drug is working, it 's just unfortunate that you have to go through feeling worse for a while before that stops and the benefits begin.

    Hope I've not waffled too much.

    Take care of yourself

    Maybe discuss another, different antidepressant with ur doc ??

    • Supersaint82
      Supersaint82 michelle48123

      Posted

      It was doing me more harm then good I don't think they were the ones I needed, I kept forgetting things at work which nearly cost me my job, thanks thou
    • loxie
      loxie Supersaint82

      Posted

      Hi supersaint,  you were right to take your doctor's advice and stop them.  Cit does not suit everyone, there are many versions of SSRIs out there and it's not worth risking your health or wellbeing by persevering with one that obviously wasn't right for you.  I had a nasty reaction to citalopram too and stopped taking them.  Side effects are one thing but it's not uncommon to have an allergic reaction and that isnt just a side effect and could be dangerous to continue.  The half tablet you last took will take a little while to be out of your system but the reactions should subside very quickly, so dont be too alarmed.  Discuss it with your GP but seriously, do not consider taking cit again, you - like me - are obviously allergic to it and this happens more often than you realise.  There are other options however so good luck in finding one that suits you.
    • Supersaint82
      Supersaint82 loxie

      Posted

      Thanks I think I was as I had a rash on my hand which is slowly going
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