Coming off Citalopram
Posted , 4 users are following.
l have gone cold turkey from today. l have been on Citalopram for nearly 3 months and side effects are still so bad i have decided to stop. the way i look at it is how can the withdrawal symptoms be any worse than the side effects i am experiencing now,? GP's hand them out like smarties with no guidance how to take them and i have never been given a review for any medication i have taken. The citalopram has levelled my mood but its not worth it for the way it has made me feel physically. l have come off antidepressants cold turkey and the only think i suffered was feeling very irritable around people, but hey COVID19 means i am out off a job and never see anyone anyway:-/
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0 likes, 2 replies
katecogs iyoga
Posted
The advice is to withdraw responsibly and usually it needs to be done slowly to avoid withdrawal and for your safety.. Withdrawal can be brutal and is usually different to start up side effects - nausea, dizziness, brain zaps, agitation, anxiety etc.. It doesn’t mean the side effects you have now will get worse, but more like you’ll have something else to contend with on top of what you’re already suffering with. Some people get a delayed withdrawal some days after stopping.
I’ve seen many people on here suffer side effects, then they withdraw and suffer more, restart and get even more side effects ...... and so on, and get into a mess as they try and cope with side effects and withdrawal. These are tough meds and not to be played with.
The best thing to have done would be to reduce. These meds take a long time to work - more than 3 months, and most people suffer side effects initially. It’s a question of taking it slow and waiting it out.
You may not get withdrawal, but I haven’t seen anyone avoid it yet.
Hope3578 iyoga
Posted
I strongly recommend that you gradually come off this medication. Most people who have just stopped cold turkey have experienced some quite nasty withdrawal side effects, that's not to say you will, because everyone is different, but the fact you have been suffering some initial side effects shows its likely.
It can take longer than 3 months for this medication to work, but you should be starting to see some improvements which outweigh the side effects. If I were you, I'd start by cutting down the tablets gradually. What mg are you on?