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Help and advice needed

Posted , 5 users are following.

simona66866
simona66866

Hi lovely people,

I’m back here with the hope to find some help and advice. I started weaning off Citalopram around 2 months ago. My doctor told me to decrease my dose by half - to 10mg. I was on 10mg for a couple of weeks but felt horrible withdrawal symptoms so with the help of people here and dicussion with my doctor I reinstated to 15mg. It took a week to stabilise but after that I was back to normal until couple of days ago .. I’m sitting in the tube now going to work not knowing how I’m gonna go through the day because of hightened anxiety and constant thoughts in my head .. I really don’t know what to try.. did 10mins meditation this morning which made me a little but calmer for 5 mins and now again that horrible feeling.. I’m scared that this is not going to pass and I think that’s where the whole problem started .. Do you think this is part of the withdrawal and the symptoms are going to go soon? 

Thanks a lot!! 

Simona

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • ruth08109
    ruth08109 simona66866

    Posted

    Yep, pretty sure that's withdrawal.... dropping dose to half and then increasing will surely create some waves.

    I just posted in another thread that when decreasing dose, some sites online suggest online decreasing by 10 per cent of your current dose every 4 weeks..... its very slow, and for good reason ie to minimise withdrawal effects.

    You will stabilise. Then stay put for a while, is what I would recommend. Most GPS seem to suggest tapering schedules that are WAY too fast.

    I would try to drop in smaller dose cuts than fifty per cent every time. For some of us, that is way too much of a drop.

    As for today, you'll be okay..... Probably having something to do will be good for you, I often find that even though I am angsty, work gives me an outlet for some of that energy.

    Wishing you a good day ??

    • simona66866
      simona66866 ruth08109

      Posted

      Thanks Ruth!! I’m listening to some sound waves in hope these would help me too. I think yesterday was definitely worse (I hope I'm not saying this way too early..). I’m on 15mg already for a month so is this wave normal? I don’t think I’m ready to withdraw yet .. not at this point at least. Work was hell yesterday but a bit more tolerable today. 

      Hope you’re having a good day too! 

      Thanks

      Simona 

  • katecogs
    katecogs simona66866

    Posted

    From my experience of weaning off Citalopram its best done at 5mg (or less) each reduction over a month each time.  I spent a year coming off and had no withdrawal symptoms doing it this way.  Halving your dose is too big a drop.

    Personally if I were you I wouldn’t withdraw any further from the meds.  You have anxiety along with the  constant thoughts which are a side effect of anxiety.

    It may be the withdrawal symptoms or it may be the anxiety has been provoked this again - whatever it is, I would sit tight and wait for your body to settle.  You’re not ready to withdraw.  If after a month you’re no better then increase back to 20mg again.

    Being scared of those symptoms not going to pass is how we get sucked into anxiety - you become afraid of the feelings and the thoughts which in turn produce more anxiety and you get caught up in the cycle once more.  Its how anxiety works.

    It will settle again - just give yourself time.

    K x

    • simona66866
      simona66866 katecogs

      Posted

      Thanks Kate! I think so too - I may have rushed my withdrawal. Definitely a mistake to go straight to 10mg that’s why i upped it to 15mg and been on it a month now so this came out of nowhere.. It’s really strange as it appeared when my mum came over and because of graduation tomorrow.. scared that I won’t be able to do it. So you think I should keep my 15mg then for another month? 

      Thanks,

      Simona X

    • katecogs
      katecogs simona66866

      Posted

      Hi Simona

      How long had you been on the meds and had you recovered?  But yes, if it were me I'd wait on the 15mg for as long as it needed - until the withdrawal effects had worn off.  There should be no rush coming off meds.

      Hope the graduation went well xx.

    • simona66866
      simona66866 katecogs

      Posted

      Hi Kate,

      I’ve been on them for 2 years this August. They were working fine until I started withdrawing which shows I’m not ready for this yet (foolish to think I was.. ). So when I started tapering off, I was 2 weeks kn 10mg and got all the terrible withdrawals so went back to 15mg and been on them since 10th June which seemed to be working fine .. until now. Can this be a protracted withdrawal? 

      I had a really good time at graduation - really anxious but made it somehow! 

      Thanks a lot for your help again!! Xx

    • ruth08109
      ruth08109 simona66866

      Posted

      I don't think the fact that you suffered when you started withdrawing shows you are not yet ready.... It is probably more to do with the fact that you are sensitive to withdrawal effects.

      If you go off them in the future, you need to do so.really slowly, by the sound of it.

    • simona66866
      simona66866 ruth08109

      Posted

      Hmm ok! Thanks for sharing this. Do yoh know when you have “waves” whe your body is trying to stabilise - is it normal to get different withdrawal symptoms? 

      Sorry I know I’m probably asking stupid questions but trying to figure out what exactly is happening to me .. 

    • lois95799
      lois95799 simona66866

      Posted

      Discontinuation symptoms come in all shapes and sizes..not everyone gets the same..
    • simona66866
      simona66866 lois95799

      Posted

      I know, just scared due to not knowing their duration.. but determined to keep on going! Thanks 
    • lois95799
      lois95799 simona66866

      Posted

      The duration is pretty questionable..because you may seem ok for a week or a day then bang you get hit again with the discontinuation side effects..
    • lois95799
      lois95799 simona66866

      Posted

      My Phychiatrist prescribes a long lasting xanex for withdrawal/discontinuation..that's how she deals with her patients that want to come off ssris..

    • ruth08109
      ruth08109 simona66866

      Posted

      Totally normal. I've come off cit before, and had a whole range of withdrawal effects, at different times. One effect would go, and then a new one would appear.

      Main thing now as has been said, is to stabilise on 15. Really wouldn't rush.

      Well done on graduation!

    • katecogs
      katecogs simona66866

      Posted

      Yes its best to withdraw with the smallest amount because it eliminates side effects plus its not such a shock to the body - as you don't want all those anxiety symptoms to come flooding back again.

      When you start meds you often anxiety and symptoms coming and going, so it might be because you've increased back up that its just this and its your body readjusting again.

      Anxiety is often a fear of anxiety itself.  The feeling isn't nice so we fear it, which of course produces more anxiety.  As soon as anxiety rears its ugly head we instinctively slip into that anxiety / fear / anxiety cycle again - thoughts begin to race as we try to sort it out, which then drags us further down.

      Understanding anxiety (why is comes about, why it stays, how to help yourself) I think is crucial especially when you come off meds - because the slightest inkling of anxiety and you can start to panic about it again.  If you understood it though you'd know what to do and what not to do if it spikes.  For me, that knowledge took away a lot of fear and mystery.

      I think it you wait on the meds dose you're on know things will settle down again.  If they don't after about a month then increase back to where you started from ... though I think the 15mg will settle ok.

      K x

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