Help me. Citalopram symptoms making me worse

Posted , 2 users are following.

for years i was on 40mg citalopram and i thought at the beginning of this year i no longer needed to take them so i point blank stopped. after a few months i noticed myself going down hill. i never told my dr i stopped or how i felt. so i started taking the left over citalopram again. i took 40mg the first few days and then i was overcome with the worst dizziness ever and make me panic. so i didnt take any for a few days, then i started taking 10mg for about a week and then i contacted my dr, i told her and she put me on 20mg. i started that about 1 month ago and i feel so dizzy mostly at night but since monday, i thought i think its because im not an high enough dose so i willingly took 40 mg again. how i feel dizzy as hell and i have one part of me thinking im dying from canceror a brain tumour. i hate bothering drs and i dont leave the house, im stupid with what ive done. is this why im feeling dizzy and have an foggy brain and slight headache? im stupid i know, im going to go back to just 20mg and stick with that. i just want to feel normal again.

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Edited

    Hey, sorry to hear your feeling like this. I know exactly what your going through. Its perfectly natural. Youve been on a high doze for all these years then suddenly you stopped. Your body and brain is going through withdrawal. You probably know now that to come off a SSRI you have to do this over months/year infact. Youve then tried different strengths only to play havoc with your mind/adrenaline. It takes a long time for these tablets to do their job but not long for them to unsettle your system when you stop them so abruptly. They are so sensitive. I have been on SSRis on and off over the years. I have been on Citalopram 10mg for nearly 2yrs now and I resigned to know Ill stay on them for life if I have to. In the beginning they hightened my anxiety tremendously. I cried 24hrs a day, I was incredibly anxious, my intrusive thoughts took over me in the most terrifying way. I was off my work for 7 months. Im back at work now. I still have good and bad days but the impact of my illness isnt as scary now. its still there but the Citalopram has helped to control my symptoms plus along with time and great patience (lots of it) I am slowly turning a corner. I tried to up my strength to 20mg but it was too much for me. Everyone is different when it comes to that. I think you need to start off small and then go to a higher strength if it suits you. You will feel your symptoms being aggravated along the way. Thats them getting into your system. Plus, no matter how well you start to feel you can have setbacks along the way. Believe it or not, setbacks are recovery in the longrun. For everytime you fall youll rise a bit stronger but you will get better. Stay on the low dozage, only up your dozage through time and consult your GP if you decide to but give it Loads of time and patience. Your symptoms will settle. If you mail KateCoggs on here, she will give you a whole insight into all of this as shes an ex sufferer and shes ab amazing at explaining everything to you. She helped me tons along with loads of other sufferers. She saved me at times from going crazy. I hope this will help calm you, Take Care Xx🥰

    • Posted

      so glad I'm not alone with this. i just come back on now because i had a good week but feel dizzy again and getting tension headaches. it makes me feel like its something else which is stressing me out. i will do thank you so much for your reply i really appreciate it xx wish you all the best xx

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.