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Is my anxiety back due to cutting citalopram dose?

Posted , 2 users are following.

gillian26312
gillian26312

Hi,

i have been taking 40mg of citalopram for around 7 years now. I had been doing very well over recent years and recently decided to reduce my dose. for around a week i halved my tablets only taking 20mg each day. that same week i was on a night out and had a few too many. on the night out a man kissed me (i did stop it from going any further) i am married and woke up with terrible guilt. ever since my anxiety has came back to a terrible level. i suffered terrible intrusive thoughts before and they are back. i have now been back on my 40mg for nearly 2 weeks but still feel terrible. i can hardly eat and feel exhausted all the time. can anyone help will this pass and go away ?

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • ian90586
    ian90586 gillian26312

    Edited

    You should never reduce so drastically, especially after taking such a high dose for so long. You will experience serious withdrawal,and then drinking alcohol, which is a depressant, on top would only make it even worse. When tapering off any SSRI medication you should take it really really slowly,and reduce in much smaller increments.Even though you have retaken the 40mg, your brain will have to readjust again from reducing and now reintroducing and will probably take a bit of time before normalising again.

    • gillian26312
      gillian26312 ian90586

      Posted

      thank you so much for your reply. I really cant wait for it to kick in again as this has been awful.

  • ian90586
    ian90586 gillian26312

    Edited

    Yes, withdrawal can be just as bad as when you first took it. You have been putting a powerful drug into your brain for 7 years and you should really draw up a plan with your Dr. for coming off if you really want to,and very slowly. I've come off citalopram several times but have only ever taken 20mg. 40mg is the maximum dosage and should be lowered with caution. Having a bad experience like that only lowers your confidence again and makes things worse. I've come off every SSRI med in the past and found myself having to go back on them again after a while,so give it very careful consideration. Hope you get back to your normal self quickly.

    • gillian26312
      gillian26312 ian90586

      Posted

      thank you so much. i keep going through stages of feeling like everything will be ok but at this particular moment i am not feeling good at all. i am actually feeling like there is no way out if this and its just the most horrible thing i have ever experienced. i feel so tired and down. my mind is churning. i just want to wake up and be back to my old self. i am never coming off citalopram again.

  • ian90586
    ian90586 gillian26312

    Edited

    yes, withdrawal is really very scary. I've had many occasions after a couple of years on a med,when I've felt I haven't needed them anymore because I've felt O.K. When the withdrawals start to kick in after several days it's really frightening and you can regret what you've done. This is why you have to reduce by tiny amounts over a long period to reduce the withdrawals as much as possible. You will have to wait again and ride it out now you've taken the 40mg again. Just accept what's happened and that it's just the brain adjusting again to the interruption in the dosage,and you will soon be back to normal again soon and thinking you won't do that again in a hurry. Remember, reducing from 40 to 20mg is a massive step and if you do try again go down in 5mg increments or similar with the help of your Dr. etc.

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