Morning Anxiety : Could it be a mini withdrawal?

Going to try dropping to 5mg at end of week as will be 3 weeks at 7.5mg so watch this space. Taking them just before go to bed working better with sleep so far. Hope you soon feel better anyway.

Glad taking them later is helping you 😃

Sorry you are still struggling think lot people have sleep problems on citalopram as you say everyone seem different. I get odd night when not great the ocd still pretty bad. Had read on anither site others who found AD caused OCD found it eased once they came off them so going continue weaning off. Think current situation not helping our problems with no distractions, do you get much fresh air even if just sitting in garden as i find that helps bit. It does seem very up and down unfortunately reducing down. Hope things improve

How you doing today hope you are improving bit. Think I'll drop to 5mg as been on 7.5 for 3 weeks as figure sooner i get off them the better. Everyone seems different but as only been on them 6 months and low dose hopefully if i gradually do it over about 11 weeks won't be too bad. Very trial and error i got friends just stopped no problems wheras others have awful problems trying come off them.

If you've been ok on 7.5 then hopefully the drop to 5 won't be too bad, fingers crossed 😃

I did wonder whether alternating between two doses for a week e.g. 10/7.5 would soften the blow or be too much of a fluctuation - I'm pretty sure it'd be ok with, say, Fluoxetine as it's got a very long half life. Citalopram has a half life of 36 hours so you'd think it would be ok but since I got full on brain zaps after missing a dose by only a few hours maybe not. Then again, maybe I metabolize it very quickly and am thus more sensitive, it might work for someone else.

Always trial and error with this stuff!

I do think liquid would be helpful, particularly towards the end.

Today feels a bit better, but it's still early!

Yes as you say very trial and error everyone different. Anxiety not great but think to be expected when dropping no worse than on 10mg. Just want to get off them. Did think citalopram had long half life, zopiclone has very short half life which is why withdrawal effects so awful. Think once lockdown eases will help as any distraction or meeting up with friends does help just feel lethargic all the time at moment.

How is your sleep now? Mine been pretty bad since dropping to 5mg last 3 nights guess it's all part of withdrawal. Seems some people take it for sleep problems so maybe the anti histamine has a sedative effect. Could do without it affecting sleep along with everything else hopefully will level out a bit. Has been very hot here at night doesnt help just end up feeling really tired all day and lethargic.

Better now the 7.5mg seems to have settled, thanks. Has taken around 3 weeks to settle.

It's a very mild antihistamine but I suppose some people are more sensitive than others. I think the sleep improvement is a long-term effect linked to the anxiolytic action of the medication, rather than short-term antihistamine effects.

How are your OCD symptoms?

Still not great but not helped by very little sleep the last 3 nights. Think just have to soldier on as don't want to come off them too quickly. Think it's delayed my recovering from zopiclone withdrawal by adding more chemicals to the mix but you don't know until you try these things. Glad you are improving, can't plan any holidays or anything for a quite a while with the virus so just hoping by next year I will have improved!

I wonder how much difference splitting the tablet does to the rate at which it's absorbed, essentially the film coating is partially removed, might be insignificant, might not.

Anyway, I pondered this as I was finding that I was getting a weird feeling a couple of hours after taking the 7.5mg so I've meddled again - now trying 2.5mg before bed and the remaining 5mg in the morning. I am sleeping better but that could just be coincidence but I do feel a little bit jittery a couple of hours after taking the 5mg so who knows!

Having an awful day today anxiety is through the roof and OCD is awful got stage can't take anymore. I was wondering about taking the tablet at a different time. Might try splitting the dose like you say. Don't want to increase up as really desperate to get off them but this withdrawal is awful. The not sleeping just racked up everything. All so trial and error. Tablets so tiny quite difficult splitting

Were you ok on 7.5mg? How long did that take to settle?

It took 3 weeks for me so I'm guessing it'll take another 3 weeks every drop.

Took 5mg about 2 hours ago and feel jittery - this didn't happen with 10mg (once it had settled) hence why I was ok taking it at night but with the cut down tablets it seems to have an effect...which is odd!

Think was bad first week or so but been sleeping OK up to cutting down to 5mg. Did read somewher can be very hard cutting down on low doses. Might try taking half at lunchtime then half at night. It's not sleeping that's the killer. Had years of it before going on zopiclone. Seems you have to experiment bit find what causes least problems once get on liw doses.

when i lower my dose my sleep is awful for around 7 months (thats just me though) it doesnt matter what else i take or when i take it, then it settles a little and i start getting 3 hour chunks then i drop again x

How are you doing. Did sleep bit better splitting dose but made me feel lot more anxious during day especially first thing, so wondering if just prolongs effects from drug. Think will go back to taking them just after my dinner. Just want get off them will try every 3 weeks or so dropping dose. Can't cope with too long taper as hoping once I'm off them slowly improve as they have just given me worse symptoms

Ok-ish, thanks.

I think possibly, and it's just a guess, splitting the dose at low doses might cause fluctuations as per the original thoughts behind this thread. In other words, when taking a small dose (for some people) it's mostly gone by the morning which coincides with the morning cortisol rise creating a 'perfect storm'.

Perhaps, for you, 5mg in the evening is enough to get you past the morning period whereas 2.5mg isn't. The question is, what happens when you want to drop to just 2.5mg overall - will it be a case of settling or will it be that 2.5mg isn't enough to get past the morning. (perhaps we'll need to take it at 3AM! j/k)

The elephant in the room is: is this morning experience the effect of small doses causing fluctuations in body chemicals or is it a glimpse of what it'd be like Citalopram-free?

II did think maybe need the 5mg in the evening, hoping once been taking it couple more weeks then might be able to drop it. Or possibly alternate between 5 and 2.5 ?. Before taking them didnt have the constant anxiety or OCD, had the intrusive thoughts mainly if I was out thinking might have pushed people in the street but that was all. No OCD or checking things, just was able to do lot more before started them. I'm convinced it's the chemicals I was anxiety free before stopping the zopiclone so hopefully once get rid of the chemicals and get through withdrawal improve a bit. Should just waited for zopiclone withdrawal to ease but learn by our mistakes. Been told can take 2 years plus😪