Posted , 12 users are following.
I decided to quit Citalopram 10mg after a week since the side effects are nasty and it worsens my speech impediment. But I'm worried that I'll have bad withdrawal. Do I need to taper off or can I just quit cold turkey?
0 likes, 16 replies
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barbara13507 honestavocado9
Posted
I would taper off to be on the safe side.
Dobber80 honestavocado9
Posted
i started with 10mg for 6 days, then 20mg for 14 days before i had enough. i weened myself off for 5 days at 10mg.
It took 14 days to finally feel somewhat normal again, thank god. I panicked it felt it was becoming permanent. it does subside just give it time
cristan70584 Dobber80
Posted
I'm having the same problem. Stopped at almost four weeks. I was going insane with the effects. I'm 11 days off now and I still can't sleep but two hrs a night. I'm so weak I can't do anything. I'm loosing faith that I will be normal again.
Ace444 honestavocado9
Posted
I was on 10mg for a month before I decided I had enough with the medication and the side effects. Doctors told me to quit cold turkey 🙄 because I was on such a low dose and I wouldn't have any withdrawal. I trusted my doctor and quit. Bad idea especially when medicine effects you so bad. I didn't know I was going through withdrawal when I just quit and thought something was really wrong with me. After about a week and a half I decided to try another medication because I thought the withdrawal effects were my anxiety doing it to me. Tried another medication for two and a half months and again could not handle the side effects. I weaned off this time and still have withdrawal side effects, but this time I know that it is withdrawals from the medication and not anxiety. So I will not hop onto another medication. Going to try and clear all meds from my system and go from there.
My advice would be, even though you have been on the medication for a short period of time, wean off of it. Doctors may suggest you don't need to but I really recommend it. You should expect to have some withdrawals but it will be temporary so don't scare yourself thinking something is really wrong with you. Do not feel bad because medication is not for everyone. I have tried several different kinds and the side effects always get me.
Things that have helped me are taking Fish Oil, I take a probiotic pill every morning, and drink plenty of water!!! I have been experiencing extreme nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, pressure in my head, and my body feels a little weak. It's only been day 4 without any medication but I feel better then when I was on it!
Just be patient with yourself, and if you can, try to take some time off of work just to take it easy. Let others around you know what's going on with you so they understand! Try to keep your mind occupied on something else ( I know this is easier said then done unfortunately) If your into crafting, try crafting. This has helped me. I even started selling my crafts I got so good at them haha 😂. But anything that took my mind off of the withdrawals or anxiety really really helped! This website is good to reach out to people when you need advice!
You've got this Yvonne!! 😬
portugalthecam honestavocado9
Posted
debra99078 honestavocado9
Edited
I was ok coming off after 9 days. A few side effects. But they were nothing compared to the horrible side effects Citalopram gave me! I am now sleeping 😌 No IBS! My Doctor put me on a tryciclic antidepressant it is great so far.
Check with your Dr but you should be ok. Make sure someone close to you checks on you if you live alone. Good luck 😉
kristy0807 debra99078
Posted
Hi there -
Did you quit cold turkey or did you lower the dosage for a couple of days and then stop? 10 mg is the lowest dosage so I wasn't sure if you cut it in half for a few days and then stopped.
Of course I'll talk to my dr but I wanted to get others feedback too.
Thanks!
Jakemje debra99078
Posted
lucy09383 debra99078
Posted
lucy09383 honestavocado9
Posted
I know its been a year since your post. I just wanted some advice as I seen you was looking to come off citalopram after taking 10mg for 9 days? Did you gradually come off it or quit cold turkey in the end ?
honestavocado9 lucy09383
Posted
I actually decided to stay on Citalopram but quit after a little over 4 months. I also increased my dose to 20mg but I didn’t notice any difference after 18 weeks of being on Citalopram and still felt weird while taking it.
I decided to quit. I first decreased back to 10mg for 1 week and then took 10mg every other day during week 2, and then stopped all together.
My anxiety and depression then came back so I decided to go on Sertraline, which I’ve been taking for 2 weeks. The side effects are unnoticeable and so far so good.
Are you currently on Citalopram?
lucy09383 honestavocado9
Posted
Hi, Thanks for replying.
Okay then did you get any withdrawal symptoms when stopping citalopram ?
I was on sertraline for over a year and come off them February/ march time as had medical problems and gp advised me to stop all medication to see if any of it was making me ill.
I stopped it cold turkey, had terrible headaches everyday but didn't notice withdrawal symptoms too much as was really ill at the time.
I then started to feel better medically, my gp started me on citalopram 2 weeks ago I took it for 9 days but had really bad side effects so they informed me to come off cold turkey as I had only been taking for 9 days. I thought great I will feel better straight away, I'm on my 6th day now being off it and I'm not as bad as I was but still feeling poorly, feeling sick on and off, terrible headaches and feels like my head is floating.. just aching all over
amanda07085 honestavocado9
Posted
Hello I have only been taking citalopram 10mg for 1 week & the side effects have been far too much for me so I have decided to stop taking them. I called my gp this morning and told her the side effects and she said to stop taking them, I have read so many comments saying don't stop so I'm a bit anxious about not taking any at all, so I was thinking of maybe taking 1 x 10mg every couple of days? (this was suggested by gp before she said I shouldn't have any withdrawal as its only small dose for a week. has anyone done this before and been okay? xx
robert21509 honestavocado9
Posted
I have a similar problem...! I wonder if anyone has any advice.
I was feeling the effects of a slightly low mood, really nothing dramatic or desperate at all. The doctor gave me 10mg Citalopram. After three days of taking the side effects were unbearable and the doctor advised me to stop immediately since i had only taken three days worth. That was almost a week ago and i still feel panicky, edgy, etc. These are symptoms i wasn't feeling before. My fear is that i have found myself in a new 'normal' state that will persist. Or could this be an understandable side effect of stopping the drug even after such a low dose for only three days?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
brad51763 robert21509
Posted
How have these last few weeks worked for you? Have you stopped taking it? What was the impact? My situation is similar to yours. Been taking it for 10 days, but my anxiety and depression were mild to begin with. I started on 20mg for the first 7 days but after 1 week had fluttering feeing in my chest, and it seemed to amplify my anxiety, mostly happened at bedtime, where my heart beat got to 110. I watched funny youtube videos to distract and bring my heartbeat down, but have lost lots of sleep. These last three days I skipped a dose. and then then took 10mg. I am thinking I will skip today, and see if I can avoid taking it forever more. The half life is about 40 hours, so I figure about 2 days before effects start to fade.