Weaning off citalopram
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hello everyone. I am new to this discussion board. I have been taking citalopram 20mg for about 25 years now. Had a doctor appt today and told her i wanted to come off. She suggested I take 10mg for 2 weeks then done! I have been doing a little research before this and I read alot of stuff about decreasing your dose by 10% for like 3 to 4 weeks then another 10% so on and so forth. After reading discussions I would like to avoid as many side effects as possible. I was thinking of going down to 15mg for 3 weeks then 10mg for 3 weeks, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated! I feel as though you get put on this stuff and the doctor doesnt know how to wean you off.
0 likes, 24 replies
michelle0711 cis58
Posted
Cis,
I have been on 30 mg for 7/8 years and started weening off by 5 mg, 3 weeks ago. I plan on staying on 25 mg for at least another month before decreasing 5 mg again.
Today is the first day since I began 25 mg, that I feel the most normal/balanced. Side affects have been no appetite, nausea, fatigue, trouble focusing, disorientation, a little down, and a little anxiety, rushes of excitement and positivity. Some days I only have one or two of these symptoms and about a handful of days I've had more.
I tip my hat to anyone who has weened off faster. It is challenging but worth it at the end if I am able to function without them or on a lower dose.
I would suggest going at a very slow pace, minimum of 2 months before you decide to lower again, depending on how you feel.
Best of luck to you.
cis58 michelle0711
Posted
Capodingos cis58
Posted
Ask to be prescribed the 10mg tablets, it is easier to reduce by smaller steps then, you can cut them into quarters and reduce by 2.5mg steps. I found it easier to buy empty pill capsules on ebay and put the pieces in to make up the correct dose for a week at a time.
You could reduce by 5mg at a time to start, but at lower doses (below 10mg) I found it more difficult. Take as long as you need for the change to stabilize, and time the reductions to avoid any important events, it could take 2 weeks, maybe as long as a couple of months.
Personally I found alternating doses or skipping days made me feel worse and unsettled. The half life of citalopram is 35 hours, which means the level of the drug in your body has dropped to half after 35 hours, if skipping a day or two the level is up and down, worsening withdrawal effects.
The final step is difficult, I cut the quarter tablets to small fragments instead of jumping straight from 2.5mg to zero.