What happens when I finish my course of Citalopram?

Hi,

I started about a month ago as well. And my course of 10mg cit is also about to finish. I do have a repeat perscription though. I have the same concerns as u, and did my research and wrote down questions for my Dr and friends who have been on this type of medication. 

What i have found is that u need to take the pills for 6 months to a year. They say for optimal results u need to count 1 year from the day u start feeling better an the symptoms dissapear then u can start coming off them. 

I am also a very anxious person..what i have learnt is that our brains produce seritonin which is a hormone that helps us cope and remain positive...

Now why happens to us because of our constant negativity and harshness on ourselves is that the seritonin gets depleted, so we get to a point where we just cant cope anymore and the seritonin is no longer performing the above mentioned function. 

Cit is known as a seritonin reuptake inhibitor...and what it does is it helps more seritonin biuld up in the brain which helps us cope..normally after every 24hour period our brains discard the old seritonin and begin making new ones. Because of pur anxiety we dont produce seritonin fast enough to cope. So the pill slows down the process that discards seritonin at the en of the day and helps us cope. 

The pill shouldnt just mask it (i am also afraid that it does) it should help restore ur seritonin production to normal so u can function. 

I am also still scared. And my anxiety is still there. If u are abything like me u need to know that u are not horrible, everything u do isnt wrong and u can acheive what u need to! 

We will be okay. Hope it helped x

Hi chelii and malone

what helpful comments. Chelli...I gave been asking that same question re cit and coming off it.

i went on it feb 13 started to come off the 20 Mg last July. Very very slowly. My GP tried to take me off it around may but parental health was bad and she said keep going a bit longer.. I was fab on the 20 mg. Coped well didn't get irritated with people. Really suprised myself especially as the health issues were increasing. Was wonderful. But I realized I should come off it and it's taken me a whole year to do that with very slow reductions. I am an anxious person , it runs in the family...I didn't know what to expect when I came off it finally at 1.25 mg...I cut 10 mg tabs with a pill cutter. I am reassured to read your explanation of how the cit works and how we should start feeling better....I do have to keep telling myself Not to overthink situation, text or compose conversations in my head about how things or people can irritate. It's still a bit of a struggle after 2 weeks clear of them and I too am tempted at times just yo say blow it , I will just go back on them! But that's not right for me in the long term..I have to learn to deal with life and not be negative or let things get to me. Chelii...keep going a bit longer having talked to your GP..it does take a few weeks to get into the system and feel better...but don't let anyone tell you when you stop that you can come off them quickly... I kept each reduction going for at least six weeks, had no side effects..there are no prizes for coming off them quickly. Trust me. Good luck. It does work and really helped me 

Depression, anxiety, mood swings, whatever! Call it what you will if Citalopram helps, use it. These things are caused by a chemical imbalance in your body, the medication isn't masking anything it is correcting that imbalance. You feel better? Good! Why come off them? They are not a prop, they are there to make sure that chemical imbalance doesn't give you problems in the future. I take them because my mood was foul and they kept me married because otherwise I was totally unliveable with! I am now on 40 mgs because I decided that I needed a bit of extra help! It's only medicine it isn't taking away your free will or anything! I'll never come off them.

Depression, anxiety, mood swings, whatever! Call it what you will if Citalopram helps, use it. These things are caused by a chemical imbalance in your body, the medication isn't masking anything it is correcting that imbalance. You feel better? Good! Why come off them? They are not a prop, they are there to make sure that chemical imbalance doesn't give you problems in the future. I take them because my mood was foul and they kept me married because otherwise I was totally unliveable with! I am now on 40 mgs because I decided that I needed a bit of extra help! It's only medicine it isn't taking away your free will or anything! I'll never come off them.