Hi I’m after some advice. I have withdrawn from citolapram very slowly over a year. I am currently on the dose 2.5mg. I am staying put for now as I feel very anxious sometimes! I do have periods where I feel ok and then the time of my period and just after experience bad anxiety and depression. Can anyone advise ? Is this withdrawal or is it me ? I wasn’t like this before I went on tablets. Please help anyone been through withdrawal and come off successfully ?
Hi.. I was on Citalopram 20mg for 13 years. I have successfully been off then for 18 months. I am super proud of myself. It has been a difficult journey and there have been a few times I have cried and thought it easier to just go back on them BUT then I remind myself how far I have come. I am now starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. I have some periods of anxiety and dealing with stress is very difficult but I get through it. I always have Bach rescue remedy on me to calm me down if I need it. I don't think people realise what a journey I have been on these last 18 months and to be honest I have had no support either but I am very pleased with where I am jow. It is possible but you have got to be prepared to take the rough with the smoothe x
I have struggled to find success stories as mist end up straight back on them after a couple of weeks. I am just trying to research the long term affects that this poison has on us. When you stop taking them it's like all of your emotions that have been numbed or suppressed by these tablets all come to a head andyou have to deal with them. It's a difficult journey but stay positive and be around positive people x
Plus my body has been through it too.. for a long long time I was feeling like I had been beaten up it something. I was tired all of the time. Bonus is I have lost 2 stone since coming off them (I gained 7 whilst taking them!) I have now joined the gym and looking to kick the other 5 stone the curb lol x
Last year I came off 10mg of citalopram very slowly. I did it over many months. The worse part for me was that I would shake uncontrollably if I tried to stop it too quick. I did come of it fully and felt great. I came off mine after the doctors told me to take a break after been on it for five years for anxiety. The citalopram took my anxiety away and I was so happy over those five years and I achieved a lot in that time too. The only problem I’ve had is that at the end of last year, a lot happened in my life and I didn’t handle it too well and the anxiety creapt back in so now I’m nine weeks back on the citalopram. I just want to feel good again with no anxiety. We are all different, many people come off them and never look back and they do great. It’s wether or not you feel ready, the anxiety could be a side effect or it could be you worrying about coming off the citalopram. I think some people stop trying to come off it and sit where they are for a while to allow their bodies more time to adjust. But it is very slowly does it over a lengthy time period. I did it and you can too but just very slowly.
Hi Kirkby
Your doing great and I will be joining you soon. When I last came off them I went through over 3 years and felt great. Like you I was always tetchy and at times tearful around my period, anxiety often reared its ugly head around these times too, didnt need a calendar as always knew and those symptoms alerted me, I never put them down to coming off citalorapram as always had that problem. The first time I was ever put on meds was at age 38. The next time I was put on them was for menopause hot flushes. HUGE MISTAKE.
Hormones can be separate to meds although I suspect strongly the meds mess with them too.
Good luck with all this.
Hi, what dosage did you taper from? Not the first time that I have read that anxiety and depression is worse around period time. Likely hormones are the bigger issue.
What made you decide to come off citalapram? You are a brave soul! I am just starting a slow taper after about 18 months. I still have side effects such as tinnitus, slight morning anxiety, weight gain, teeth grinding at night etc...
Have to admit I am nervous about tapering. I have a busy job and family so need to cope with all of that as well! Will be interesting!
Thankfully you have only been on them 18 months. I was on them for 13 years and have come off them. It's willpower. It's a hard long journey but those tablets are poison.
I did the same thing back in 2013
Took a year to reduce to 1.25mg eventually and that was on alternate days! I had a tick list spreadsheet 😂
I had no real side affects but like you it took a year as I would have to go back to the last dose for longer
However I did not do well over next few years and have been back on it since jan 17. 20mg
I wish I had never tapered off as I know I missed out a lot as I went back to how I was. In fact had been like it for years but never realised I could be BETTER!
There may be a time when I will taper to 10mg but I ask myself why ?
I have a family history of these problems and am soooo much better on them
It’s horses for courses isn’t it
You may want to stay on 2.5mg another month
Then try the next taper
Doesn’t suit everyone but it replaced my missing link
Thank you for all your replies. I am going to stay on 2.5mg for the foreseeable and hopefully things will settle. It’s so hard to know what to do I don’t feel good at the minute find it hard to calm down but I can’t take the weight gain and the numb feeling citolapram gives me. I just want to know how long these withdrawals will last or is this just how it will be from on 😩
Thanks Lorraine, I believe you are absolutely correct. I am so annoyed that my doctor prescribed Cit so quickly. More annoyed with myself for not doing research before taking. The first 8 or 9 months were hell followed by months of just feeling weird In combination with the usual assortment of side effects. The sooner I can taper off the better. No more Ad's for me. I have started to just slightly reduce the 20g tablet by about 10%. Will see how it goes!
Can I ask you what increments you tapered on and how long you stayed on each one? I have been on citalopram 20mg for 3 years and have spent the last month shaving more and more off, however my withdrawal symptoms are unbearable: utter confusion, slurring, fatigue, anxiety, feeling unconnected to surroundings, intrusive thoughts etc.
Also how did you all get the dosages so small, I’ve just invested in a pill cutter but it seems like it’s going to be really inaccurate and as I have a high sensitivity for fluctuations in dose, I think it needs to be precise. Any help or advice will be massively appreciated.
Celexa does come in liquid form...for more accuracy..
Hi thanks for responding,
I asked my GP about that this morning and apparently it’s only licensed on the NHS for children so I can’t be prescribed it.
However I have been looking into how I can make my own solutions of the crushed tabs doing the 10% tapering method. Does anyone have any experience in doing this?
Hi I have tapered very slowly over a year from 30mg. I tapered by 5mg at a time and waited until I had somewhat stabilised before reducing again. I didn’t have bad withdrawals until I hit 5mg so stayed on that for 5 months until I felt ok and then reduced to 2.5 mg where I have been ever since. I did this in January and am still suffering just hope I stabilise and this isn’t the new me !
I have gain 40 pounds from celexa...but I recently lost 35pounds by cutting out all white carbs..and iam still on celexa..the medicine does make you crave all the bad carbs...
Also the numb feeling usually Happens when your taking large doses..I know iam on ten and I never experienced numb feelings...
Hi Laura, I am from the UK and checked with the pharmacist and he says that we can get citalorapram in liquid form, adults and child on the NHS.
I had a similar problem as you with Amitryptyline, doctor said no not licensed, and I asked them to double check and she found it, that was last week, and am on it now.
You need to push them as its the typical money thing, apparently more expensive than the tablets.
Thanks Paula! I’ll check with my pharmacist and see if they can track it down.
Makes you wonder if you should stick on 5 mg all the time?
You may just need it
With hindsight that’s what I should have done in 2013 after my year of reducing
Am back on 20 mg
I may eventually work myself down to 10mg
Don’t beat yourself up about being on it
I learnt my lesson the very hard way