I've been on these tablets for two years and was taking 40mg/day. I have recently decided to come off because I have developed 'titinnus' and it has reduced my sex drive: had I known these were common side effects I would not have taken them.
I am in the process and so far after 8 weeks I am down to 20mg with lots of side effects: sickness, headaches and vertigo. So far the titinnus and lost of drive is still present.
Has anyone experienced these effects and when do the go?
Any advice on how to deal with the coming off effects and how long should I persevere before they ease?
Go to your docs for advice.
i did and he has put me on an alternative antidressant for the next month in order to reduce from this new medication as it is easier to reduce with less side effects.
Good luck
I am new to this forum, but have been reading the posts for a while. I want to share my story. I have come off Celexa. My last dose was a week and a half ago. This is the second time I tried to come off Celexa. I took Lexapro for a year and then switched to Celexa for over two years. Something that has helped me tremendously is taking supplements to support my adrenal glands to to detoxify my liver. My naturpoathic doctor has been giving me Thorne products. The adrenal support is called phytosone. I highly reccommend going this route. This second time coming off my physical symptoms were minimal. However, I am going though all of the mood stuff. About 5 days into being off completely I cried for three days on and off. Feelings of hopelessnes, self- loathing, emptiness, being unlovable, feeling like my life was ending... and suicidal thoughts all came strong. I want to say though... that I also am estrogen dominant and believe that is making my withdraw mood symptoms much worse. I am in the process of completing a month long hormone saliva test and will for sure be going on bioidentical progesterone. I want to encourage the women who are between the ages of 30 and 50 to have your hormones tested via saliva over the full course of your cycle. Hormones and neurotransmitters are connected... after all we are one whole body. Our parts do not act on their own. I strongly believe that many women are given psychotropic meds when really they probably should be having their hormones treated naturally. But.. I digress. So- since my mood has been low I have started taking 5 HTP. I am taking 100 mg's a day to start out with. My sleep the past few days has been wonderful. Also- I did not get as extreme insomnia as I did when I went off the meds the first time or the manic periods (The day after going off the med the first time I got into a manic state and got a tattoo on my forearm... which I will be going through a painful process in the future to remove). I think I feel better this time because I am taking the herbal supplements. I am also taking Nordic Naturals liquid fish oil. Not the pill form...the stuff you drink. I don't like fish and I can stomach this stuff. Very important!
Just a quick background story: I am also a licensed mental health counselor. Due to the extreme issues I had coming off the meds the first time I quit my job in St. Louis and moved to Chicago to live with my folks. I will be 35 years old in a month and feel like my life has halted. I am also single. I have not worked in two months- this all to get off the medication for good. I believe it can be done... but I think there are major long term effects to deal with from taking the medication. I would not be surprised if as my brain and body continue to heal that several months or years down the road the dark clouds begin to part. I do not think this is simple... but rather complex. I'd strongly encourage everyone trying to get off Celexa to support your body with a healthy diet, good fish oil, excellent supplements, and a strong support network. This whole process has been hellish for me. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am off the meds and will not go back on them... no way!!
Please feel free to ask me any questions. This time coming off I went from 20 mg's to 10 mg's to 5 mg's to 2.5 mg's and then off. I did this within 3 months. I had been off the meds the first time for three weeks before having to restart them. When I restarted them I passed out and ended up in the hospital- followed by a week of extreme panic, horror, suicidal ideations, slurred speech, distorted vision, and the deepest darkest depression I had ever felt before. I was also catatonic- every minute felt like an hour. I am surprised I made it through that- I had insomnia for two weeks straight when I had restarted the Celexa. So... you can imagine I am glad to kick this med to the curb!!
Wow what a story and only 35, I'm older and have experienced the same difficult symptoms. Probably the worst is the ringing in my years (tinnitus) although the mood swings were also not good. I had a short period of shouting at everyone and then realised what I was doing. The loss of sexual performance is I now understand is a direct consequence of the meds and I can't wait to get all these side effects behind me.
I haven't had any counselling but at times I wish I had someone to share my frustrations. My wife is extremely understanding and great support but I feel that I cannot burden her with all my sh** and its good to be able to express these issues on the blog.
Keep going you will succeed one day and the effort will be worth it. If I had known how bad it could be I wouldn’t have taken these drugs.