Hi there. I have been on Citalopram for nearly 2 years to help me through a very difficult stage in my life. Things are much better and I saw my CP a couple of weeks ago and we made the decision to try and come off.
I tried it myself once before. I was only ever on 10 mg and tried to do one day one one day off but after a week I was terrible so resumed my daily dosage. My GP has told me to try 5mg daily for 3 months and then review. I've done about 10 days and been ok but have had a bit of a bad day today. Nothing too drastic but I'm very very distracted, can't sustain concentration and financial worries have crowded in on me. Would this be about normal for reducing the dosage in this way?
Hi, when I came off cit, I came off really really slowly. I cut my 20mg tablet into
Bits and stayed on 15mg for two weeks then down to 10mg for two then 5mg. It worked for me and I didn't have any side effects. I think the slower you decrease, the better. Good luck
Yes, agree with Lifechanging. I also cut my 20mg meds into 1/4's and reduced by 5mg each time - went from 20, 15, 10, 5. Stay on each dose for 2-4 weeks each time and when you eventually reach the last 5mg start taking it every other day for 2 weeks, then every 2 days etc etc until it becomes once a week then stop. The slower the better.
K x
Hi Sally,
I totally concur with Lifechanging and katecogs as that is what I was advised. Advised by the wonderful people here and my GP however, due to one thing or another out of my control I haven't started to reduce yet. When ever or if we feel I am ready this is the same coarse I will take, as it is the only one.
We do get people posting about many things, but what would be good and helpful is if you could post regularly on how it is going to give the rest of us the hope that we may one day try to come off as well. Who knows, may never come off, would like to try though.
Only the best of wishes sent yer way and look forward to hearing how yer getting on.
Best Regards,
David
Thanks for your encouraging comments. I did pick up later in the day. Life's problems will still keep coming so it is about how I cope with them with less and eventually no citalopram. I'm a teacher on Easter break so some of my usual stresses are absent at the moment. The real test will be going back to work. Mind you my financial difficulties and my job are of course related. But no doubt this is true for many many people out there. I'll try to post regularly to let you know what cutting down is like.
Hi Sally. I have also been on citalopram for 2 years. I was only ever on 10mg. Last week i ran out of pills, i thought i had another box stashed away but i didn't. This meant that i could not get to the doctors over Easter. On Sunday i went to an emergency clinic to get some to tide me over. However, i had alredy done 4 days without it. I felt ok considering. Because of this, when i got some more, i decided to go down to 5mg and see how it goes. I have been planning to ween off for months but wanted to wait for the weather to change.
I am surprised how well i have been doing. I do feel some symphtoms such as being a bit anxious in the mornings, feeling a bit spaced out. The worst though is that i have restless legs syndrome, this is keeping me awake at night. I will keen goign on 5mg for next couple of weeks and the lower the dose again.
What i am very surprised about is that i feel very clear headed and more alert. My energy is better too. I had such a foggy brain on cit, even just 10mg, and felt so fatigued all the time, in the end it was this that was depressing. In retropect i don;t think cit was right for me, i felt like crap for most of the time. Now i am feeling brighter generally, it's kind of the reverse of what i felt i would feel. My life is in a much better place now though and the depression has overall lifted. I do have flat days, but i think most people do.
I will keep a close eye on how it goes. Can i ask has anyone actually felt better, less depressed, coming off citalopram?
the only really bothersome withdrawal effect, so far (fingers crossed) is the RLS.
Cit was wierd for me anyway becuase it actually increased my sex drive too! Again the opposite of what i thought would happen. It also made me feel quite mad though and knackered hense me coming off.
Good luck with your journey
One thing I often suggest for people who come off Citalopram and you really do feel you need something but are reluctant to restart them, is to try a natural SSRI bought over the counter called 5-HTP and also l-tyrosine (both can be bought at Holland & Barrett). These are excellent and there's no side effects at all or withdrawal effects with them and they work quicker. I came off Cit some years ago and took these for a year with great results, though unfortunately I did restart Cit when my son became ill and the stress became too great for me. I'm now back down to 5mg and will stop them at the end of the year and go back on the natural ones again.
You must be completely off any prescribed SSRI before starting 5-HTP and must be taken together.
K x
I've only been on citalopram for over a year (10 mg) and not ready to cut back yet. Just recently had a cycle of depression because I missed a few days taking it. Is it Ok to be on it for a long time?
You can take this medicine for life if you need it. I've taken a low dose of it it for 15 years and it's kept me happy.
K x
Hi there thought I'd let you know my latest. Well I did have a bad couple of days. I was doing some spring cleaning and having a bit of a major clear out. Quite a normal thing to do but I did find this difficult. I became quite compulsive about it and at the same time found it really hard to stay focused. I would flit from sorting one bit of tidying to another without completing one task first. I had great difficulty prioritising what was important. One one day I mislaid something. Not that important really but convinced myself I'd thrown it out by accident and I. started going through rubbish bags. It was a cheap, easily replaced thing but I couldn't cope with having lost it. Being a mum it is normal to do such a project and then attend to your child when he needs you, put the washing on or make meals but boy did I struggle. I did not like being interrupted from the task. My ability to multi task and juggle lots of things at once has definitely been impaired.
Now that hat job is done I am much better but it does worry me about going back to work after this holiday when multitasking becomes the norm and stress and demands on me are huge. My husband thinks I should go back to my normal dose but I think I should definitely try to come off.
Is this since doing the reduction? Citalopram helps to soothe, and I know when I reduced and then finally stopped some years ago I noticed I was more agitated than usual plus I became very emotional and would cry at anything ...... whether it was happy or sad.
Citalopram helps soothe our nerves, so I imagine a reduction in the meds could mean maybe you felt a little more tense than normal and felt the need to rush about frantically? It might be just teething troubles whilst you reduce, similar to side effects when starting the Cit.
When you go back to work maybe have a word with your Manager, HR or someone and explain you're feeling out of sorts for a while - maybe even do less stressful work?
Im on 5mg now and am feeling ok still, but there is a slight difference I've noticed - I'm not quite so laid back as normal.
Hi Katecogs, this is reassuring to read your post. I have experienced panic disorder when I was very young (12 years old) and developed generalised anxiety disorder from it. I have spent the last 30 years living with ( sometimes more successfully than others ) and managing the disorder. I am an avid believer in self help and therapy. But recently I became overwhelmed, almost like a burnout of emotional distress. It was then that my therapist suggested exactly what you have said, that I can go on a low dose (10mg) for ever if it helps. I am on day 5 and to say it has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. First day was weird but nothing scary. Second day I had panic attacks as I have had on third and fourth but maybe not so intense as I didn't completely buy into them. A psychiatrist friend of mine said this was all totally normal and to be expected and would eventually settle down. I just want something to take the edge of the anxious way I think so I can work through my anxiety. Your post has given me hope that this might be possible. Thank you.
Hi Stephen. Sorry to hear you've suffered with this for so long. I also struggled with it for many years, and though I took anti depressants they did little to help. Taking SSRI's changed all that - I slowly recovered. My GP said I could stay on them for life if necessary.
You'll find great relief in these meds in time. Yes the reactions you have on them are normal, and will definitely settle down. You maybe feel heightened anxiety for a little while but it really will ease in time.
I couldn't believe it when after 15 years of ill ess I began to recover and I've stayed well for 17 years maybe now? It will help your anxiety greatly.
Stay in touch :-)
K x