Having taken 20mg of citalopram for at least 8 years, then increasing it to 40mg over a year. I was told in October to cut down and stop completely. I have now been drug free for 9 days. How long until it's completely out of my system?
Not sure try Googling it
When I googled it, it brought me here 😟
Hi
I've taken 20mg for 15 years, and has a year off it last year. Withdrawl took me a few months until all symptoms stopped completely. Why have you told to stop .... are you happy with the decision? These meds can be taken for life if needed - they're not addictive.
K xx
Hi Kate,
Spoke to you the other week, need some advice. I've been on Citalopram for 11 weeks today, 3 weeks on 20mg And 8 on 40mg felt much better after 6 weeks but haven't been great last 2 weeks, especially around time of month, anxiety, intrusive thoughts and feeling flat and terrified gone back to square one. Do you think this means they aren't working or is it a blip, I did feel much better, but had a horrible day yesterday and I'm scared, all my rational thoughts seem to have left me. Thank you.
Chrissy
Probably nothing more than a blip. Could be a delayed reaction from bumping up your dose as well, even if it was eight weeks ago. I bumped from 10mg to 20mg, fine for a few weeks, then de-railed for a week. I still think it was something to do with increasing the dosage.
Intrusive thoughts are horrible, common in anxiety and depression, but do go away eventually, so don't dwell on them too much. It's a passing thing. EVERYONE gets horrible thoughts, when you're anxious, you latch onto them. As the anxiety subsides, the thoughts subside.
Dont go reading up on them; it'll make them stick around longer and you'll just make yourself more anxious.
I hope you feel better soon.
Thank you so much Rhys, sometimes when I'm low I obsess about the intrusive thoughts and look them up, your right, it is by far my worse symptom & sometimes think I'm going to be stuck with them forever.
When I'm feeling better, they fade, but as soon as I feel anxious, they are back and feel worse, as I think they have gone for good. Does time heal? Thanks anyway, sometimes I think I am the only one who think such horrible things and forget I'm a kind over sensitive human.
Hi Chrissy
Yes in my experience it seems we start to feel good on these tablets, then get these blips every so often making us feel like we're back to square one. Seems this is the general pattern people take. If you try and just accept you're going through a normal blip, let it be there, don't try and make it go but let it go on it's own, as it will eventually. These will come and go as you continue to get better.
Yes when we're in this dark place, rational thoughts do seem to go and we end up with racing, scary thoughts instead, but this is really just a symptom of anxiety. The mind is tired, and these thoughts stick to a tired mind. They'll lose their importance and go as the anxiety calms again.
When you're feeling well you can think clearly, understand the illness more, but when back in the dark place it all seems to go out the window.
Try and remind yourself that this is a passing phase, and it will go. Go about life as usual, and don't try and force yourself this darkness to go - it'll do it in it's own time. It might last a few day or weeks, but know that it'll pass. Very difficult I know.
K xx
I think when the thoughts come back, I don't reckon they're worse, but that you've temporarily forgotten about how they feel. Absolutely, time does heal. I was ill for many many years before being put onto SSRI's. I never thought I'd ever be free from whatever was wrong with me (it was never explained properly as I know now). Not understanding was very scary as I thought I was losing my mind, but knew I was a normal person just wanting to be free from whatever it was. I also thought I was the only one, and years ago there was nobody to share this with, no site like this, in fact no internet at all then. I fought it all alone. Thank goodness for sites like this :-). We're just normal humans with a illness that has typical symptoms.
As soon as the SSRI's kicked in and I began to get well, the thoughts faded and lost their importance and I continued to be completely well for 15 years.
Since being ill and now recovered, it's made me appreciate life so much. It's kind of made me open my eyes 
See, you said it yourself, they fade when you're better. 
You are absolutely not going to be stuck with them forever and it doesn't signal the start of some terrible, debilitating mental illness. It's just an anxious mind. Once the anxiety subsides, the thoughts subside.
I've had bouts of this, once or twice. It has always disappeared and I've not been carted off in a padded ambulance. Nor will you.
Time changes everything.
Just to echo what Kate said as well, I've had seven years where I've been fine. Not scraping by, not hanging on, not plagued with negative thoughts and emotions, fine. Recovered. Normal, whatever that is. I owe that to Citalopram; or at the very least an admission that I needed help.
You're going to be fine. The hardest thing is an admission that you need help. You've done that. I can't promise that it'll be easy, but you'll get through it to the other side.
Thanks for replying katecogs ☺
I was first prescribed citalopram when my son was 6 months old for post natal depression. I found it a great help and wished I'd been prescribed it at 18!
However I would still suffer from very low times, often during winter months. I dreaded Autumn and would just long for spring, hating the five months between. Eventually in September 2014 I returned to my gp for help as I was having increasing suicidal thoughts. I was referred to mental health team and shortly after given a working diagnosis of bipolar 2. My psych dr now wants me to try lithium and encouraged me to come off citalopram before starting. I was petrified at the thought, but have actually managed it. Im now learning to live withought citalopram but am not sure how long it stays in your system for?
Hi
I have been asking the same quetion aND in this forum i have raised a similar questio the post is titled "Trying to get to the Bottom of CItal Withdrawal Longevity" i have had several replys which are far from conclusive but you maybe able to gain something from them.
According to my GP the effects caused by the drug should be out of your system in a few days. That is the good news. The issue how your body / brain reacts to the result of the drug being withdrawn from the systems, not dissimilar to giving up smoking with the resultant loss of nicotine.
From my understanding Cit has an effect on the amount of seratonin in the brain. once the drug is discontinued there is a void which is it be filled and from what i have read on this site and others there are no real defined parameters as to how an individual reacts. Some people have no withdrawal (I have a female friend who was on Cit for 6 months and had no withdrawal symptoms) While others appear to suffer have being exposed to the drug for a relatively short period.
I had quiet sever side effects from a small dose over a short period. I gave up taking them on the 22 Dec 2014 the GP informed me that I would be back to normal by Xmas day. now 47ish days later I am getting closer to normal.
For me there appears to be a two step forward and one step back approach to improvement where i get a significant improvement for a few days the this platau's out and i then regres slighty and then te cylce begins again.
Having said all tha as i said earlier depending on a number of factors we are all different and peope appear to consider from no side effects with anything up to three months to be conpletely clear.
I hope this helps
Thank you so much, your kind words have given me fresh perspective & hope, sometimes it all you need and means so much more coming from someone who understands. 😘
Thanks so much, your words & Rhys have helped me so much today, your both very kind and I appreciate your time, helps me Realise how kind people can be. Bless you both. X
Blimey, I feel so naive. I truly thought I would be given a definitive answer. Sounds like I have come off very lightly so far.... fingers crossed I make it to next appointment on 19th without major incident.
Thank you so much for your interesting reply.
Do you exercise at all?
Running has been an incredible help for me; three or four times a week even for fifteen minutes has made a bad day into a good one. You don't even have to smash it, just a light jog. Something to think about.
It's hard to have a clear perspective when you're in a bad place. Just don't think there's no hope, not for a moment. It's a passing moment in your life. The future holds much better things.
Been meaning to, gonna stick them trainers on tomorrow.
I always feel more alive in the summer, and have thought about getting a light box for the winter. It's my birthday in a weeks time so think I'll ask for one as a present :-)
Years ago before I was on SSRI's I took part in a drugs trial whilst completing tasks in a controlled environment. One of the drugs was lithium, and whilst I took this and was doing a computer task at the trial centre, I suddenly had this amazing sense of feeling really well, no anxiety, no depression, as if so eone had lifted it all from me. It was the lithium. It wore off and sadly I woke the next day back feeling ill.
I think coming off Citalopram the medication - depends on what dose you were on and how long you've been withdrawing from it I suppose, but I expect it will probably stay in your system around 6 weeks maybe, the amount of time it took at the start for it to build up.
I'm sure you'll find the right medication for you soon, and hope lithium works well for you.
K xx
Hi kate☺
Thanks for your reply. I too will be taking part in research, but just for lithium I believe. It reassures me knowing I will be monitored and scanned during this period and am hopeful it will really help.
My husband bought me a lightbox about 5 years ago but sadly it gave me headaches. It's a shame I cant lend it to you before you invest. Everything is worth a try I say. 😊