Hello,
I have been taking Citalopram for approximately 9 years. I was initially prescribed the 20mg dose which was increased to 30mg around 4 years ago and then, once again, increased to 40mg 2 years ago.
I have tried several times to cease taking this drug in a variety of ways and have suffered debilitating symptoms each time, whether I have abruptly stopped or took up a steady and gradual decrease over a lengthy period.
To be more precise, in the past I've decreased to 30mg per day for approximately 1 month and found that I develop a lack of patience, a headache, achy/tired eyes in addition to dizziness and bouts of extreme fatigue and tiredness that literally switch off and on. I've had to treat this by reverting back to the 40mg dose as I feel tranquilized.
I've spoke to my GP several times to discuss lowering the dose. To my surprise, my GP does not seem to be aware of the withdrawal symptoms and has never discussed a withdrawal plan.
I do feel completely out of my depth here. Could it be that I will be stuck taking this drug for the rest of my life or is there a proven and practised way of stopping this drug?
I stopped Citalopram 20mg...cold turkey after 15 years.
For 2 weeks...I had discontinuing symptoms...that were mainly agitation....problems sleeping.
That's it...it can be done...you just have to put up with being a little uncomfortable.
I switched to a non-SSRI...because some other of my medications affect that induce seratonin and there was a drug interaction...I'm now on Wellbutrin.
I take my last pill tomorrow after 2 years.. It worked.. Whether you can get off depends on what kind of depression that you have.. If it's situatioinal, then you can get off.. If it's a chemical imbalance then perhaps never.. I started at 20 and went to 10 for two weeks and then five for two weeks.. I feel okay so far... good luck
I've just about stopped Citalopram ...... and had no withdrawl symptoms at all (unlike the first time I did it).
This time I reduced my meds by 5mg at a time, going from 20 / 15 / 10 / 5 / 2.5 and then I started doing every other day with the last 2.5mg and I hardly take it now.
First I bought a pill cutter and cut my 20mg's into 1/4's making each bit 5mg and started by taking 5mg less. Each dose I took I stayed on it for around 1-2 months and I've taken this last year withdrawing. If I got to a dose and I felt unsure, I knew I could just stay there or go back up 5mg ..... but I've been ok and had no symptoms.
First time I withdrew I had nausea, crying, brain zaps and I forget what else. It wasn't horrendous, but not nice. First time I did 20 / 10 / 5 / 0 over about 6 months? This time around - nothing.
No, you're not stuck on the drug. Your body needs to come off real slow. The slower and longer you withdraw, the better.
Try doing it by 5mg. Its a tiny amount and your body may not notice the decrease each time.
Hi i came off this drug about 6 weeks ago. Was on 40mg and came down 10mg per week and after 10mg nothing. Felt fine then 2weeks later i started with the withdrawal symptoms and omg it was awful. I do still have some but like you i was on for a number of years. It was so bad i suggested to GP to let me go back on but they said no as i would have to go through it again. The only thing i can advise is that if you really want off this drug and have suffered from withdrawal symptons each time then the only way is to fight these symptoms. They are awful and take time and taking anti nausea drugs and diazepam can help ease symptoms but the body is adjusting to not having this chemical in its system. Its not easy and you are going to have to be strongminded that you can do it and keep going as you will feel like before that symptoms are so bad its easier to go back on. Try to resist and tell yourself its just a phase and it will pass which it will but like you know it is at times insufferable. Only you know if you are strong enough to do this. I do find it incredible though that your doc knew nothing about withdrawal. Mine knew just didnt forewarn me and took me off too quick. You can also find strength on here talking to others when things get bad and it helped me get through it knowing i wasnt alone. Like i said ive still some symptoms but some info ive read states you need to give yourself as long as it takes and can be few months before start to feel normal again. Im just taking a day at a time and each week is another step closer to that goal of few months. Be kind to yourself as its a rough process. Good luck
excellent advice and similar to how I came off
Hi Kate, thank you that is reassuring advice, I came off them the start of last year (what I thought was slow) after about 10 years on them, I went through a horrendous time, my anxiety was off the scale, I gave up after about 8 months and went back on them, but it is nice to know when I feel ready I can give it another try x
Hi mark61320...I hope you are feeling well today flower. Can I ask if there is a reason you feel the need to come off the citalopram? To be totally honest...I am very new to all this and I've only taken it for 13 days! The way I feel right now..is..I wouldn't care if I was on it for life..as the way I've felt for months without it I would never want to go back there! The shocking headache..the fatigue and not feeling rested even after 12 hours sleep..the awful agitated feeling I'd felt for weeks..the confused mind!! The nightmares!! This was how I felt before I was given the citalopram!! They say it is very safe to stay on it..and I'm no doctor! But for the sake of taking a tablet a day..id never want to go back to that place!! That's my personal opinion right now..but like I've said...I'm very new to this!! If you feel better on it...id stay with it!! Or...I've heard people say cut a tablet in half...and ween yourself very very slowly!! Like if you are on 40mg..tell your gp to prescribe you 30 and 10's...cut the 10 in half and take it with the 30! X
I'm very interested in this post I've been on this medication for 7 years due to domestic violence causing panic attacks and anxiety although I'm still a little anxious I Bearly ever have panic attacks so they do do something 4 me but since been on them everyday is so hard to get through due to tiredness I'm always tired even when I've woken from a good night's sleep am still tired. I've currently just gone from 40mg to 20mg as I've told my doctor I want off them I can't live like this anymore I have to do 3 months on 20 then 10mg for 3 months then 10 5 2.5 I so want of this medicine but am also worried about the side effects I couldn't possibly more tired 24/7 then I am now hope u have a success in coming off them.
My first time coming off them I also thought was slow - 5-6 months, but that still wasn't slow enough ;-) I'd been on them for 16 years, and did manage to come off them during those months, but I did suffer. I stayed off a year, and due to family illness 2 years felt the need to restart as it began to affect me.
Of course you can stay on meds for life if you need to. They're no different to people having to take epilipesy meds, diabetes etc ..... so why should this illness be any different.
But yes, if you do decide to come off them, do try doing it by 5mg a time. It's been a completely different experience for me this time.
K xx
I am wishing to discontinue as I was initially prescribed a low dose of Citalopram to help reduce anxiety associated with having a social phobia. I do still experience a small amount of anxiety in public but it is not at a such a level that I think would be appropriate for an SSRI to be continually taken.
I'd like to be Citalopram-free so that I am in a position to experience a natural, rather than a drug-mediated, level of anxiety and resolve it through my own efforts. I also don't have a fond view of the Pharmaceutical companies who get people hooked onto these drugs. They must know that they are addictive to stop taking and I feel betrayed and flabagasted that Doctor's prescribe this dangerous drug to solve issues, such as anxiety or depression, which I believe a person should be able conquer through their own efforts.
My view is that your Doctor should have prescribed you 30 mg and he should have told you to alternate between and 30 mg and 40 mg. Even better, if he could have prescribed you 35 mg and allowed you to alternate between that and 40 mg I think that would work.
I've yet to try reducing my dose by 5mg increments. All I know is that reducing by 10mg results in tiredness, achy eyes, dull head, dizziness, nauseous, muscle spasms and fatigue.
These meds are not addictive. Addictive means you'd need more and more for them to work ..... this isn't how they work. You do not need to take a bigger dose, then a bigger dose and more etc. You don't get hooked on them. Any medication that works on the brain is going to be tough. Sadly its true though that doctors underestimate the power of these.
Yes they can be tough to come off, but withdrawing from them has to be done with a small a dose as possible and for as long as possible. If you suddenly stop taking them then it stands to reason your brain is going to going to go crazy.
If taken and withdrawn correctly these meds do absolute wonders for many people. But they don't suit everyone. For many people they are their saviour ..... as they were for me too, ending 16 long years of torturous depression and anxiety even though I'd tried all that time to conquer it with my own efforts. Within 6 months on these meds I'd recovered.
Everyone is different and our bodies react differently.
I'd suggest you withdraw by 5mg at a time taking at least months on each lowered dose. When you get down to the last 5mg, then crush it up and take half again for another 2 months, and then taken even less after that by just dipping your finger in the powder and taking a teensy amount. Finally stop. This is how I did it. No withdrawl symptoms at all this time around (unlike before when I'd tried to do it).
K xxx
By addiction I am referring to dependency. Yes, people who are addicted to something usually do take more of that substance but not always.
Citalopram isn't like sugar; Citalopram can take 3-4 weeks to work. It therefore would not be in a person's interest to take more of it since the effect of an increased dose would not be realized until many weeks into the future.
I do think, however, that Citalopram causes habitual addiction or dependence, which in the long run makes the Pharmaceutical companies rich and leaves the person who was given the drug unable to deal with their emotions properly since they are masked by the drug.
Often people are low in serotonin, and these meds help to hang onto it before its reaborbed into the brain, making you feel calmer, happier with general well being improving overall. Once coming off the meds you can find your serotonin going back to what it was again, making you feel low. The most natural thing is to boost your serotonin with other remedies, but that's often easier said than done for a lot of people who've simply lost the will.
There was a good programme of TV last week about the Wilderness Programme, getting young adults out into the wilds, camping, team building, being at one with nature ....... did many of them so good.
I think being at one with the outdoors is such a good healer. Music too ..... learn to play an instrument (my son did when he was ill and he's still playing 2 years later) 
Some people have diabetes and need insulin to regulate it ...... I don't see any difference with depression / serotonin really. Depression / anxiety is an illness the same as any other that needs meds, though obviously we can live without them, but often not very happily.
What dose are you on now? Have you started reducing yet? Do it slow ..... there's no need to hurry it 
K xx
I've been on between 60 and 40 for 7 years and now the docs just sliced mine in half n put me straight on 20 from 40 as I want to stop taking these tablets due to them giving me no energy low appetite and brain fog I've been putting up with these symptoms for far to long and want to feel normal again do you think my doc is doing it wrong by halting the dose everything as I feel terribly tired all the time I'm just learning to live with it but I hate it???
I think there would be no harm in lowering the dose in smaller increments, such as 5 mg at a time. If you read what I and others have written it seems to be the case that lowering the dose causes lots of negative symptoms so if I were you I would alternate between 40mg and 35mg for a month then alternate between 35mg and 30mg for another month and so forth so as to prevent your mind from panicking from swift and large changes in concentration of serotonin neurotransmitter.
Its important to remember that Doctor's, under the Law, are entitled 2 medical courses of action. It might be that your Doctor has not took on board how difficult it is for you when lowering the dose and so should now propose a Plan B to you.
I do often go cycling and long walks which is a positive experience for me. However, for me, Citalopram was prescribed for anxiety. In my view, I've never had Major Depressive Disorder and I've certainly not heard my GP prescribe or change my Citalopram dose for reasons of Depression.
To cut a long story short, in 2004 (age 14), I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes and the high blood sugar, in the view of my GP, caused Schizoaffective disorder (this is Paranoid Schizophrenia that occurs ONLY when made to feel stressed). I was therefore given Fluoxetine which caused disturbing symptoms and so they switched me to Citalopram. So they treated my anxiety but didn't treat the Schizoaffective disorder as it was believed this would resolve itself once my blood sugar returned to normal.
I feel that Citalopram is very good at reducing anxiety symptoms but, unlike the insulin I take which keeps me alive, my view is that I should not have been given any drugs because the side-effects outweigh the benefits and for somebody does not have Major Depressive Disorder, I feel that if I had not taken the Citalopram I would not have been at risk of a life-threatening symptom (i.e. suicidal) and could have used more natural ways of working at reducing the anxiety.
My son was prescribed Fluoxetine too 2 years ago after a major meltdown - he also got very disturbing symptoms too including suicidal tendencies - couldn't work for 4 months. Very difficult time for all the family and especially him. Took him 9 months of hell to finally recover.
I hope your journey off the meds is a smooth one and you find a natural way that works for you.
K x
stopped taking my citalopram 3 days ago and already having withdrawel symptoms headaches sickness feeling faint tired but i dont want to continue taking them any more