Hello I hope someone can help. I suffer from pmdd and I increased my Citalopram from 25mg to 30mg and I have not stopped crying. It starts around an hour after taking then settles about 9pm. I want to reduce back safely with out side effects can anyone tell if I can just revert back or do I need to taper. This all happened because I stopped taking hrt after the coil didn’t agree with me and they crying thing started and wouldn’t stop even though I started hrt oestrogen gel and utrogestin progesterone again. I hope someone can help x
Hi there, I remember starting with fluoxetine that when it gradually increased the dosage, one of the many awful sides effects was despair and crying a lot, which like you seemed to clear later in the day. This went on with every increase until I finally found the game changer sweet spot of 40mg. I then went back down to 30 then 20 and each time was the same sideys! Just keep on going and keep in touch with your GP, and it will all come together. In all it took me about six months to get past the sideys but my word this stuff has changed my life completely. Anxiety has gone completely, in fact I have to pull myself up and do some mental housekeeping because I’m too laid back, which a lot of people noticed. Just be aware that you are making good decisions not swayed by the meds, run your thoughts past family or friends that know you well for a second opinion. It’s such a fine balance and took me almost a year to get it right. Keep on going, maybe try a different antidepressant? Best Wishes to you, We’re here if you need to talk ok.
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it as you can feel so alone trying to search online for the answers and doctors are not very helpful when it comes to coming off or increasing these drugs and the side effects. I took a chance and reduced back down to just over 25mg and the crying stopped instantly which is crazy after over a month of crying i was so relieved, just got mild headaches now so i’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t have any other side effects. Thanks again x
Did your GP mention that it’s possible to try one of the other antidepressants if the citalopram is causing problems or you don’t feel it’s right for you? I remember my mum went through absolute hell on HRT after a hysterectomy, crying for days. I mean she was going through an enormous hormonal change as well and in those days our SSRI antidepressants hadn’t been invented. Just took a lot of patience, love and kindness, but me and dad discovered a lot about ourselves over that time and it brought us very close to each other. Your not alone on this forum site, possibly the best one of all. Can you get any help with counselling and meditation groups through your local health authority etc? Even if it doesn’t seem to help much, you would be meeting other folks in similar situations which can really help. Stay well and know that someone wishes you all the best ok.
Glad to hear reducing dosage has resolved the issue. A lot of these birth control methods mess up your hormones. My gynecologist put me on low dose testosterone (40 mg. Andriol x 6 days per week) for depression which worked much better than anti-depressants normalizing sexual function, mood and putting my fibromyalgia in remission. HRT made my hair drop out. Have found low dose lithium (5 mg per day) is very good for mood and brain function. Magnesium also good to calm one’s nerves.
If you have been on a medication for a good while. It’s always best to slowly reduce your dosage, but you should never do this without consulting with your GP. When you change dosages, especially when you up a dosage, your body can react in that way and you may find that you have more side effects perhaps. But that could be your body adjusting. So look at the length of time it’s been. Since you have increased the dosage, maybe you need to give your body more time. Equally, it could be that your body just doesn’t like the medication in an increased dosage and it could only handle what you were taking when you were at 25 mg.
Speak with your GP and see if you can come down and then adjust and it can also be that the oestrogen gel and the other hormone that you are taking orally may not be sufficient. Perhaps you’re not using them enough. Maybe you need more. But it’s worth remembering that anything that you insert in an area, for example the oestrogen gel it’s localised. So it will only provide you with oestrogen in that area locally, which is the aim. That won’t necessarily have an impact on your mood. That’s more to do with vaginal symptoms.
Speak with your GP or Pharmacist a change around of meds can help.
Thank you for your message. I have tried loads of different antidepressants but this one definitely suits me best. I am thankful that a have a great network of friends and family who are very supportive thank goodness. I appreciate all you advice it’s been very helpful I’m pleased to say since reducing I am back to myself for now 
Hi thank you for all your useful information it’s much appreciated. I have reduced back to my original dose of citalopram and the crying has stopped for now. I just need to see what happens next on my next pmdd cycle. It’s a shame that there is not more info on pmdd. My next option is to have my ovaries removed which I’m not looking forward to thank you again x