¡Reducción, reacción y recaída!

Tratamiento y medicación
1

How many times have I preached about the necessity to reduce "very slowly and gradually" to you loverly peeps and what do I do? Well, I took it all rather too much for granted that everything would be ok without considering the effects of withdrawl and without even recognising the symptoms!

So, this is how this week panned out or not, (taking Cita before bed) Monday I was on the regular 40mg, Tuesday I dropped to 30mg intending to take 40mg again Wednesday then 30mg Thursday and so on. Wednesday teatime however, I was on here replying to someone when Ann came in the room behind me (as she does) and said something and (through my own fault) I lost what I was typing. When Ann tried to help me I snapped and said "I don't need these interruptions" then I swore at the laptop (several times). Looking back, all I needed was a tree branch and I would have started beating the laptop like Basil Fawlty Lol!

After tea and me apologising (several times) we discussed the whole situation. Firstly and obviously a drop of 10mg was (cockily) too great! Now, we have decided to do, as suggested by the Dr (if this happened), to drop by only 5mg at a time. I should not have been so blasé about the whole situation - thinking I knew what to do and, blindly what to expect.

During the day, Wednesday, when we went into town I suddenly didn't want to be there and suggested making our way back home; with hindsight this should have been the first warning something was up! This was a mild bout of anxiety. When Ann's sister-in-law popped in with cards and some plants for Ann's Birthday (Thursday) we sat haviing afternoon tea and cake and I started to become spaced and slightly foggy, but again ignored this second warning! Going back to when Ann came in the room later and I lost what I was typing, from the moment she walked in I felt "someone was behind me" and was very aggitated (this, I had not felt since just before I was diagnosed and started being treated for 'work related stress' 9 months ago! Well, HELLO! David - that was a pretty obvious wake up call that something was definitely amiss! Unfortunately, it was too late!

Wednesday and last evening I kept to 40mg as I will this evening and the weekend as my daughter is staying over - so Daddy does not go weird again! Sunday evening I shall try taking 35mg and (seeing how I go this time!) will take 40mg Monday. How it effects me will decide whether I only have 35mg Tuesday or 40mg then, again, take it from there.

So, me shipmates! The moral of the story is always be aware of how you feel and what is happening from day to day, also as you increase and especially as you reduce (David!).

Today we went and bought a pill cutter - bizarrely, on sale in the foot care section of a leading high street chemist (there are other high streets and chemists available it must be said) - so we can half some 10mg tabs.

I will report back next week, same time, same place on that weeks progress (hopefully).

Sleep well and long (even if yer short!).

Regards,

(A humble) David

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2

Hi David

Even when you're feeling not quite yourself, you manage to post a very humorous post here.  Basil Fawlty beating his car was hilarious :-)

When i I reduced my meds I did it 5mg at a time and waited for any side effects to stop before I reduced again.  It took a good month (plus) reducing by 5mg each time.  I'm on my last 5mg now and will stay on that until next year, but the last time I came off meds completely I remember feeling snappy and how I just felt a flat, nothing, feeling.  5-HTP sorted that eventually.  The strangest thing I felt was the crying!!  Only had to see an ant squashed and I'd cry!!

So yes, the pill cutter and 5mg at a time is the best.

Do you have to come off them completely?  Not just reduce?  Has your doctor given you a time limit to stop them?

Anyway, good luck for the following week.  Wishin you and Ann the best.

K x

 

3

Good Morning Kate,

I got a bit carried away with the whole "reducing thing" there!

I don't have to come off completely, at the moment it is suck it and see, but from now on it will be 5mg and I shall take your advise about sticking with it until each stage of side effects disipate. I know my Dr will agree to this because we discussed the options and reducing by how much at a time and also reducing the reduction until I find my level. She has said that I may eventually come off, but may stay on 10mg indefinitely, maybe not! As you know that's Cita!

My next appointment is at the beginning of September so we shall see then - who knows I may have only dropped by 5mg to 35mg by that time!

It was very weird though and we don't want to go there again. Upsetting, but we got over it and carrying on as usual (nearly said normal!!! there!!!).

Ann only came into my life two years ago, I guess she walked into my office just in time because I had been struggling with cr*p management and an inept board for 5 years who could offer no support because they are basically incomputant as well as inept. Anyway, a year later she sees me go from a strong, organised man to a curled up ball lost and confused - a stressed out emotional wreck. Since then she has held me safe in her arms and that is where I'm going to stay forever.

It all sounds a bit too safe and secure, too nice, but the truth is she has helped me find my freedom for the first time in 58 summers. She has set me free from the constraints of the "system" and now I am back to art and design (as well as decorating the house!). I built a 4 post bed for my daughter Charlotte with all the trimmings and we have just had a visit from a newlywed neice and hubby from KC, Missouri and I also made them a 4 post honeymoon bed with personal detail as we couldn't attend the wedding.

So, now we're sitting back and watching, logging and discussing anything that appears to be happening (without reading too much into things and getting paranoid - now that'll be interesting!).

Will report in next Friday about how I have got on in the week, more than likely talk to yourself and others in between. In the meantime have a great weekend a week ahead.

Gotta go Bella the cat demands her breakfast!

All the very best. Love,

David & Ann (best wake her up and feed her too! Lol!) x

4

Morning David

Ah don't ever worry about 'getting carried away' writing posts.  Always enjoy reading them.

Well that's good to hear you don't have to come off Cit completely - I was on 10mg for a good 5 years and maintained my wellness all this time before deciding to see how I was coming off them.  Yes, see how you go as you reduce them.

I met my husband at work too ...... we'd worked together for a couple of years and after I'd gone through a marriage break up he asked me out.  Never looked at him before and suddenly I thought 'where've you been hiding' :-)  31 years later (27 of them married) plus 2 children and 2 cats, life couldn't be better!  He helped me though lots of depression and anxiety ..... caused by my stressful first marriage.

Art & Design eh?  I've always loved this area ... art was my best subject at school :-) am still artistic and have found a new love in sewing!!  Me sew?  I do a lot of IT too, love graphics and have designed a few websites for people, business cards etc ......... Painting, drawing, making, glueing oooh nomnomnom :-)  Could talk all day :-D

4 poster bed sounds fab!  Not just 1 either eh.

Hope everyone got their breakfast on time ........ 

By the way, changing the subject, have you heard from Tina of late?  Not seen her on here for ages.

Have a great weekend

K x

5

Well said David.i have been on citalopram now for 12 months and feeling great.Seeing my psychiatrist August and he will be getting me to start cutting my dose . I have read your post and it is really helpful advice so many thanks.Hope you are progressing well.

6

Hey David and Ann. I'm still on my weaning schedule, down to half a pill every two days and a whole pill than half for two days and one more whole one till it's just half a pill for a week than half half no half half no and so on. So far as of today, I'm tired but I did cheat and took 3/4 instead of a whole one. Soon just half a 10mg and I'll be done, I pray/hope in another three weeks. Sure hope you can get down to less and off soon too. Hopefully neither one of us will have side effects when we are totally off, but guess at least a week after we're off we could have something. Also I'll ask about that 5-htp, taking the two vitamins you've talked about plus other ones. Good luck David, say hi to Ann from me. Your friend, Cindy

 

7

I did go with my husband to a tractor show and I did find there although I had a hard headache while I was there, if not for that headache I would have felt pretty good, I think, wasn't nervous to be away from home, didn't want to go home, which usually I do if we go away from the house, now today could be different seeing I feel tired, anxiety kicks in when I feel so tired and I slept well last night too, so I know it's the darn pill doing it to me. Tonight half a pill so tomorrow we'll see how I am feeling, it'll tell me that it's just the pill causing this tiredness, hate that feeling but in time, baby steps it'll be over with, I hope! your friend, again, Cindy feel better David

8

Dave mate, You are being way too hard yourself man.... ok its great you reconised the signs "those darn demons we all know their creeping in" How comprehensively you have put it really paints a picture to warn others! I think you felt in control of what was going on and tried to reduce (perhaps too quickly) but we dont read the instructions us men lol! sorry you had a tough time but thanks at the same time because you have taught us all something truely priceless!!! hope your coming good now champ!

9

Hey david and Ann. Hope you are both well. David did you start to wean again? Maybe I missed it somewhere on here. Today was a rough one, 3 weeks about into my weaning, started the 5 mg now every night for a week, today was so so tired, anxious because I'm so tired. I have to try to stick with my weaning schedule, I don't want to go back at all, I've made it this far on weaning. This normal to feel ups and downs during the weaning off like this, headaches too? Your friend, Cindy I want to keep going with this schedule of weaning, just need a little encouragement right now!

10

Hi Cindy,

Sorry, I didn't get back to you sooner.

No I (we) have decided to delay the reduction as I am a little all over the place at the moment. I am not ready to actually start reducing as I don't feel sure in my self.

Looking back over the year so far, it has been a gradual build up to my Family visiting from Kansas City, the preparations for their short stay decorating and hand making a 4 post bed in the "Honeymoon Suite" attic room for a newlywed niece and husband. My Brother, Sister-in-law, another niece and nephew stayed in a friends holiday cottage a road away. They also came as they were all going to Wales to see Family and on to France then Switzerland to scatter a "Brother-in-law's" ashes. Heyho! it has been a busy year!

Now, I think underlying everything is something of a void, I feel deflated and need some time to readjust and get back to the level where I was before - now that everyone has gone.

As we know, it is good to discuss our feelings even if we are a little or a lot down as it does ease the stress of everything. I think you are well on your way to coming off, you're just going through a bit of a downer which by the time you read this you'll probably be out the other side of! We hope anyway!

You are too far down the road to give up and really are doing well and look how you are helping others at the same time - it is good for yer positivity as well as your soul.

We all know how difficult it is without encouragement and having someone to chat to, that is why we are all here, for one reason or another. To help with yer "online" encouragement just imagine me, Stevo and the rest in Rara skirts waving pompoms shouting "Way to go Cindy!" Mmmh, maybe not, could trigger nightmares!!! LOL!

Speak again soon, take care!

Best Regards,

David

 

11

Wow you really have a had a lot of things going on, hopefully soon it'll all settle down for you and you too will start the weaning time of cit. Hey but you've made it through all of the things that have happened so far in your life and doing okay, so yeah keep on the pill, lol listen to me telling one of the smart ones what to do with cit! LOL And nightmares, nah I don't get those things, good dreams only, lol. Thank you so much David and I'll keep checking in here as the weeks get closer to being off of cit. Love your friend, Cindy Thanks to you all, this is a wonderful place to come too, so many good people I've met on here going through what we all do on this pill, well most of us do anyways. Take care David, hi to Ann.

12

That’s a pretty busy time for sure David! you will know the right time for you and Ann to wean off, no rush brother your health and wellbeing is priority 1 thats all that matters!! I have told myself that I think I will need a long time potentially on Cita if it takes months to years then so be it! I don’t really want to rely on meds but last week I had a few late nights playing shows with my band and I started having slight thoughts and sleep became a bit off due to being tired.  We need to trust our warning signs too guys keep ourselves in good health so the flow on effect gets us recovering better. Take care everyone keep fighting Thanks David for your message too I really don’t know how or where I would be if I hadn’t had found you good people on here to keep me upbeat some of you are doing it tough but I can sense your strength in reading your words and you may not realise how strong you really aretake comfort knowing you are on your way to feeling good again love to you all!!!

13

Hey David and Ann. Wondering if you've started to come off the cit yet? I'm almost off, I have one more 2.5 mg to take, that will be Saturday. Today, because of taking 2.5 mg last night, my head is a little fuzzy, a little tired too, I'm still guessing this is all normal feelings I'm having right David? I sure hope the last one I take which will be Saturday, that I will be okay. I've been weaning for over 5 weeks now, what do you think David? I think it's also a little anxiety because not knowing how I'll do after its out of my system, I do have my klonopin still if I need it I guess. Hope you two are well! Your friend, Cindy