Citalopram withdrawal symptoms - this normal?

[samc100]

I was on 20mg of citalopram and now on 10mg. After 2 months of the 10mg I am now taking 10mg every other day which I started this week.

5 days into this I can feel a tightness in my chest and throat and my heart pounding. I feel a little uptight and head wobbly. Finding it hard to sleep.

Is this a symptom of withdrawing or panic?

I also got all emotional yesterday after a good row with my partner ( he was soooooo wrong!) and worrying that depression may be there to strike me down.

ARGGGGHHHHHHHHH - it is sooo hard.

[yorkylover]

Sounds like Panic!!!!!I think you are probably waiting for something to happen,and are feeling very anxious.

[mkeeley]

It could either be a withdrawal symptom, whether physical or mental, or you're now down to a dosage that no longer helps with your anxiety/panic. If it's a withdrawal symptom it shouldn't last too long.

[olichris]

Hi there,

As the previous posters rightly say it is difficult to distinguish between withdrawal and return of depressive symptoms.
I find the idea of leaving a day out between doses a bit strange really, if the drugs half life is less than 24 hours it may be asking for trouble.
Why not ask for the liquid version, you can then have enormous control over the lowering of your doses ( you can do it in fractions of a mg if you want) and just lower the daily dose slowly over a period of time.
This has always worked much better for me than fiddling about with pills and leaving days out - and is much simpler.
If however you continue to have the symptoms you describe there is nothing wrong with going up in dose for a while.
I did that with propranolol and it turned out fine ( yes propranolol is neither a benzo or an ad but try and stop it quick and it bites back)

Hope it works out well for you whatever you decide.

olichris

[nomorepanic]

Sam

Coming off any medication is as hard as it was to start it and you will feel awful for a while until things settle down again.

Good luck with it.

[Daisybun]

Hi I have dropped two tablets a week and was doing OK untill about a week ago, i started to get some symptoms back again and began to feel anxiety and just negative thoughts. I have just decided it was too early and I am taking the full dose again, i don't know if that will help me