How do you know when the time is right to come off citalopram???

[happycamper]

I hope it isn't the answer to how long is a piece of string...?

Citalopram had been marvellous since I started it last June. The initial positive effects when it kicked in were just brilliant.

However, I've been grappling with simmering anxious feelings on and off since the New Year, I wonder if the 20mg citalopram isn't as effective anymore. But I can't bear the thought of increasing the dose, the tiredness is only just manageable as it is....all I want is to feel full of energy and life again, cit has definitely dampened that right down, which is what it's actions are I guess.

SO....thinking just to knock them on the head - gradually of course, along with the omeprazole that I seem to depend on for recurrent 'gastritis' and maybe see how it goes.

Can anyone offer any thoughts, I've seen so many posts on how people have had to go back on SSRI's, I don't want to make a bad decision?

[oldtime]

I would guess that as your anxiety is still simmering, coming off cit would make it worse. Increasing the dose might not be a good idea either.

I just don't think we can expect drugs to completely eliminate symptoms, but they can calm things down enough to allow us to start taking control again of our lives. We need to learn how to deal with anxiety ourselves using CBT / mindfulness, I was too bad without cit to properly try working through a CBT programme.

Have you considered prozac, it might be more stimulating, and give you more energy.

[happycamper]

Totally understand drugs aren't all that is required to 'recover', if there is such a word.

It's important to learn the tools needed to deal with anxiety, challenging the thoughts that trigger off the anxious episodes etc, trying to break the habit of unhealthy thinking...I'm lucky enough to have learned those and attempt to work with those 'tools' every time I need to, tough as it is.

However, when should you just accept that is how you are, the anxiety will come and go and there is no more that can be done, consequently the anti d benefits have come to an end and could it be time to say thanks and bye to them....OR, is it better to tick along nice and steady continuing with them, reducing the chances of going downhill big time and back to square one because the tools aren't established enough to fully get on top of the negative thoughts etc.

Or am I just ruminating unnecessarily??

[haynsey]

Hi,
I have been on escitalopram for 7 years, unfortunately the drugs will not work on there own, you need to face your anxiety as well.
Anybody who takes these drugs will never feel 100% cured of their anxiety, you just have to deal with the anxiety the best you can!

At the moment I am going through a bad stage with my anxiety!
x

[NoPoet]

Hi, I came off cit 2 months ago and really suffered for it. If you still feel the anxiety simmering away, you should not come off medication yet. I would recommend you consider changing medication instead. So your next step should be to speak to your doctor. I cannot over-emphasise how much you should not stop taking your meds.

[suzannacorfu]

Hi HC, most psychiatrists recommend coming of an SSRI only after a period of 6 months SYMPTOM-FREE. So from the sounds of it you haven't been 6 month symptom-free. One of the "odd" things they notice is that people who are ready to come off them start to forget to take their daily dose even after years of taking them. It's ur mind telling you you're ready. I came of in January 2010 and haven't been back on them but as I have said before I won't hesitate to do so if I need to. One thing I remember from your posts is how much you WANT to be off them HC??? Maybe you could just "forgive" yourself for being on them??? Sorry if that sounds bad HC, I think you know that I don't mean to be rude
Love
Suz xx

[happycamper]

Thanks for the replies all!

Not quite what I wanted to hear, but I appreciate the answers.

Suz, of course I don't think you mean to be rude...just outspoken!! No, you make a good point...I don't want to be on anti depressants one little bit, starting them was the best thing I could have done last year...but I really want to get off them at the first opportunity, just discovering that opportunity is what is tricky.

Also, I see changing medication as a bit of a backwards step, especially as cit has worked so well, better the devil you know...?

I guess the biggest question is what is a normal amount of anxiety that someone who is anxiety prone should put up with meds free? To be honest, the decision to start them in the first place, as hard as it was, was in fact a lot easier than the decision about when to stop them.

C x

[Greenman50]

Hi Happycamper

Thank you for this post , i,ve only been on them 3 months and was thinking similiar ..... i asked my dr how long she said 6 months . I feel 100% better , but i,m thinking i,m still not right with this swallowing issue and sweating now and again ,and the stomach spasms/issues to name a few anxiety symtoms .
Don,t get me wrong i feel great otherwise .....But don,t want to go back to how i was , i,ve suffered money wise and only i work so i need to be right for at least the next 12 months . I know someone who has been on them for 5 years and is continueing as far as i know for the rest of there life .
I,m leaning towards being on them longer than 6 months ????...if i don,t feel 100% . I,ve also read about people comeing off them and then going back on them and they havn,t worked a second time . It scares the shit out of me to think i could be back to square one again .

I think you will know when you are 100 % ready to taper off them theres no rush ?
Only thing for me is the Man Problem of it not fireing all the time (sorry tmi!!!)
But its a small price to pay to get my life back . Another thought is , if i had high blood pressure i would take tabs for possibly the rest of my life
so whats the difference takeing citralapram if we need it ?? Also read on (i think) nhs website that theres no long term health risk takeing these so why the rush do you think ?

Good luck with your decision i,m sure you will make the right one when the time is right .

Take care

[NoPoet]

Happycamper - it's only a backward step if you decide it's a backward step. While cit has helped me to make a huge improvement and I would defend it to the death, it has also made me feel very ill at times. If I could get the same benefits from another SSRI or an SNRI, I would be after them quicker that a whippet with chili sauce smeared on its delicates.

The decision to stop meds can seem complicated or overwhelming but in reality it's quite simple: unless you are CERTAIN you can manage without them, do not come off them. You can lower your dose for a while and see how it goes but do NOT stop taking it if you're still feeling the anxiety simmering away. If in doubt, refer to my signature.

While a certain amount of anxiety at times is natural, if you're feeling it often (even if only a small amount) it's probably a warning that you aren't quite over it yet. As Dr Claire Weekes says, accept this and let more time pass by.

[PoppyC]

This is just my own opinion...I love citalopram. I know everyone has their own opinion about it but for me, I think it is one of the best things I ever did, in taking it.
I am now on 60mg a day and apart from tiredness, and feeling a bit spacey, which I can deal with, I feel well, and much better than when I was taking lower doses. Taking higher doses, if you feel like you need to, does not make you grow 2 heads -It just makes you feel even better in my own experience, anyway.
I think, just from reading on this forum alone, that a lot of people take medication,start to feel better, come off it, only then to end up feeling down again and go back on medication again. I see myself as taking medication for the rest of my life, if I need to, just like I would take medication for any other problem if I needed to take it. There is no need to suffer needlessly these days, due to the medications that are available.
I get checked/have a medication review every 3 months by the pharmacist at my surgery or the gp. My gp said he is happy for me to continue with them as long as I feel that I need to take them. I moan about how much my prescription costs, but I would be happy to pay a lot more for it, considering what citalopram has done for me.
I have been able to get out a lot more every day, and although anxiety is still there, most of the day I never even think about it nor does it cause me problems. I have bad days, especially around a certain time of the month, but I have more good days now.
You can't spend your one life being anxious and miserable forever can you? You either do, and miss out on living, or decide not to and make your life much more enjoyable. I hate being
I know that a lot of people are so ill with mental illnesses that they don't have a choice, but I think with anxiety, anyway, you can help overcome it to an extent, with medication and counselling, getting outdoors and off the laptop, plus exercise, healthy living and working (if you are able to).
I am sure I would not be feeling like this, if I was not on 60mg, and I would probably be right back where I was 3 years ago.