Coming off Citalopram 20mg.

[noonoo]

Hi there,

After a massive breakdown middle-end of last year and slipping into depression, I was prescribed 20mg Citalopram to help me along and also had 9 weeks of CBT sessions to help, which they both have.

I feel ready, so with my doctors advice and after being on them for 6 months I am reducing my dose from every day to every other day for two weeks and then cold turkey. He said if I feel bad again to go back on and see him again so we can work out another way.

I just wanted to see what experiences you had coming off it? Tomorrow will be my first day without then Wednesday I will take it (one on one off..).

Would you say this is too fast of a way to reduce the amount as I don't want to go in reverse after coming so far....

Also just a positive note - I was on Propranolol 80mg for 8 years and recently have managed to come off it completely after reducing the dose with doctors help. I was on it for anxiety. Feel like i've accomplished something mental health wise

Thank you in advance

x

[NervousKel]

Good for you for making such strides!

I haven't quit Citalopram yet (I probably will be soon, but to switch to a different SSRI), but from what I've read about going off them altogether, you need to do a really slow taper by decreasing the dosages over a certain period of time (months). If you do some reading on this site and others, you should be able to get more information about this.

That being said, my husband has quit antidepressants a few times cold turkey (I DO NOT recommend doing this), and had little to no side effects. He takes antidepressants for mild depression rather than anxiety, though.

[noonoo]

Good for you for making such strides!

I haven't quit Citalopram yet (I probably will be soon, but to switch to a different SSRI), but from what I've read about going off them altogether, you need to do a really slow taper by decreasing the dosages over a certain period of time (months). If you do some reading on this site and others, you should be able to get more information about this.

That being said, my husband has quit antidepressants a few times cold turkey (I DO NOT recommend doing this), and had little to no side effects. He takes antidepressants for mild depression rather than anxiety, though.

Thank you, I had wanted to come off Propranolol for a long time and finally got there.

I will definitely have a scroll through the posts, it just seems maybe a little too fast to wean off them on 20mg. He said it should be up to a month before it starts going out of my system

x

[epitaxial]

Hi there,

After a massive breakdown middle-end of last year and slipping into depression, I was prescribed 20mg Citalopram to help me along and also had 9 weeks of CBT sessions to help, which they both have.

I feel ready, so with my doctors advice and after being on them for 6 months I am reducing my dose from every day to every other day for two weeks and then cold turkey. He said if I feel bad again to go back on and see him again so we can work out another way.

I just wanted to see what experiences you had coming off it? Tomorrow will be my first day without then Wednesday I will take it (one on one off..).

Would you say this is too fast of a way to reduce the amount as I don't want to go in reverse after coming so far....

Also just a positive note - I was on Propranolol 80mg for 8 years and recently have managed to come off it completely after reducing the dose with doctors help. I was on it for anxiety. Feel like i've accomplished something mental health wise

Thank you in advance

x

From my experience - a slow and gradual taper is the best method. Alternating doses only puts your brain in a constant yo yo state of withdrawals.

After taking 10mg Citalopram for 5 months, I tapered as follows:

- Reduced from 10mg to 5mg and took that for 3 weeks [1 week to adjust to the reduced dosage, 1 week for my brain to adjust, 1 week to make sure everything was ok].
- Since I felt mostly OK, I reduced from 5mg to 2.5mg and took it for 16 days. I started to have slight disequilibrium at random times on a daily basis. Looking back, I rushed this part of the reduction and should've kept taking 2.5mg until slight disequilibrium at random times subsided.
- I then stopped - within a few days after stopping I started having gut pains. So I started taking Digestive Advantage Probiotics to help. I also started to take 500mg Ginger Root to help with slight disequilibrium issues. Whenever anxiety would start to become heightened, I would take 4 drops of Rescue Remedy which seem to help. If the dizzy issue became a problem, I would apply DiVertigo behind my ears [which seemed to help as well]. About 3 weeks ago, I started taking Men's Complete Multivitamin [Fred Meyer brand] to help with fatigue of dealing with dizzy issues. ~ 1 week ago, the dizzy issue subsided!

However, now I'm dealing with random slight chest tightness [usually happens when from an event that use to trigger anxiety] and/or fatigue [very stressful dealing with Anxiety] which hopefully can be overcome by working out and trying to get back to doing things I was before taking the medication.

Good luck - don't rush the taper. Everyone is different - listen to your body before making a dosage reduction!

[Cassi]

I will soon be tapering off this, and my plan is to do it slowly. Due to the half life, I will be altenating between 20mg and 15mg for six weeks, then will go down to 15mg for six weeks, and will not start the next taper until my brain has settled. Am doing it this way because when I previously went cold turky after a few months was put back on them. Good luck.

[noonoo]

Thank you for your replies.

I am in my second week of one day on one day off 20mg, it is going okay although this evening I had anxiety which I was able to control - even though I had a racing heart dry mouth etc. I have been feeling different, and actually quite tearful. Is this normal?

If it continues I will go back to the doctor and see about going to 10mg as that may be better. I don't want to go backwards after doing so well!

[pollynewsome]

I tapered from 40mg to 10mg and took me about months. Doctor advised very slowly. I don't recall any side affects doing it like this. 40 to 35. 35 to 30 etc and staying at each dose for about 4 weeks. Hope it goes well.

[noonoo]

I have managed 3 weeks with one on one off, and I decided today to drop to two days off one day on as it feels like the right time (still at 20mg). I feel okay other than feeling a bit light headed/dizzy and very sleepy...are these normal side effects?

Determined to keep going!

[epitaxial]

I have managed 3 weeks with one on one off, and I decided today to drop to two days off one day on as it feels like the right time (still at 20mg). I feel okay other than feeling a bit light headed/dizzy and very sleepy...are these normal side effects?

Determined to keep going!

AS soon as I dropped to 2.5mg - dizzish spells kicked in and lasted about 4 months after I stopped taking Citalopram.

[noonoo]

Success! I have now fully come off Citalopram, very slowly...taking each week as it comes, and only reducing when I feel ready.

It wasn't as difficult as I first thought. I am still getting tiredness but no other side effects.

This is the first time in 8-9 years I have been on absolutely NOTHING and feeling normal!

Hope it continues...