Coming off Citalopram

[Tom_M]

I'm a great believer in drinking plenty of water and going for long walks, to help with depression. Apart from walking taking your mind of things, it does help to flush out those nasty chemicals that make you feel irritable and depressed.

Tom

[leanna]

Hi Spooner, I came off Citalopram one week ago and the side affects are indeed AWFUL
The electrical impulses and dizziness are so weird, along with headaches, nausea etc.
The think is the tablets gave me headaches and nausea too!
Its really nice to hear that the symptoms are fading, how long have you been off them now?

[JenM]

Hi there,

I came off Citalopram almost 3 weeks ago now and i still dont feel any better. I was on 30mg, down to 20mg in a month, then down to 10mg within 1 week and came off the meds completely.

I am having problems falling asleep, upset tummy, whooshy head (which has only just started to happen over the past few days), bad chest pains, shortness of breath, sometimes i feel that my heart is going to burst through my chest because i am so anxious. My anger is a real worry, i am snapping at my husband and have a really SHORT FUSE. I'm finding that I am suffering from road rage, having arguments with complete strangers on the street. I am crying constantly and literatually have to drag myself out of bed to go to work everyday... Will this ever end? :-(

[aropax.vs.citalopram]

hi there everyone,
wow this site is great, sometimes i think half of us could be smarter than our doctors. Anyway my story starts like this, I was 18 when i had a pretty major car crash. I was the driver and was in a rural artea where i didnt know the road. NO not driving fast actually driving 90kph where the limit was 100kph. Anyway the accident was so bad everyone said i should be dead. From the minute i woke from my unconsiouness till this very day, not rewally something you should say to someone who now suffers from a phobia of dieing due to the anxiety and panic attacks related to my accident. At first i was diagnosied with post tramatic strees but now that im 21 i have looked into this and i never had PTS i was slowly but surely getting into deep anxiety and panic attacks. People say how can you be effected by your accident sill you should just be happy to be alive but its not like that. So at the age of 18 i went to see my doctor, but he wasnt there that day a locum was. After telling her my symtoms she priscribed me AROPAX (Paroxatine). I didnt know what this was but it was going to make everything better, and after a week it did i was feeling like a normal teenager again and was happy, I couldnt cry though even when our dog died it just wouldnt happen the tears wouldnt flow. After 3.5 years on aropax i desided this is stupid my origanal symtoms have gone and i desided to wean myself down. Thats when it all hit i had heart pelpertaions when i missed a pill or lowered my dose (i had discussed this with my doctor first) I wanted to harm myself. Long story short i got off the aropax on the 17th march 2008. This was great i did have the very scary side effects (yes they are real) but once they went away approx 4 weeks after last pill and i had no major panic attacks but then approx 3 weeks again it all came flooding back i have tryed to fight it for the 3 weeks but finally went to the doctor today and was priscribed Citalopram. Great I cant even live a real life without an SSRI. For those who are trying to come off citalopram i wish you luck and just want to say (AND I KNOW THIS NEVER HELPS) that it does get better at least for a couple of weeks anyway, and if not we can always live the rest of our lives on these drugs, cant we??? From what i have read from people on Citalopram it is alot easier to come off than aropax so maybe thats one thing to be greatful for. I am not completely bad mouthing SSRI's either though. They saved my dads life and for that i am greatful. Anyone out there who is trying to give up an SSRI try a therapy called CBT or NLP. I have used NLP and it worked great and i have just started CBT. Just look into it you cant loose more than you already have.
I hope i have not board you all with my story and info but at least i feel a bit better even if no-one reads it i can tell myself you have all read it.
hope you all get well soon!!!!!!

[sunbeam]

Hello all, I am new to this site and I have been on Citalopram for 6 months due to depression.

Started on 10mg then 20mg, then to 40mg.

I know everyone is different and these drugs have helped lots of people. I just wanted to share my experience.........

Since taking the tablets I have gone from mildly depressed to exstemely depressed. I have not been able to function, cry at every juncture, had nightmare, lost my appetite and have lost lots of weight.

At one point I felt so desperate I walked into a hospital and said 'Help Me!'

I decided to drop from the 40-20 and had terrible withdrawal. Manic crashes of insecurity, no positive outlook and a constant feeling of negativity.

Since going down 20 and getting over the withdrawal, I have been a different person, it was almost like coming out of a drug coma. I went from seeing in black and white to glorious technicolor. I have continued to drop to 10mg after 2 weeks of 20mg and again there has been a massive improvement in my moods.

I have put in place psychotherapy and have had a couple of sessions and so glad I am coming off these horrible pills.

On research of citalopram withdrawal and other such issus with the drug, it has become clear that the pharmasutical companies have not put adequate warning of withdrawal on the leaflets and the emphasis of suicidal thoughts have not been made of which I had plenty while being on the tablets.

Doctors also seem to have very little knowledge of the very dangerous side effect of the tablets, so do not advice sufficienty.

This article is a very good example of the terrible withdrawal one can experience with this drug.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...an/30/post1022

I am very happy for the people that have had good experinces on this drug, but want to make others aware that it is not like this for all and they put me through hell and made me feel I had nothing to live for. If it wasn't for my partners amazing support, well put it this way if I had been on my own they would have finished me!!!!!

Please be careful people!!!!!

sunbeam

[simon1976]

Hi guys. Been on citalopram for 2 years now. One thing is clear to me about anti depressants and that is they do help but they are not the cure. Its like having a labourer assist you on a job (it just makes it a little easier to cope).
The hardest thing about depression as you all know is the lack of positive thinking and total lack of motivation and feelings all twisted. I cope and I have faith that this is all in my own mind. With the pressures of modern society anyone could be prone to it. Heres some good things to think about.
Positive vs negative in a boxing match..who wins..none of them win cause they both fight for dominance...the conclusion is.....be neutral cause you are not affected by either then and you can cruise through life without a worry.
Neutral thinking neutral eating and neutral exercise are the way for me but is hard to achieve. Ask your inner self for peace not war and drink a nice cup of tea in the morning and neutralise everything around you with comedy laughter. Hey guys and girls soon you will be better just hang in there ok!

love simon xx

[Lonley231082]

I had really bad head zaps when I came off the pills and had to cut down very slowly, but even then still had head zaps. I guess they symptoms lasted for about a week - 10 days after I stopped taking my last tablet.




Face, accept, float, let time pass

Hiya I have been on citrapram for over a year and have decided to come off and its only my 5th day but i feel like i get these electric shock sensations go through my head

are you still having symptoms

[Lonley231082]

Hi Spooner, I came off Citalopram one week ago and the side affects are indeed AWFUL
The electrical impulses and dizziness are so weird, along with headaches, nausea etc.
The think is the tablets gave me headaches and nausea too!
Its really nice to hear that the symptoms are fading, how long have you been off them now?

Hey i get the werid sensations in my head like im being electric shocked its awful

[smokingjax]

Hello guys, I've just joined this site as I was browsing to see if anybody else had problems coming off citalopram. Well it seems I'm not alone.
I've been on citalopram for about 2 and a half years for anxiety and panic attacks. I went from 5mg to 10 mg to 15mg over about 3 months.
I had to go on the sick at work for 4 months but fortunately I got paid and went back eventually.
I have to say these tablets DO WORK. I have had less panic and felt less down since I have been on them.
After about 2 years I decided (off my own back) to reduce to 10mg and I did it with just a couple of anxious moments within one week.
Then again a few months later I decided to drop to 5mg with not too many problems.
3 weeks ago I asked my doc if he thought I should come off them altogether and he said give it a go. He said it will take a couple of weeks before I would notice any side affects.
The first 2 weeks I got tingly face and hands and kept spinning out at work. It didn't bother me too much because I told myself it was the drugs (not a stroke), honestly, the way you think when you're sensitive!
So now i'm into my third week of coming off them, and all over a sudden I've had two massive panic attacks (in work, great), cried in the toilets for no reason, cried on the way home. I feel really quite down and anxious, oh and very snappy.
I thought it was going ok, then this!
Anyway, like you guys I WANT TO KNOW WHEN IT WILL STOP!
I have considered going back on them as it doesn't seem worth the agony. I can't be off work again, I'll get sacked, (not really, but I will get into trouble!)
Oh what to do??
Is there anyone out there who's come off them and feels reasonably ok...? How long did it take?
HELP!

ok, ok....it's just a feeling, humph.....

Thanks for listening, J x

[monkey-marc]

hey smokingjax

Im just coming off of citalopram myself. I was on 40mg, down to 20 now, and to zero next. All the side effects you guys are going through are similar to what i have had in the past. They are horrible and may make you feel like givin in and going back on the pills, but believe me, when your system is flushed out, you will feel so much better, and like your old self again

good luck to all


monkey