Trying to come off Citalopram. Keeping a diary.

[jenbo50]

Diary Of An Overweight Citalopram User

So it’s now been 4 weeks since I dropped down from 30mg to 20mg of Citalopram. Whilst taking this drug I have gained 2 stone in weight and despite it solving my issues of panic & anxiety, I now find myself worrying constantly about my weight and feeling fat and frustrated. Since relying on these pills every day, I have had no “off” switch to food or wine. I am never full and never satisfied.

I’m hoping coming off these meds help me slim down. So I’m writing this to keep track of my emotions, weight and mental state as I continue to reduce my dosage.

I plan to share these notes in the hope i may find some support and perhaps even help others.

For the first 3 weeks at 20mg I noticed very few side effects. The odd palpitation session, a few head rushes and the occasional dizziness but all in all I was pleased. These effects passed quickly and I felt able to cope.

This week however I feel a change. I have noticed my temper shortening as I become more and more aware of noises and annoyances which I have been managing to shut out with the help of the meds. The whistle of the kettle not being turned off on time, the beep of the dryer and most difficult of all, the constant chunner of my lovely 7 year old son. “Mummy, mummy, mummy….look at me” he says. “mummy mummy mummy, imagine if” he questions, “mummy mummy mummy” and so on. My head hurts, it feels like it will implode and I just want some peace, just quietness. It is the start of the school holidays, my husband is away and therefore peace or time out is not likely. It is raining today and we face a full day together. I am looking forward to bedtime. It is 10.23am.

I have had more energy these past few weeks than for a long time and I have started to feel more extremes in my personality. I have felt proper excitement and motivation once again, I have even been waking quicker with a spring in my step. With this change though I have also felt extremes of worry, worrying about things that will never happen but that voice in my head that plays out, usually resulting in images of death, not usually my own.

It is an irony that I am reducing the meds to lose weight and I feel I am being driven to bad foods and wine. A salad does not appeal and I finish every scrap of all my oversized meals.

I’m not too sure how all this is going to pan out but I will keep trying.

For now I will concentrate on getting dressed.

[Mermaid16]

Hi, I am tapering off sertraline at the moment, so I understand some of the things you are going through. I have cut down in 12.5mg doses from 100mg and am currently at 12.5mg. The lower you go, I find the more side effects you feel. I think I will make one last cut to 6.25mg and then go to 0. I am hoping to make the next cut at the start of next week. I do take other antidepressants, so I probably don't feel the side effects as strongly as you. But definately have gone through feeling irritable and agitated, crying for no reason and feeling nauseas. Good luck with everything. I'm sure you will feel proud of what you have accomplished when you finish the taper. I have thought about going back up at some stages, but am determined to come off as I take other antidepressants. Tracy xx

[jenbo50]

OK so not many replies to my initial thread.

However, i have a free night to myself and thought i would update on progress to share my experiences and maybe encourage others.

So i am now on 10mg from the original 30mg.

I am looking to move to 5mg when the school term begins in September and hopefully be Citalopram free around Xmas.

Honestly - i feel fine. No issues. Very occasionally i get a little head rush but in actual fact i feeler calmer than i have done for years. I am finding things funny again and have my libido back which has been AWOL for some time! I even managed a 4 hour aeroplane flight Valium free for the first time in 6 years last week!

I'm looking forward to being citalopram free :-)

It definitely got easier....at least for now x

[anxiousjomo]

Glad to hear things are going ok.

I dropped from 20mg to 10, then have been on 5mg for two weeks and am going to go to 2.5mg for a week or so and then stop.

I was only on for about 4 months or so as the side effects just seemed to be getting worse. Doctor wanted me just to stop as said had only been on it for a few months, but thankfully I had read enough myself to know that was a bad idea!

Dizziness and tiredness seem to have been the most common effects from the tapering off - the tiredness is actually not that bad as on 20mg I was only getting about 2 or 3 hrs sleep a night. As soon as I got down to 5mg I started sleeping through again (between 6 and 8 hrs sleep a night - partly depending when my 6 year old wakes me up!).

I have some anxiety, but it is manageable and seems more about work etc, which is very busy at the moment, so it is perfectly normal to be a bit stressed/anxious....

I think, from what I have read online, the real danger point is a week or two after you stop completely - I think people have a tendency to go faster with the tapering as all seems fine, but then it just catches up with them...I think there is no such thing as too slow!

It sounds like you are taking the tapering nice and slowly, and I am glad to hear it is working!

Good luck with getting cit-free!

[pollynewsome]

Hey great post. I too gained massive amounts of weight. Whilst on cit. 2st 10 to be exact and I have that sane feeling of never been full.. I am out of energy and wanna sleep often. I have dropped from 40 to now 25mg gradually.. going to do the next drop to 20 mg next week. I just want to be 10st again and not starving. X

[Fidget]

I guess, a cautionary tale from a long time user of Citalopram. This is of course just my experience.

8 years ago at the age of 50 I suffered some kind of meltdown. Panic attacks, constant anxiety and depression. Not my first experience as I had similar issues in my early 20's, but in between times was fairly stable. At 50 I reluctantly accepted medication, and after several months began to climb out of that abyss which was my mind.

Fast forward 8 years, took early retirement to escape the rat race and thought.....yes, I'm gonna come of my meds. I was prescribed 20 MGM. From August of last year I began a very long and slow reduction. I was keen to avoid a relapse so the reduction was very gradual. Last dose in March. 4 weeks later the anxiety returned, and I can honestly say I feel like I have been in hell for most of that time. I resumed the same dose of 20mgm nearly 4 months ago, and have yet to find peace.

I have no clear view on whether my current mental health crisis is related to coming of cit, or due to retirement, or due to moving to France, or some other yet to be identified trigger, but I do regret stopping my medication. Whatever and however, you plans work out I do hope it goes well for you. I'll be watching your updates with great interest and hope to learn from your experiences.

[jenbo50]

Hi i'm checking back in!

So i came off altogether mid August after tapering down to 5mg.
All seemed very well indeed until last week.

On Friday i had some bad news and within hours had started with nausea and cold like symptoms.

The cold got worse and went to my sinuses and how has totally floored me. I have never felt so weak and so ill. I'm now out of bed but still feel like my body is made of concrete and my balance is well off.

So what i now wonder is have i actually had a bout of flu or was this a reaction to stress and upset without the crutch of the meds? Are the flu symptoms the real flu or withdrawal symptoms.

Typically my anxiety always hit the roof when i was sick so if it is flu then i will naturally be struggling but if not the how long do these effects last?

Hope this makes some sense!! :-) xxx