Advice about stopping cit please!

[Plumpeh]

Hi guys,

I've not been on the forums for a fairly long time as I thought I was getting better, but now I'm not feeling great again and I'm starting to wonder what the point is (of taking the meds).

I started on cit in September and although it was a bumpy ride I thought, overall, that I was feeling better. My doctor was fairly sure this was just a 'blip' in my life and that I'd recover fairly well and relatively quickly. Today, I went back to see the doctor a different one at the same surgery) to review my meds and to tell her that I didn't feel they were working any more and that I'd been feeling terrible since just before christmas. i also said that I thought my depression had been going on for a long time - I had a bad accident when I was younger and I think that's the trigger.

Now, i don't know if it was me over reacting, but I feel as though the doctor completely ignored me and palmed me off with a repeat prescription (40mg) so she wouldn't have to deal with me.

So, for the rest of the day I've been thinking about going cold turkey or buying a pill cutter to wean myself off so I don't have to see the doctors again.

If anyone has been or is in a similar situation is there any advice you could give? I really feel as though I'm slowly getting deeper into the depression and the doctors aren't helping me :(

And sorry for the big essay!

[nicola1980]

Hi it could be that you would benefit from a higher dose of citalopram? not sure what dose you were on before but 20mg is a fairly low and the maintenance dose of cit, i didn't really feel i was getting anywhere on them until i upped to 40mg, maybe you could give it a month on 40mg and see how you go, good luck xx

[bignik]

Not on Citalopram myself ( Mirtazipine ) but feel same way as you , ie how low can I get as so depressed as it is and also being discussing with Doctors re a possible change to help and they are looking at me as if all is well , despite anxiety killing me slowly or feels that way and depression at all time low.

I started CBT today and dont know if this is why , ie they dont want anything changing that might upset that apple cart , but mean while I feel Im being left to suffer which is not a good place to be right now for me.

Anyway I bought a pill splitter two days ago and have been trimming a little of my Mirtazipine to see what changes , and only just being released from Hospital after 3 month stay know only too well when they cleared me off diamazepam and tramadol , gave me for two months Olanzipine which did nothing for me but make me suicidal know the effects too much medication or too little a particular medication can not be a good thing.

I would recommend weaning yourself off for sure , my ceasation of medications all happened same day and it was instantly stopped when in hospital I can safely say it was the worst situation Ive been in , in my life .

Although feeling terrible since christmas also consider how you may feel without the medication , weaning off allows you some self control to an extent.

I would also keep re addressing with the doctors re your situation , I have , not a yes yet but a maybe discussion in a couple of weeks when I see the pyschologist again so I feel I just gotta try and hold in there too

[Plumpeh]

Thanks for getting back to me. I've been on 40mg for around two and half months now, so would have thought that was enough time for it to have an effect, but I guess everyone is different and it could just be taking longer with me...

I might try making an appointment with my original doctor to see what she thinks I should do.

And bignik, I had CBT back in October, it helped a lot when I had the appointments to go to - I purposely made them in the morning so I had a reason to get out of bed haha! I hope they go well for you xx

[bignik]

Hi Plumpeh and how do you feel today re the CBT , still feel it was of benefit now or only when you were going to appointments

[UrbanMark]

"I've been thinking about going cold turkey"

Please do NOT go cold turkey with Citalopram.
Everyone has a therapeutic dosage of Cit, maybe yours is 40mg or even 60mg.
Citalopram enters and leaves your system very slowly.
It is recommended that you cut down by only 5% daily until it is out of your system.
I tried coming off it a few months back, I went from 20mg every day to 20mg for four days per week with 10mg the other three days, I did this for two weeks then 20mg three days 10mg four days and so on, but I felt terrible after a month so I went back to 20mg.

Please, if you come off it, do it gradually, the brain has to adjust to the different levels of serotonin, and it does so very slowly.

Take care.

[Catya]

Yes very sensible advice.

[Vanilla Sky]

My doctor said its best for people to stay on cit for about a year , especially when you reach the dose you feel steady on. Worked for me , i stayed on 40 for about 8 months, I am now off it and still feel good