I don't think I can come off it...

[morning_blues]

Or rather, I don't think I want to come off it!

I've been on Citalopram 20mg since December following a bit of a meltdown last October. It has been a godsend for me and I was back to feeling like myself by June. Since then my GP and counsellor have been encouraging me to come off it.
I've made it to 10mg, but now I'm stuck and don't want to go further. I know it's not a long term solution, but I find it such a useful "crutch" - it puts my mind at rest knowing that safety net is there, especially as things are quite stressful at the moment.

Thankfully my GP is very understanding and has left me on 10mg with a review in 2 months, but I'm not sure I have the confidence to take the final step :unsure:

Any encouragement/success stories gratefully received!!

[radoel]

If you dont feel comfortable coming off it then dont - here is my story;
I came off cit for the 3rd time about 8 weeks ago - I was never on higher than 20mg but had gradually got it down to 10mg every other day.
On having my review the doc said that the really low dose i was one would be having no therapeutic effect and i may as well stop altogether.
Therefore I did stop but 6 weeks later found myself sruggling again and then a tummy bug really knocked me for 6.
I decided to go back on it and now a week in I am struggling with the side effects again.
I wish I had stayed on it as even on a low dose it gave me the confidence to feel well - if that makes sense.

I think what I am trying to say is that if you dont feel you are strong enough to cope without it the dont - stay on it until you do because that time will come eventually

[Iggy131313]

Sorry, but did you know that 6 weeks off is a notorious time for w/d to kick in?

many people make the mistake of thinking that their origional issues have come back, i think the tummy bug was a w/d symptom.

morning blues - i advise you to stay where you are, if you want to come off the drug then dont take it every other day as drs advise but get the liquid form and go down to 7.5 for a few weeks then 5 ect.

but if i were you i would stay put.

[little scientist]

Mine was 3-4 months when my symptoms returned. Now been told am probably on them for the foreseeable future. I too wish I had never come off my ten, but at the time I felt fab, and had felt fab for about 12 months so at the time it made sense to try and stop them. I do often wonder if I would be anxious now, if I had carried on taking them.....but it doesn't do to dwell :)

[radoel]

My doc has said that because this is the 3rd time of being on them I might be best taking them forever - I am more than happy with this as I dont think I want to go through the initial starting of them ever again - knocks me out for weeks.
I try and look at it this way - a diabetic needs insulin to function - I need citalopram!

[JOP]

I try and look at it this way - a diabetic needs insulin to function - I need citalopram!
I feel exactly the same way. I'm very lucky in that the drug works, the unwanted side effects are minimal and the positive side effects are powerful.

OP:

I'm a little confused that your GP/Counselor are encouraging you to come off it. Obviously I'm not aware of your individual circumstances, but for me the stress, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem were all very clearly chemically-induced. Most of my darkest periods occurred when things were (objectively) at their best and most stimulating. This is one of the things that upset me most.

If you think your condition is mostly chemical -and Citalopram is working for you and the side effects aren't too inconvenient- then why would would you cease using it?

The problems that Citalopram solves are usually irrational. Being aware of the fact that it isn't 'real' doesn't mean those problems go away (at least not for me!) Understanding that you're prone to it and knowing the signs of it's arrival is helpful, but surely it's no replacement for prevention of that anxiety in the first place.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it almost feels as if your GP/Counselor see getting off the medication as some sort of desirable goal. Why is this?

Before you make a decision please ask yourself if your taking of Citalopram is only justified by particularly testing times -i.e. the meltdown you mentioned- or if you generally experience abnormally high levels of stress, anxiety, emotional instability etc.

Does Citalopram solve problems that you used to have?

If so, is your life on Citalopram better than it was off without it?

I personally started on 20mg and moved up to 30mg. In all likelihood I'll keep taking Citalopram as long as they keep making it.

xx

[diggory]

You are all scaring me ! Twenty two days into cold turkey with only minor w/s. Ok I'm a little irritable, my head feels like mince in the morning, oh, and I can't sleep or concentrate for very long and I'm about to burst into tears because I've just missed Gilmore Girls but hey, what has citalopram ever done for me ?
Yes cit' did make me feel better. but getting off is hard and I'm very slowly day by day, week by week getting better. Better...ish I should say, anywhere near as well as four weeks ago ? ... no way ! Breathe, smile, go slowly !
Off to look for my head, it's around here somewhere.... Get in touch if you need any help, namaste !

[morning_blues]

Thanks everyone - that's prompted some interesting discussion.
For me, I'm so much happier and more "level" on citalopram that I don't feel any urget to come off it. I have always suffered with heightened stress and anxiety but I didn't recognise it and kept on soldiering on, ignoring it, until my body said enough is enough, when the meltdown happened. Whilst on cit I cope much better with stress, I don't have the horrible morning nausea that comes with it.
I don't know if GP/counsellor are set on a goal of coming off cit as a measure of success but I do feel that it's too soon and I'm not ready for it, and I'm not going to go with their plan if I don't feel it's right for me.

That's interesting about the liquid form - I didn't know that was available.

[Carina]

Personally I've always been a very anxious individual. From as far back as being nine years old, I've gone through periods of being ill with nerves/emotional distress. Now, at 24, I'm on citalopram. I've just finished a course and uni and I'm about to get married. A little nagging voice in my head says that I need to come off the tablets because there's nothing really wrong with me. So I have a question for those of us discussing chemical imbalances as a cause for anxiety - does your brain ever try to argue with you that there's nothing really wrong with you and it's your life that's wrong, even though your life is going wonderfully?