Citalopram is Evil

[Bisto]

Hi Everyone

I am having a rough time at the moment. I had an adoption breakdown a couple of weeks ago and the child who was 7 was returned to her long term foster carers who decided all along that they wanted to keep her which was the best outcome for everyone, as I just couldn't cope.

I went to the doctor and he put me on 20mg of Citalopram which I took that evening. He also gave me some sleeping tablets to get me through. When the sleeping tablets wore off, I had 2 nights with no sleep at all which are apparently a common side effect. Anyhoo, I was feeling that they were making mw worse and I was having terrible side effects, hot flashes, grinding teeth, dizziness, high anxious state, hot arms and legs as though acid was on them. After 16 days I had had enough so the doctor said to come off them, I have been off 2 days and I am knackered and I feel dizzy and sick and I feel a bit "vacant"ere more to come? Apparently because I haven't been on them for that long I may feel a bit rough for about a week, has anyone else experienced this.

I have referred myself to a private CBT clinic which I hope will help far more than tablets.

Thanks for reading this post and I would welcome any suggestions for my recovery

thanks a lot

[Tufty]

:welcome: Bisto

I'm sorry to hear about your adoption breakdown and your unpleasant experience with Citalopram. Everyone is different but stopping them after 16 days shouldn't give you too many withdrawal side effects, it sounds like you've got over the worst. Dizziness, nausea and feeling tired are all normal Citalopram effects but sometimes anxiety can give us these symptoms anyway and it's difficult to distinguish between the two.

CBT is excellent and will help you understand and face your problems with a different perspective.

Remember to drink lots of water to flush the Citalopram out, eat regularly if possible - I find ginger biscuits good when I'm feeling sick, try to walk around every hour or so, even if it's just up the stairs or to sit somewhere different, try to take care of yourself and most importantly remember that this will not last, this is temporary and you will overcome it.

Sam

[Bisto]

Many thanks Sam

The Doctor has given me sleeping tablets to counteract the withdrawal and I am worried about relying on them to get to sleep. I have tried to go to sleep on my own but can't. Not sure if it is the medication or me!

[Tufty]

I know that feeling so well 'is it the medication or me?'

Sleeping tablets are great to get you through this period, sometimes taking them for 3 nights in a row will return your sleeping pattern to normal but also help with any daytime anxiety, you can then stop them without a problem. I rarely have sleep problems, it's usually drugs that give me insomnia, but if I am having difficulties my doctor advised me to take them two nights a week, like a Monday and a Thursday to get a couple of good nights rest and I've never had any rebound insomnia or difficulty coming off them.

I hope you are starting to feel a little more human but remember it will take time, excluding the medication this has probably been brewing for a long time, a build up of stress and exhaustion. It's not going to disappear overnight, accept that your body needs time to recover, for those nerves to heal, eat sensibly, try to talk to others, a little light exercise, rest and lots of sleep come highly recommended :)

Have you done any reading around the subject of anxiety and depression? There's some good info on here and understanding why we feel like we do can help.

Take care
Sam