Reducing Citalopram

[winnie]

I have reduced my tablets very slowly. I went from 20mg slowly to 10mg and eventually got down to 5mg. I have now started to reduce again, I missed one tablet a week for a month and then missed two tablets a week and felt ok. Last week I tried to miss 3 tablets and felt awlful, found it really hard felt very light headed and tearful. Gone back to missing 2 a week and I seem to cope ok with that. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to come these tablets. I desparately want to try for a baby, but really want to be of these tablets first.

[yorkylover]

Hi I reduced mine like you,it was very difficult.I stayed off for 3 months and relapsed.You seem to be doing it right.Have you told your gp,they can advise you.I think you will probably feel a bit rough until they are completly out of your system.

Ellen XX

[winnie]

Thanks Ellen, How did you manage to come off, did you just stop?

[honeybee3939]

Hi Winnie

How long have you been taking them?

I have been taking Citalopram on and off for many years, i find if you come off them too quicky the anxiety symptoms do come back.
Seems like you are doing the right thing by cutting gradually, i am taking 10mg now which i have for a few months, im going to cut to 5mg shortly and do that over a few of months rather than weeks, hope fully by doing it that way i will be off them for good.

Love

Andrea
xxx

"If you have a worry turn it into a problem, you cant solve worrys but you can solve problems"

[KOKO23CAT]

i was on cipralex. i was on 10 for two years, then i went to 5 for a month. i bought a pill cutter from the chemists and cut the 5s in half to 2.5 and then came off altogether. i did fell awful for a while though. i took a high dose of EPA fish oils to help me through. its hard but worth it. just don't panic if you still feel awful a month clean. it takes time, think how long it takes them to work!

''my life is full of catastrophies, most of which never happened''

[yorkylover]

I came off like you Winnie,really slowly.

Ellen XX

[sal]

Hi Winnie

Sounds to me you are just doing it right and you will get the odd blip. I admire how well you are doing ive just dropped from 60 mg 2 40mg and feel okay but going further down i couldnt consider at the moment, not that i feel bad just it is such a big step.

You are doing great.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[Two heads]

you sound like you are doing great keep up the good work!
Im to in the process off dropping meds and at present im on 10mg!
Next month im going to drop to 5mg ,which i think is when people really notice adifferents>
xxx

[KOKO23CAT]

When i reached my 3 month mark i very nearly relapsed as i had a very bad patch but then i remembered that i had felt just as bad on meds!
slower the better though

koko

''my life is full of catastrophies, most of which never happened''

[Darren76]

been off mine since xmas now. gradually reduced my dose but in december forgot to take them for a few days and thought "what the hell" ill stop. PA's have deffo come back but not sure if that is situational or cos of coming off the citalopram. dont want to go back on them, but by the same token if my CBT doesnt start to work for me, then ill kinda have no other choice. :(

[Evie]

I took Ciprimil for a seven-month period in 2004. I was on 20mg a day for all but the last fortnight; I'd been promised I'd be weaned off them completely by the end of May so I could drink at my own wedding but time was getting short! I was given some 10mg's and told to alternate 20, 10 and then 10, 10 and then 10, 0 but after about four days of feeling like HELL (sweats, shivers, cramps, nausea and headaches) I realised there wasn't enough time to use up all the pills and decided that, if this was withdrawal I was NOT going to go through my wedding feeling like that so just wet cold turkey and within a couple more days the side effects were passed and I was able to enjoy my day. There was no repeat of the Panic Attacks but I have to say that I was careful to modify my life too - dropping down to a three day working week, with reduced duties to decrease the stress both of the workload and of the 100-mile a day commute.

This is terribly subjective though - it worked for me but then I just had a bog-standard, work-induced breakdown that manifested in panic attacks so it followed that reduced workload/hours would address that (which it did). I'd had a nice, four-month rest before returing to a three-day week and had no doubt at all that I was recovered by the time I came off.

Coming off 'cold turkey' from a 20, 10 alternate days wasn't too much of a drop but I really wouldn't have done it off a higher dose. These things are strong and need to be treated with respect. It's natural to feel side effects such as those I mentioned above but please, if you have any doubts or experience really bad ones I'd advise speaking to your doctor but on the bright side, they wouldn't be advising a reduction if they didn't see real progress with you so good luck and keep us posted.

H :-)

[winnie]

Thanks Evie, its good to hear from people that have managed to come of them. I am now on 5mg every other day and I am thinking about just stopping altogether now. I am very nervous though about the withdrawal and scared I won't beable to do it. I only have 3 months until I get married and want to be completely of them by then so I can try for a baby.