View Full Version : Weening Off
Thought I'd start a thread of weening off. Have been on 20mg for 8 weeks. Had every side effect in the book getting on this drug. Many of which I still have.
Went to the doctor's 3 days ago and got a new script for 10mg. My actual hope is to see if 10mg will alleviate some of the side effects that have been sticking around and hope that I can actual stay on 10mg for a while because it does help my anxiety.
On the other hand, I have horrible HA which is why these side effects are sort of driving me crazy.
Either way i'll keep everyone updated. So far dropping right down to 10mg was easy. No other new side effects that i've noticed. Im guessing this is because i was on a low dose to begin with and have only been on cit for 2 months. Will prolly give the 10mg 2 weeks than re-evaluate my situation.
If the side effects start to go away i'll stay on the 10mg, if not i'll prolly cut it down to 5mg for another week or 2 then go off. Wish me luck!:)
Hey all. Have been on 10mg since I cut down from 20mg a week ago. Noticed no additional side effects. Going to start at 5mg tomorrow for about a week. Depending on how I feel I may just stop after that.
Does anyone think this is too quick? I was on 20mg for 8 weeks before and I have also already spoken to my doctor about it. I've never been more ready to get off a medicine. The side effects just out weigh the mental benefits for me.
Also, for anyone who has gotten off, how long did your withdrawal last? How long did it take for your sy.ptoms to go away?
The main symptoms I've had this entire time have been: bowel issues, gastric pain, muscle tension, muscle twitching, weird head sensations, and most recently ear pressure/ sensations. This ear stuff is driving me nuts.
Will these at least go away at some point down the road when I have been off the med for a while? I've had these symptoms for 9 weeks now and a little scared that they will not go away.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
MyNameIsTerry
03-01-18, 00:08
When I dropped from 20-10mg I didn't get many side effects, very bearable. Cotton wool heads, some brain zaps, dizziness, etc. It was more pronounced when I dropped from 10-0mg but it lasted maybe 10-15 days and I was fine & working at the time.
A total difference to starting them!
When I dropped from 20-10mg I didn't get many side effects, very bearable. Cotton wool heads, some brain zaps, dizziness, etc. It was more pronounced when I dropped from 10-0mg but it lasted maybe 10-15 days and I was fine & working at the time.
A total difference to starting them!
Thanks so much Terry. I think since I'm so ready to be off of them it's making it easier than getting on them.
Did you have any side effects while on cit that didn't go away after you stopped taking them?
I'm just so ready so get rid of these side effects, especially the ear pressure and weird head sensations, it's driving me nuts.
MyNameIsTerry
03-01-18, 01:34
No, it was fine. Really easy when compared to the awful experience of starting them. After about 15 days it was all done and there were no more side effects. To be honest, after the first 7 days it was fading anyway.
They feel strange but now you are in a better place you will handle it. I always find starting is where I struggle badly and the side effects hit me.
You may want to spend a few weeks at each dose reduction just to make sure. Typically it takes 2-3 days for withdrawal symptoms to show, then peak about day 7-9, and then subside about day 13-14.
However, the only way to know is reducing your dosage to 5mg and see how it goes. if after a week you still feel OK [withdrawals are mild/tolerable], then you could try 0mg.
Just be ready for discontinuation side effects that may/may not appear within a few weeks after stopping the med.
Good luck and keep updating your progress!
MyNameIsTerry
03-01-18, 04:35
You may want to spend a few weeks at each dose reduction just to make sure. Typically it takes 2-3 days for withdrawal symptoms to show, then peak about day 7-9, and then subside about day 13-14.
However, the only way to know is reducing your dosage to 5mg and see how it goes. if after a week you still feel OK [withdrawals are mild/tolerable], then you could try 0mg.
Just be ready for discontinuation side effects that may/may not appear within a few weeks after stopping the med.
Good luck and keep updating your progress!
Yes, we need to consider the half life issue and how elimination works. With Cit it's just over 7 days to reach a steady state in blood plasma so any adjustments are best done outside of this 7 days to stabilise but even then it can take longer as the body is adjusting to the changes the reductions bring. Essentially other than simply reducing that extra Serotonin it has been keeping in the synapse it will also be unpicking the reuptake inhibition which is going to take a bit longer since that takes longer to start happening when you go on these meds.
Yes, we need to consider the half life issue and how elimination works. With Cit it's just over 7 days to reach a steady state in blood plasma so any adjustments are best done outside of this 7 days to stabilise but even then it can take longer as the body is adjusting to the changes the reductions bring. Essentially other than simply reducing that extra Serotonin it has been keeping in the synapse it will also be unpicking the reuptake inhibition which is going to take a bit longer since that takes longer to start happening when you go on these meds.
thanks. Would you suggest taking the reduced dose for a month before reducing again?
Thanks for all the responses everyone!:yesyes:
I am going to drop down to 5mg today for about a week to see how I feel. I have read, however, on other parts of this site that a lot of people will spend a couple weeks at a certain dose before going down.
I think since I've only been on 20 mg for 8 weeks I'm (hoping) it will be a little easier for me, but this is also why I'm not going to go straight from 10-0mg.
I think my mindset and my experience with all the side effects in general is giving me extra motivation and a more positive outlook on getting off which I honestly do think helps.
I will let everyone know my progress this week and hopefully next week i'll be feeling ok and confident to get completely off.
MyNameIsTerry
05-01-18, 01:59
thanks. Would you suggest taking the reduced dose for a month before reducing again?
With the half issue & elimination, changing dose inside the just over 7 days it takes to reach steady state is a poor strategy to me as you haven't even had a consistent dose at this point. So, I would always go 2 weeks minimum on this med to see how I coped but if you have the time, a month is even more cautious and not a bad thing to do.
If you've been on long term, the professionals seem to suggest 10% withdrawal rates too but it's not always practical on these pills with cutting so we just have to play it with caution and monitor as it's too individual as ever to know for sure.
Switching is more problematic but if you are just withdrawing then a month seems a very sensible to me.
Update:
Been on 5mg for 3 days now. Still feel fine. I will randomly have a hot flash once and a while but that's it. Ears are FINALLY starting to have less pressure in them thank god!
My plan was to be on 5mg for a week, but I may just stop with that tomorrow and ride it out. Im ready to be off and have not had any other side effects from going down in dose so far. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next friday so I would like to discuss with her how I feel being completely off the med, and this would give me an entire week to be off of it completely.:yahoo:
Update:
Been on 5mg for 3 days now. Still feel fine. I will randomly have a hot flash once and a while but that's it. Ears are FINALLY starting to have less pressure in them thank god!
My plan was to be on 5mg for a week, but I may just stop with that tomorrow and ride it out. Im ready to be off and have not had any other side effects from going down in dose so far. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next friday so I would like to discuss with her how I feel being completely off the med, and this would give me an entire week to be off of it completely.:yahoo:
Wow! Good to hear you're side effects have been minimal. Please keep us updated on how you feel a week or so after you've stopped taking the med.
Update:
Did actually go off completely after 3 days at 5mg. Ear pressure and head sensations were almost completely gone when I did this.
This I believe is day 3 being completely off and I still feel ok. Ear pressure came back a little bit, but other than that no new side effects. Will update again on Friday which will be a week completely off and also the day I have a follow up with my doctor.
Update:
Did actually go off completely after 3 days at 5mg. Ear pressure and head sensations were almost completely gone when I did this.
This I believe is day 3 being completely off and I still feel ok. Ear pressure came back a little bit, but other than that no new side effects. Will update again on Friday which will be a week completely off and also the day I have a follow up with my doctor.
Awesome to hear! It sounds like you may not encounter discontinuation side effects [or they'll be very minimal]. :)
Update:
Tomorrow will be a week of being completely Cit free. I will be meeting with my doctor tomorrow for a follow up.
No new side effects. Some slight muscle tightness, along with some slight head sensations which ive been having but thats it. Still have slight ear pressure as well as muscle twitching which is really annoying.
Also went to my ENT the other week and was told i have LPR (silent reflux) randomly. Wanted me to go on some meds for it but i am so tired of meds that im just switching up my diet and see how that goes. I've read that anxiety can cause more acid production, kinda crazy how all things tie together.
Will update after my visit tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well!
Good to hear you're still doing well now that you've been off the med for a week without side effects! :)
Hey guys,
So had my follow up with my doctor. It has now been over a week completely off and still feel about the same.
Was wondering for anyone who has ever weened off before: how long did the side effects last for you? Mine haven't gotten any worse since being off, but they def haven't gotten better either.
I was only on 20mg for 8 weeks, so im guessing it may take that long for the side effects to complete diminish? I will say the muscle twitching has stopped, thank god.
I still have the weird head and ear sensations as well as my bowel movements and stomach still being messed up from the very first time i took cit, about 10 weeks ago now. The head stuff just feels like constant pressure which i think is sort of radiating to my ears. My ears also hurt a little bit. Anyone else have these symptoms? And if so how long did they last for you after being off cit? I just honestly want to feel normal again :weep:
You may want to try Priobitics to try and get your stomach back to normal.
Discontinuation side effects could last a few weeks - but everyone is different so it's unknown.
you may want to see an ENT as a sanity check to make sure your hearing is OK.
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