best decision i've made

[VickieX]

decided to take myself off the medication they put me on.:D

and on thursday im going to discharge myself from the outpatients place i attend for therapies. :D

cant wait

sorry for the random post but i couldn't wait to tell other my news :)

xx

[nomorepanic]

What medication are you on?

Do you feel you are cured now?

You need to do it very slowly

[Going home]

Its good that you feel so positive, but please be careful. If they're meds that youve been taking for quite a while you might experience withdrawl so its always best to let the docs know what you're doing...perhaps come off them gradually rather then completely at once.

Anna xx

[VickieX]

i'm on citalopram, well as of tonight, was on citalopram,
i've read up on coming off them so i think i'm clued up *fingers crossed*

i just cant wait any longer to get away from it all.

xx

[nomorepanic]

If you were on them a while then going cold turkey is not a good idea!

[Dahlia]

Hi Vickiex

I don't mean to rain on your parade, and well done for making the decision that's right for you - but I would really really recommend that you wean off the citalopram slowly. Cold turkey from the SSRIs can be a really unpleasant experience - I know, I've been there and I did it slowly, and am currently coming off Effexor (slowly) and not having a great time of it. You could potentially put yourself back in a place where you need to go back on the med because you feel so bad.

Good luck!

Dahlia

[Vixxy]

Please dont just stop taking them, it could make you really ill. Rushing it could make your anxiety/depression flare up again/

[JT69]

I agree too....having to come off them in 1 week and go onto another was a nightmare for me...it is best to do it slowly and supervised. Take care. Jo.xx

[VickieX]

=/, i guess
i dont want to be on them at all anymore =/.

what time period is a good length to wean off them?
xx

[london]

why not ask your doctor about it

[nomorepanic]

The dose needs to be gradually reduced over a period of many weeks but your doc can come up with a good plan to help you come off them

[Louise2009]

Hi,

I think you need to drop them down bit by bit, over a couple of months. Don't just stop taking them if you've been on them longer than a couple of weeks. It could make you feel very ill and more anxious etc.

xx

[cymraig_chris]

Post removed by author

[mike1985]

I took myself off citalopram 3 years ago and very very very very slowly it has creeped back upon me. I am now on day 12 of my medication and the side effects have been worth the feeling of freedom, i am on the mend.

good luck

[joannap]

i went cold turkey off an ssri years ago - had 2 weeks of heart racing and everything seeming really bright and noisy but i knew it was the effects of coming off and was fine - i just accepted it and after 2 weeks it disappeared.

i have been on citalopram for nearly 3 years - came down to 10mg because i had an over active thyroid and was on beta blockers and gp felt i did not need both. my thyroid has mysteriously sorted itself and am still on 10 mg - i had a terrible relapse of anxiety 2 months ago that years ago would have seen me rushing back for change of meds/increase in dose but i decided that i would not go back down that road and came through it with acceptance - pretty much the hardest thing i have ever done but in my opinion - i am now ready to face this condition and really get to grips with it - for me - gp visists etc just raise my stress levels through the roof so i can totally understand the wish to give it all up.

i have been taking great notice of my thought patterns recently and they are SHOCKING! I am now convinced that low self esteem/negative thinking are at the root of my anxiety and i am proof that changing these and acceptance can overcome the worst. i am now coming off the 10mg because i really do not feel the meds are doing anything at all - that it is down to me and after nearly 15 years of trying everything but actually do the work myself - i think know what i am talking about so you go girl! x

[joannap]

ps - just make sure you have your own personal weapons to deal with the anxiety that may flare up - positive thinking/accpetance etc. the best way - if you cut down slowly is to do it gradually but to take whatever amount you have cut down to every day and then cut down again but again take it every day - most doctors advise to take pills on alternate days etc but this just puts you on a see saw dose and all the sites i have been on advise against this x

[rambler]

You'd be better off asking your Psych or GP as it can be dangerous to stop taking your meds instantly. I was on quite a high dose of Efexor and came off of them cold turkey (without any proffesional advice) I was so ill through it that I ended up in the psych ward for a while. I'm now back on the efexor but at a tenth of the dose I was on..next week it'll be stopped all together. woohoo! I've had to replace the Efexor with Zispin though so that's a bit of a bummer.
Do you just feel cured now then? Or are you just fed up with keep taking meds?

[helluvafella]

I don't take medication. I did years ago I was on propranolol but it made me feel even dizzier (low b.p.)
I would check that its ok to come off them quickly though before just quitting - sometimes it can make you feel worse and you have to wean yourself off.
Sometimes medication is neccessary for a short while - don't just come off it abruptly though.