citalopram withdrawal

[cobra427]

Hi

I came off citalopram a week ago after having been on them for 18 months. The highest dose I was on was 40mg and have been reducing gradually over the last 6 months. My GP advised me to take 10mg every day for 2 weeks and then 10mg every other day for 2 weeks and to then stop. Which I did, but by the third day of not taking them, I started to experience a dizzy, woozy feeling, palpitations and just feeling not right - I feel OK in the morning and then as the day goes on I feel worse. Not enough to stop me doing anything but I am aware of these funny sensations. This then makes me dwell on them and so the cycle of anxiety begins again!

Has anyone else experienced something similar - I am really keen to find out before I end up going back to my GP.

Thanks!

[DaveG]

Hello

I was taking Cipralex (Escitalopram) for about a year and experienced exactly what you describe when I reduced my dose/stopped taking them. The worst withdrawal symptom I found was the 'headshocks', where you get dizzy for a split second, very unpleasant!

The withdrawal symptoms can be quite severe but they do fade and eventually stop after a while. Hang in there!

[cobra427]

Thank you for replying - and I am starting to feel a bit better - hopefully my body is getting used to not having the tablets everyday.

[DaveG]

I was only taking 10mg/day so not really a large dose. I was down to 10mg every 3 days but a combination of withdrawal side effects and feeling pretty down meant I put them back up to 10mg/day for a couple of months.

In the end I did something which is not recommended - I stopped taking them altogether. I reckon it was 6 weeks before all the withdrawal symptoms stopped. The dizziness, feeling flushed, palpitations and headshocks really were at times quite unbearable but I felt ok, some days they were worse than others and some days they were hardly noticable.

I guess I was in the right frame of mind to stop taking them, and didn't let the withdrawal get at me.

[Two heads]

Hi all!
I dont think these GP,s really known the best way to drop the meds really.They advised for you to drop down and take every other day,but to my mind that seems almost like teaseing your brain.Almost messing things up even more so.one day your getting meds the next your not.your body doesnt know where its at!
.Its been four weeks now since i stopped meds and like anybody i get the odd day where i feel anxious and maybe a little breathless.I have had no side affects from stopping them other than a few head shocks a few months back when dropping the dose.
I started dropping them in nov and ended four weeks ago.I was on 20mg and every so many weeks i dropped,
nov 20mg to 15mg
jan15mg to10mg
march 10mg to5mg by cutting my tablet
april 5mg to 2.5
Then after that i just had crumbs.I never went aday without a thing.
personally i think thats the way to go.
Good luckxxx

[groovygranny]

Hi Cobra!

People react differently to gong on or coming off medication.

I sort off came off Citalopram purely by accident!

I'd been on 60mg per day and realised I'd missed the odd day here and there - sometimes two days in a row.

I wanted to come off them anyway so went to my GP who advised much the same as yours did - but I didn't take that long, just a week, and was fortunate enough not to have any side effects at all.

Personaly, I must agree with 2heads - I think reducing the dose daily is a much more gently phased way to cut down and stop. Less shock to your system maybe.

Hopefully you're feeling much better by now

Take care

[Chellec]

Hi Cobra

How are you feeling now honey?
Ive been on one a week for a couple of months and my last one is due in a couple of days. I dont know wether to go back to my GP and get more or leave it as it is now. I have been feeling dizzy and breathless but trying to keep myself on the level as best I can
funny enough it was excatly a year yesterday that I had my worst panic attack.

My main concern is that I will go back to feeling how I did before the meds and if so whats the point in taking them in the first place but people have said that the meds restore the seretonin in your brain and its stays there after you have stopped taking the meds. Is this true??


xxxxx

[devon_guy]

I can sympathise entirely, I'm going through it at the moment, took my last tablet 3 days ago and I had so far escaped the head zaps, but they are here with a vengance and I feel really tired. I'm hoping it will wear off soon, the thing is my GP wants to put me on prozac and now I'm off meds I really don't want to go back on more but not sure I can cope without them. I guess having come off Citalopram before I knew about the headzaps this time around so was prepared so not worried about them but they are not pleasant.

[devon_guy]

I feel very fluey and under the weather, is this a withdrawal symptom?

[bleeds]

I have been unwell at every dose drop stomach cramps hot and cold and generally feel down and anxious. First off thought it was a bug but was not. I was at one point on 60mg but have slowly been reducing month on month and it was not until Xmas that I found there was a pattern to my symptoms.Has any one else suffered the same? As I am now on my way down to 10mg in a weeks time and each reduction has got progressivley more ferocious with its affects.