withdrawal weeks later?

[anxiouschick]

Hi I'm not having a great time reducing my drug and was wondering if anyone could give me any advice.

Started on 20mg about 16 months ago, tried to drop early this year from 20 to 10 but felt toally lousy, so went to 15g. Still suffered some side effects which lasted for about 6 weeks, but they were bearable.

Dropped to 10mg over 5 weeks ago, but feel like I am getting worse rather than better.

It seems that every time I drop, initally I don't feel too bad, but then a few weeks later, I start to get bad headaches, a spaced out feeling, flu like symtoms and terrible fatigue. I am also getting increasingly short tempered. It's almost like my body is taking a few weeks to have any reaction to the reduction.

I was on Seroxat for 3 years prior to the Citalopram and had a similar reaction to that. Went through total hell getting off it and ended up on Citalorpam.

Has anyone else expereinced this? It's really demoralising and I feel that I will never get off them!

[alias_kev]

I thought I'd rely though as your post looked a bit lonely.

I haven't had that sort of experience even when I switched from Escitalopram to Buspirone in about 7-10 days; although Esc' is often a bit gentler than citalopram and it and Busp' both work on serotonin so that could be why.

There is some documentation about withdrawal taking longer than usual for some patients and some general talk about "SSRI withdrawal syndrome". I think in some patients it takes a lot longer for the brain/body to adjust - even just chemically, let alone mentally. I was reading some stuff about SSRIs yesterday and even when we go on them various chemical brain processes have to readjust themselves inorder for benefits to occur. Its fairly complex stuff but basically upping the serotonin level (via the drug effects) is only the start. Some bits of the brain cells get more sensitive, others less as we adapt. Which probably means the meds are not the "wonder drugs" they were conceived as when it may have been assumed that there was less adaption in the brain. Now when we reduce or stop the meds this adaption has to reverse and may leave us hanging with less effective serotonin than we ever had before, even ignoring any extraneous side effects.

Personally I would be suprised from a "systems engineering viewpoint" if a lot of this occures because the SSRIs just dam up serotonin in our brains rather than increasing our production or sensitivity to it. From the article the brain mechanisms have to adapt in order to cope with the overload the meds produce.

From the maths involved it usually takes about a week for a change in Citalopram dosage to stabilise in the body (just in terms of the daily rise and fall of the medication levels). And presumably this can be different from some patients. Then there's the expected serotonin change and then the brain/body has to adapt. From the biochemistry its clear that some people could get an apparent shortage of serotonin for a while with all the anxiety/depression/mood effects one would expect since a) the medication no longer dams up as much serotonin and b) both their natural production and c) natural receptors may have reduced during the original dose.

Most advice on tappering off medications suggests waiting for the side effects and adaption to take place before lowering it again. This is slow and a bit painful, but if you are suffering during a slow withdrawal a fast one would usually be a lot worse. If it gets too bad you should involve your GP since it might also be that you are not yet ready to come off the meds or need some extra support to do so.

Take Care

[john1]

Hi I'm not having a great time reducing my drug and was wondering if anyone could give me any advice.

Started on 20mg about 16 months ago, tried to drop early this year from 20 to 10 but felt toally lousy, so went to 15g. Still suffered some side effects which lasted for about 6 weeks, but they were bearable.

Dropped to 10mg over 5 weeks ago, but feel like I am getting worse rather than better.

It seems that every time I drop, initally I don't feel too bad, but then a few weeks later, I start to get bad headaches, a spaced out feeling, flu like symtoms and terrible fatigue. I am also getting increasingly short tempered. It's almost like my body is taking a few weeks to have any reaction to the reduction.

I was on Seroxat for 3 years prior to the Citalopram and had a similar reaction to that. Went through total hell getting off it and ended up on Citalorpam.

Has anyone else expereinced this? It's really demoralising and I feel that I will never get off them!

Hi there

I have been on 20 mg Citlapram for 6 months I tapered off to 10MG for 6 weeks then 5mg for 3 days. I have been off them completly for 14 days and have had definite withdrawals for about 11 days, I had nausea, brain zaps, anxiety, headaches,ringing in ears, sleeping probs, feeling low at times , but as each day passed the symptoms lessoned. Now most of those symptoms have dissappered and Im feeling like my oldself again.Citlapram got me through a bout of severe depression but now I feel its time to come off. It definitly gets better with time. You just have to push through. I gave up smoking ten years ago and I compare coming off citlapram similar to that, you have to be strong willed and not get fooled into taking the pills again when you have a bad moment. The bad moments pass and each day they lesson and get better. You can do it.Be strong.

[Bob47]

I am interested in the last posts. I was on 20mg of Citalopram for 4 months and (on my GP's advice) I reduced them to 10,g for 4 weeks then 5mg for another 4 weeks stopping altogether three weeks ago.

There are no areas of stress or anxiety left around me at the moment but in the last 4 or 5 days I have noticed spells of background anxiety popping up and having the occassional 'odd' few hours. I am obviously now worried that the original anxiety is making a comeback or is it just the bumpy road off the meds?? I would be really pleased to hear your thoughts

[reallyfedup]

hi bob. It could be a bit of withdrawal or rebound anxiety. Only thing you can do is see how you go, or get a tiny dose of cital back in your system for a gentler weaning off or get a tiny dose of something like amityiptilne to act as a buffer in withdrawal. I mean tiny just 5 to 10 mg per day to take as and when -its prescribed as a muscle relaxant . If you want to stay off meds try rescue remedy? Lots of luck x sara

[Bob47]

Hi Sara
Hope you're doing ok?
I am guessing its withdrawal as for the first week after stopping I didn't notice anything at all, as I say its only been around the 3 week mark I've had some strange experiences. They're not unmanagable but the anxiety cycle starts when you worry you're going back to square one, if you follow me.
I have had such a love/hate relationship with Citalopram I think taking them again would be a negative for me, but the Rescue Remedy is ace if a bit temporary. I'll let you know what happens. Hows you getting on?

B

[Daisybun]

I have been on 20mg of citalopram for three years. In November I started reducing, alternating 20mg and 10mg. Then went down to 10mg per day. End of March/April I started alternating on 10mg then 5mg. It has been more difficult, and I notice when i don't have any at all the old feelings start to creep in. I have had no physical symptoms just emotional ones.
The throat tension seems to have returned and the anxiety is there on the lower dose days.