help on coming off Citalopram please

[suzy-sue]

Eric antibiotics can make you feel horrible .The cold can also make you feel worse with regard to sweating and anxiety ..I do honestly think taking your medication like you are is giving you a yoyo effect and causing you unecessary suffering ..Id definately recommend you take a regular dose of Cit each day .This drug has a half life of 33hours ,so thats why you are feeling bad .Sending you a big hug .You should feel a bit better when the cold goes and the Antibiotics are finished tho ..luv Sue x

[kibbutz83]

Hello Suzy, I can't find the other link, sorry :( I'll have to post here. No I'm not an endocrinologist, or a doctor of any kind.... What I do know though is that certain conventional medicines can exacerbate our overall health rather than curing it :( I will have to read up about Addison's and Cushing's, as I have read a few things about them, but obviously not enough :( Not even the "experts" profess to know everything though :(

[StressedEric]

Eric antibiotics can make you feel horrible .The cold can also make you feel worse with regard to sweating and anxiety ..I do honestly think taking your medication like you are is giving you a yoyo effect and causing you unecessary suffering ..Id definately recommend you take a regular dose of Cit each day .This drug has a half life of 33hours ,so thats why you are feeling bad .Sending you a big hug .You should feel a bit better when the cold goes and the Antibiotics are finished tho ..luv Sue x

Thanks Sue. Have heard of this yoyo effect from another nmp thread but trusted the doctors program. I have messed a bit with my dose a bit over the last month but if i decide to take regular cit now Im unsure of the dose. Was on 20mg everyday before changed to one every two days so maybe go to 15mg? The doc who suggested this program is on hol now for 2 weeks now!!

[suzy-sue]

Hi Eric ,yes 15mg would be a good dose .Reduce when you have become stable abt 2-3 weeks .You wont feel so bad doing it this way .Ive recently cut down again and so far so good ..I have reduced each time by 5mg ..and really dont have any side effects /withdrawals so far .Apart from the odd fuzzy headache now and again ...Gd luck luv Sue

[Geoff2301]

Personally, I've found gp's that I've encountered to be absolutely hopeless with antidepressants and anything to do with them. I've had gp's putting me on a dose that was for hospital use only and had to be very closely monitored when administered...... Dosulepin..... ended up having loads of fits! Switching antidepressants they gave all the wrong instructions when I checked them up on the GP notebook site (link above) and the NICE instructions. They also seem very keen to up the dose on something thats obviously not working yet when you look up the drug trial data, its quite clear that increasing the dose will not make a scrap of difference if its not doing anything on the recommended dose! I personally reckon it really is best to just look up the details yourself and show the data you've got to your gp...... they do their best but just don't have the time to research the fine details.

[StressedEric]

Hi Eric ,yes 15mg would be a good dose .Reduce when you have become stable abt 2-3 weeks .You wont feel so bad doing it this way .Ive recently cut down again and so far so good ..I have reduced each time by 5mg ..and really dont have any side effects /withdrawals so far .Apart from the odd fuzzy headache now and again ...Gd luck luv Sue

Thanks Sue. Seem to be getting worse by the day the anxiety is cripppling. Still on the 20mg on alternate days but seriously thinking of changing to regular dose like you suggested. The only way I can see a doctor is by emergency appointment (as no regular appointments available for weeks) and I've done this a lot recently (so reluctant to book yet another one) and cannot see doc that put me on program because she is on holiday for two weeks. She was the only one which is understanding - seen 3 different docs about my issues with Cit. and want to keep to the same one but with an emergency appointment you could get any doctor available! I could just do it alone but scared to do it without the gp knowing.

[suzy-sue]

Thats understandable Eric ,but its you that is going through this .If it makes a difference to you it surely she will understand .?A lot of Drs let you decide how to do things AND SOME Drs dont agree with the alternating dose programme .It s a pity there isnt someone else you could spk to .Personally Id do it anyway or at least make another emergency appointment hun ,you neednt feel like this .Let them think what they like .they wouldnt like it ..LUV sue x

[anxiouschick]

Why don't you try cutting to 15 a day, that's how I did it last time. Just score one of the tablets in half.
Good luck

[StressedEric]

Why don't you try cutting to 15 a day, that's how I did it last time. Just score one of the tablets in half.
Good luck

I've only got a stock of 20mg tabs so will have to cut one in half (to get the 10mg) and then cut one of the halves into half again to get the 5mg

The anxiety is crippling me spent lot of the time lying on bed the last couple of days as find it hard to do stuff around the house. Got pressure from work as well so this is also on my mind as well!

[janethompson]

I have tried to come off the drug twice now and am now on 10 mg instead of 20 ,but have just started weaning it down to 5 mg per day so watch this space !! I am kind of thinking that this is going to be the last time i try and come off it ,maybe i cannot function without this drug ??I have just started counselling so hopefully this will help !