Coming off Citalopram

[Katesh4]

Hi,

I cannot believe the GP said the symptoms were in your head!!! Blooming Doctors...some of them just do not have a clue what they are talking about!! They should try going through what we do and see how they feel.

Anyhow read your other posts and sounds like you are coming through at last so well done...let it please continue for you.

Take care
Jo.

Hi, I have been off of Citalopram now for 6 weeks and feeling fine! Yeh!
Just thought I would let you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the tunnel may not be as long as you think.
Kxx

[JT69]

Thats great news....well done. Jo.xx

[samvi]

I can so relate the head whooshes, just a sharp suddent pain and then a feeling of overwhelmingness (not a real word) but i hope you understand where i feel like i could faint it is making me lose my confidence a little bit but i have also been off citalopram for 6 days now it is the side effects that are actually getting me down.
Anyone know how long it actually takes to get out of your system?
I have also been trying to have a glass of wine just to chill out but i am very neurotic and guess it is probably not helping, oh well got to have some life.
For the record i have been having psychotherapy and it has really given me some insight into the condition but also that pannick attacks are believed to be a result of repressed anger. Giving me something to think about and challenge.
Acupuncture also been quite good as it has helped me sleep because all this stress and worry must unbalance the system
Chins up been great to see not alone
Sam

[Clarissa83]

Hi Everyone, I am new to this site. I am thinking of coming off Citalopram, but a lil scared after reading some of the side effects. I suffered really badly when I started taking them, so started taking them at night to sleep through the side effects. I have put on weight since I started taking them and now want to come off them for many reasons. Please can anyone offer me some advice.

Thanks

C.xx

[NatalieK]

I too have just gone cold turkey after being on 20mg for a year. It wasn't intentional - I ha been thinking about it as I have put on 2 stones and this is making me REALLY depressed! It just kinda happened as I forgot to take my tablets because I was so busy and before I knew it i'd done a week.... It's now been 10 days. I feel ok, sometimes feel a bit panicky, can i cope?? But if I don't think about it i'm fine. Very few side effects and the big bonus is I can feel my sex drive returning! I tried to do this before and the side effects were awful so maybe the time wasn't right??

I am 40 in 5 months and determined to have lost the weight I have stacked on over the last year as well as being happy. Daily I am taking a broad range multi vitamin, 2000mg of omega 3 oils and a 5HTP from holland and barratt. So far so good.....

[JT69]

Hi Clarissa,

My only advice if coming off citalopram is do it slowly...some people and you might be one of them suffer no withdrawal effects at all, I suffered from the brain zaps and they are not very nice. I took cit on and off for around 9 years and found the more time I took in reducing the dosage the less the side effects were. What dose are you currently taking?? I tended to be on 20mg. When coming off I would do 10mg one night then 20mg the next for a couple of weeks then do less and less of the 20mg until I was on 10mg then again with that I would drop one night out each week until I came off, it I felt any of the zaps I would just increase slightly again until it subsided. All sounds a bit complex but it worked for me.

Hope you get on o.k. support here for you when you need it hun.

Take care.
Jo.xx

[Clarissa83]

HI Jo

thanks for the advice, much appricated. I have been on 20mg, but for nearly 2 weeks now been on 10mg. Doc said if i feel low for a period of time then i need to start taking 20mg again. touch wood no side effects yet apart from being tired and a few headaches. will keep you up dated thanks

C.xx

[nutcluster]

Hi all, this is my story I went on Citalopram 9 months ago. I was feeling fairly precarious.. not bursting with self esteem or confidence and probably thinking far too deeply about everything. My friend said she was on them and she described it as general emotions being like a wavey line and citalopram giving you a glear route through the middle, cutting out the highs and lows. I probably started on 20mg, then went up to 40. I had a very demanding job at the time and I felt I needed to be on top form and not have anything i.e. personal life or emotions get in the way. Although I have had ups and downs during this 9 month period, recently I have felt so happy. I have not been working as I am between jobs and have just felt quite blissful doing my own thing every day in the sunshine. I've also met someone really nice and that's made a lot of difference to my outlook. A family member has also moved a bit closer. Anyway, I have found with Citalopram that it kind of numbs your libido. I didn't really want to spend my sex life with my new partner wondering if I could feel everything.. I wanted to be able to have orgasms. I know that being sane and happy is also pretty important... anyway, about 10 days ago, I started only taking half my daily dose. I felt fine for the first week. Maybe a bit snappy but this was when map reading in a hot car so could have just been standard! However, on Sunday, my moods took a major nosedive. My partner said he was gonna pop round and see a friend and I lost it! Still felt rubbish for next couple of days. I now feel that my insecurities and stuff are probably because of the withdrawal. On the physical side, I have flu-ey like symptoms, and totally knackered, no sex drive, and have headaches - yuck! I am hoping these will die down. I start a new job Monday so I want to feel relatively normal for that. And I want to stop picking fights with my man. But just writing this note has reminded me of the positive in my life, and it's all about focusing on that. Always remember that song.. show choirs sing it.. so get your jazz hands out..

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

(To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark)

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me, hmm?

(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive)
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

(You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between)

You've got to spread joy (up to the maximum)
Bring gloom (down) down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise) pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate (well illustrate) my last remark (you got the floor)
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say (what did they say)
Say when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don't mess with Mister In-Between

x

[JT69]

Hi Nutcluster,

Love the song....very positive!!! I can totally relate to your story...I took cit for a number of years and I suffered so much with loss of libido. When I changed over to Mirtazipine it was like all the time I had taken cit built up and then just all came out...very wierd, especially some of the dreams I had!!! Lol!!! It has all settled down again now (unfortunately lol!!) but the libido has returned to pretty much normal.

I wish you well with coming off the meds, just be careful as in my experience with cit the slower you come off the less withdrawal effects you will have.

Take care
Jo.xx

[steveo1980]

Hi, I have been off of Citalopram now for 6 weeks and feeling fine! Yeh!
Just thought I would let you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the tunnel may not be as long as you think.
Kxx

Great news. Those are the posts I look towards