Laurel12: Coming off citalopram

[Laurel12]

Hello, I've just joined the site because I need to know I'm not alone with these feelings. I've been on citalopram 10mg for six years and a couple of months ago decided to come off them because I didn't think they were doing anything and I realised they were numbing feelings. I know it's a low dose but I read that I need to taper off so I'm breaking the tablet and I have 5mg everyday. My GP says the dose is subtherapeutic.

 

I am feeling very low, especially in the mornings. I feel so depressed and my confidence is low. I feel very angry and full of rage at times, work can be a nightmare. At times i drive along and think it would be good to crash the car and end it all.

 

Happy people at work really irritate me. People that breeze along seemingly without a care in the world make me feel angry. I find it hard to sit in the staffroom, I just want to get away from everyone. I feel like no one understands, how can they as they haven't experienced it? I've read these feelings are neuro emotions but how can I be sure it's not just me slipping back into this functioning depression whereby I manage to go to work but feel like a shell inside. I'm also going through the menopause so what's me, what's the citalopram withdrawal and what's the menopause is really difficult to decipher. Thanks for reading.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Carmie
Spacing

[Carmie]

Hi Laurel, 

 

Welcome to SA. You are definitely not alone with these feelings. You just have to read different people’s threads n you can see we are all struggling with the horrible emotions that come along with withdrawals. I see you already know about neuro emotions. I don’t usually get angry, but when my neuro emotions kick in it’s like an unbearable sadness. I’m really sorry you are suffering so much. 

 

We should never taper until we are feeling stable. When we do taper we should taper no more than ten percent per month. I can only taper by about 4% to 5%. I’m so sensitive to every little drop. 

 

By by the way, 5mg is not a small dose. NEVER cold turkey or taper more than ten percent a month. Some people who have cold turkeyed or gone too quickly have still got withdrawal symptoms years later. Doctors may think these doses are small and no big deal, but every time I taper a little ( and I’m down to 7.5mg) I still get withdrawals.

 

ChessieCat will be sending you links on tapering n also the link for you to put your drug signature in. It helps when we have our drug signatures because then one doesn’t have to go through our whole threads to find our drug history.

 

Take care, sending hugs🤗

 

 

 

[lain]

Hello Laurel,

 

I have similar problems like you.....at the moment I am at 7,5 mg Citalopram. And this is a quite high dose (don`t believe what doctors say), because the "receptors" (I didn`t find an english translation) in the nervous system are occupied at about 70%. At 5 mg Citalopram it is still occupied at 50%, and that is much.

 

I think you really experience better things when you are lower in your dose.

 

These withdrawel feeling are a bit different from "normal" depressive feelings I think. But sometimes it can be a bit difficult to distinguish. In my case it is so, that I`m always in a quite bad mood. It`s a bit better since I reached 8 mg Citalopram. The first 7 to 8 years Citalopram worked in a good way, I was happier and not so nervous anymore. But the effect stopped a few years ago and it went over becomming worse.

 

Please be careful in tapering, I think it`s notadvisable to go from 10 to 5 mg directly. In earlier times I tried this but I became very depressiv shot time later. (as I said

don`t trust the doctors).

 

I`m at the end of menopause too, actually I thougt it were over but recently I get more "heat waves" (is it the correct word?)maybe this belongs to tapering from Citalopram.

 

I hope you get help in this forum but I think so. And excuse my bad english, I`m still learning it.

 

I wish you all the best

 

Lain

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Laurel and welcome from me too,

 

Please use the following format.  Please make it nice simple by following these instructions (NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you):

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[Laurel12]

Hello Carmie,

I learned about the neuro emotions from this site. I have learnt quite a lot from reading the different posts. Today was a better day at work, I don't know why. There were moments when I felt angry and irritated but this was when things got stressful. It was a much better day. I will have to see my GP about liquid citalopram. Thanks for the support.

[Laurel12]

Carmie, my GP didn't say much when I told him about the anger. Its like they just don't recognise it as an issue or they see it as a relapse.

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by ChessieCat
removed quoted post

[Laurel12]

Thank you Lain, I heard that citalopram helps with hot flushes in the menopause. I have been experiencing these too. It really is a double whammy trying to come off these drugs whilst going through menopause but if I wait for it to end it could be a very long time.

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by ChessieCat
removed quoted post

[GirlfromD]

On 12/1/2018 at 11:24 PM, Laurel12 said:

Carmie, my GP didn't say much when I told him about the anger. Its like they just don't recognise it as an issue or they see it as a relapse.

 

Hi Laurel12 and welcome to this site 😊 I'm sorry you are suffering. Anger is very common going through tapering and withdrawal, and something i can relate to very well myself. 

See this:

 

And this:

Wishing you great healing on your way to recovery.

Gfd😊

 

[Laurel12]

GirlfromD, thankyou for your comments.  I am stopping at 5mg for a while. I have felt better this week, less angry but my sleeping isn't so good. I'm so tired when I get ready for bed but by the time I get there I find I can't get to sleep. Laurel

[lain]

On 12/1/2018 at 11:29 PM, Laurel12 said:

Thank you Lain, I heard that citalopram helps with hot flushes in the menopause. I have been experiencing these too. It really is a double whammy trying to come off these drugs whilst going through menopause but if I wait for it to end it could be a very long time.

 

Hello Laurel,

 

I have problems with sleeping, too. Since several weeks I took Doxepin too. I do this since several years, I start in autumn and end in spring (cause I don`t like winter, especially darkness sometimes it causes fear). Don`t know what other people in this forum say, but I must say, in my case there is a big difference between Doxepin and Citalopram. I propose that antidepressants like Doxepin ("three cycles") are not soooo dangerous like SSRI. But it CAN and therefore you must be careful too.

 

But I risk, because sleeping is very important. You can try many other things like tea, "passiflora" or homoeopathic.

 

good luck to you!

[Aquarius]

Hi Laurel12

Sorry to hear you are suffering i am off Sertraline 8 months second time fast taper i have read many posts about peoples suffering and thought i didn't seem so bad but it hit me about month 7 and im now having a real hard time i hope you can hang in there and know you are not alone and things will get better take it slowly and dont expect too much too soon we will heal 

[Laurel12]

Hi Iain,  

Thank you. I was thinking about herbal remedies for sleep as well as depression. Is anyone aware of remedies that can be taken alongside citalopram? I bought St John's Wort but then read you can't take whilst on citalopram. I also have 5-HTP in my cupboard. I took a dose one day and felt quite weird so haven't taken anymore. It was to help with the anger but left me feeling spaced out and detached. I don't know if it was psychosomatic. 

Thanks for reading.

[ChessieCat]

We have many topics on this site.  You can use the site search function.  I prefer to use google and add survivingantidepressants.org to my search term.  For example survivingantidepressants.org 5 htp
 

The only supplements which SA recommends are Magnesium and Omega-3 Fish Oil.  Try a small amount, one at a time, to see how you react. 

Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable

 

Only make one change at a time.

 

Sleep problems - that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Some members find a small amount of Melatonin helps.