WaltB: Celexa taper and withdrawal - help needed

[WaltB]

Hi all, I hope I can get help here with figuring out what to do about my bad and scary! withdrawal symptoms and create some kind of healing path moving forward. I have suffered from major depression and anxiety for 17 years now and this June went into another bad episode. At the time I was taking 40 mg Celexa and finally decided after psychiatric consultations to get off of it and switch to Zoloft. The Psych had me do a rapid taper off Celexa (only a little over 2 months) while going up on Zoloft to 50mg. Last week I stopped taking Celexa and I have been experiencing a number of bad symptoms: major anxiety, increase in my chronic neck pain, lightheadedness, overall sick feeling....The anxiety is bad even though I'm on 3x ativan dose a day. The pain is bad too.

 

At this point is the best thing to try reinstating the Celexa at a low dose? And stay on it much longer? How do I manage that and the Zoloft together?

I've not had this kind of withdrawal from SSRIs I've taken before but I hadn't been on one for 7 years continually at a high dose.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I'm thankful for some of the good information I've read in other threads already (very new to this site).

[Sassenach]

Hello   Walt  and welcome to SA.

 

I apologise fo the delay in replying.

 

This site is run entirely by volunteer Administrators and Moderators, all have been through or going through withdrawal.

There are no commercial interests or influences  involved .

 

I am sorry you are having such a rough time but you are now in the right place.

On 9/28/2019 at 10:10 PM, WaltB said:

switch to Zoloft.

Why were you switched to Zoloft?

 

Please use the link below to list all your symptoms and then post on here;

dr-joseph-glenmullens-withdrawal-symptom-checklist/

Also

the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-stabilization/

 

You are suffering the onset of W/D ( withdrawal )

It appears the Zoloft is not masking the symptoms.

 

I am going to create a report and ask the advice of senior mods.

In the meantime DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGE TO YOUR CURRENT MEDS please.

Please feel free to browse the site, it is a wealth of info.

Other members threads will give you an insight and the opportunity to share experiences.

 

Again welcome.

 

Sassenach

 

[WaltB]

Thanks Sassenach, I'm glad to get your reply. I was switched to Zoloft to see if a different ssri would help, with the assumption that the celexa I had been on must no longer be working. I had been taking 35-40mg of celexa for years.

 

Appreciate any help I can get!

 

Thank you

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Walt.

 

What time of day do you take Zoloft? How do you feel in the hours afterward?

 

Did you have any of these symptoms while you were effecting the switch? How did you taper Celexa, how did you ramp up Zoloft?

[WaltB]

I did have some of the same symptoms, especially in late July and most of August, as I had moved through most of the switch in July. I tapered Celexa very quickly, in about three and a half weeks,  from 35mg to 5 mg and then much slower from 5 to 0.  I started on 12.5 mg of Zoloft about July 12 and was up to 50 mg by July 27 which I have continued.

 

I take Zoloft about an hour or two before sleep. I don't notice much of an immediate effect from it and it's hard to know how it has affected my sleep with the other drugs in my system.

 

Thanks for your reply and welcome.

[Altostrata]

You were getting withdrawal symptoms from reducing Celexa. Now that you've been off it for a week, are your symptoms getting better or worse?

 

Did you discuss your withdrawal symptoms with your psychiatrist?

[WaltB]

I had bad withdrawal symptoms for 5 to 6 days and generally worse since stopping.

 

Yes he has now suggested I could go back on 5mg celexa to see if it will help. I'm not sure if that's too much or more than I need to ease symptoms.