Wantingtosurviveit: I'm hoping for some support - new to withdrawal

[Wantingtosurviveit]

Hello, 

I'm hoping for some support. I started tapering from 20mg of citalopram about 3months ago. Initially following advice to alternate 10/20 which was awful. So dropped to 15 daily. Big anxiety but it settled so dropped again to 10 and then suffered severe anxiety and depression. This lifted after 1 month, but here I am a month later back in the darkness. I've signed back into therapy which starts next week and I'm following all my therapy tips and pointers and being kind to myself etc. However, I am in a place that is so confused about what I should do. Doc says go back up to 15 pos even 20. A medical friend says could try a different drug. I found this site and am intrigued that I may be a sufferer of withdrawal and am un certain of my next move. Should I go back up or is it too late, I read about the window of opportunity to reinstate the previous dose. Or do I persevere. I'm afraid that this will just get worse and I'll end up terribly unwell. 

I'm wondering if anyone has been through similar experience and wouldn't mind sharing with me 

I'm still on 10mg. 

[Frogie]

@Wantingtosurviveit

 

Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping people taper off psychiatric medication or have tapered and are now healing.

 

This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that you only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place.

 

Can you please create a signature.

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

I went through the same as you are going through. I cut my Lexapro in 1/2 as the dr told me to. I had about the same symptoms as you, but because of this site I was able to taper off after I stabilized for a few months. 

 

We don't suggest more than a 10% a month taper and some go much slower than that.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

The slowness of slow tapers

 

Brass Monkey Slide

 

Tips for tapering off citalopram (Celexa)

 

 

I would not increase the dose at this time. I would hold at the 10 mg and get stability before tapering any further.

 

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications:

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

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

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

Withdrawal Normal Description

 

 Waves and Windows in SSRI Withdrawal

 

 

We don't suggest supplements on here as they can be too stimulating to the nervous system. We have found, however that magnesium and omega do help some with calming the nervous system. If you want to try one try a small amount and wait a few days before introducing the other.

 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

After you have read the provided links please reach out with any questions you may have.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Frogie

[Wantingtosurviveit]

This is so brilliant thank you for taking the time to reply to me 

[Frogie]

@Wantingtosurviveit

 

You are very welcome.

 

Let me know how we can help any further.

[Wantingtosurviveit]

You must hear this all the time but I wish I had known this before starting the taper, I would have taken it much slower  I feel like I've halves the dose very quickly and now suffering. And afraid to go back to the gp because he will just say I need to go back up. 😪 but the symptoms are so similar to relapse, the hardest thing is to be strong in the times of darkness or anxiety and convince yourself to stick to it and that it is WD

[ChessieCat]

Some members don't even tell their doctor that they are taking a lower dose.  The important thing is to be able to continue getting your prescription until you have completed your taper.

 

how-to-talk-to-a-doctor-about-tapering-and-withdrawal-what-to-expect

 

One thing that I suggest to members is that when talking to their doctor they use terms like:  I realise that other people might be able to get off faster, but I would prefer to go slower; I would prefer to try this; I'd prefer to stay on this drug rather than risk a different drug not working.

 

You will notice that each of these statements is saying how you feel about things, not telling the doctor that you don't want to do it their way, but just being non confrontational.

[Vega]

When I was going off seroquel a few months ago, I was experiencing intense anxiety and insomnia. My doctor suggested adding more medication to manage those symptoms and I politely but firmly declined. Thoughing it out really worked out for me, but it might not work for you. I'd say it depends on what kind of responsabilities you have going on. I took a few months off school to manage my symptoms, but not everyone has that luxury.
 

Doctors can be a pain to deal with, but learning how to talk to them is a skill that is truly worth developing. Everytime I meet a healthcare professional, I try to have to have a plan of what I'm going to say and what I want out of that meeting. I feel like it helps a lot being taken seriously.

[Wantingtosurviveit]

Thank you. 😊 I have a good doctor who takes time with me and listens and often reminds me that it's my choice, however I do feel he is less/not aware of this (because of the "if it doesn't settle within a month then it is relapse" comment) and therefore cannot offer this as a possibility. I belive he would listen if I explained this but then it's up to me to say what it is I want. And that's part of the problem not knowning what ALL the options are and then not knowing what one is the right one for me. I have booked back in with the counsellor.  I wish I had found this before stating the taper, I possibly could have avoided this. I want to taper off, I was very stable before the taper started and i have a wonderful life and family and support. I think like everyone, it's the suffering through the neuro emotions and the fear of one's own mental health and trying to balance Wd with the possibility of decline and not wanting to be battling through something I should perhaps be treating. (Probably part of the problem is lack of understanding how to treat depression and anxiety WITHOUT medication in the first place) 

I am so appreciative of everyone's replies! 

[Faure]

7 hours ago, Wantingtosurviveit said:

And that's part of the problem not knowning what ALL the options are and then not knowing what one is the right one for me.

There aren’t many safe options. After you have stabilised you have two if you want to get safely off your meds:

 

1) do 10% of the previous dose every 4 weeks

2) do the BrassMonkey Slide which divides the 10% across 4 weeks, so 2.5% a week followed by a 2 week hold.

 

I have read that option 2 is working well for many members, including me, and people who have previously been destabilised by dropping too fast have sensitised nervous systems and also find the BrassMonkey slide easier. 
 

Doctors (in my experience) don’t approve of grinding up pills and weighing them but mine reluctantly agreed to back me. Originally I was going to do option 1 so that’s what he approved. I didn’t dare tell him I’d gone for the 2nd option as I knew his position on grinding up pills! It’s madness: the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends the 10% option but in the next breath tells you not to grind your own pills! These are the only two safe tapering options.  
 

I know when you’re feeling bad from dropping too much too soon it is very tempting to go back up.  Be careful. I did that and it took a year to stabilise emotionally and I was severely fatigued the whole time and only able to work very part time (2 years) before I started my taper. As I’ve tapered I’ve been able to add a couple of hours extra work to my week every six months. So up dosing is no guarantee you’re going to feel better again. If you decide to go back up seek advice from the mods here about how much to up dose. They know far more than the doctors about these things. 
 

As for adding another drug this causes further disruption to your nervous system and people feel even worse. You only need to read a few threads on here to see the damage caused by adding another drug, so avoid this at all costs.
 

I’m really sorry this has happened to you and hope you stabilise soon and start feeling a lot better. 

[Vega]

9 hours ago, Wantingtosurviveit said:

And that's part of the problem not knowning what ALL the options are and then not knowing what one is the right one for me.

 

An option I learned about from my pharmacy recently is custom dosing. I haven't tried it yet but apparently it can work pretty well. Basically, they dilute your medication in a liquid solution to make it customized to a dose that is not available on the market. It can be more expensive but I'm told it can be really useful for people who are sensitive to withdrawals. You should talk to your pharmacist about it and if they don't do it, maybe another pharmacy in your area does.

[Wantingtosurviveit]

That's really interesting! Is this in the UK? 

[Wantingtosurviveit]

3 hours ago, Faure said:

There aren’t many safe options. After you have stabilised you have two if you want to get safely off your meds:

 

1) do 10% of the previous dose every 4 weeks

2) do the BrassMonkey Slide which divides the 10% across 4 weeks, so 2.5% a week followed by a 2 week hold.

 

I have read that option 2 is working well for many members, including me, and people who have previously been destabilised by dropping too fast have sensitised nervous systems and also find the BrassMonkey slide easier. 
 

Doctors (in my experience) don’t approve of grinding up pills and weighing them but mine reluctantly agreed to back me. Originally I was going to do option 1 so that’s what he approved. I didn’t dare tell him I’d gone for the 2nd option as I knew his position on grinding up pills! It’s madness: the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends the 10% option but in the next breath tells you not to grind your own pills! These are the only two safe tapering options.  
 

I know when you’re feeling bad from dropping too much too soon it is very tempting to go back up.  Be careful. I did that and it took a year to stabilise emotionally and I was severely fatigued the whole time and only able to work very part time (2 years) before I started my taper. As I’ve tapered I’ve been able to add a couple of hours extra work to my week every six months. So up dosing is no guarantee you’re going to feel better again. If you decide to go back up seek advice from the mods here about how much to up dose. They know far more than the doctors about these things. 
 

As for adding another drug this causes further disruption to your nervous system and people feel even worse. You only need to read a few threads on here to see the damage caused by adding another drug, so avoid this at all costs.
 

I’m really sorry this has happened to you and hope you stabilise soon and start feeling a lot better. 

Thank you so much for your reply. Its great to hear people's experience I would rather know this before speaking to the doc as you'll know you can often be easily lead by them. I think I just need reassurance that It will get better 💔