sarahw: trying to get off citalopram

[sarahw]

Hi all. Here is my background…

 

June 2019 - started citalopram 20mg due to anxiety disorder. Recovered over the next 6 months with therapy and the drug.

May 2020 - started reducing dose slowly with a view to stopping.

Dec 2020 - stopped the citalopram. I had been suffering intense emotional instability but thought it was due to pandemic stress.

June 2021 - still struggling, so restarted citalopram at 10mg. Instability resolved almost immediately. This is when I realised it was a withdrawal syndrome. It wasn’t really anything like my initial anxiety issue or anything I’d experienced before.

August 2022 - decided to try again to come off; reduced to 5mg, experienced some mood instability but it seemed to resolve.

April 2023 - reduced to 5mg 4 days a week. Decided to wait for stability to return before every reduction.

June 2023 - felt OK again so reduced to 5mg 3 days a week.

Today (30th August 2023) - stability has not yet returned, still often feeling irritable, tearful, low mood, easily frustrated and angry.

 

Im looking forward to learning about strategies that others have found to work. At this rate it seems it may take me years and I haven’t found a GP that understands that.

 

I couldn’t cry on the drug, and withdrawal is like those shadow side emotions rebound more forcefully than I ever felt them before. When my withdrawal syndrome was at its worst in early 2021, I couldn’t trust myself to maintain composure if a situation turned at all challenging. For example I overpaid a car repair bill because I knew I couldn’t question it without bursting into tears. I found myself doing all sorts of wild things to cope with emotional pain and I was consumed with shame and thought everyone disliked me.

 

In this current second attempt at coming off, things haven’t got so bad (so far), I guess because I’m taking it even slower. It’s very daunting though realising that this is going to be a very long slog, and I’m scared that I will never be back to normal.

[FireflyFyte]

Hi Sarah,

 

Welcome to SA. Please summarize your drug history in your signature. You can find instructions at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature. You may need to be on a computer to complete this.

 

We do not recommend skipping doses as a method of tapering as it can lead to instability and withdrawals. You can learn more at NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER.

 

In order to stabilize, would encourage you to return to 5mg every day, at the same time, and hold there for at least a month. Once stable, you can continue your tapering by dropping no more than 10% of your previous dose per month. More details can be found at Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Withdrawals can be emotionally taxing, a good resource to check out is  Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

Once you are ready to resume your taper, check out our guide for tapering citalopram at Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram).

 

Thanks,

 

Firefly

[sarahw]

Thanks Firefly.

 

I’ve learnt a lot in the last 24 hours reading through the articles here. I never realised the importance of taking some of the drug every day of the week, but it makes sense, that fluctuating levels might be part of my current problem.

 

I've ordered scales and a pill crusher.

 

 I’m going to try 2.5mg each day for 8 weeks and see if I can stabilise, then if so, start the 10% reductions every 4 weeks.

[FireflyFyte]

12 minutes ago, sarahw said:

 I’m going to try 2.5mg each day for 8 weeks and see if I can stabilise, then if so, start the 10% reductions every 4 weeks.

 

This is a 50% drop which is a much larger decrease than we would recommend. I would encourage you to consider stabilizing at 5mg and then beginning to drop at 10% per month.

[sarahw]

In terms of total weekly intake, it’s an increase on my current 15mg, to 17.5mg. From April to June I took 20mg total weekly intake and I felt OK by June. To go back up to 5mg per day would be a weekly intake of 35mg, that seems a huge updose!

[FireflyFyte]

1 hour ago, FireflyFyte said:

Welcome to SA. Please summarize your drug history in your signature. You can find instructions at How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature. You may need to be on a computer to complete this.

 

Can you please summarize your drug history in your signature as outlined above so we can have a better idea of your current dosing?

[Faure]

Hi Sarahw and welcome to SA.  I’m sorry you’re feeling bad because of skipping days. Unfortunately this is a real problem. I got very unwell myself from that.  
 

Please do insert your signature as requested, this helps very busy mods and others take in your position at a quick glance without having to read through a thread. It also makes very clear what doses you have been taking and when and helps mods decide what to advise re dosing and stabilisation. Often mods are unable to help until this is done so please don’t delay ☺️