Silmarwen Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Hi everyone. I got sick in 1997 with postpartum depression (I'm 40 years old now) and started taking psych meds for the first time in my life (see my signature for what kind of meds and dosis). After being sick for so many years I finally feel strong and confident enough to start a slow taper and I'm so thankful to have found this forum with so much knowledge and heartwarm people! I actually started tapering a little bit before I found this forum so I can see that I have started out a little rough with dosis cuts that have been to high and to quick, but from now on I'm going to do the 10% of current dosis taper. Oh, and I saw my psychiatrist yesterday and told him about my plans and he's onboard (also with the very slow tapering). I have had the same psyciatrist for 16 years now, ever since I was hospitalized, and he is the best! A really good doctor that really listens to me and who is really open to new ideas and theories, he never thinks he knows it all just because he is a doctor. Anyway, I reduced Cipramil (citalopram) from 40 mg to 30 mg in the end of June 2013. Still on 25 mg of Noritren (my psychiatrist has advised me to taper one drug at a time and that is also what I'm most comfortable with). Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. Around the 15th of July 2013 I reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. It's like the symptoms shifts from day to day: like I can have two days of feeling the anxiety in my stomach and the fluttering feelings in my chest for a couple of days, then it subsides and the restless legs and nerve pain in the toes take over for a few days. Then that subsides and the nervous stomach comes back instead but not as bad as the first days. I definetely feel the symptoms getting much better already, not as strong as they were. And I feel happy even when I have the w/d symptoms and that is a big plus to me because I really fear getting depressed again (even if it's just w/d symptoms) and that is why I'm going to take the taper really slow....I don't care if I have to spend 1-2 years or longer on the tapering as long as I can have as mild w/d symptoms as possible. I probably haven't written everything I want to tell yet, kind of difficult to remember it all at once, but I will write again when things pop up along the way. End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 I have a question about how to taper properly: I'm on 20 mg Cipramil and the withdrawal symptoms I had have subsided....how long should I stay on 20 mg before making another dosis cut? End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 2, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 2, 2013 Welcome, Silmarwen. Please see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ and http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/ This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Thank you for the welcome, Alto! And thank you for pointing me to the appropriate threads....I think I'm going to wait until september 1st before lowering my dosis, because I'm going to my cousins wedding on august 31st and I want to feel good for that! End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Withdrawal symptoms still come and go but they get less and less.....after 1-2 hours of restless legs last night, I have for the first time today been feeling nauseus and had a headache...this is almost gone now (it's 5.30 in the evening now). I still get the anxious feeling in my stomach but it's not as strong as it was 14 days ago. I have been doing a lot of reading at this forum for the last few days, especially about hypersensitivity to drugs and supplements....back in january I started taking folic acid ( a B vitamin) and after a couple of days I began feeling really depressed and very anxious. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that it dawned on that I began to feel bad after starting with folic acid so I stopped taking them and after 2-3 days all those symptoms had gone! I was like: now I can't even take a B vitamin supplement without my "fragile psyche" acting out!? And then I read the forums and the explanation for the sensitivity to supplements etc. is that it is because of the SSRI's I have been taking for years that has messed up my CNS? Can you recover from this or will the CNS continue to be hypersensitive even when one succesfully comes off antidepressants? End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted August 9, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 9, 2013 Sounds like you're down from 40 to 20 since some time in June? That's a 50% cut and very recent. I think holding until at least September is a good idea. Withdrawal symptoms tend to wax and wane and to unfold out over a period of several months; sometimes people don't get really hit with the worst of them until three to six months out. After such a big cut I think it would be wise to be cautious and take some time to make sure you're really feeling stable and solid before starting to taper further. Actually if it were me I would go back up to 30 mg and hold for a couple of months and then start a more reasonable taper. But it's up to you. I know I can't handle that kind of big cut, myself. But I'm pretty sure you're not me! Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Thank you so much for your comment, Rhi! Yes, that is a 50 % cut since june. It was right before I found this forum and read about the 10% tapering method. I'm feeling really good (despite some of the w/d symptoms, but they are not strong and I don't feel them all the time like in the first two weeks) so I'm going to stay at 20 mg. But I am going to take your advice and stay at this dose for at least a couple of months, maybe even longer. ;-) End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 @Rhi: You were right about my dose cut being to big.....the w/d symptoms (mostly upset stomach, anxiety and lowered mood) were suddenly getting worse so I thought it would be wise to take your advice and go back up to 30 mg Cipramil and I'm happy to say that it did the trick! So thank you! I'm going to stay on this dose for several months before I will consider tapering again.....it's not worth to feel bad when it can be helped. End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus tezza Posted August 21, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 21, 2013 Hi Silmarwen, I think you've made a wise decision by following Rhi's advice and up dosing for now. It's also a good idea to hold there for a few months like you said. Give your CNS plenty of time to settle back down. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1644-tezza-risperdal-withdrawal/ Seroquel and Mirtazipine Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Thank you, Tezza, for your comment! Yes, I'm at least going to stay on this dose for 4 months....maybe longer, we'll see! End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
Silmarwen Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Just a quick update on updosing cipramil to 30 mg: this was definetely the right thing to do as I don't have any w/d symptoms at all now! So I'm going to stick to the plan of not decreasing the dosis until december or january. End of June 2013: Reduced Cipramil from 40 mg to 30 mg. Still on 25 mg of Noritren. Didn't feel any w/d symptoms. 15/07/13: Reduced Cipramil to 20 mg. This time I did feel w/d symptoms. A couple of days of feeling depersonalized, kind of in a bubble. Nervous stomach coming and going, fluttering feelings in the chest/heart also coming and going. Tired for a few days but then gaining more energy. A few days of restless legs, like an electric current buzzing in my legs. 16/08/13: Updosed Cipramil to 30 mg due to w/d symptoms like an overactive stomach, a bit of anxiety and a lowering in mood. The updose helped my stomach symptoms within 4 hours and after 4 days it had helped with all my w/d symptoms. 22/10/13: 25 mg Cipramil. 03/11/13: 20 mg Cipramil. 31/12/13: 17,5 mg Cipramil. 29/01/14: 15 mg Cipramil. 27/02/14: 12,5 mg Cipramil. 27/03/14: 12 mg Cipramil. 27/04/14: 11 mg Cipramil. 26/05/14: 10 mg Cipramil. 28/06/14: 9 mg Cipramil. 08/07/14: 8 mg Cipramil. 22/07/14: 7 mg Cipramil. 13/08/14: 22,5 mg Noritren 27/08/14: 6 mg Cipramil 20 mg Noritren 28/09/14: 5 mg Cipramil 28/10/14: 4 mg Cipramil 28/11/14: 3 mg Cipramil 28/12/14: 2 mg Cipramil 28/01/15: 1 mg Cipramil 25/02/15: 0 mg Cipramil Link to comment
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