JP904 Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 I'm holding between 4 and 5 days. Back when I was reducing by 10% I was holding each time for closer to 1.5 weeks, but since it's only about 2%, I started holding at 4-5....unless I'm experiencing significantly stronger symptoms. I've only dropped about 2% over the last 2 weeks. Things felt fine after the first week and then all of a sudden I got hit, even though I hadn't dropped anymore. It's crazy. I feel like it's on a 1-2 week lag or something. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted October 30, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 30, 2016 You'd do well to hold at your current dose for a while, at least until your symptoms stabilize. One way to interpret symptoms and especially the being "slammed all of a sudden" with them is that your CNS (central nervous system) is overloaded and hasn't caught up with your dose changes. It's unfortunate that nobody can tell us at what level we need to make smaller reductions and to hold for longer. Sadly, the only way to find out what doesn't work is to do it unknowingly. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
JP904 Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 k I'll do that. Thanks for your advice and support. I really appreciate it. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 has anyone experienced increased anxiety when on the computer? I've been experiencing this over the last month. It could be a nice and relaxing day at work, but just having to multitask a few things is causing anxiety, even when I'm moving slowly. I could be dealing with an actual stressful situation away from the computer and it doesn't cause me anxiety, because I don't worry and I stay grounded in the now, but somehow it doesn't matter on the computer. It's like the light and/or the colors make me panic or something. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Also, any ideas on what to do for anxiety? Withdrawal symptoms are getting really bad towards the end. I already meditate, do tai chi, listen to soothing music, take walks, and breath deeply and slowly throughout the day. I used to be on benzos and don't want to go back to anything like that. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
AliG Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Hey JP . You seem to be doing a lot of the right things but have you tried Magnesium? It sounds simple but it can be so effective in the long term dealing with anxiety. Baths/ Oil etc. Epsom salt baths have made such a difference for so many here in the long / short term . Also sipping Magnesium Citrate dissolved in water all day seems to calm anxiety. Keep up the music and all the other strategies. This is important but maybe if you add others in as well it might possibly be another feather to add to your "healing nest ". A " healing nest " is pretty much what you are doing but perhaps you can keep looking for more twigs to add. Our lovely Mod KarenB has taught me about this and I'm grateful. You seem to be on this path as well. It's all about adding coping modalities that work for you particularly in the long run. Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms Ali Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 (edited) I finished a 1 year benzo taper about 3 years ago and continued to experience symptoms up until I started my SSRI withdrawal, which I started 2 years ago now. I was on 40 mg of Citalopram and am now down to about 6 mg. The benzo withdrawal was hell, but was nothing compared to my SSRI withdrawal. It seems like no matter how long I hold my tiny tiny tapers, my symptoms still just keep on getting worse and worse. Should I hold them for longer? I'm tapering by about 4% at a time and holding for about a week. I can't even work from my computer without having anxiety that almost causes panic attacks, even on a really slow and relaxing day, when I"m not stressed about anything. I don't know what it is, but something with the computer causes my body to just automatically stress up...chest gets tight, start to feel dizzy, etc. Also, the only thing that made me feel better was exercise and now that almost gives me panic attacks. Even riding a bike at a slow jogging speed causes my chest to tight up and my body to stress. I'm not really sure what to do at this point. Will it only get worse as I get closer to 0??? I can't imagine what it would be like for this to be even worse. Should I add more water and just drag this taper out for another year? Also, once I get off this, I know it takes a while to heal, but will I at least feel better since I'm not tapering? Edited December 29, 2016 by scallywag moved from Windows & waves topic; added paragraph breaks 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted December 29, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 29, 2016 Some people have done well with very long holds to stabilize. For instance, KarenB, a moderator, held at the same dose for 8 or 9 months before resuming her taper. She's finding dose reductions much easier now than previously. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 thanks scallyway and AliG...I LOVE your names by the way hah. I'll have to try magnesium....I'm a bit afraid of taking anything, because my CNS is so incredibly sensitive. I can't drink anything other than water or else it shocks my system and I haven't been able to take any supplements, because it does the same. Would magnesium be different? Also, I think I just need to hold for longer then. I'll probably add more water to my solution. I love the idea around creating a healing nest. I do need to add more to it. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Also, I pretty constantly feel lethargic and tired. Will magnesium amplify that at all? Also, where's the best place to get it? Thanks! 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 In May I took an amino acid called L- Theanine. Before I took this I felt like I was out of the woods. I had felt pretty great for at least 2 months and just had anxiety to deal with. I had a really bad night and couldn't sleep, so I took 1 pill of L-Theanine and the next day I felt just about the worse symptoms I had ever felt in withdrawal. I went from feeling the best I had ever felt since this whole thing began to the darkest month of my 6 year journey. Just walking around my house started to tire me and make my eyes feel heavy and give me dark rings around them. Months later and doing laundry or running multiple errands will make me feel the same way. It's December, which is 7 months later and I don't have issues with laundry and can usually get a few errands in without feeling this sickness, but I'm still not back to where I was. Has anyone experienced this? I'm not a year out from finishing my taper and it feels I'm not going to ever get to the point where my body can physically handle what normal people are able to do. I want to be able to go running every day....to do tai chi....to meditate....but my body doesn't allow me to do any of these things. Even meditation causes my body to tense up and make me feel extra anxious for a week or so. I'm not able to do any of the things that could help to ease my symptoms. 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 My articulation is back and forth. I have spells for a month or so where I am fast with my words and can articulate with the best of them, but then I have periods where I forget simple words and have to talk slowely or use lots of uhs, ums....and I don't even want to socialize because you can't keep up if you can't talk normally. In May when I was at 5 months post taper, I honestly felt like I was 75% healed mentally and 50% healed physically. I made a LOT of progress in 5 months and it all felt decently linear. Now I feel about 50% healed mentally and probably like 25% healed physically. Maybe I will be close to healed in another 6 months?? 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted December 24, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 24, 2018 Recovery continues to happen even after having stopped your drug: are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
JP904 Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Does anyone have issues with eating? I cant eat a real meal until the evening. All I can eat is small amounts of food (a few nuts for example) throughout the day or else all of my symptoms will be very significantly amplified. At first I jus th couldnt eat breakfast and now I cant eat lunch either. I just go hungry all day and then suddenly around 5 pm ish I can eat. I'm beginning to wonder if this is an actual health issue and not related to PAWS. Does anyone else experience? 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
JP904 Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 ......has anyone experienced this? 2009 - 10/2014: 40MG Citalopram 10/2014: Started taper by liquid titration by about 5% every few weeks (1000 times harder than Benzo taper) 1/26/17: 3.5 MG 3/12/2017: 2.9 MG 12/06/2017: Finished my taper 12/24/2018: took a amino acid called L-Theanine in May, which made my symptoms far worse and 7 months later, I'm still feeling the negative effects. My symptoms are about the same as they were when I finished my taper a year ago. 2009 - 10/2012: 2 MG of Klonopin 10/2012: Hit tolerance and began taper 12/2013: Finished liquid titration taper (less than 10% every few weeks) Experienced protracted withdrawal and was about 80% healed by 10/14 when I started my citalopram taper. Link to comment
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