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Cemma21: Starting to wean off vital citalopram


Cemma21

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I have been on citalopram 20mg since April 2014. After a couple of rocky weeks starting it I have been really stable since. No signs of depression at all. Really happy with my progress that I have decided along with the advice of my doctor to cut down my dose. She has suggested I take 10mg and then 20mg on alternate days. Was fine for the first few days but now I have started to feel anxious again. Should I preservere and will these symptoms disappear? Or is it a sign that I should go back up to my original dose.

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Hi Cemma--  Welcome to the group, I think you found us just in time.  You're in a very good position to start coming off of this drug.  Being on only one drug and stable is the best place to start.  As is typical your doctor is giving you uninformed advise.  These drugs are designed to be taken at the same dose at the same time every day, and you're finding out what happens if you don't.  Also because of this they need to be tapered off of very slowly.  I would suggest that you go back on a daily dose of 20mg and stay there until you're stable again and then start doing a 10% every 6 weeks taper.  This should get our off in the least painful manner.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome? 

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

If you would please add a signature block with your drug history it would make it much easier for us to see what is happening.

 

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

BTW, I added your name to the title of this thread so it will be easier for you to find in the future.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Welcome Cemma

yep i agree with Brassmonkey you sure are lucky to find this site. Especially this early stage in the game because your doctor is setting himself up for repeat business for sure with that advice.

Alternating doses is the best way to trigger withdrawal symptoms second only to a cold turkey.

 

To be honest i just cant believe how in Sept 2015 doctors can think its ok to alternate dosages.

The FDA said as far back as 20 June 2005 that  abrupt changes in dose can lead to suicidal ideations. So why are they doing it ??

 

In addition to taking Brass's advice you might be interested in reading a book 'anatomy of an epidemic 'by whitaker or 'Psychiatric drug withdrawal ' by Breggin.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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welcome 'cemma21' 

Sertraline 100mg amytrip 60mg diazepam 4mg (and when needed) since late 90's.Reduced all meds over 6 wks (too short) last doses 13 wks ago.Still having withdrawals.I would have done it differently

5th august 2015 reinstated 5mg amytripiline.increased to 10mg amtrip 9th sept 2015.

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