nick1990 Posted August 26, 2017 Author Share Posted August 26, 2017 haha cheers for that NZ11! Your a champ Survey done! Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nz11 Posted August 26, 2017 Share Posted August 26, 2017 Good for you Nick....you are the best!! ok I'll let the organizers know you did the damage. Good stuff. 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 well into the fourth week of this 4 week slide and no symptoms again. Had a couple days earlier in the week feeling a bit down, but all in all, no real symptoms to speak of. Im very happy about it, but also a bit confused. the first 8 months of tapering generally was symptomatic, only mildly, but still WD symptoms. I wonder if this is just an "easy" blip and i will go back to being symptomatic .. will have to wait another slide or two to see a true pattern but atm its pretty cool! Brass and other experienced "Taperists" did you guys notice symptom shifts throughout your taper? Like maybe it started off difficult and then got better ? Thanks all, hope everyone is seeing some light today ! Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 30, 2017 Moderator Share Posted August 30, 2017 Hi Nick-- I'm so glad that things are going smoothly. The whole point of the slide method is minimize symptoms and for some people it works really well. It took me a long time to stabilize from the poopout. So it wasn't until I was down to like 20mgs that things developed any sort of pattern. Most of the teens was pretty consistent, There was a bump up in symptoms at 10mg and below, down to about 7mg. It was smooth again to around 3 - 2.5 and then got really tricks until I broke below 1.5mg. Under 1.5 to the jump was nice and smooth. I found it was better to accept what I got with each drop than to try and second guess what was going to happen. According to the loading charts the big changes don't start happening until around 10mg. Then the small changes start having a much bigger affect on the CNS. I would keep up what you're doing and not worry about things. If you hit a patch where the symptoms are harsher than usual then maybe throw in an extra hold for a few weeks. Better to let things settle out than to build up and burst. Hope things are going well in OZ. 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 Hey all. A little situation update. Im moving home to NZ in a week. Im doing a surf judging course and have some great contacts to get me into judging events this summer, which I'm pretty excited about. Surf school also wants me back for the season so ill be doing that too. Aus has been very ho-hum. On one hand the weather is AMAZING, the girls are AMAZING and the waves are AMAZING. On the other hand, the Gold Coast is a very happening place, full pace! Most people aren't very friendly , in the surf, in public etc. I struggle to see much general etiquette and good manners as well - And at the end of the day, the place lacks "SOUL".. Whatever we might interpret that to be. NZ is my home - It sure is quiet at times and the weather is lousy and i have to make my own fun and entertainment, especially throughout the winter months. But its where i feel i belong. My family are there, most of my friends are there. And i feel pure in my heart, just being there, whether on the land or the ocean. I love the people and i love the kiwi attitude. The calmness is something I'm missing. With winter ending and daylight savings just around the corner, the summer is on its way and with it many a good time. Im not saying i won't return to Aus. I may even next year, but for the moment i feel i need to go home. Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
MollyN Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Hey nick1991! Welcome home xxx Love reading your description of the scene there. Well done being so respected in your career that you've been invited to judge - nice one! Plus a job, all great news. It's been the 3rd wettest winter since records began in many parts of the country - it's been astoundingly dismal here in Auckland, especially here in the forests of the west. I'm hoping your return will be the harbinger of spring and a glorious summer. It's pouring again now, and I'd say half the pop.is taking antid's, the other half made an appt last week! Still, the warmth/dry will be the sweeter for it I guess?! Hahaha well, that was a boring post full of weather sorry Happy days xxx mollyn Drug history 20mg paxil in 2001 - 4 months use 20mg paxil in 2003 - 2 months use 20mg paxil in 2008 - 8 years continuous Withdrawal history: March 2014 - disastrous alternate day taper Jan 2015 - 15mg to 10mg. Disaster Sept 2015 - 10mg to 5mg. Disaster. Reinstated to 6mg. Relief Oct 2015 - started slow 10% taper Oct 2016 - at 4mg- stop taking paxil (not recommended) I'm not a medical professional. Seek advice from a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 Hey all, Well its been an interesting few weeks, Im back in NZ now - I had a big last week in Aus - Stayed at a backpackers and had some late nights out, mixed with under sleeping and lots of surfing. It all seemed to catch up with me once i got home, and Ive been in a bit of a wave type thing for a couple of weeks.I put it down to overdoing it, not enough rest and change in time flying from aus to nz. Plus plane's always make me feel groggy. Its pretty much ended now, and am resuming my taper. However there is something i want to note and need to ask some questions about. When i was a child, from about age 5-14 i had migraines . About once every couple of weeks. They were horrid, i would have an INTENSE headache that pain killers wouldn't get rid of and i would end up vomiting often numerous times per episode. They only thing that would make the migraine go away was sleep. I never really put 2 and 2 together, but it seems like my migraines ceased entirely once starting Citalopram. Im now close to being at 30mg Cit as apposed to my original dose of 60mg. HOWEVER, i have had episodes of moderate intensity migraines come and go every month or so for about the last year. This last week has been bad in terms of headache. I literally have been having one big headache for the most part of a week. Some days aren't so bad, others are not pleasant. I also get a little nauseous with the headache and it feels very migraine like. The pain is DEFINITELY originating from my neck and upper shoulders, i can almost feel it pulsing from there, around the side of my head and into my forehead. If i sit with my head in the wrong position like when I'm driving or when I'm on the laptop, it worsens. If i relax my head and neck and don't put any strain on it, it seems to fade. I went for a massage yesterday, a Thai massage and it was intense. Amazing but pretty intense. It seemed to hep, but last night at the cinema it came back again with a vengeance. Now I'm also trying to withdraw myself slowly from coffee, which i have become super dependent on over the past few months. What are your guys thoughts? Its not really a WD question as i think its muscular and stress related, But i can never count out WD either. BTW i also grind my teeth every night and have done for years! Keep well Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted September 27, 2017 Moderator Share Posted September 27, 2017 Hi Nick-- welcome back to NZ. All in all it sounds like a successful winter. Now it's time to relax from all that vacationing. LOL Those are all symptoms of a classic tension headache. They can be just as bad as migraines, I've had both. I think you just way over did things in OZ and now it's catching up with you. No problems with the taper just pushing too hard for too long and wearing yourself out. Relax, lots of rest and keep your shoulders and neck warm at all times. Adopt the "cool" look of keeping your collar turned up all the time. Gentle stretching, rolling your neck and shoulders and light massage (enlist your current GF). Salonpas Spray will help but smells. If you can find a "MA roller" (google it) they work wonders for the neck and back. Also go to a sports store and get a cheap footballers mouth guard, one of the smaller ones. Follow the directions to fit it and use that when you sleep it will really help the TMJ. 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 Hey team, Well it's been a strange week. Into week two of my slide, been hit with some symptoms. Nothing unbearable, nothing compared to what ive experienced, but really frustrating non the less. Mostly a depression type range of symptoms, which I find hard to deal with, but I manage! I think its situational as well as wd. I feel that when symptoms arise, it takes me back to when I had my crash a couple of year's ago. So im almost expecting the worst every time any wd symptoms turn up. It hasn't eventuated into more than a week or two of minor symptoms, but its tiring, stressing about it each time. Anyway, think all in all im suffering from the spring blues mixed with some wd symptoms. Plus my dog's 14 now and not doing so well. Mum and dad says we'll have to make a call in the next couple of month's as to whether it's time to put him to sleep. He's been so loved though, so im content with whatever needs to happen. It's just the anticipation of it all and it does sadden me. All in all, life's happening - and I must continue to do what I need to do, on my pursue to a drug free life. Bring it on. Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 Hey all. Still treading along down the ladder. Had a few weeks break from tapering as have had a very busy period, but just got back from a week of camping in the north. Was great. Will likely resume tapering tomorrow for a few weeks leading up until Christmas. Should be on 30mg exactly by Christmas time. Half my original dose. One thing which has become very evident over the past year, which i have only just managed to realise is that i really am struggling to deal with people and their bullsh*t. When i say bullish*t I'm referring to shallow actions, inconsideration for others, drama about nothing etc etc. . I never used to be as sensitive and annoyed by peoples inconsideration, naive-ity and ignorance but its really getting to me. Has anyone else found that through this experience, they have begun to view others in a different light? Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted December 2, 2017 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2017 Half your original dose, that will be a wonderful Christmas present. Glad you had a great time camping too. Going through ADWD can be a real life changing experience. It has a way of cutting through all the BS and showing us what is really important in life. Because we have been through it, it can lower our tolerance for all the things others fine "important". We have had a deeply personal growing experience and have come to rely strongly upon ourselves, our intuition and what we have learned. We have been forced into a more introverted role and find that we like it and because of all the pain and suffering choose to concentrate our energy on the good things in life. It's a growing experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone, but there are many, many people who could benefit from going through it. To be content in surroundings, mind and body is the true goal in life. One of my spirituality teachers once told me "enlightenment is a dangerous thing, because once you have received some, you can't give it back". We are not choosing enlightenment but rather having it thrust upon us, so it's just one more thing we need to learn to live with as we withdraw. I guess it's a bit funny that "enlightenment" could be listed as a side effect of ADWD. 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 Brass, you are so good at putting everything into context. Its amazing. Seriously you are like a walking, living, breathing encyclopaedia of knowledge. haha.. Thanks so much for that explanation. It has really put to bed what i believed was the case. I too feel as if i am awakening to the truth of life. It is really quite beautiful. But so true as you say - you cannot give enlightenment back. You just can't. Im not near the end of my taper yet, but so far this journey has changed my life, and the way i view things, for the better. Without going through the hard times, i doubt i would have been able to find the place where my mind and body is currently heading. I am grateful for that. In full summer mode here right now. Beautiful weather, but very early for NZ standards. I think we are going to be in for one hell of a summer. But with it i think drought too. I love dry summers, but its a little inconvenient as i am in the midst of developing a small scale Sub-Tropical plant nursery... And anyone familiar with Palms and Cycads will know how much they appreciate a good watering. All the best Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Flowers Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Hi Nick That is amazing news and I am so pleased for you. I agree with Brass Monkey's take on dealing with other people's 'issues'. I think I have become stronger going through all this and things that I used to get upset about have now become trivial. I also am less tolerant of people making a fuss over nothing. I have come to realise that life is precious and to be enjoyed and not taken for granted. I cherish every moment I feel 'normal' and at peace. Some people don't realise how lucky they are not to be going through what we are and when they moan or are nasty to others I get really frustrated so you are not alone. Keep going my friend, you are doing great. Enjoy your spring/summer and good luck with the plants! Love from Flowers xxx 15 yrs on 20 to 30 mgs CITALOPRAM. MAY 2014 Increased to 40 mgs per day.SEPT/NOV 2014 tapered in 6 weeks down to 10 mgs as per Dr instructions due to violent nightmares/palpitations.Given Noctamid (lormetazepam) to help with anxiety. On average took 2mg per day for 8 weeks.No taper was advised.DEC 2014 WD severe. Nervous tic in eyes and limbs, muscle pain,fluct temp, weakness, dep and anxiety, nausea, giddy, unstable when walking. Different Dr suggested taking 20mgs CIT. BROMAZEPAM 3mgs up to 3 x daily for anxiety.DEC 9 2014 Updose CIT to 30mgs. Only taking BROMAZEPAM in emergency.DEC 31 2014 Settling at 30mg CIT - helping with depression. No Brom for 2wks.Found SA.APR 2015 Trying to stabilise on 30mgs CIT. JAN 2016 Started Cit Taper reducing by 5% per month. 28.5 mgs FEB Taper held bereavement. APR Taper resumed 27mgs . MAY 25.50 mgs . JUNE 24 mgs . JULY I stupidly mixed up my BP meds with CIT. Consequently took no CIT for 3 days and doubled my BP meds. Waiting for the fallout....Holding for a while until any chance of repercussions have abated. SEPT taper resumed to 22.5 mgs . OCT 21 mgs .NOV 19.95 mgs DEC crashed. 2017: FEB 3rd updose to 20.5 mgs to try to stabilise.FEB.switched over to 75mgs of Venlafaxine XR for 3 weeks.Too stimulating so switching back to Cit. 12 March 37.5 Ven and 20 Cit. 21 March 18mg Ven 20mg Cit. 4 April 9mg Ven 20mg Cit. Xanax .50mg when needed. 13 April 0 mgs Ven, 20mg Citalopram. Xanax .50 mg per day. 5 May reinstated a small amount of Ven to stabilize 1 mg twice a day. 20 mg Citalopram at night. Xanax .25 mg twice per day.Other Meds: Losartan (BP)Started 1993 at 50 mgs at night. Seretide (Asthma) Started 1996 at 1 puff twice a day. Jan 2019 Antibiotic Ceclor 500mgs twice a day for bronchitis and Atrovent 2ml capsules twice a day for asthma. Finished the course of both Jan 17. XANAX Jan 27 - Feb 3 2019 Failed Valium Crossover. Feb 14 2019 Updosed Xanax by .0625 Feb 17 2019 Decreased Xanax by .0625. Back to .50mg daily. Update Xanax 28.2.20 tapered to .1250 mg 8am .25 mg midnight. Update Xanax 11.8.21 tapered to .25 mg at night. Current Meds 28.2.19: CITALOPRAM 20mg taken at midnight. VENLAFAXINE .9 mg twice a day at 8am and 10pm. XANAX .50 mg split into 4 doses per day. 10am .0625mg / 2pm .1250mg/ 6pm .0625mg / midnight .25mg.Update 10.8.22 .25 mg at night. LOSARTAN 50 mgs taken at midnight. SERETIDE 1 puff taken at 8am and 10pm. 7.7.19 VENLAFAXINE UPDATE: Started tapering 10% every 4 weeks. Currently .4 mg twice a day at 8am and 10 pm. 2.9.19 .36 mg x 2. 1.10.19 .32 mg x 2. 26.11.19 .29 mg x2. 26.12.19 .26 mg x 2. 23.1.20 .23 mg x 2. 20.2.20 .21 mg x2.20.3.20 .19 mg x 2. 21.4.20 .17 mg x 2. 19.5.20 .13 mg x 2. 18.6.20 .11mg x 2 .18.7.20.10 mg x 2.1.9.20.09 mg x 2. 30.9. 20 .08 mg x 2. 1.11.20 .07 mg x 2. 2.12.20 .06 mg x 2. 8.1.21 .05 mg x 2. 4.2.21 .04 mg x 2. 9.3.21 .03 mgx2. 7.4.21 .02 mg x 2. 9.5.21 .01 mg x 2. 21.6.21 .01 mg x 1. 11.8.21 ZERO! Link to comment
nick1990 Posted December 3, 2017 Author Share Posted December 3, 2017 Thanks lovely Flowers sorry i haven't been in touch at all, but i hope your doing fantastic. Love and hugs xo Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 Hey all, Been sailing pretty smoothly. Symptoms have been incredibly minimal. Still reducing dose but taking a few weeks break over the new year period. Busy time! Yesterday I awoke to a stinging, dryness on the palms of my hands. My hands actually looked red. Later it graduated to a slight tingling/numbness in the palms. Today, the stinging has gone, but occasional tingling sensations. Like pins and needles. Its not painful and its not very noticeable either, but its a new symptom I haven't had before. Just putting it here for the record It could be completely unrelated to wd, as I was wearing gloves the day before and could be a reaction to a material. However I have overdone it this last week to the point of exhaustion so it wouldn't at all suprise me if it was wd of some kind. Even though im not a fan of Christmas, I wish you all a pleasant holiday, and a happy, brighter new year, full of healing and contentness. Nick. Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted December 23, 2017 Moderator Share Posted December 23, 2017 Hey Nick-- It sounds like things are going pretty well, that's great. Do make sure to take some breaks if things get too busy. What were the gloves made of? It sounds like dermatitis from latex. We do get lot of reports of similar symptoms that are WD related, but this sounds more like a contact reaction. Continued healing and contentness. Brass 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 Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted December 25, 2017 Moderator Share Posted December 25, 2017 Hey Nick-- It's 10:30 Christmas Eve here, so you're well into the day of celebrating so I wish you a Merry Christmas and may it continue well into the New Year. Brass 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted December 25, 2017 Author Share Posted December 25, 2017 Thankyou Brass Merry Christmas to you too and a very happy, healthy & content new year ! Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Hello all. First post of 2018 for me . Just popping in to say hi to everyone. as it’s been a busy time of year for me I haven’t been in proper taper mode, but have resumed a couple of weeks ago. I’m down around the 29mg mark now, which is quite a lot less than my original 60mg! I’d like to be down to 20mg by the end of this year at minimum. But we’ll see how it all pans out.. life’s going pretty good. Things are beginning to feel better and I’m actually quite content with life. More so than I’ve been since I was a child . symptoms have been minimal - i tire easily from too much physical exertion , but I just take a day or two of rest and things come right. Occasionally I have some neuro emotions, vivid dreams, grumpiness and headaches but all in all I can manage these symptoms without a worry. mindfulness has been a saving grace for me so far on this journey and I believe it will serve me as my companion for the rest of my life. Ill keep everyone updated on progress - but for now I need some sleep . Had a bit of an off day today , minor anxiety and some fatigue. That’s what 14 days of surfing straight does to you haha.. take care all. Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 All the best for your tapering in 2018 Nick. Arent we all just lovin this summer weather. Amazing. If this is global warming then I’m all for it. 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 Link to comment
Flowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Great news Nick! Enjoy the lovely weather and surfing - am so pleased things are still going well for you. Love from Flowers xxx 15 yrs on 20 to 30 mgs CITALOPRAM. MAY 2014 Increased to 40 mgs per day.SEPT/NOV 2014 tapered in 6 weeks down to 10 mgs as per Dr instructions due to violent nightmares/palpitations.Given Noctamid (lormetazepam) to help with anxiety. On average took 2mg per day for 8 weeks.No taper was advised.DEC 2014 WD severe. Nervous tic in eyes and limbs, muscle pain,fluct temp, weakness, dep and anxiety, nausea, giddy, unstable when walking. Different Dr suggested taking 20mgs CIT. BROMAZEPAM 3mgs up to 3 x daily for anxiety.DEC 9 2014 Updose CIT to 30mgs. Only taking BROMAZEPAM in emergency.DEC 31 2014 Settling at 30mg CIT - helping with depression. No Brom for 2wks.Found SA.APR 2015 Trying to stabilise on 30mgs CIT. JAN 2016 Started Cit Taper reducing by 5% per month. 28.5 mgs FEB Taper held bereavement. APR Taper resumed 27mgs . MAY 25.50 mgs . JUNE 24 mgs . JULY I stupidly mixed up my BP meds with CIT. Consequently took no CIT for 3 days and doubled my BP meds. Waiting for the fallout....Holding for a while until any chance of repercussions have abated. SEPT taper resumed to 22.5 mgs . OCT 21 mgs .NOV 19.95 mgs DEC crashed. 2017: FEB 3rd updose to 20.5 mgs to try to stabilise.FEB.switched over to 75mgs of Venlafaxine XR for 3 weeks.Too stimulating so switching back to Cit. 12 March 37.5 Ven and 20 Cit. 21 March 18mg Ven 20mg Cit. 4 April 9mg Ven 20mg Cit. Xanax .50mg when needed. 13 April 0 mgs Ven, 20mg Citalopram. Xanax .50 mg per day. 5 May reinstated a small amount of Ven to stabilize 1 mg twice a day. 20 mg Citalopram at night. Xanax .25 mg twice per day.Other Meds: Losartan (BP)Started 1993 at 50 mgs at night. Seretide (Asthma) Started 1996 at 1 puff twice a day. Jan 2019 Antibiotic Ceclor 500mgs twice a day for bronchitis and Atrovent 2ml capsules twice a day for asthma. Finished the course of both Jan 17. XANAX Jan 27 - Feb 3 2019 Failed Valium Crossover. Feb 14 2019 Updosed Xanax by .0625 Feb 17 2019 Decreased Xanax by .0625. Back to .50mg daily. Update Xanax 28.2.20 tapered to .1250 mg 8am .25 mg midnight. Update Xanax 11.8.21 tapered to .25 mg at night. Current Meds 28.2.19: CITALOPRAM 20mg taken at midnight. VENLAFAXINE .9 mg twice a day at 8am and 10pm. XANAX .50 mg split into 4 doses per day. 10am .0625mg / 2pm .1250mg/ 6pm .0625mg / midnight .25mg.Update 10.8.22 .25 mg at night. LOSARTAN 50 mgs taken at midnight. SERETIDE 1 puff taken at 8am and 10pm. 7.7.19 VENLAFAXINE UPDATE: Started tapering 10% every 4 weeks. Currently .4 mg twice a day at 8am and 10 pm. 2.9.19 .36 mg x 2. 1.10.19 .32 mg x 2. 26.11.19 .29 mg x2. 26.12.19 .26 mg x 2. 23.1.20 .23 mg x 2. 20.2.20 .21 mg x2.20.3.20 .19 mg x 2. 21.4.20 .17 mg x 2. 19.5.20 .13 mg x 2. 18.6.20 .11mg x 2 .18.7.20.10 mg x 2.1.9.20.09 mg x 2. 30.9. 20 .08 mg x 2. 1.11.20 .07 mg x 2. 2.12.20 .06 mg x 2. 8.1.21 .05 mg x 2. 4.2.21 .04 mg x 2. 9.3.21 .03 mgx2. 7.4.21 .02 mg x 2. 9.5.21 .01 mg x 2. 21.6.21 .01 mg x 1. 11.8.21 ZERO! Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted January 31, 2018 Moderator Share Posted January 31, 2018 Hi Nick-- well done on getting below half of your original dose. It should be making a big difference. I'm so glad to hear that you are "living your life" and are pretty content. Two weeks straight of surfing is enough to tire any one out for a couple of days. Make sure to take your breaks and rest up. Quick question, are you North or South Island? Brass 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Thanks all Its been one hell of a summer so far! Hottest I've even known it to be . Im based in the North Island Tom. Pretty far up the northern part of the North Island. When are you visiting? Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nz11 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Hey Nick you told me you were West Island!! 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 Link to comment
nz11 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Nick did you see in the paper it’s the warmest jan for 150 yrs. lol. Been swimming everyday....as you do when youre a fish! 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 Link to comment
nz11 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 oops its just like wdl reporting ...i spoke too soon ...its pouring with rain today...!! 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 Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted February 1, 2018 Moderator Share Posted February 1, 2018 No definite plans yet, but we have something big in the works for next decembar, january, february. We always start overly grand and then slowly shave it down to practical. Funny you mention it NZ, but we are having one of the hottest January's on record too. 85F/30C a couple of days ago and we are in the cooler part of the city. 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 Link to comment
nick1990 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 It’s madness this heat . Today has been ok but man I feel sorry for my pet sheep .. north of the north NZ11 , I too have been in the drink daily ! Keep us in the loop Tom! Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 Hey all, been a while since I posted ! Hope everyone is doing as well as can not it much to report . Tapers slowed down for a few weeks due to being too active haha.. on approx 26.5 mg - down from original 60mg. one thing which has come up in the last week or so is I was hit by some pretty bad nausea 7 days ago. Still having it on and off, with irregular bowel movements and fatigue . Also have had little appetite. Sooo I went to the doctor today !!! I’ve lost weight and I had a bunch of tests . It’s hard to explain but I just don’t feel quite right . I drink mildly filtered roof water and have some pet sheep which I’ve had to shear recently . I’m thinking I may have a parasite of some kind but don’t want to get to far ahead of myself . Doc recons it could be Giardia.. i guess I was wondering if anyone thinks this might be wd related ? Or is it unlikely to have stomach issues suddenly appear with no sign of them before ? keep well friends Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 Hi all, Just posting to say hi. Haven't been on here for about 6 months. Been a pretty good few months all up - Taper wise I'm down to approx 22mg citalopram. Ive had some longer holds between drops the last few months. Some drops i feel nothing - some (especially the last one) i feel more symptoms. It seems evident that i mostly don't feel anything the week after the drop - and if I've gone too fast ill have some symptoms 2-3 weeks afterwards. Whether its delayed or what I'm not sure , but i figure as long as i don't rush things the symptoms won't be too bad. Something to note - Ive taken fish oil on and off for the last 5 years with no problem. Last couple of times i took it though, it spiked my anxiety quite a bit. Could just be a one off but its worth noting. Im in a minor wave at the moment - so holding for another week or so. Once I'm down to 20mg (one tablet) I'm going to hold for a few months, mostly to give myself a break from the dam scale! haha It really makes my blood boil some days. The generic brand of Citalopram available changed a while back but i have another 7-8 months left of this original generic. They expire in June 2019 so need to make the switch before then. Obviously I'm anxious about the switch but hoping i can sort of taper into the new generic with minimal symptoms. Ive had no problem switching in the past. So my thoughts are to hold at 20mg from late Decemeber until March and then begin the switch over - What do you guys think? Any comments are appreciated . Thanks a lot Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
nick1990 Posted September 16, 2018 Author Share Posted September 16, 2018 Funny, don't post for months and then post twice in a week ! Seems that I've had some symptoms catch up on me - Nothing too bad, just a bit of low mood now and then and some anxious thinking. It is also spring time which tends to always be a weird time for me, and i have bronchitis, so it could be a combo of things. Had a little wave last week and then it resolved but felt a bit teary last night, and a bit off this morning. Thinking its just a few little changes to the CNS catching up on me, i haven't really had a DECENT hold for a year. So ill see how things go over the next week and then decide whether to resume tapering next week or not. By then it would have been a 4 week hold. Really aiming to try and be at 20mg (1 tablet) by christmas, but we'll see what happens. Also to note, i haven't had a proper cold/virus for quite some time, so this could be my body and CNS reacting to that too. Be well ! Nick Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted September 16, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 16, 2018 On 9/11/2018 at 10:45 AM, nick1990 said: The generic brand of Citalopram available changed a while back but i have another 7-8 months left of this original generic. They expire in June 2019 so need to make the switch before then. Do you know about doing a crossover by combining the two types so it is gentler on your system? * 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
nick1990 Posted September 16, 2018 Author Share Posted September 16, 2018 Hey Chessie - No, but i did think about it. I assume id just half the original generic and the new generic for a few months ? or would i take 3/4 original generic and 1/4 and then slowly adjust over time? I have to say, I'm super nervous about the crossover, its just my underlying anxious nature haha but hoping it will work out fine Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted September 17, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 17, 2018 There are various combos you could do. For people needing to do a quick crossover 3/4 old + 1/4 new, 1/2 old + 1/2 new, 1/4 old + 3/4 new each for about 3 days. However, because you have plenty of time you could do it even gentler. You could do 7/8 + 1/8, 3/4 + 1/4, 5/8 + 3/8 etc and/or hold each dose change for longer. Just remember that getting an accurate dose is important. And keep daily notes on paper both of your dose combo and your symptoms so you can see any issues if they arise. And don't make any other changes at the same time. Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable * 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
nick1990 Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share Posted September 17, 2018 Thank you Chessie ill probably start the crossover in Jan or Feb , That way it should give me a good 4 months to get it done. Ive changed generic in the past with no issue , but things change.. One of the most annoying things is that the "new" generic is a completely different pill weight to the current one. Its sooooo annoying!!!! Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted September 17, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 17, 2018 10 minutes ago, nick1990 said: One of the most annoying things is that the "new" generic is a completely different pill weight to the current one. Its sooooo annoying!!!! Yes, I agree. Will be very important to keep notes about your doses. * 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
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