NimitzAZ- Tapering off Celexa

[NimitzAZ]

Hi all. I'm trying, a second time, to get off this drug.

 

I just got married and we want to have kids, which will will only do once I get off this horrid thing called Celexa - it's not advisable to be on it when pregnant. I'm currently on 60 mg a day. I know it's over the recommended limit. However, my doctor never told me that and had no problems prescribing it to me that way.

 

The last time I tried to taper off my doctor went really fast - 10 mg every two weeks. I was an emotional wreck, crying at the drop of a hat and went straight back to 60 mg. I was put on it for anxiety and depression, after my mom and  grandma both died. I had been on Effexor prior for anxiety and depression.

 

I no long  feel depressed or anxious to the degree of needing medication, and I'm angry my doctor didn't try therapy first. I'll have t a psychiatrist and physiologist working with me while I taper off, so I can get therapy while gong through this, but I'm still really nervous. I've read horror stories about the withdrawal side effects. I work at a prison here in AZ as a corrections officer, and I'm reeaaaaly nervous about the side effects. I love my job, and need to be at my best.

Edited August 6, 2016 by ChessieCat
Inserted paragraphs for easier reading

[ChessieCat]

Hi NimitzAZ and welcome to SA,

 

I'm really pleased that you have found this site before making another attempt to get off it.  There is lots of really good information here as well as support.

 

The first thing we request all members to do is Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature.  Please include ALL drugs, doses and dates and how you decreased/increased.  Details for the last year and a summary of anything prior.  As you make changes please update your signature so it can be seen at a glance.  Thank you.

 

I'm going to provide you with links to information which should be helpful.  I hope you don't feel overwhelmed by the number of links but it will mean that you don't have to go searching for the information.

 

Please ask any questions here in your Intro/Update topic and you can journal your progress here too.

 

Introduction to AD Withdrawal Syndrome

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Symptoms Checklist

 

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommended 10% taper (off the previous dose) with a 4-6 week holding period to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

Brain Remodelling (Rhi's Description of Brain Healing)

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

And you might find it helpful to read these before talking with your medical professionals:

 

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

[nz11]

Welcome NAZ

So glad you found sa.

 

I no long  feel depressed or anxious to the degree of needing medication,

This is a great position to start tapering from. Or should i say  to start informed tapering from.

 

id keep away from a p-doc these people can be dangerous.  For a start they dont acknowledge withdrawal and if they do its short lived and mild.

After 8 years on celexa and prior exposure to effexor (whats the bet you came off effexor too fast and needed a massive dose of celexa to silence the withdrawal symptoms.) you are going to have to put aside years ( a minimum of 3yrs imo) for tapering. I hate to be the one to tell you that. Check out members aberdeen and Brassmonkey to have a look at how they tapered.

 

I reckon if you spend time soaking in the great links cc gave you and other great links on this site you can become very informed regarding your situation and  may find you can be your own battleship-Nimitz- therapist in wdl. It could even save you heaps of money.

[NimitzAZ]

So I got an appointment with a real psychiatrist and he has me starting to taper. I have so far gone from 60 mg a day to 40 mg a day. I am on day two of the taper. Unfortunately a close friend of my husband died, and today was his funeral. I am overwhelmed with crying right now.  The psychiatrist has things planned out for around 6-7 weeks until I am off it completely. He also gave me a list of physiologists that do cogitative behavior therapy so I can do that while tapering. I have started meditating again. Right now I just wanted to share how I am currently feeling. I'm not sure how much is grief and how much is the tapering off, but I am a fountain right now. I cry so easily. However I can regain composure rather quickly.

[scallywag]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

Some people do well on a 6-7 week taper. Many people do not.  Please consider slowing things down. Psychiatrists are as uninformed about the risks of withdrawal symptoms as personal care physicians, general or family practitioners.

 

We suggest that people reduce dose by no more than 10% and no more frequently than once every 4 weeks. Please read at least the first 2 posts in this topic:

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

The discussion in these topics may be helpful in preparing to discuss a slower taper with your pDoc:

How do you talk to your doctor about tapering and withdrawal

What to expect from your doctor about withdrawal symptoms

[NimitzAZ]

Thank you for the information. However, I am somewhat confused. How is a psychiatrist as uninformed about the risks of withdrawal symptoms as personal care physicians, general or family practitioners? Are they not people that specialize in this thing? My psychiatrist  told me to make sure to tell him immediately if things got unmanageable and recommended CBT therapists to help with the tapering. Also, as I was on 60 mg... 20 over the FDA legal amount thanks to my idiot PCP, my psychiatrist is concerned about the effects that can have on my heart, especially the risk cardiac arrest. I am now down to the 40 mg.

 

So far I have felt a little headachey and more hungry, and slightly spacy feeling sometimes. The urge to cry all the time has disappeared and I am handling normal life stressors in a normal fashion emotionally. I have begun meditation again as well as exercise and eliminating alcohol from my diet, as well as lowering my caffeine intake. I will make note of what has been said here and bring it up to him as well.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

Some people do well on a 6-7 week taper. Many people do not.  Please consider slowing things down. Psychiatrists are as uninformed about the risks of withdrawal symptoms as personal care physicians, general or family practitioners.

We suggest that people reduce dose by no more than 10% and no more frequently than once every 4 weeks. Please read at least the first 2 posts in this topic:
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

The discussion in these topics may be helpful in preparing to discuss a slower taper with your pDoc:
How do you talk to your doctor about tapering and withdrawal
What to expect from your doctor about withdrawal symptoms

[scallywag]

Many psychiatrists do not believe that withdrawal symptoms exist. They recommend discontinuing medications by skipping days of doses or by sequential large dose reductions over several weeks.

 

Sadly most education about medications is provided by the manufacturers and marketers of the medications.  Manufacturers do what corporations do -- focus on maximizing profit.  A significant majority of studies on the effects of medication are conducted or sponsored by pharma manufacturers. There is no profit incentive to study withdrawal symptoms. Regulatory agencies around the world had to compel manufacturers before cautions against sudden discontinuation were included in patient and prescribing information.

[NimitzAZ]

Thank you very much for this information. I'm fortunate then, that my psychiatrist is cognizant of the risks and withdrawal symptoms. He was explicit in telling me to keep him informed about any such symptoms that might arise and immediately set up another appointment to see how I am doing with the taper.

 

 

I started tapering Dec 1st. Currently been on 40 mg for about 8 days now. So far I feel spacey and a little nauseous. My appetite fluctuates a bit now, but not badly. I know it's still VERY early in the tapering process, however and that things could get worse. I'm really glad I found this place. I'm so glad you guys exist and aren't judgemental or pushy.

[scallywag]

You may have discovered that a 33% (60 mg to 40 mg) dose reduction is a lot or too much for your CNS (central nervous system) to handle.  I hope you'll consider a smaller decrease next time.

 

Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[NimitzAZ]

Went down by 10,g to 30 mg on 12-15-16. Thus far my fatigue that I've had since I started celexa is gone. I actually went through my first shift at work ever, where I wasn't exhausted to the point of falling asleep. It used to be, when I was on swing shift, at 4 -5 pm I would get extremely drowsy. Needed a ton of caffeine to wake up. Then when I got to grave shift that started happening at around 2 am. Well, friday night/saturday morning shift I went through it alert and only a little fustrated (though that could be due to the inmates). I just woke up and I actually feel... rested, not tired and fuzzy like I usually do. More hungry now, but overall, awake, alert and responding to stimuli in a normal fashion. No blowups of anger, no bursting into tears.

[scallywag]

Please take a few minutes to update your signature to show your dose reductions and the date you made them.

[NimitzAZ]

12-28-16

Had check in with psychiatrist. Husband gave third party view. The first week of each 10mg decrease I tend to act, in his words "derpy" in that I space out and slur my speech a bit. It goes away after about 2-3 days.

12-29-16
I have now tapered to 20 mg.

 Headachey, spaced out a little, slightly tired,but otherwise operating normally.

 

1-4-17

Spacy feeling, a little out of it but otherise responding normally to stressors and general life. No crying, or anger.
 

[scallywag]

The "derpy-ness" is likely the result of too large a decrease. If you're willing to live with that for 2-3 days, cool.

[NimitzAZ]

1-5-17 Tapered down to 10 mg. Some slight tiredness, a little bit cranky

 

1-19-17 A small anxiety attack. Meditation helped with dealing with it. Took a nap today but could have been due to being up early and the weather being a bit cloudy. Also, it's one of my days off. No anger or crying.

[NimitzAZ]

1-12-17 tapered to Zero mg. Been totally and wholly OFF this nightmare drug since then. Aside from maybe three little crying bouts at the start, and a little fatigue, there wasn't much doing for withdrawal symptoms. Appointment with my psychiatrist went well on 1-25-16.

 

Currently after tapering completely off I feel pretty damn good. My husband and I are actively trying to conceive our first child.