Terilyn

[Terilyn]

I have been on citalopram since 2004 after a traumatic event. My dose has changed, mostly because I have reduced it on my own. I was down to 5 mg/day a few years ago then stopped cold turkey. I was off 4 months and felt so sick I went back on. I immediately felt better- that should have been my clue that I was withdrawing. Well, now due to life I have been back on 20 ng/day for about a year. I have tried to taper by reducing my dose I day a week to 10 mg. I have since learned that can trigger withdrawal and it did trigger intense bouts of nausea and loose stools.  Last I tried to reduce by 25% and have been on 15 mg/day for 10 days. Symptoms: sweating, headache 24/7, nausea, loose stools, pounding heart, feelings of dread. And I have had a hand tremor for years that I am certain is caused by this horrid medication. I am taking propranolol for that. Anyway, thank you for this forum, I thought I was going crazy!

[ChessieCat]

Hi Terilyn and welcome to SA,

 

As you have probably realised reducing by 25% has been too much and as a result you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms.  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist.  You could try taking an extra 1mg (16mg) and see if that helps to reduce the withdrawal symptoms.  

 

Please see this topic which explains how to get a small dose:  Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram) 

 

Making a citalopram solution yourself
This is about citalopram (Celexa) but can be applied to most tablets that are not extended-release or sustained-release 

 

It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  However, you may feel some improvement in the first day.

 

Please Keep Notes on Paper so the we can see if updosing is working.

 

If after about 1 week you find that the withdrawal symptoms are still unbearable you could increased by another small amount.  It is better to increase by a small amount and if needed increase rather than risk taking too much.  Your brain will have made some adaptations since you have been at the lower dose and going back to 20mg may be too much.  The idea of updosing/reinstating isn't to get rid of withdrawal symptoms completely but get them to a bearable level.

 

I can see from your signature that you may have already updosed to 20mg.  If you have only taken 1 or two doses you can start taking 16mg from your next dose.

 

SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the previous dose followed by a hold at that dose for about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  This is because psychiatric drugs create a physiological dependence, not physical like caffeine or nicotine.

 

Patience is needed to get off these drugs.  We suggest throwing out the calendar and listening to your body and your symptoms.  If after 4 weeks you don't feel stable or life circumstances are a bit more stressful than usual (for example the Christmas period, winter time, or job change) it is better to stay at that dose for a bit longer until things settle down.

 

Here are some helpful links.  Please don't feel overwhelmed, just start at the top and work your way through them as you are able to:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

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

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable

Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

Tapering Calculator - Online

 

It is best to make only 1 change at a time.  It is also better not to start taking a complex vitamin because if you experience issues you will not know what exactly is causing it.  B vitamins can be stimulating especially B6.  hypersensitive-to-b-vitamin-or-b-vitamin-complex  If trying anything new, start with a small amount to see how you react and build up to the recommended amount.  The only supplements which SA recommends are Magnesium and Omega-3 Fish Oil.  Try a small amount one at a time to see how you react.

 

Even with a careful and slow taper you will most likely experience times of discomfort.  It is best to learn and use Non-drug techniques to cope

 

There are many existing topics and discussions on this site.  You can use the site search function on the main page of the site at the top right, or use a search engine and include survivingantidepressants.org in your search string.

 

As I said, lots of information, but I really want you to have what you need so you can have a successful taper.

 

This is your own Intro topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.  We suggest that members visit each others Intro topics so that can support and encourage each other.

[Terilyn]

Thank you so much for responding! Yes, I took 20 mg last night. I can try 16 mg tonight. I have been on multivitamins for years after going to a naturopath who put me on them (metabolic synergy by designs for health). They are expensive so I have tried to stop in the past and felt worse. I have however tried extra b6 recently which I will immediately stop. Unfortunately I can not take fish oil as it causes extreme nausea. I do not eat red meat and I do believe some of my issues are dietary. I am still having what I see from this forum are morning cortisol surges with pounding heart and an odd fe r long in my chest. My head is pounding as well. My biggest concern right now is the nausea and loose stools that happen any time I do anything a bit different from my usual schedule. I have not been able to work. That and the hand tremors, some days i cant write my name and forget about polishing my nails! As I told my husband I am tired of always feeling sick. This board has been a god send. I have been on several hours since discovering it last night.

[ChessieCat]

You are very welcome.

 

5 minutes ago, Terilyn said:

This board has been a god send.

 

I agree!  Wholeheartedly.

 

When I tried to reduce my Pristiq from 100mg to 50mg I had a mild upset stomach for several days.  It wasn't until I joined SA and read through the list of withdrawal symptoms that I put 2 and 2 together and realised it was from reducing my Pristiq.

 

7 minutes ago, Terilyn said:

hand tremors, some days i cant write my name and forget about polishing my nails!

 

Can you remember when the hand tremors started?  What dose of propranolol are you taking?  Please add this to your signature.

 

10 minutes ago, Terilyn said:

I am still having what I see from this forum are morning cortisol surges with pounding heart and an odd fe r long in my chest. My head is pounding as well.

 

waking-with-panic-or-anxiety-managing-cortisol-spikes

 

This topic contains sleep hygiene tips:  Sleep problems - that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Sleep Hypnosis, Guided Meditations, Calming Videos

[Terilyn]

The hand tremors started years ago. I am on propranolol Sr 60 mg/ day. I tried the 10 mg tabs but they caused a pounding heart, the Sr is better for me. The tremors are still bad but I suspect they would be worse without it. I will note the tremor is a "action tremor" and not a resting tremor. I did see a neurologist and had an mri to rule out Parkinson etc

[ChessieCat]

Thank you.  Could you please delete it from the bottom row and add when you started it (not how long you have been on it) to the Propranolol Sr 60 mg/day

 

Supplements/other: multivitamin, glutamine, vitamin d, propranolol (3 yrs), probiotic, melatonin

 

Thanks.

[Terilyn]

So went back on my full dose of citalopram 20 mg on Sunday after 10 days of 15 mg and feeling terrible. Instead of reinstating at full dose, on Monday I took 18 mg and still had pounding heart, headache all day. Tuesday I took 18 mg and felt pretty good all day. Today I am nauseous, headache and heart pounding again! Did I take too much or am I withdrawing again? It is so hard for me to tell. 

[Shrike]

 

2 hours ago, Terilyn said:

Did I take too much or am I withdrawing again? It is so hard for me to tell. 

Sorry to hear you struggling Terilyn. These things are super tricky as you already know but my guess is your body/brain/mind is just adjusting to the dosage change. Sometimes after an adjustment it takes a while for everything to "hit" or to rebalance. My gut says just wait this out on the 18 mg. You might swing back and forth for a few days or maybe weeks but you should recover... 

 

I am still pretty new here so I defer to the more experienced, wiser members but it sounds like the drop to 15 may been have too much. I think dialing it back to 18 was smart. Hopefully you get some traction on that soon. I'm pulling for ya! 

[Terilyn]

Thank you for the response! I think you are right. From what I read there are "waves and windows" and changing something with each one (my instinct) just clouds the situation more. I will hold at 18 mg for 4 weeks and document my progress. Thanks for the encouragement, so happy I found this site.

[Carmie]

Hi Terilyn, 

 

How are you doing?💚