New to site a bit about me

[Clove]

Hello everyone, 

this is my first post. I have tried to come off my anti-depressants several times and have always needed to go back to my GP as I crashed and burned, yet again. I now feel that what I was going through were withdrawn symptoms and not a relapse of depression/anxiety. I work in the NHS and have always felt I have been emotionally blackmailed into going back on the tablets, in my case, citalopram. 

So.... I have decided to withdraw from 40mg slowly and steadily. I have had one month on 35mg and am now on 30mg. This is fine for me at the moment. I've paired up with my GP who admitted that as I'd done a lot of reading 'round he was happy to take my lead on this process, so we are working together. 

Don't know what else to say today, but I'm very glad I found you.

Clove

[Gridley]

Hello, Clove, and welcome to SA.  It's good (and empowering) to come to the realization that your symptoms were withdrawal rather than relapse or "return of the underlying condition."

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

At Surviving Antidepressants, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Some people may have to taper at a more conservative rate as they are sensitive to even the smallest drops.  Your tapering rate is a bit faster than our recommended 10%.  
  

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brain Remodelling

 

The following link explains how to make non-standard doses of Citalopran.

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

The slow taper recommended here is designed to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

Youtube video, 4 minutes: Healing from antidepressants

 

Please be aware that sometime withdrawal symptoms don't appear immediately after a too-fast taper.

 

Delayed onset of withdrawal symptoms

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

Many members have found the techniques in these links to be helpful in dealing with withdrawal:

 

The Dr. Claire Weekes Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SkyBlue]

Hello Clove and welcome to SA.

 

It does sound promising that your doctor is willing to let you take the lead on the tapering process. That's great.

[Clove]

Dear Gridley and SkyBlue,

 

thanks for your welcome. I've written my signature and saved it.

I'm off to read all the info you posted.

Clove x

[SkyBlue]

On 5/1/2018 at 3:55 AM, Clove said:

Dear Gridley and SkyBlue,

 

thanks for your welcome. I've written my signature and saved it.

I'm off to read all the info you posted.

 

You're welcome. Sounds good! Let us know how you're doing.

 

Your signature looks good--thanks for writing it. 

 

It does look like your most recent decrease was from 35mg to 30, which is about 14%. That makes me wonder if your doctor is going to want you to decrease by 5mg at a time.

We generally recommend people taper at a maximum of 10% per month, which is much, much more slowly than doctors' notions of coming off "slowly." 

 

I know you're reading through the links Gridley posted--I think one of the most important ones for right now is
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

 

 

 

 

[Clove]

Hi SkyBlue,

arghhh! Miswrote my signature.

What I meant to write is that:

from 18th March to 17th April cut down from 40mg to 37.5

now, from18th April to 17th May will be on 35mg.

Will amend signature asap.

Experimenting with pill cutters and making solutions of the drug.

Off to "taper by 10%"

Clove x