Notsure: Help needed please

[Notsure]

Hi 

 

I can’t give a list of the dates and meds I have been on, as I can’t remember, I am a recovered alcoholic/ addict , and have been on lots of meds including most antidepressants and lithium,  I recently tapered off 20mg citalopram , I went down over a couple of months to 10mg every 2 days and then 1 week and a bit ago stopped completely.

today I think I finally ended my relationship, my anger towards my partner is out of control, I’m horrible... i think this might be who I really am, I hate myself and am struggling to continue.

 

 

[Songbird]

H Notsure, welcome to SA.  I think it's hard to tell who you really are when in the midst of antidepressant withdrawal.  Many of us do not feel like our normal selves.  Please try not to be too hard on yourself.

 

Even if you can't remember exact dates, it would be helpful if you could put as much as you can remember of your med history into a signature, particularly the most recent history including when you went on citalopram, how you tapered off and the date you stopped.  Your signature appears below every post you make, and helps us to help you when replying to your questions.   Instructions for creating your signature are here: Please put your withdrawal history in your signature.  You can edit your signature here: edit your signature in Account Settings.

 

Are you currently taking any other meds?  How long were you on citalopram before beginning your taper?  Are you experiencing any other withdrawal symptoms since stopping the citalopram?

 

Your taper was much quicker than we generally recommend here.  We usually suggest dose drops of no more than 10% of current dose, and waiting at least four weeks before dropping again.  This is because every time you change your dose, your body has to make some adjustments to rebalance, which takes some time.  Small changes are easier for the system to adjust to.  If you taper too quickly, your system can't keep up with the changes and it can become very out of balance and confused, resulting in severe withdrawal symptoms.  For more info see this topic:  why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Do you still have some citalopram left?  If you only stopped a week ago, it could be worth reinstating a small dose (e.g. 5mg) to try to prevent severe withdrawal problems that could potentially last a long time.  Reinstatement generally works better when done sooner, before the body has had time to make many changes.  For more information about reinstatement see our topic:  about reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Please post all your updates and questions about your situation here in your introduction topic and we will try to help as best we can.