Sadiegirl Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Hi, I have been off Clonazepam for about 4 months.Yea! Finally free from Clonazepam. I have been on Celexa for about 8 months, 2.5 mg. for the past 5-6 months. My psychiatrist wanted me to go back up on Celexa to higher fose( I could never stand more than 10 mg) when I tried, the agitation and insomnia and anxiety got worse. I tried going off the 2.5 mg, and had withdrawal symptoms, increased anxiety, insomnia. I just want off all drugs, really discouraged that I just can't drop the Celexa. Any suggestions, it's seems such a small amount and is just not good for my body and mind. 2010. Put on Xanax after bad reaction to Wellbutrin 2011-2012. Long 10 month taper off Clonazepam, 2.5%, every week, had to reinstate due to anxiety 9/2012- 2/8/2013. 5 mos taper off Clonazepam, 5% every week 10/2112- present, 10 mg Celexa, 2.5 mg. for past 6 months Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted May 21, 2013 Administrator Share Posted May 21, 2013 Congratulations, Sadiegirl, on coming off of Clonazepam. Welcome to the forum. To come off of Celexa we recommend that you taper at no more than 10% of your previous does. You can either get it in liquid form or make your own liquid. You can use a syringe to carefully reduce your dosage. Here is our topic on tapering off of Celexa http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/page__pid__19887#entry19887 . You can transfer your med history to your signature so we see it whenever you post - here are the directions: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/. Please use this thread to post your questions and progress. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Narcissus Posted May 21, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 21, 2013 it's seems such a small amount Don't be fooled! These drugs are extremely powerful, even in small amounts. I would follow Karma's advice and do the 10 percent tapering. This will be slightly difficult since the dosage is so small. I would try the liquid as Karma suggested. 3 Years 150 mgs Effexor 2 month taper down to zero 3 terrible weeks at zero Back up to 75 mgs 2 months at 75 6 or so months back to regular dose of 150 - was able to restabilize fine. 3 month taper back to zero 1 HORRENDOUS week at zero 2 days back up to 37.5 3 days back up to 75 One week at 150 - unable to stabilize. Back down to 75 mgs At 75 mgs (half original dose) and suffering withdrawal symptoms since October 2012. "It is a radical cure for all pessimism to become ill, to remain ill for a good while, and then grow well for a still longer period." - Nietzsche Link to comment
flower Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Hi, I have been off Clonazepam for about 4 months.Yea! Finally free from Clonazepam. I have been on Celexa for about 8 months, 2.5 mg. for the past 5-6 months. My psychiatrist wanted me to go back up on Celexa to higher fose( I could never stand more than 10 mg) when I tried, the agitation and insomnia and anxiety got worse. I tried going off the 2.5 mg, and had withdrawal symptoms, increased anxiety, insomnia. I just want off all drugs, really discouraged that I just can't drop the Celexa. Any suggestions, it's seems such a small amount and is just not good for my body and mind. 2010. Put on Xanax after bad reaction to Wellbutrin 2011-2012. Long 10 month taper off Clonazepam, 2.5%, every week, had to reinstate due to anxiety 9/2012- 2/8/2013. 5 mos taper off Clonazepam, 5% every week 10/2112- present, 10 mg Celexa, 2.5 mg. for past 6 months Sadie you have done well..Alot of us here want off that Celexa. How did you get to 2.5? Cutting up the pill? C/T Celexa and Trazadone on Jan.29th 2014 Prescribed 1mg of Klonopin every 6 hours on Jan.29th Began tapering Klonopin April 18th..stretching time between doses...at first one hour for 2 weeks then a half hour for app.10 days then another half hour 10days later. Presently at .25 three times a day..6 2 and 10pm. Trying to stabilize. Also still taking gabapentin 300mgs 2xs a day.. Link to comment
Sadiegirl Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Hi, I am new on this site. I am 4 months off Clonazepam. I have been on Celexa for about 9 months, a low dose 2.5 mg for the past 4-5 months. My doctor wanted me to go up on it and when I tried I got worse agitation and anxiety.I tried to get off of Celexa, my doctor told me just to stop it, since he felt a small dose was not helping me. After 6 days off I experienced more agitation and anxiety. I went back to 2.5 mg pill form, and it did help some.I tried to switch to the liquid form so I could try to taper off gradually and I had the night from hell, severe reaction to Celexa, agitation, restlessness, no sleep, anger, I am back on the pill again, 2.5 mg, it is hard to cut it accurately, and hard to get it smaller. I still feel like I am in Celexa withdrawal, like the 2.5 mg is not helping, still experiencing extreme dizziness, agitation, restlessness, heart beating fast, mania, anger, mood swing, hard to concentrate, eyes blurry. I have called the pharmacists, my doctor. No one can explain what is happening, the liquid should not be doing this to you. I could be having just bad Clonazepam withdrawals, but I feel way worse than I have felt before. Please help me, the only ones who understand are those who have been there. I took some Kavaa Kava lst night, and some melatonin to help sleep, having a real bad day. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 9, 2013 Administrator Share Posted June 9, 2013 Sadie, I moved your latest post here, to your Intro topic. This topic is like a journal for your progress. You may wish to follow it or bookmark it. It sounds like you might need to hold at your current dosage for a while rather than make withdrawal symptoms worse by continuing to reduce at this time. You may wish to make a liquid from your tablet or weigh it so you can measure it more accurately, see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/ This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Sadiegirl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) Hi, I am new. I am 5 months off Clonazepam after a 5 month taper. I have been on Celexa for 9 months, starting at 10 mg, and gradually going down to 2.5 mg, ,which I have. Been onfor about 3 months.Did not have trouble going down before.I just want off Celexa, as I thought it causing me side effectsMy doctor wanted me to go up and a small increase caused me more agitation and restlessness, anxiety.He then told me I could just get off of it, so I quit, and after 6 days starting withdrawal symptoms,anxiety ,insomnia.I I got back on 2.5 mg. I tried the liquid form of Celexa, as I was planning to taper down slowly at 10%.and took the equilavent dose of 2.5 mg, and had such a strong reaction to it, a night in Hell. I still wanted off Celexa, when I took my evening dose I felt increased agitation and anxiety and Celexa causing insomnia. I think I made a big mistake. I made a 50% cut last Thursday, to1.25 mg, and have been doing ok till this morning. Last evening I felt great. I woke up with severe agitation, restlessness, anxiety, hard to concentrate, anger,feeling very weird. I took a 2.5 mg dose and did not help at all, feel worse. I know I am still in Benzo withdrawal, and it was probably not a good time to withdrawal, but what can I do right now.?I do not trust my doctor, I asked for help on a Benzo group I am involved with and they told me to go to this site. Should I go back to 2.5 mg even if that dose did not seem to help, just made symptoms worse, stick with 1.25 mg and just stick with withdrawal, even though it is horrible. How will I ever get off this drug. I just did not think SSRI, would cause so much misery ( I have gotten off of them before Benzo's' just quit cold turkey) how long could withdrawal last, this is Hell! What is reinstating at 2.5. Did not work, what are my options?,Tr Edited June 28, 2013 by Karma added member name to topic Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted June 27, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 27, 2013 Please tell us more about your drug history. If you're up to it, please put it in the signature area of your profile, like so: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ I suspect that your rapid taper off Clonazepam is at the core of your current problems, and that benzo withdrawal was compounded by tapering off an SSRI too soon afterward. These drugs make changes to the physical structure of the brain and other areas of the central nervous system and must be tapered very slowly and cautiously. I know that 1 or 2 mg. of Clonazepam doesn't sound like much, but 1 mg. of Clonazepam is equal to 20 mg. of Valium so it is a very, very strong benzo. As for Celexa, it seems that a person might be able to successfully go off an SSRI cold turkey two or three times, but the damage accumulates and eventually a person becomes very sensitive to taking these drugs and getting off of them. It sounds to me that any sort of SSRI may be a problem for you at this point. I'm guessing that your best bet is going to be going back on a benzo, stabilizing, and tapering off very carefully from there, but I'm not certain. We have a benzo withdrawal discussion going on here and I'm going to ask for help from people with more experience than I have. Welcome to the forum, Sadiegirl. You'll find lots of solid information and friendly support here. Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted June 28, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 28, 2013 Actually, benzos have a bad reputation for reinstatement, especially after as long as five months. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't help at all, and sometimes it backfires, at least from what I've seen on the boards. It appears that reinstating on ADs is a little easier than with benzos, at least from the strictly anecdotal evidence. I wish I had solid data about that. It does sound to me like you're still in benzo withdrawal and not fully stable from that. I agree that it's probably not a great time to be tapering Celexa, although it's hard to know what to do given that taking it seems to be aggravating your symptoms. Gia K may have some more thoughts about this, she's seen a lot of people go through benzo withdrawal. This is a tricky situation; I don't see an obvious solution. I think your best bet might be to stay on 2.5 mg of Celexa for a while, a few weeks, and see if your symptoms settle down at all. If they do, then I'd say stay on that dosage for another six months or so and allow your body to recover from the benzo withdrawal, before attempting a taper off the Celexa. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
GiaK Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 hello...as Rhi, said, this is a tricky situation...and it's hard to know what to do... I think Rhi's suggestions are good... It's true I've watched a lot of people come off benzos and multiple drugs too. I've never felt confident giving advice when things get tricky like this. That's just the truth...I've mostly watched as others gave support and learned that way...I had a tricky withdrawal too...it's not like we ever know what the "right" thing is when things get like this...BUT...we get through it and we do heal...so please trust that at the very least. We know it's hard right now. Pay attention and see how your body responds and check back...sometimes this is a day to day process, even moment by moment...and often once our nervous systems are seriously hurting it's just a matter of minimizing future harm and then taking lots of time to heal. It's not easy, but we do get through and we heal. As Rhi indicated reinstating benzos can backfire, but you could try a tiny fragment of a pill and see how you do...and go from there...the problem with ADs is that they are very stimulating and can, indeed, aggravate symptoms...that said, if you have a paradox reaction to the benzos you could end up like that too... I'm really really sorry there isn't a clear way out...though if you experiment with these suggestions carefully and see where you find a bit of stability and then stay there...like Rhi said for a good long while. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted July 3, 2013 Administrator Share Posted July 3, 2013 Combined topics so as to keep Sadiegirl's progress all in one place. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Azgirl Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 welcome Sadie, that celexa is a evil little pill.. long time sufferer of that one too..hang in there, good support here. Past: Started on 30 mg of celexa in 2003 with lorazepam for sleep, switched to clonazepam in 2007 Last few years were spent cartwheeling around with various AD cocktails and multiple ER visits Current: 5 mg celexa, .5 mg clonazepam, 1 mg melatonin for sleep Link to comment
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