Rane Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Hi everyone! I found this site by searching about citalopram withdrawal symptoms. I've been on it for at least 3 years and am going through withdrawal. I'll post more about my problems in the Symptoms and self-care forum. Was on citalopram for around 3 years for depression. Quit cold turkey in 2014. Currently wondering if my weird health issues are due to nerve damage. Link to comment
Rane Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 I just posted my intro, so no need to move this topic Anyway, I got off of citalopram three days ago. Last night I noticed a metallic taste in my mouth. Today I woke up with a dry burning sensation on the back of my tongue and the top of my mouth. I'm a bit worried. I've heard of Burning Mouth Syndrome and am anxious I might have it, or is that just a withdrawal symptom? Has anyone else had this problem and how long does it take to go away? On to rls, before I got off of the drug completely (around a week ago) my legs started to twitch at night and this was made worse by coming off of it totally. I've also noticed that my shoulders and sides will twitch occasionally, but it's mostly in my legs. I've been able to manage the muscle spasms with a heating pad only for that to be replaced by pins and needles. I haven't gotten a goodnight's sleep in about 13 days. So far I haven't had any brain zaps and the only thing I'm anxious about is my mouth getting stuck this way. It's a terrible feeling . NOTE: This topic was merged from the 'Symptoms and self-care' discussion area. -Jemima Was on citalopram for around 3 years for depression. Quit cold turkey in 2014. Currently wondering if my weird health issues are due to nerve damage. Link to comment
HappyFree Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 The metallic taste in my mouth has subsided. Be patient. The restless legs get better too. Healing takes time. Time takes Time. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Addax Posted May 10, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 10, 2014 Hi Rand. Welcome! Some admins will be along shortly and provide you with a good deal of helpful info and direction. I'm relatively new here and it's been so helpful already. Your history and symptoms should go here. This introduction feed will turn into a sort of journal for you. My guess is one of the admins will carry what you wrote in symptoms and self-care over to here for you to keep it all in one thread. Again, welcome! So glad you found this site... You will be too. 1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts) Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast) April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop) Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but… Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding. My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/ Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 10, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 10, 2014 Welcome, Rane. Please do tell us about your tapering and symptoms here. 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
Bellisimo Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 after i quit my citalopram i also got burning sensation on tounge and metallic taste..and restless legs too and all kind of muscle spams 2007 - 2013: was on citalopram (tried to quit a few times, never worked, always went back on. max dose 40mg) 2012-2013: was tapering my citalopram all down to 2,5 mg then quit.2013/aug: Took my last pill W/D hit me bad after a few weeks off my medicine. 2014/August: 12 months off (much improved) 2015/April: 20months off. ( much improved, still some symtoms comes in waves, but not so intense.) 2015/june: 22months off. FELT different than before, all shakings suddenly stopped, feel much better. a fantastic feeling! 2016/Feb : 2 years and 6 months off, END of my suffering. I feel perfectly fine and back to normal. 2018/Oct: Iam still feeling great. It is hard to believe my own story when I read back, what I went through! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus bubble Posted May 10, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 10, 2014 Welcome from me too! You can put your initial dose and date which mark your tapering in the signature here. Also when you discontinued your medication completely. That will make it easier for us to offer opinions and advice. best, bubble Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2 2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013) Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg. 2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days afterreinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours 28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr 2015 1 mg, 25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64 Xanax 9 month hold 24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26 Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. Link to comment
Bellisimo Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 HI! i have also quit citalopram and have been free for 9 months,. welcome here 2007 - 2013: was on citalopram (tried to quit a few times, never worked, always went back on. max dose 40mg) 2012-2013: was tapering my citalopram all down to 2,5 mg then quit.2013/aug: Took my last pill W/D hit me bad after a few weeks off my medicine. 2014/August: 12 months off (much improved) 2015/April: 20months off. ( much improved, still some symtoms comes in waves, but not so intense.) 2015/june: 22months off. FELT different than before, all shakings suddenly stopped, feel much better. a fantastic feeling! 2016/Feb : 2 years and 6 months off, END of my suffering. I feel perfectly fine and back to normal. 2018/Oct: Iam still feeling great. It is hard to believe my own story when I read back, what I went through! Link to comment
Rane Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 HappyFree, how long did you have that taste in your mouth? Was on citalopram for around 3 years for depression. Quit cold turkey in 2014. Currently wondering if my weird health issues are due to nerve damage. Link to comment
Rane Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 I think I'm experiencing akathisia right now. It's a twitching in my thighs that becomes noticable when sitting and even more so when laying down. I've been able to stop it mostly with a heating pad. I'm encouraged from what I'm reading though, hopefully it won't last too long. Still, the anxiety that it will never abate is there, even if it's false. It's not so severe that I *must* move my legs, but it sure is annoying. NOTE: This topic was moved from the 'Symptoms and self-care' discussion area. -Jemima Was on citalopram for around 3 years for depression. Quit cold turkey in 2014. Currently wondering if my weird health issues are due to nerve damage. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted May 11, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 11, 2014 Welcome Rane, Magnesium can help with body twitches and tremors, here is some information about it: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/ Petu. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 11, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 11, 2014 Rane, how did you go off citalopram? Those sound like fairly serious withdrawal symptoms. Do you have any citalopram left? 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
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted May 11, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 11, 2014 Welcome, Rane- I've moved one of your topics and a post to your Intro because this is where comments and questions about your personal journey through antidepressant withdrawal go. This way your history is all in one place and you can use your Intro like a journal. On bad days, I've found it helpful to look back through my own Intro as a reminder of how far I've come. In addition, Intro information posted in the wrong place often goes ignored, I've noticed. Please tell us more about your withdrawal, as Alto has asked above. 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
Rane Posted August 12, 2019 Author Share Posted August 12, 2019 (edited) Topic title: New spasms out of the blue years later? I posted here years ago when I was going through Citalopram withdrawal, cold turkey. I just read over my old posts to remember what it was like. I reported bad leg/shoulder twitching when laying down for sleep. Those mostly disappeared in the years after 2014, only now they seem to be coming back. I never fully recovered, I don't think, because I have bad anxiety and weird sensations over my body that I never had before SSRI (thing is I also had a bad infection during the time as well, so I don't know if that caused any damage, it did give me severe health anxiety). Thing is, I'm wondering if this could be from the SSRI, because there's a new type of twitching and it's above my waist but below my floating rib. It stabs, bad. I've had scans and blood work and I'm "fine". There's no way all my undiagnosable health issues could be from Citalopram, could they? I feel like I have MS, but that could be my health anxiety. The doctors don't seem concerned, but I highly doubt they'd listen to me if I said "I took SSRIs years ago and I've only had these symptoms after getting off them." The most understanding person I spoke to about this in the medical field was a nurse who got off Paxil and was still having brain zaps a year afterwards. Doctors don't think this sort of thing is real, do they? I don't know who to turn to. Would any nerve damage show up on an EMG? Edited August 12, 2019 by ChessieCat added topic title Was on citalopram for around 3 years for depression. Quit cold turkey in 2014. Currently wondering if my weird health issues are due to nerve damage. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted August 12, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 12, 2019 are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted November 23, 2019 Administrator Share Posted November 23, 2019 Hello, Rane, how are you? 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
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