thisismyname: quit celexa C/T

[thisismyname]

I hope this is the right section.

 

I took Celexa for 7 years, 40 mg since I was 15 years old.(21 now) I recently had problems with it and I had to quit.  I made the mistake of quitting cold turkey. I still havent recovered from it. Im not trying to type out a sob story, but ever since I quit my life has gone down hill, everything is darker. I cant even remember when I stopped taking it, possibly mid may.(its been almost 2 months to a month and a half) 

 

I cant tell If what Im experiencing is withdraw or if Im feeling what I took the medicine for in the first place.

 

Im scared that its too late to reinstate and taper, I read about how the longer you go without reinstating, the harder it is to reinstate. I also read that new side effects can come up, Ive read horrible stories about anti depressants and all of them scare the crap out of me, they arent candy. Im scared and I see reinstating as a game of russian roulette.(chance of acquiring a permanent and nasty effect)  

 

Im scared to death.  

[Petunia]

Welcome thisismyname,

I moved your post here to the introductions section, you can use this as your ongoing journal, adding to it as needed.  I'm sorry you have been having such a difficult time since stopping Celexa,  we never advise stopping medications without tapering and I would think what you are experiencing is withdrawal.  What problems were you having with it?

 

What symptoms are you having now?  You wrote that your life has gone down hill, do you mean that the symptoms are getting worse?

 

Its true that the longer you wait to reinstate, the less likely it is to work, but many people are successful at reinstatement after being off for up to 3 months, it can take a while to fully stabilize, but once that happens, then you can begin a safe taper, reducing by 10% per month.

 

Please read though our reinstatement topic carefully, here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3079-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-stop-withdrawal-symptoms/

 

If I were in your situation I would try and reinstate as soon as possible, either 5mg or 10mg, and see if it helped at all.

 

Reinstatement will either work to eliminate withdrawal symptoms or it wont, but its not going to cause further damage.

 

• If, upon reinstatement, you very soon feel worse, most likely you are sensitized to the drug and need to take a smaller dosage or, possibly, none at all.

There's no need to be scared, you will find a lot of friendly help and support here, I'm glad you found us.

 

Petu.

[thisismyname]

I suspect the problems I was having with it were from Omeprazole increasing blood levels of citalopram, and causing me to be spaced out and feel like I was just "Existing" but not living. It also gave me moderate ED and It still hasnt fully returned. I have to admit that quitting it C/T was a foolish, knee-jerk reaction.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20642546

 

here's more info about the interaction between omeprazole and citalopram. something to note is that it increases citalopram levels by 120% according to the study. I was on the maximum dosage already.

 

I went through the typical withdraw symptoms when I went off C/T,(no brain zaps thankfully!!) Things like mood swings sadness, extreme fear, explosive anger and then guilt afterwards. Things calmed down after a month and things stabilized (sorta) but now its back for a second wave and while not as bad as the -initial- effects,my biggest problem has been the explosive anger, followed by guilt because of getting angry followed by depression.  

 

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on the 7th, I'll get a 5mg reinstatement and try to stabilize.

 

 

Its good to know that im not alone.

[Petunia]

I'm happy to hear that you are going to reinstate and taper slowly.  Do you have any of your old prescription left?  Its possible to taper by cutting tablets, here are our tips for tapering citalopram:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/

 

Are you still taking omeprazole? This should not be taken for longer than 14 days in a row, please see information here:

 

http://www.drugs.com/omeprazole.html

 

You are right, there is a major reaction with citalopram and it most likely was the cause of your increased side effects:

 

http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=679-0,1750-0

 

Do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

 

Petu.

[thisismyname]

I still have a few citalopram pills left, splitting them down to 5 mg is difficult since they're 40 mg pills. Im not taking omprazole anymore, I decided that the risks of taking it weren't worth the benefits. Thank you for the thread links, Ill read those.  I just took what I think is 5mg

[Altostrata]

Welcome, this.

 

Please read the links Petu was so kind to give you, you can make a liquid from those tablets and make them last longer.

 

Thank you for that excellent citation from PubMed. I will post it in the Journals forum.

[thisismyname]

After I took the 5mg of celexa yesterday, I felt Much better. For the first time In 2 months I felt "normal". Its amazing How just 5 mg was all it took, It looked so diminutive compared to the full 40!  . 

 

Start up effects of the first day

 

• Drowsiness    
• Strange, Repeating thoughts for the first few hours.
• Insomnia (long after Adderall xr 30 mg wore off)
• Lack of appetite (long after Adderall XR 30 mg wore off)
• Slightly increased anxiety of the panicky type.

Today I took another 5 mg, I felt less Drowsy and the weird thoughts haven't happened. Anxiety is still there but less pronounced. I can't tell if the insomnia and lack of appetite is still there because adderall hasn't worn off yet. I'll come back with an update tomorrow.

[tezza]

Hi and welcome!

 

If you're willing to make a liquid with your Citalopram, it would be simple to get the dose you are trying for. You could use 40 mL of water for a 40 mg tablet, then take 5 mg or adjust as needed.

 

Here is a link to help with that:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/

[thisismyname]

Hi and welcome!

 

If you're willing to make a liquid with your Citalopram, it would be simple to get the dose you are trying for. You could use 40 mL of water for a 40 mg tablet, then take 5 mg or adjust as needed.

 

Here is a link to help with that:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/

I wish I could have liquid citalopram, but Its mint flavored, one of my acid reflux triggers. :/ 

[tezza]

It's very easy to make your own liquid with your tablets. I was anxious about making a liquid at first but found it was simple to do. I did that with mirtazipine and eventually got off in December but recently had to reinstate.

 

You might want to consider trying that. You would be able to accurately measure your dose, as well as, reduce by tiny amounts.

 

Wishing the best for you!

[thisismyname]

I have a question(for anyone), can taking irregular doses when starting back up cause strange start up effects? Because I have no way to accurately measure the exact mg of what I clipped off.(40 mg tabs are kind of hard to cut since) Should I stop taking it for now and wait until the 7th when I get 5 mg tabs? or just keep taking what I -think- is 5 mg? 

[Skylarblue75]

Hi there, I totally feel your pain, it's terrible what your going through, if you read my signature you can see what I've been experiencing and battling for almost 2 years now. I wish you healing.

 

Skylar

[thisismyname]

It's very easy to make your own liquid with your tablets. I was anxious about making a liquid at first but found it was simple to do. I did that with mirtazipine and eventually got off in December but recently had to reinstate.

 

You might want to consider trying that. You would be able to accurately measure your dose, as well as, reduce by tiny amounts.

 

Wishing the best for you!

Ill look into that. *thumbs up*

[thisismyname]

Hi there, I totally feel your pain, it's terrible what your going through, if you read my signature you can see what I've been experiencing and battling for almost 2 years now. I wish you healing.

 

Skylar

GOOD LUCK!! 

[Altostrata]

You should do everything you can to be consistent in your dosing. You may notice we've urged you to do this several times.

[thisismyname]

You should do everything you can to be consistent in your dosing. You may notice we've urged you to do this several times.

I noticed, I just wondered if the reason Im having strange start up effects is because of inconsistent dosing. I understand that some reinstatement effects are inevitable because of the amount of time ive been off of it.

[thisismyname]

I took my third pill today 5mg celexa (reinstatement after 2 months c/t) and Im scared. I feel sedated, Im laughing at things that aren't funny, I swear to god it feels wierd. Im so scared, What if it gets worse? im delirious, my breathing is slowed. my thinking is labored. After reading all of the horrible stories on this website Im horrified of whats to come, What If I can never take it again? what if my reinstatment symptoms get worse?

 

 

I need someone who has experience with this. 

[Skylarblue75]

It sounds like your having start up side effects, from what I've read your body acts differently to the same drug when you try it again.  This happened to me when I tried to reinstate celexa, even a low dose my body just couldn't tolerate it, not to say that you won't be ok. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will respond soon. I'm sorry your feeling so badly, I totally sympathize.

 

Prayers and Hugs

[thisismyname]

thinking of lowering to 1mg. 

[thisismyname]

I had a severe panic attack last night, Im still feeling anxious and scared, do I keep taking it and hope that my body adjusts? do I lower the dosage even more? do I quit taking it?

[Altostrata]

I merged your topics. Please keep all your questions about your particular situation here, in one place.

 

What time did you have the panic attack and what time did you take Celexa?

 

It will take at least 4 days for your system to fully register the level of the drug you're taking.
 
Even so, you may have waves and windows of symptoms, see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-recovery/
 
Also, Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

[Rhiannon]

I think we probably mentioned this before: reinstatement is not a cure. You CT'd off 40 mg. You will still have withdrawal symptoms.

 

The point of reinstatement is to cushion the withdrawal. I think I said to Skyler, it's the difference between crashing off a high cliff onto sharp rocks or jumping off a lower cliff onto a soft meadow. It's still going to hurt but there's a big difference.

 

It's going to take a while to stabilize. Your symptoms will come and go. It's important not to react to every worsening by changing your medication, because the changes themselves are part of the problem at this point. Your nervous system needs a chance to stabilize. And the fluctuation in symptoms is due to the CT and would be happening no matter what you did with your meds at this point.

 

Given that you CT'd off 40 mg, which is a hefty dose, I think holding at 5 mg is a good idea for you. Keep a journal of what time you take your dose each day and when you experience things like panic attacks or other symptoms. If after a while you're still feeling overly activated, you may want to reduce your dose slightly, but please give it more time first so you can be sure it's a consistent reaction and not just the typical ups and downs that everybody gets.

 

In the meantime, learn how to make a liquid from your tablets (it's quite easy) and get a syringe, so that you can control your dosage more carefully. Also, see if you can get the 10 mg tablet--it's going to be easier to work with those.

 

Please read our Symptoms and Self Care section for suggestions on coping with withdrawal symptoms.

[Rhiannon]

It sounds like your having start up side effects, from what I've read your body acts differently to the same drug when you try it again.  This happened to me when I tried to reinstate celexa, even a low dose my body just couldn't tolerate it, not to say that you won't be ok. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will respond soon. I'm sorry your feeling so badly, I totally sympathize.

 

Prayers and Hugs

 

Skylar, please be careful when replying to people who are in great distress and very vulnerable due to withdrawal, which is a terrifying experience, as you know. Most people do not have your extreme sensitivity to these meds and most people do well with reinstatement at a low dose, which can be lifesaving.

 

If you read back through the thread you will see that for this person reinstatement brought about an initial improvement. That's a good and encouraging sign. We've worked with hundreds of people here and have learned what to look for and what bodes well and what doesn't.

 

It is absolutely typical for the initial improvement to be followed by ups and downs. I've never seen a case where that didn't happen.

 

I welcome your participation, we love it when people learn about these meds and help others, and your sympathy and encouragement and support are so important. But please do realize the limitations of your own limited experience at this point, and be aware that it's easy to frighten and discourage people when they're in acute withdrawal like this. The last thing we want to do is scare people into doing something that will make them worse. 

[thisismyname]

im starting to get used to the drug again. I was admitted(voluntarily) to a hospital, on the 4th. They put me on watch to be observed in the hospital. They watched me, made sure I wasn't having any adverse reactions to the drug. I reported the mental confusion and increased anxiety to them. They gave me options of other antidepressants, but I decided to stay on celexa. The most serious side effects have abated, The insomnia. lack of appetite extreme confusion, anxiety and blurred vision all went away. The sexual side effects have improved quite a bit.

[Altostrata]

Sorry to hear that you were in the hospital, TIMN, but good to hear the 5mg Celexa reinstatement is helping.

 

I think you made the right choice not to take a different drug.

[thisismyname]

Sorry to hear that you were in the hospital, TIMN, but good to hear the 5mg Celexa reinstatement is helping.

 

I think you made the right choice not to take a different drug.

I agree, I was tossing escitalopram(lexapro) around in my mind but remembered what you guys said.

 

Btw, I like cats and animals, what type of animal is that in your avatar?

[Altostrata]

It is a wild Pallas cat from the snowy mountains of Asia.

[thisismyname]

^Its a pretty cat. It looks wise.

 

Update

 

Its been almost 20 days since reinstatement, My start up effects are gradually improving.

 

Side effects

• Difficulty forming thoughts, occasionally.
• Difficulty with reading comprehension. It's brief, Occasional and transient in nature.
• Strange thoughts, impulses and behavior. (with no purpose)
• Strange feelings. Like Im a different version of me.

 

Side effects that have improved, or went away.

 

• Sedation is gone.
• Depersonalization is gone.
• Panic is gone.

[Petunia]

Hi,

I'm glad you are starting to feel better, it sounds like you are adjusting to the reinstatement.

 

I noticed in one of your posts that you had taken Adderall XR.  Do you take this regularly?  If so, please would you add this to your signature.

 

I put Celexa and Adderall through the interactions checker, there is a major warning

 

Interactions between your selected drugs

amphetamine ↔ citalopram

Applies to: Adderall XR (amphetamine / dextroamphetamine), Celexa (citalopram)

Talk to your doctor before using citalopram together with amphetamine. Citalopram may increase the effects of amphetamine, and side effects such as jitteriness, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts have been reported. Combining these medications can also increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=190-1644,679-335

 

You will probably be ok with being on only 5mg of celexa, but I wanted you to be aware of this potential interaction.  You probably should mention it to your doctor.

 

Petu.

[Altostrata]

Why are you taking Adderall? It is methamphetamine. Very common side effects are nervousness and insomnia.

 

How are you measuring the 5mg? At this low dosage, it's very important to be precise in dosing.

[thisismyname]

 

 

Why are you taking Adderall? It is methamphetamine. Very common side effects are nervousness and insomnia

 

Im taking adderall because I have adhd. Indeed, It can cause nervousness and anger(jokingly call it madderall), although If you've been taking it as long as I have(since gradeschol) the anxiety that it gives you is mild and transient, especially since I take Buspar and Vistaril. The insomnia isn't too bad, as long as I take it early in the day so it wears off by the time I go to bed. 

 

 

 

How are you measuring the 5mg? At this low dosage, it's very important to be precise in dosing.

I have a pill splitter and I make sure that the pill is always split in half. I agree that consistent dosing with antidepressants is crucial, antidepressants aren't candy.

[thisismyname]

 

Interactions between your selected drugs

amphetamine ↔ citalopram

Applies to: Adderall XR (amphetamine / dextroamphetamine), Celexa (citalopram)

Talk to your doctor before using citalopram together with amphetamine. Citalopram may increase the effects of amphetamine, and side effects such as jitteriness, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts have been reported. Combining these medications can also increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=190-1644,679-335

 

 

Thanks, but im already aware of the interaction . It hasn't given me any problems that I could -notice- I took adderall and celexa together for 7 years at the max dose of celexa and nothing happened. Im not saying that nothing will happen to anyone else, but I had no problems. Either nothing happened or when I first started taking the combo I didn't put two and two together when I was feeling jittery.  

 

 

I noticed in one of your posts that you had taken Adderall XR.  Do you take this regularly?  If so, please would you add this to your signature.

 

I take adderall xr 30 mg every day.

[Petunia]

Thanks for updating your signature, do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

[Altostrata]

Please put ALL your drugs, even the non-psych ones, in the Drug Interactions Checker here http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and post the results in this topic.

 

If you don't have anxiety, why were you prescribed Buspar?

 

Please note: The more drugs you take, the more likely they are to interact, have adverse effects, or do long-term damage to your health.

[thisismyname]

Please put ALL your drugs, even the non-psych ones, in the Drug Interactions Checker here http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and post the results in this topic.

 

If you don't have anxiety, why were you prescribed Buspar?

 

Please note: The more drugs you take, the more likely they are to interact, have adverse effects, or do long-term damage to your health.

I was originally prescribed buspar and vistaril to control the high blood pressure I used to have when I was younger (early or mid teens) and to augment my antidepressant. The doctor was concerned about it and prescribed them both to me. I no longer have high blood pressure but continue to take them because they help.

 

I understand that the more pills you take the more likely you are to have a reaction. The best advice I can give anyone is to research a drug before you put it in your mouth,". I lived though the hellish combination of a PPI and a SSRI that was incorrectly prescribed to be for a disease that I didn't even have(GERD). A psychiatrist tried to add on welbutrin,(for the ssri sexual side effects) but I was aware of a potential interaction between that and adderall and I refused. Wellbutrin can increase the blood levels of adderall and cause me to have elevated side effects of adderall.

[Altostrata]

Well, as time goes on, your body changes and reacts differently to the drug cocktails you take. Please keep this in mind and check your drug interactions anyway.