☼ joy2730: withdrawing from citalopram, quetiapine

[joy2730]

Went swimming yesterday early evening and slept brilliantly without anything like nytol or anything like that and my mood is really good a bit of neck ache on both sides of my neck which is one of my recognisable withdrawal symptoms and I just say to it "hello again"

[joy2730]

Went swimming yesterday early evening and slept brilliantly without anything like nytol or anything like that and my mood is really good a bit of neck ache on both sides of my neck which is one of my recognisable withdrawal symptoms and I just say to it "hello again"

[SquirrellyGirl]

That's cute - thanks for making me smile :-)

 

SG

[joy2730]

Really good sleep and day neck is no longer hurting and mood really good I still feel I am gaining weight and dare not get on the scales for a few days yet until I have really reduced my food

 

Tomorrow I am going down to 14 as I feel up to it and have concerns re my weight but withdrawl wise fine if only I could get my weight more comfortable

[joy2730]

As u will see iny signature I have accidentally dropped to 13.5 and can't get back to my pills today to reformulate so I am just going with it and watching my symptoms carefully sleep and mood fine

[joy2730]

Had a good day on 13.5mg I will report in the morning how the night went so far so good but I can telly body has not recognised the drop yet. I am expecting hot and cold headache nausea dizziness sweating and light sleep

[nick1990]

Hey Joy. Im enjoying seeing your progress. Your doing really well. I do find though that your having quite a casualness to this. Which I think is good, because it doesnt need to be all consuming, but please be careful and make sure you measure right and be patient. You will lose your weight eventually. I feel like your trying to rush a bit now that your feeling so much better but dont fall for it. There seems to be alot of people who do really well going slow and steady and so they start rushing and then they crash. Just my thoughts..

[joy2730]

Thank you for your thoughts nick and you are completely correct I am rushing too much now and solely because I am concerned about my weight however I am now calorie counting 1000 per day and if I can'take some progress with that it might help me slow down a bit

 

Anyway brilliant nights skeep just a bit hot and cold and a runny nose this morning but so far so good on 13.5 mg but i still feel my body is yet to acknowledge the lower dose

 

I do feel this micro reductions is a more gentle approach

 

Mood really stable and thank you nick

[joy2730]

I am absolutely fine have added sauna to my swimming

[Flowers]

Hi Joy

 

Am watching your reports with interest and have learnt a lot from you. I am quite a bit behind you with my taper and am doing the 5% cuts.

 

Thanks for posting your daily experiences with tapering - all valuable information.

[joy2730]

Take care flowers good sleep last night perhaps a little light for me felt slightly headachey over lunch time and a bit sick took a kwells pill and it seemed to do the trick feeling really good andood very stable

[joy2730]

Good sleep last night again and lovelyood today appetite normal no withdrawl symptons today at all I am waiting for it all to catch me up somehow

[joy2730]

Feeling really good a light nights sleep though but I am not tired no symptoms but sticking at this dose to give myself a good hold. I have lost a 1 lb in weight and feel so much better for my swimming and sauna it's suiting me better that gym

[joy2730]

Another good night and day I was in the swimming pool for 8 am today as I am not as sedated but tonight I am very tired

No withdrawal symptoms at present

[joy2730]

Good night's sleep sick headache sweating this morning but quite mold going to take 1/2 travel sickness pill and one painkiller as I am busy working and itay get worse will post again tonight to report effect and progress

[joy2730]

1/2 travel sickness pill really helped and pain killer

Yesterday afternoon and this afternoon felt very tired but very very awake yesterday morning and this morning which I think is withdrawal

[joy2730]

Slept well but slightly less deep feel well but still tired mood very balanced and good no sickness or headache

I have had no brain zaps with this rate of taper what a plus no sweating today all good going swimming tonight and sauna

[joy2730]

Doing really well but I do feel tired even though I slept 8 hrs and only woke once for a short while

[joy2730]

Last night I was very awake and couldn't get to sleep so I took a sleep aid pill and gor 8 hrs of good sleep other than that all is really good going swimming again tonight have a week a/l next week when I might reduce to 13 mg

[joy2730]

So strange this I had an assessment at work today followed by an interview for a higher job and passed the assessment and was offered the job so it is safe to say I am functioning well despite withdrawal. The job offered isn't really enough hours for me and I am going to have to think that through. I am sure it is better withdrawl wise to stick where I am as I am happy on my work but feel the need to look around

 

Slept well last night and have felt well all day. Husband and I going to scarborough for a few nights next week on my week off

 

No head zaps or any withdrawl symptons whatsoever

[ChessieCat]

Congratulations on getting through the assessment and being offered the job.  Even if you don't take it, it's a great morale boost that you can look back on and say I did it!

 

I hope you enjoy your mini holiday.  Make sure that you take what you need for your drug.  One of the members here packed the wrong strength tablets so it is easy to do.  I also suggest that you are careful about what you eat/drink when you are away.  You don't want to upset the CNS.  Take care.

[joy2730]

Thank you Cheshirecat it is only too east to get out of your routine and for me too easy to drop the dose. I really don't want to upset my progress I am also going to keep up with my swim and sauna which o am convinced is helping me especially the swim bit but suppose the sauna could be helping getting rid of toxins

 

Anyway slept like a log last night and feel well today but I am more tired but more clear headed.

 

The support of this site is paramount will continue daily as it seems to help my assessment of myself and shows good days are there in when withdrawing from a drug

[ChessieCat]

Yes, talking of routine, try and take your dose at the same time.  Maybe set a reminder on your phone.

[joy2730]

Last night all my bonews started to ache took ibuprofen and this morning I have been really stiff my neck is very stiff last time at this stage I interpreted it as depression and reinstated citalopram not this time

[joy2730]

Joint aches and pains have stopped.  Slept really well last night can't complain about anything.  My appetite has lessened and I feel better about my weight, more hopefully.  Swimming and sauna today, 20 mins in sauna, 1/2 hr swimming and it makes me feel so much better.

 

I met a very very obese young lady in sauna today, who is on 60 mg fluoxetine, Prozac, one three times daily and many other painkiller meds such as pregabalin and tramadol.  I suggested that the Prozac might not be helping her weight and she said that as she had lost weight while on Prozac at the start for about 6 mths she thought that would not be causing her weight gain. 

 

I told her in no way shape or form was a qualified to say anything but I said the meds might not be helping her weight.  There was another woman in the sauna who joined in the conversation and she said the old time antidepressants caused weight gain too.  This other woman was 68 years old and I am 57, this girl was about 25 ish, but quite disabled by her weight.  In fact getting off the sauna bench she tripped and felt and hurt her arm and leg and cut her foot.  I had to get first aid help for her.  Basically she had no idea SSRIs could cause weight gain!

 

it is time we all started being more open and share information.  Life is great in my sauna, ordinary people trying to help themselves.  I may never see that young lady again, or indeed I may as I live in a rural area.  I hope she remembers our conversation and it helps her a bit in the future.  I am beginning to think the PIL leaflets in these meds Patient Information Leaflets need to spell common adverse effects more clearly

 

Can't you all just tell I am on A/L and have more time to write.

 

BTW I am sticking at 13.5 mg at present to give time for things to work through.  When I woke up this morning I had a loss of appetite so I think things are changing in my body and I think I look a better shape.

Take good care everyone, I love having you on board through my journey

[joy2730]

Still fit and well mood stable

[joy2730]

Just to say I am doing really well, I am thinking about dropping to 13 mg in the morning, what does everyone think.  A good nights sleep last night and feeling really good today, going to horse races tonight for the first time in my life.

 

I can't believe how much better my brain is working now, and physically I feel a lot fitter. 

 

I wish I had taken this route years ago.  Still better late than never.

[Flowers]

Hi Joy

 

Glad that you are feeling so much better.

 

Anyone who has read my thread will know that I always err on the side of caution! I feel that you should do what your body is telling you but be aware that things can sometimes take a while to catch up.  You don't want to have a set  back from tapering too fast.

 

It is only a little while since you dropped to 13.5.  I am only in the early stages of taper, as you know, so can't offer any advice from my experience.

 

Sorry I can't give you more positive feedback but hope you enjoy the horses!

 

Flowers xxx

[joy2730]

Thanks flowers, really enjoyed the horses although after 3 very small bets and no winners I can't see how individuals get addicted to this!  Its just so good to find the energy to do these extra things, and enthusiasm.

 

I have just read your signature, I am so sorry you have lost your best friend.  At least you had a best friend, many years ago I realised I didn't really have any close relationships, and now I put this down to my long term psychiatric drug use.

 

I am really willing to listen to comments on this site and so am going to reduce to 13 mg NEXT Saturday instead of tomorrow which gives a bit more catch up time for symptoms to arise.

 

Trying to go swimming in the morning, for some reason I think this helps my body cope better.

[Flowers]

Hi Joy

 

Even if you didn't win at least you were there enjoying the atmosphere. That is worth so much isn't it.

 

Thanks for your lovely comments re my best friend. I don't have many friends either but as I have no family my few friends have become my family over the years. I put this down to my husband being away a lot in the Navy and that's when you need support from family/friends. But you do have friends here Joy although we have never met!

 

I am glad you are taking things slowly just to be sure everything is OK before doing your next reduction.

 

I love swimming too and always seem to have a feeling of well being after a spell in the pool.

 

Have a nice weekend - hope the sun is shining over there.

 

xxxx

[joy2730]

Hi flowers

 

Its grey and dull in Britain today, no sun whatsoever. 

 

Shallow sleep for half of last night and feel a bit tired today so really glad I have decided to hold at 13.5 mg.  I was measuring out my liquid and nearly did 13 mg but felt that would be a really bad decision.

 

Went sauna and then swimming and then to the hairdresser for a special treatment to make my hair easier to look after, keratin treatment, don't know if the rest of the world has it but it is new in the UK.  I realised that it really is what you feel like inside that matters and not what your hair looks like or your makeup, that it really is beauty on the inside that matters.  I feel more beautiful on the inside for going through my journey.

 

Have just watched a film on Netflix called 'Still Alice' about how someone in her 50s gets early onset familial Alzheimer's disease and I realised that I have had like a form of dementia all these years while taking psychiatric drugs.  Alice gets slowly worse, whereas I am getting slowly better.

 

Anyway, another good day, skin felt a bit creepy today and mood slightly lower, but basically good.

 

Sound advice Flowers, we once went to Nerja on holiday and loved it.

[Flowers]

Hi Joy

 

Sounds like you had a good day after a not so good night. I agree that it's not important how beautiful we are but the fact that you are taking an interest in your appearance is a good sign. There have been many times since WD that I haven't given a jot if I even washed my hair!! I am pleased to say that those days are now gone.

 

I too get the reference to dementia. Like you say though unlike Alice we are getting better. I feel great just knowing that I am gradually getting this stuff out of my system.

 

Our weather hasn't been that great lately but stayed fine today for us to have a bbq with friends. Nerja is not far from us and is a very pretty place.

 

Hope you have better nights and good days so that you can continue with your taper.

 

xxxxxx

[joy2730]

Thanks flowers a good sleep last night but I did take a phenergan pill and it helped. I was thinking about this - when I started on citalopram I had difficulty sleeping and on the Internet so we others and they took sleep aids then so I suppose it's just the same but in reverse I am going to look up what causes the disruption in the sleep patterns. Mood slightly lower today and I have lost a file at home and it is irritating me out of proportion went swimming this morning

[joy2730]

Feelong very irritable and frustrated at everything in life can't be calm for very long not a good feeling

[joy2730]

Feeling a lot calmer tonight, so it must be settling down now.  Hopefully

[FunkyBaboon]

Glad to hear it joy! Hope you're back to your good days as soon as poss.