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iwillwin: Celexa and withdrawal


iwillwin

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Hi friends- i am so hopeful about finding some support here. I was on Citalopram (Celexa) for 10 years. I started to taper two years ago.  i reduced 2.5 mg each six weeks.  Each interval was crying, fear, lack of control and then a veil lifted and i would repeat the pattern.  Its the hardest thing i have ever done.  In Nov 2014 i took my last dose. 5mg. What followed was basically, hell. crying uncontrollably, flu-like symptoms, terrible GI issues, pale, tired, depressed, disconnected, you name it.  Ive done a lot of praying and committed to seeing this through. Im a now 10 weeks off and the issues are more physical than mental.  One stage of an issue ends and another starts.  Right now, its insomnia and muscle spasms.  Of course, being one of an anxious nature and a catastrophizer, my brain has me having MS or Parksinsons.  I know in my head this is not the case, but i cant get my anxiety to align.  When your body doesnt respond the "normal" way- it triggers all sorts of neurosis.   I am shocked and disappointed at the lack of knowledge "out there" from Doctors regarding SSRI withdrawal.  I feel like a victim- i was placed on poison.  Each day is a journey and i want nothing more but to feel "normal" again. I really need some encouragement. How do you deal?  Im tired of feeling so alone and feeling like my life will never be as good as it was. :( -  N

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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HI! i inappropriately started a topic called "celexa and withdrawal" before introducing myself. An overview of my situation is in that thread.  Really though, i am looking for support, encouragement, strength, and to offer the same to others. This is a lonely road in real life.  There arent many people who share their journeys with mental health publicly on a day to day basis. I cant get through life without sharing.  Often, i just need to know im not alone- and that what im feeling has been felt before ( thats the anxiety i think.)  I have spent two years trying to get healthy but feel slapped in the face at each corner. I cant win. I wish i could feel how i felt on Celexa, but without it.  I really appreciate any prayers, story sharing, and anything else that we can offer to one another-  Thanks for reading- Nik

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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Welcome iwillwin and your posts have been joined into one thread here in the introductions forum.

 

Your symptoms are a result of tapering a drug you were on, that your body was used to functioning with for 10 years, in a relatively short time. That last drop off 5 mg was a bit too high for a jump off point.

 

Is there anything specific you would like help with before I hit you with a bunch of helpful links to read?  :)

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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really? the muscle spasms too?  this is SOOOOOO impactful! I guess i just need to know- can i die from withdrawal? Someone posted an article that i read that said withdrawal can be fatal and i worked so hard to go slow.  Also, do people beat this? Do their bodies readjust? (clearly in an anxiety state right now)  HIT ME UP- im ready to read.  AND THANK YOU.  :wub:

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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Oh dear IWW, it is not nearly as bad as it sounds although when I hit wd syndrome there were periods when I wished I could die! But it won't kill you or land you in the hospital and we usually caution you to do whatever you can to prevent that. Well-meaning physicians who know nothing of wd syndrome will often throw a bunch of drugs at it and end up making you really sick (and then needing to come off a bunch of different drugs!)

 

The muscle spasms too. People get them everywhere. I had them as a band around my chest and in my calves. You actually did not go slow enough and that last little bit is the most crucial and you jumped at a bit too high of a dose. I have a feeling that you are not interested in reinstating a small bit of the drug (say 1 or 2 mg) and stabilize your symptoms and then carefully taper off that? Otherwise I am afraid it will continue to be a rocky road for some time but you will eventually get over this.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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Here are the links you wish you had read before you started your taper and will explain our harm reduction philosophy:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage? 

 

and that last little bit, why it is so important to go slow: 

 

Why taper? Paper demonstrates importance of gradual change in plasma concentration

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

That's a start.  All of the articles (especially the pinned topics at the top) of the Symptoms and self-care forum will give you a lot of good ideas on how to cope.

 

And of course, other members will stop by your thread and offer suggestions, encouragement and tell you their stories too. You can start reading their threads as they post in the introductions forum and you can ask them specific questions in their threads as well as ask questions here in your own thread.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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Thank you for these- i am 100% not willing to go back- but this is before reading what you have sent.  if i can get through this- i am willing to do it- its just knowing what is happening to me :)  If "doing it right" means i can get off without repeating what ive already gone through- i may be open.  Im scared though to be honest.  

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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Nik,

 

You may also want to read some of the recovery stories in the forum we have for that. You'll get a better perspective on what wd syndrome is like and how people have recovered. Toughing it out is most assuredly NOT recommended. Had I known I would never had done what I did and I did not mean to fall of my meds like that. I got here way too late to reinstate and when wd hit in earnest it was a full year later and it was simply awful. I can get pretty pushy at times for wanting people to avoid having that happen to them and going the reinstatement route. There's only a small window where it can be done and it does not always work but you'll read about it and see what you think.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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Welcome  iwillwin ,   you'll find you're in very good company here.

We've all suffered from the fall-out after a too-fast taper and understand what's going on for you.

 

Let us know how we can help.    And get ready to star learning . . . this site has loads of information.

Best wishes  ,   Fresh

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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Thank you both-  is 8 weeks too far our for reinstatement? some of the info i just read suggested that it might be. 

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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Well, if you want to give a smidge of the med a try, that is why we say start with a tiny amount and you can always work up a bit and see if the symptoms start subsiding. At the smallest dose where you find relief, stop there. You need to try a tiny dose of the same amount for at least 4 days, it takes that long for your body to register it. If you get an immediate bad reaction then stop and remain off it. That is why we say start with a small amount at first.

 

You'll notice that RI does not always work, works really well or turns out not to be a good idea. But the fact that it does work to curtail a downward spiral of symptoms is why we still recommend it be tried. It is your decision. We don't diagnose or prescribe, we just use the benefit of our experience as a group for peer support.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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OK- well, i just read one posting in "recovery" about a woman whos heart went bad and she needs a pacemaker now because of withdrawal.  Im not sure this was a good idea to read :(   I am going back to my GP tomorrow and will bring some of this literature and talk about good next steps.  I will continue to read the articles as well. 

 

Process question- is there a flag or some way to know when someone responds to your posts or do you just have to revisit? 

 

thanks again!

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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You're doing great Nik.      On the screen , go to the top right corner and click the icon Follow This Topic.     Then you get an email when there's a new response.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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Hi IWW-- welcome to the group. You can also click on your name at the upper right and then click on "My Content", that will display all the threads you have posted on that someone else has posted on since.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Hi Nik

 

Aside from trying a very low dose reinstatement, we also recommend fish oil and magnesium. Magnesium

can be good for sleep and muscle issues. We have threads on both of these in the symptoms section

 

Dalsaan

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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Dalsaan- i have read this A LOT lately-  i will research.  I forget why, but something made me think i shouldnt take magnesium-  GERD?  i dont recall- but thank you!

10 years Celexa-2 year Taper- Stopped 11/10/2014

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Maybe try Epsom salts bath, high in magnesium, avoids the stomach issues.

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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RE:     Is 8 weeks too far out for reinstatement?

It has worked well for some , and not for others.    You won't know for sure till you give it a try.   As cymbaltawithdrawal wrote , it can prevent a downward spiral , so in my opinion is well worth a try.  

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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