What are the side effects of withdrawing from Citalopram?

After a year of takinga 20mg dose of Citalopram i feel stable and well enough to start coming off it.

However, as is typical of my GP, i have received no guidance about any side effects i might experience and am therefore, rather clueless about what to expect. I have had a search on the internet but can't seem to find much.

I have reduced my dose to 20mg every other day for 10 days now. In the first few days i experienced anxiety but was able to rise above it because i have now developed effective coping mechanisms. However, more worrying is the sickness and dizziness i had during a hypnotherapy session. I have had vivid dreams but am not inclined to complain or be worried about those!

Has anyone any advice please?

PM me if you want some advice x

Citalopram withdrawal symptoms include dizziness, tingling sensations, tiredness, vivid dreams, and irritability or poor mood. Others reported are occasional mania, and 'freeze-frames' where people report that they get a vivid sensation of awareness, like a flash-bulb going off in their heads, for a few seconds.

The general technique is to reduce the dosage gradually, then hold at the reduced dose until the side effects reduce.

Can you get your GP to prescribe you 10mg tablets? That way you'll have a little more control over reducing the effects. You could then do 20 / 10 / 20 / 10 for a few weeks, then 20 /10 /10 / 20 / 10 / 10 , etc.

Some side effects of withdrawal - especially mood swings - are more pronounced when you take the full dose one day and nothing the following day, so be prepared for that.

im in the process of reducing my dosage from ciprolex which i think is the same drug under a different name.

ive been on 10mg for 5 months and have been taking 5mg for the last month, although after the weekend im going to start taking 5mg every other day.

i know what you mean about the anxiety aspect- but mines been slightly different. ive been getting a bit miserable over the last few weeks and i dont know if its psychosomatic of knowing im coming off the drugs or if its actually because i do still need the pep.

things at home have been particularly hard the last couple of weeks so i dont know if its taking its toll that way. i feel like i ought to keep trying to reduce the dosage....but then because things are getting hard again i dotn know if i should carry on with the tablets ....but then i dont want to end up keeping taking them for years and never coming off them....and then i get myself all in a pickle!!!!

x

Citalopram withdrawal symptoms include dizziness, tingling sensations, tiredness, vivid dreams, and irritability or poor mood.

that explains so much!!!!

last couple of weeks ive been having horrible wierd dreams and this week ive not been able to keep my eyes open!

cheers joe

x

Years ago when I came off Prozac I had similar stuff for a week or two - I was only taking it for 3 months, and the dose was pretty low.

It's just a case of taking these things slowly and getting back to your quack if you start having major problems.

that explains so much!!!!

 

last couple of weeks ive been having horrible wierd dreams and this week ive not been able to keep my eyes open!

 

cheers joe

 

x

My dreams are crazy at the moment! But even if they are not the nicest of dreams, i find them quite entertaining.

Citalopram withdrawal symptoms include dizziness, tingling sensations, tiredness, vivid dreams, and irritability or poor mood. Others reported are occasional mania, and 'freeze-frames' where people report that they get a vivid sensation of awareness, like a flash-bulb going off in their heads, for a few seconds.

 

The general technique is to reduce the dosage gradually, then hold at the reduced dose until the side effects reduce.

 

Can you get your GP to prescribe you 10mg tablets? That way you'll have a little more control over reducing the effects. You could then do 20 / 10 / 20 / 10 for a few weeks, then 20 /10 /10 / 20 / 10 / 10 , etc.

 

Some side effects of withdrawal - especially mood swings - are more pronounced when you take the full dose one day and nothing the following day, so be prepared for that.

I have experienced slight mood swings especially as i am taking tablets on alternating days. I can really feel my mood lift when i take a tablet, and then deflate a little the day i don't have one. However, compared to how i felt previous to taking antidepressants, this is an absolute doddle. It would be nice to have some more guidance however but the doctor makes me feel that he/she doesn't have time for questions and that i should just get on with it grrrrrrr!

things at home have been particularly hard the last couple of weeks so i dont know if its taking its toll that way. i feel like i ought to keep trying to reduce the dosage....but then because things are getting hard again i dotn know if i should carry on with the tablets ....but then i dont want to end up keeping taking them for years and never coming off them....and then i get myself all in a pickle!!!!

 

 

x

SOPHIE - (can't figure out how to do this quote thing!)

Do you find it easier to cope with difficulties compared to previously?

I found that antidepressants combined with hypnotherapy has helped to put in place some coping mechanisms which allow me to handle difficult situations. Beforehand, these were none existance and therefore, a major trigger to my depression. Therefore, i wonder if you are ready to come off the tablets if you are finding things more difficult to handle than other 'normal' people would?

I've been on and off various antiDs over the last couple of decades... the main thing that i found for coming off them was to come off soooooo slowly, much slower than any doc has suggested (lower dose for a week at a time then lower again!) I tend to reduce the dose minimally for about a month, then reduce again after another month if i feel fine. If I don't feel fine i'll stay on the dose i'm on til I'm happy with going down again. It CAN take up to a year, but that way you have less side effects and feel less depressed as you are going