Coming off anti-depressants.

[vickylou2004]

Hi.
I've been on anti-depressants for a long time now. I have just started to wean myself off very slowly, missing one a week for now.
I would like to hear peoples experiences with the same thing and get a little support on finding the best ways to come off them.
Also did anyone else have these side effects from Citalopram-memory loss, sweating and lack of sexual desire?
I'm fearfull that when I've eventually come off them that I will go back to old me-negative and low.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. xx

[pooter]

Cant post long now - dubious smell coming from baby - but i recently came off Citalopram and plunged back into depression. Am now back on them and on an even keel again, resigned to always being on them. I wanted to find out how the unmedicated me was, if you see what i mean! Turns out, not great!

RE the side effects, yes, no, yes, much to my husband's dismay. I also had dreadful 'brain zaps' when weaning off them, like every cell in my body being electrified for a second. Very odd.

I really hope you can successfully come off them if that is what you want, but make sure you have LOADS of support while you do it.

I'll drop in later when baby is clean!

[vickylou2004]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. xx
Pooter-how quickly did you come off them?
MadamDeathstare, that's really helpful, as it's given me confidence that if I do it REALLY slowly that I may be fine in the long run. I'm on 10mg so can't really reduce the dose much, so hopefully cutting out a day for some time will be ok??
Thank you so much.
Any more comments are welcomed.

[NanaNina]

Vickylou - I think you should be taking advice from your GP about reduction of medication, as they are all different and it can all go wrong if you are not careful. Incidentally why do you want to come off them.

I was on one of the old fashioned trycyclics for 14 years after a severe episode of depression and ws hospitalised for 3 months. I came off them very very gradually with the help of a psychologist and oversight by GP. Within 5 months of being off them, I had another severe episode of depression (hospitalised again for 3 months) and am still trying to recover, many fluctuations which are frustrating and exhausting. Needless to say I am back on the meds and will stay on them for life but I am 67.

I know each case is different but do take care.

[vickylou2004]

Hi NanaNina, thanks for the comment.

I get lots of side effects and I want to see how I am without them.

My GPs are rubbish. Very contradictory and would like to gets comments from people that have been through it.

Good luck to you. x

[vaginiasmonalogue]

i am on citalopram and have been for 4 years. I have tried to stop several times but get headaches, cunfusion, diziness which means I keep taking them. The doctors attitude it "but they're not addictive" which is crap. I was only on 10mg too. I also suffer from migraines and their response was to double my dose of citalopram so I think I'll be on it forever.

As for side effects - No sexual desire whatsoever, vagueness of memory, bad nightmares, as for anything else, I think I must just be so used to it I don't know if it's the meds or not!
Good luck coming off them x

[strawberry17]

I could write loads about this, I was on antidepressants for years after PND, and yes they do affect your libido big time and yes it does come back when you come off the meds.
If you are going to come off them you need to take it very slowly, and don't do it the way docs tell you which is maybe drop one tablet a week, then two, or the alternate day method. The best way to do it is to switch to a liquid version (I am withdrawing from liquid prozac) and use a syringe to reduce your dose incredibly slowly. It has actually taken me 4 years so far to do this properly but some people go faster. I really good book to read is "Withdrawing from Antidepressants" by Joseph Glenmullen. I have a blog of my progress with quite a bit of info on this subject prozacwithdrawal.blogspot.com/
The beauty of coming off excrutiatingly slowly is that you get to know the "real you" without the drug at your own pace and adjust to feelings and emotions. Incidentally my sex drive came back after only a small reduction so I was quite lucky there.
I am very cynical of doctors because I was told they were not addictive and easy to come off, it has taken me 10+ years to find the right way to do this without suffering debilating withdrawal symptoms. My doctor still doesn't get it.

[vickylou2004]

Thanks so much for these messages. No matter how long it takes I will do it, even if it takes a few years. I really want to get my sex life back on track, it's affecting my marriage.

Strawberry17-I will def read your blog and thank you so much for the book recommendation.

This thread has been really interesting and I'm enjoying getting an insight into how people have gone about things.

Thank you all. xxx

[strawberry17]

Have to say sex was the big issue for me, I just hated the effect prozac was having on me and I felt it affected my quality of life in a way I couldn't accept, luckily my husband is brilliant and very understanding. I don't write about the sex issue specifically in my blog as some of my family read it

[notpodd]

Nice to hear everyone else has not lidibo either! I've been on them since dd2 was a few months old, and any attempts to stop using them has resulted in the monster returning, no matter how I stop taking them. I'm back on 20mg citalopram daily at the moment, and will remain so until dd3 is 18 months, and will then start to reduce my dose. My doctor has also suggested missing 1 day a week in order to do this, but I think strawberry's experience and sage advice sounds much better!

[pooter]

ooh Strawberry - i will go and read your blog - it looks as if my own ideas of coming off them slowly (ie over three weeks) was woefully misguided.

I found the brain zaps of withdrawal really hard to live with, and they didnt go until i caved in and went back on citalopram.

Does anyone know if there is any danger in staying on anti-Ds for a long period of time? Apart from the husband-frustrating lack of libido and resultant marriage stress of course... I have been on some form of ADs for most of the last twenty years and I just wonder if it is worth coming off them if i am doomed to depression without them.

This depression business is a bugger isnt it.

[notpodd]

Pooter - I can only speak for myself here - but my depression is PND, so once my baby is a wee bit bigger I would like to get off the ADs as it should be gone. That said when my last daughter was 2 and I came off them, the depression did come back... If yours is long term depression I would seek medical advice before considering coming off them as unmedicated depression is far more debilitating than a lack of libido, and dangerous too. My friendly psychiatrist says there are no long term problems with AD use, and if mine comes back again I'm okay with taking them forever if thats what it takes to keep me sane (literally in this case )

[notpodd]

Incidently - The reason you cannot come off ADs cold turkey is not because they are addictive and you get withdrawl. Depression that is treated with citalopram or prozac is caused by a lack of production of serotonin uptake inhibitor (SUI) by the body. The short fall is provided by the drug. This SUI stores up in the neurones, resulting in normal levels and functioning. After you stop taking the AD, the SUI will slowly run out. As a result you will seem normal, then all of a sudden it runs out, and your body is not making enough, so you begin to experience side effects in terms of mood swings, and depression. So if you slowly reduce the medication, hopefully allowing your body to pick up the slack, by the time you stop taking them all together your body should be working correctly on its own (if it can).

[vickylou2004]

Pootle that's what I was wondering?

I'm gonna come off them really really slowly and if it comes back will see if there's another type which will not effect my libido. xx

[strawberry17]

I tried many different antidepressants over the years to see if there were any that DIDN'T affect my libido, and sadly they all had the same affect. Doesn't mean that's the same for everyone though.
You can ask your doctor about liquid of whatever medication you are own, but personally I found pharmacists are sometimes more knowledgable about this than doctors, I ended up switching from Sertraline to Prozac, then from prozac tablets to the equivalent dose in liquid form to withdraw.
There is a web site www.paxilprogress.org/forums/index.php which has lots of useful information, it is American based but lots of Brits on there as well, also www.seroxatmad.co.uk/ which is British but not so many people on there.

[kizzie]

Im another one who went on ads for supposedly one off treatment and years later still taking them.

Despite v v v slow attempts to withdraw I have never managed it without crashing. (Have also tried switching to other ads and then withdrawing)

Part of the difficulty is the lack of support from GP's - so although madamdeathstare managed to stop from a 10mg dose - i havent been able to manage it from 1 or 2mg (this is despite being very well for a long time on lower than 10mg doses). I also know RL friends who have managed to stop from full doses with no real problems. But as far as I can see there is a significant minority of people who need help and support to withdraw - but very few drs acknowledge this.

I have had a number of 'relapses' and now have no idea whether these are really relapses or just withdrawal. But it does makes me wonder. I was 29 when I had my twins (and then PND). No previous history of any mental health issues. Then 11 years later im still on ad's.

I would never want to put anyone off using ad's if they are needed - but just think there should be more help to withdraw.

Anyway - theres me on my soap box again !

[NanaNina]

Vickyloo - nananina again. Hi Kizzie!

I suggested coming off ADs with GP supervision because I thought it was just mine that were useless about MH in general and especially about coming off them. So I will tell you how i came off ADs (trycylic) not an SSRI liek you are on, so I don't know if it would work the same.

I saw a psychologist who was an expert in helping people come off the major tranquillisers (Valium) etc., she wrote a book and included ADs - she got her doctorate through writing this book.

She told me that the problem with GPs were that they always wanted you to keep to some sort of schedule (I had done this twice under the supervision of 2 different GPs and suffered withdrawal symptons both times) although thre drs told me it was a return of the depression. The psychologist said that trying to keep to a schedule was not the right way to come off meds.

At the time I was on 100 mg imipramine and had been on them for 14 years since my first severe episode of depression following the death of my closest and dearest friend - I was an inpatient on a psych ward for 3 month and had so trusted the drugs I was afraid to come off them. However I agreed to try. She said I needed to be in control of the decrease and asked me what I would feel safe reducing - she said I could safely start with 25 mg but I was too scared and said I would only try 10mg and she said that was fine. So I reduced 10 mg per day - she said to stay on that level of reduction until I felt safe enough to try another 10mg - she said some people did it in 2 weeks, others 4 weeks but I should take as long as I wanted. In the end I was happy to reduce 10 mg per month and came off in 10 months.

That's the good bit. BUT 5 months after stopping altogether I had a further severe episode of depression (again 3 months on psych ward) and allthe medics were convinced it was because I had come off the meds. This episode was last Easter and I still haven't fully recovered (many blips along the way, or setbacks or whatever) and it is exhausting and frustrating. The cons psych says I must now stay on them for life (now on 200mg) libido is NOT a problem for me as I am 67 and left all that behind a long time ago!

I am however convinced that the psychologist was right about reducing whereas with the medics it seemed like think of a number, and one told me to take one every other day and she was horrified, saying this was the worst way to do it.

Had I not had another episode I would be shouting her name from the rooftops. Mind I will never know if it was coming off the ADs that caused the last episode because I had been physically very ill for 3 months beore the episode emerged. Trouble is there is so many unknowns with mental illness and yes yes yes.....depression is a bugger - a big bugger!!

[vickylou2004]

It's really interesting reading all these comments. I feel determined to give withdrawal a go, so far I've not seen too many nasty withdrawal effects and will definately not drop another tablet until I feel the levels of ads have stabilised again.

Any more comments are appreciated. Would also love to hear more with positive outcomes if any?!

[strawberry17]

I think it just goes to show we're all different and one persons experience with depression and antidepressants may not be another persons.
Though I still think Vicky the dropping one tablet is not the best way to go if you are feeling nervous about this, seriously see if you can get a liquid version of your medication and taper slowly that way and read that book by Joseph Glenmullen.

[vickylou2004]

Hi strawberry17!

Why do you think dropping one tablet is not the best way? I'm only on 10mg per day. What are the doses for liquid? I suppose it varies?

Thank you for the comment. xx

[EveryonesJealousOfGingers]

Watching with interest, am on 20mg of Citalopram, only since Oct when I was diagnosed with PND but am interested in the process of coming off. My fantastic GP is keen for me to stay on them a bit longer before I think about withdrawing - i will follow her advice but it is quite gratifying to realise that my lack of libido, nightmares, sweats, lack of self motivation and rubbish memory might actually stop along with the meds at some point.

[EveryonesJealousOfGingers]

Am I right in thinking strawberry17 that dropping 1ml at a time keeps you on a more even keel than dropping one tablet a week? Ie you are taking a consistent dose every day?

[vickylou2004]

Hi EveryonesJealousOfGingers!

We will have to help eachother lol! Yep all very familiar. My memory is terrible and sexual desire, well what can I say..my poor (but very understanding) hubby! xx

[strawberry17]

Hi
Yes everyonesjealousofgingers is more or less right, the book I keep recommending explains why the dropping tablets on alternate days/once a week thing doesn't work, it's to do with how long the drug takes to metabolise or wash out of your body and some wash out really fast and it confuses the brain. I don't really have time to look it up now I would have to refer to the book to give the proper explanation and I have to get ready for work LOL
I tried and failed at the alternate day thing for years, until through lots of investigation and reading this book I found there was no way this was going to work for me and started on my long slow taper.
I ended up on 20mg prozac tablets which equates to 5ml liquid prozac. You would have to talk to a doctor/pharmacist to get the correct liquid dose. My reductions were to start with from 5ml to 4.90ml then to 4.80ml and so on, occaisionally I would do a double drop so from 4.80ml to 4.60ml. The trick is not to reduce again until you feel absolutely well and confident to do so, forget timetables and calendars. I am now down to 1.80ml and it's taken me 3 years to get that far, I had so many bad experiences over the 10 years with withdrawing that I felt I had to take it that slow, but we're all different.