My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Mental health

Coming off Citalopram, I`ve turned aggresive and snappy.

9 replies

thinker · 09/05/2010 21:52

Has anyone had to come off Citalopram? I take 30mgs for anxiety, I am 22 weeks pregnant and the psychiatrist has recommended that I come off it 10 mgs a week and then have a week off before commencing setraline 50mg. I have noticed that I am becoming really aggresive and over reacting to things with my husband. I just seem to loose my temper in a split second. I don`t like it. Anyone else experienced this?

OP posts:
Report
BelleDameSansMerci · 09/05/2010 21:56

I (stupidly) just stopped taking my dose of 20mg per day and experienced some very strange symptoms. The snapping and aggression was righg up there! I'm not normally very fierce but I was quite scary. It only last a couple of days though. I found I had dizzy spells and nausea too along with being a little overly emotional and dramatic. Hopefully your gradual reduction and change of medication will mitigate all that.

It took me about two weeks to get back to "normal".

Report
thinker · 09/05/2010 21:58

Thank god its not just me, thank you so much.
Dramatic describes it perfectly.

OP posts:
Report
willsurvivethis · 09/05/2010 22:05

That's a horrendously fast withdrawal - it may be for the best but you will need to be patient with yourself!

Report
thinker · 09/05/2010 22:44

I think so, the GP that told me to do this also told me to come off seroxat in two weeks and caused me to have severe anxiety in my last pregnancy. Have any of you crossed over, where you reduce one med and introduce another?

OP posts:
Report
kizzie · 10/05/2010 15:27

Its definately the withdrawal from the medication. Anger/tension is one of the most common effects.
Hope it calms down really soon x

Report
OneWaySystemBlues · 11/05/2010 00:40

I've not been on Citalopram but my husband has and had terrible problems coming off because the doctor told him to alternate the days - i.e. one day on, one day off. His original symptoms seemed to come back again. I found a website with information about how to come off different antidepressants and it said that you should very gradually reduce the dose, adjust to that, then reduce again, taking your time. My husband was on 20 mg, reduced to 15, then 10, then 5, then 2.5 then stopped. He got a pill cutter to cut the tablets up and it took a while to completely stop, but doing it this way he had no problems. Here's the link, hope it is useful: www.antidepressantsfacts.com/taper.htm

Report
mgzr11 · 01/04/2011 10:39

i have come off of citalopram 20mg a couple of months ago having been on them for 6 years,and now i have started to feel anger in me around my period,i had a panic attack last night ande feel really crappy,thinking i need to go back on them,anyone else had the same things...

Report
Gravey · 01/10/2012 15:39

Hi, I really hope someone replies to my post. I have taken Citlopram for 7 years and i was on 20MG then 10Mg then 5MG I stopped completely and they past few weeks have been like hell for me,im moody snappy irritable, and I cant stop eating. I honestly just want someone to tell me it will get better and I will get through this, we are trying for a baby and Im in the best aqnd happiest point in my life, and Im even more confused as I feel so down and I ahev no reason to do so, my poor husband, I feel like smashing things up in frustration. I hate myself for being like this for feeling so trapped by thises horrible side effects, I pray I get better.
Please I would be so grateful if someone could post some comments back to me to help me believe that I will be ME again!! soon.
love Grace XXX

Report
strawberry17 · 01/10/2012 19:25

I know a lot about this and have posted on many threads about tapering off antidepressants, it sounds to me like you have come off way too fast and are suffering withdrawals. You may need to consider reinstating Citalpram, maybe not the whole dose, try half and see if it aleviates the symptoms at all, you may have to give it time to see if you stabilize, and then if you can get liquid citalopram which I believe you can if you ask your doctor or a chemist, you can taper down using the 10% method:

beyondmeds.com/2012/02/13/taper10percent/

If you look in my profile I have a blog on this very subject and down the right side there are pages with lots of useful info about coming off. Also, if you search me under the mental health forum you'll see I've posted about this a lot for other people. Hope that helps!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.