Citralopram withdrawal

[Hellocatshome]

I contacted my Doctor as I wanted to try to come off Citralopram she advised as I was on 10mh to just stop taking them as it was such a low dose. Ever since come the afternoon my head is full of cotton wool and I feel like my everything is on a 2 second delay. Is this normal? Anyone else had this when coming off Citralopram? I dont want to start taking them again if I just need to push through it.

Yes, I'm on them too (10mg). I do find if I forget to take them for a couple of days I get the exact same feeling. It's horrible. Really puts me off coming off them.

I've usually gone to 10mg every 2 days then couple of times a week (usually just forgetting) age then decide I may as well stop altogether since so infrequent. No problems at all. Why don't you do that?

I had similar: lightheadedness as well. I reduced much more slowly- every other day for a few weeks, then every third day. Even that slowly it took a good few weeks for the lightheadedness to settle when I stopped altogether.

For god's sake, this drives me mad. Why don't doctors ever get real info on withdrawal?!

Go back to taking the full dose. Keep telling for a few more days until you feel entirely back to normal.

Then start taking 3/4 of a tablet. For some people they can do that every day, for others it will need to be 1tab one day, 3/4 the next.

Keep doing that for 2 weeks, then try halves.

I say this, I had to end up using the liquid version at the end to take the tiniest incremental changes, but your Dr might think you're mad

Agh I actually don't have any left to try taking them every other day etc! Its been just over a week now.

I had to go cold turkey and it took 2 weeks to feel ok again

Honestly speak to your doctor to get another prescription if you have to get things done in the next few weeks! I went from 10mg to 7.5mg and felt super tired, until my period came then I felt reset again. I'm still a bit 'stare into spacey' but its ok. Waiting another month before I go down to 5mg as I can't manage it just yet. You will feel better in time if you do stick it out.

I'd get another script and then decide how you want to tackle it. Just having it in the cupboard might make you feel a bit more at ease.

Things to remember:

• you will get withdrawal of some sort. On that dose with that particular med it's vanishingly unlikely to be any worse than you've already experienced. If you can cope with that for a couple of weeks tops, you're grand and home and dry.
• you will also feel anxious which can exacerbate withdrawal. Again, it won't be worse than you've experienced so far. And it can be alleviated by just recognising it and naming it. Is it manageable or can you really not bear it?
• with your script, you can decide whether or not to take steps to help yourself through this time. You can cut tablets in half, take every other day etc. Bear in mind that 2.5mg or less is a sub therapeutic dose. If you get down to that, you're done.

All of this needs to involve a realistic assessment of how you're doing. If things become really unbearable you're less likely to come off it and that's what you want, so a slower slide towards your goal may be more beneficial in the long run.

It took me about 5 attempts to get off Citalopram, the withdrawal symptoms were so difficult. I finally managed it two weeks before the first lock down . I wish I hadn't come off them as I'm finding it hard to cope . Won't go back on them because of the fear of stopping them again

I came off them by taking them only when withdrawal symptoms started. Was every other day at first, then two days, then three. Eventually I didn't get dizzy/spaced out again.