to go cold turkey from citalopram

[LEMmingaround]

Been on this for nearly two years now. 20mg for anxiety and depression.

It doesn't work.

When i forget to take it for a few days i feel better. More energy. More motivated.

Never gone more than 3 days. But now i really don't want to take it. Looked at them a few times but i don't want it. Im generally ticking along ok but am scared to go cold turkey - what side effects to expect?

Please don't go cold turkey, I did because I felt ok and ended up in some of my worst depressive states ever. Why put yourself through that if you don't need to? I was on them for four years, and weaned myself off them properly over a year ago. Good luck x

Please don't go cold turkey, I did because I felt ok and ended up in some of my worst depressive states ever. Why put yourself through that if you don't need to? I was on them for four years, and weaned myself off them properly over a year ago. Good luck x

The plasma half life is measured in hours, but the neurochemical effects take 10-14 days to have an effect. Firstly you should discuss with your GP before making any changes. Best way is 10 mg for 2 weeks then stop. Cold turkey can result in SSRI withdrawal syndrome.

I was on 40mg, and my GP didn't want me to stop or even cut down, even as a trial, even though I was feeling much better. I cut down myself in a similar way to CrabbyTheCrabster on page 1, cuttind down doses by cutting tablets in half and so on, though a bit quicker, as I gave myself to the end of the packet (starting with a full prescription.)

Haven't been back on it since - I've had some bad days, but they are days, not weeks and months. I also have a different GP now, as I've moved towns since then, and she says things like, "You don't need anti-depressants, you need a new job, or at least a new manager! We could save the NHS a fortune if we could sort out some of the managers people have to put up with!" (I am a bit in love with my current GP.)

I stopped taking it about 18 months ago.i just woke up one day and decided i wasn't going to carry on taking it (i was on 40mg) so i started taking just 20 mg then after two weeks took it every other day for another two weeks.then stopped completely.the only side effect i had was feeling dizzy but this soon passed.
Touch wood i have managed to stay off them although at times have felt myself slipping into a low mood (usually the same time of year each time) but i busy myself,go for a walk or go to the gym.i've also changed my eating habits and cut caffeine out completely which i feel has helped especially with feeling sluggish and having no motivation.
Good luck op

I was on 20, then dropped to 10 a day. I tried to slowly reduce by taking 10 every other day, but I began feeling depressed again.

I went from 10 to nothing in April, and it was better for me emotionally, the depression hasn't returned (not for longer than a day anyway) but I did feel physically quite ill for a while; I wasn't sure whether I had flu or not, but I ached all over, had headaches, and felt a bit nauseous.

I know it's not recommended, but it worked for me.

Slow reduction is recommended. I was advised 20 20 10 for 2 weeks, 20, 10, 10 for 2 weeks, etc.

Withdrawal can cause hideous anxiety...speak to your GP

I wouldn't advise this approach at all. On one or two occasions I have ran out if citalopram and not been able to get hold of any for a few days. After a day and a half I get suicidally depressed, tired, the shakes, severe nausea - it's horrendous.

Maybe it would be different or you, as you have been off it for 3 days without many I'll effects but depress ion can sneak up on you all of a sudden and send you crashing, can't it?

There isn't any rush to come off of it is there? So there isn't any harm in cutting down slowly. Much less risky. You really should talk to your gp about how you feel about taking it though or find a go who is supportive if your wishes.

YANBU, and it might be fine for you, but for me it was pretty awful. I went cold turkey and then felt really, really shite for a while. Physical side effects included insomnia, night sweats and nausea, and my anxiety went through the roof. I went back on them and weaned myself of very, very slowly. I hope you get on ok.

I went cold turkey a few years ago. I can't remember what dose I was on, but I had night sweats, headaches and dizziness for about a week.

I think in the same way that some drugs work for some people but not for others, going cold turkey will affect people differently and its probably better not to find out what your side effects would be and wean yourself gradually.

I also have a different GP now, as I've moved towns since then, and she says things like, "You don't need anti-depressants, you need a new job, or at least a new manager! We could save the NHS a fortune if we could sort out some of the managers people have to put up with!" (I am a bit in love with my current GP.)

My GP said something similar to me EBearhug! I was on 40mg in 2010 when I was first prescribed it for about a year/18 months, then on 30mg for a while, then 20mg and now on 10mg for over a year. He says I can come off it if I want to by doing the every other day, then every third day thing but I haven't made up my mind yet.

I was prescribed it because I had a miscarriage (which caused me to have a sort of breakdown), infertility caused by fibroids and finally problems at work with new managers which culminated in the loss of my job. I did appeal and take them to a tribunal and they offered a compromise agreement which I accepted. I don't think I could have coped with all this if it weren't for the drugs but my GP thinks that if I find a role I can do well and enjoy then I probably won't need to be on them anyway.

I was on Sertraline and came of them sort of without planning - over the summer holidays I kept forgetting to take them, then I'd take one, then forget again, and anyway my levels must have dropped and I sort of felt a little ray of sunshine coming through, which I suddenly realised might be due to me taking less of the drugs.

So I stopped, having taken them sporadically.

That was a good 2 and a half months ago and I am most definitely off them now.

Motivation is slowly returning, depression is gone, feel better off them.

I really did need them when I first went on them - I'd had pneumonia for 8 weeks and had a baby and a toddler and I really was not coping. But got "stuck" on them for a little while after and was putting off coming off them because I was thinking it would be worse than it would be.

So that worked for me, a not quite cold turkey but what was in effect a weaning off with my bad memory at taking them/running out and waiting for a prescription to be turned around etc.

What you do is between you and your GP but that is my story - I was quite worried about coming off but turned out much better than I thought.

I was on Citalopram for 3 years and I would seriously advise you NOT to go cold turkey. I got these horrible body shocks when I tried to just stop. I don't really know how to describe them but were like electric shocks through my body. It was awful. Slowly slowly is the way to go. Xx

Those were probably brain zaps. They aren't pleasant.

Do it slowly, last thing. You need is a relapse

Yes, I've heard that those are pretty common brokenbanana. I actually didn't get those, but I got pretty much everything else on the list. I felt dreadful, physically and mentally.

I'm sure it must vary between individuals. I think I'm pretty sensitive to chemicals in general- e.g. I get a hangover after only a very small amount of alcohol. When I started taking Citalopram, the side effects were awful, and then I felt awful again when I was coming off them.

I've done cold turkey and weaning at different times. I strongly advise against cold turkey and would opt for a drawn out weaning off. You can easily get into the trap of thinking these do nothing for me. You find out very very quickly what they do for you when you stop suddenly!

By all means come off the drug if you don't think it is working, and try an alternative. I would not go cold turkey as there really is no point, it increases the risk of anxiety and depression worsening even if not immediately, and it won't be long before you are off it if you reduce gradually. If you are going to transfer to something else, you may actually be able to a straight switch rather than taper off the citalopram - however you need to check with a doctor about that as some ADs require a gap between taking them and others don't.

I stopped slowly under Dr's instructions late 2012 when ttc, took a few weeks and felt fine, though was getting impatient by the end. Ended up back on the after MMC in March 2013 and was still taking 20mg daily when I became pregnant this time, due February 2015. Stopped them straight away without checking with Dr as not happy to come off slowly despite low risk to baby. No side effects I could pinpoint, although was feeling pretty rough (tired, headaches, nausea, dizzy) which I put down to pregnancy. No issues emotionally, suppose I was feeling very happy about baby although also anxious at times. Pleased to be off them though.

Something I forgot to mention in my last post... in the summer my anxiety levels were very high (still on 40mg of Citalopram then and it wasn't containing the anxiety) and the GP put me onto the beta blocker Propranolol. She told me to increase my dose of that whilst coming off the Citalopram, to combat the anxiety. My anxiety levels are absolutely through the roof at the moment.

Have been on Citalopram for 9 or 10 years, definitely less effective and harder to reduce/miss a dose in the last cople of years. I wonder whether our bodies habituate to these drugs over the long term?

Unless someone on here who has responded is a psychiatrist no one is an expert they have their own experience to tell

Please Go back to your gp there are reasons why it is never ever recommended to go cold turkey on anti depressants.

They can make you feel tired but after 3 days they are still in your system your GP will give you the correct advice on how you should reduce taking

I really wouldn't. Speak to gp about gradual weaning.

Unless someone on here who has responded is a psychiatrist no one is an expert they have their own experience to tell

Actually if a psychiatrist posted on here they would say exactly what I said, which is you need to discuss the issue with your GP and follow their advice. It would be highly unethical for a psychiatrist who is not the OPs treating doctor to get involved in medication decisions via an online forum.

SSRIs are there to correct the neurochemical changes that accompany depression. What they do not fix is the reason the depression occurred. This will be in part due to a genetic susceptibility, but there is also normally some life event (eg loss of job, bereavement) which has caused the episode. Counselling or psychotherapy can deal with this problem and help develop coping strategies to manage future life events. The waiting list for counselling tends to be quite long and psychotherapy is normally reserved for people with severe MH problems.

There are many other things people can do to alleviate depression, such as exercise, healthy eating, maintaining a good sleep/wake cycle and avoiding alcohol.

There is also medical evidence that SSRIs do not work more than placebo in the vast majority of cases and should only be prescribed for severe depression.

I had to come off them really slowly like crabby as I would get a kind of buzzing in my head if I didn't take them. It was awful. Think a pp described them as brain zaps.