To stay on 20mg of citalopram for the rest of my life?

[TheCommunalRibena]

Started taking it because of a bereavement. At one point was on 30mg and been on 20mg for about a year.

I want to get down to 10mg and stay there because it helps my severe PMT (PMDD).

I'm currently down to 10mg and feel awful. No withdrawal symptoms, just miserable, snappy, shouty and hateful.

I came down from 10 to 20 very slowly, over the course of a month maybe even longer and I've been on 10mg alone for 2 weeks and I feel fucking awful.

Should I just stop trying to cut down and stay on 20mg forever? I'm sick of feeling like this.

[honeyloops]

I've been on 20mg for about 7 years now, and no plans to come off. The couple of times I've stopped taking it (through laziness or complacence) the difference was dramatic, even accounting for withdrawal.

[Sarah510]

Don't beat yourself up. I don't know if there are any bad side-effects for taking it 'for life'. I've been on 60mg for about 10 years. I recently had to change GP - moved house- and I contacted the new GP to get my prescription renewed. After a 3-4 min conversation he said I needed to come off it asap, and he would only give me a script for 20mg per day. I got so anxious and fell into an awful bout of depression. After I thought about it I was so angry. I got another appointment - I had to go through a 'nurse practitioner' and she agreed it was way too sudden. Saw another GP and he gave me the script for 60mg. Coming off it is really hard. You have to do it very very very very gradually. That's what my old GP told me. And she said if it was working for me, then just keep on it - which is how I ended up on it for more than 10 years... I'd really question why you want to come off it if it's keeping you stable, and letting you enjoy life then... I don't see it as an admission of weakness any more. Some GP's just don't seem to be very clued in IMO. The one I spoke to on the phone looked up the drug in a book and said there would be no side effects except some "tummy trouble". Load of bull. It really messes with you brain if you come off it suddenly. I think there have been cases of someone committing a murder as he came off it very quick. So be careful, X

[mumofamenagerie]

I was on citalopram for about 8 years and only came off it to switch to another AD (sertraline) because I had an ECG which showed prolongued QT interval. I’d have happily stayed on citalopram forever as it worked a treat for me, and was better than sertraline. I’ve been on various ADs for about 18 years now and while I’ve tried reducing/coming off, it’s been clear to everyone around me that it wasn’t the best decision. I tried coming off citalopram three years in, and spent 2-3 months having panic attacks and crying at my desk in work for no reason. As soon as I started again, the symptoms went. Depression has run in my family for 4 generations (severely, including sectioning and suicides) so I’m certain I inherited wonky brain chemistry. If 20mg keeps you on an even keel and you don’t have side effects, there’s no reason to come off it.

[katkit]

Why not stay on them for now, with a view to reassessing in the distant future? Things will be different in five years' time, and maybe even better. No rush though, or need to decide.

[agais]

SoMuchRoomForActivities - wait and see when something bad will happen in your life.... because that´s when it comes back

[SocksRock]

There are several GP's at the practice I might see if I can see one of the other ones. I could possibly change practices, but the two nearest us are not taking new patients at the moment as they are full. It's on automatic repeat at the moment so I have 3 months before they insist on seeing me again (every 6 months)

[DMCWelshCakes]

Someone made a good point to me the other day. People who don't need these meds don't need them because their brains make the chemicals naturally. So this is what they feel like all the time.

I don't know if I'll be on it for life. It's too soon to make that decision.

[Wolpertinger]

I'm on 20mg and will almost certainly be on it for life, or at least til retirement. Have been on and off most of my adult life and the on periods have been much much better than the off - eventually I got the message

And I've managed to loss a stone since going on it (Blood Sugar Diet) so don't let that put you off either - much easier to lose weight for me when I am happy and stable so can address my secret eating/comfort eating/carb addictions than when I'm miserable.

[Lilaclily]

Socks rocks I second changing gp
Slightly different situation but a good friend of mine was on ads , had been for 5 years, she was starting a new job and moving house when she went to her gp for a renewal they told her she shouldn't be on them for the rest of her life 'you don't want to be do you' type thing

A few weeks later she went off them , crashed massively with all the stress going on in her life and ended up in hospital for 3 months with her dcs and dh visiting every week
It was awful

[Boomerwang]

socksrocks when I was 16 I approached my doctor about contraception. It took a lot of courage. He asked if I smoked, which I did. He then said I can't take contraception and wouldn't prescribe the pill. He didn't even bother to mention alternatives. I went down the FPC and was treated much better.

Do you think the doctor gave me good advice? Maybe your doctor is doing the same. I've been on AD's for about 8 years and switched doctors several times due to moving abroad and not one of them has batted an eyelid about my continued use of AD's. There must be a reason for that.

I second what a PP said. Get a second opinion. It sounds to me like your doctor is standing on a soapbox rather than putting your needs first.

[NothingIsOK]

Socks rocks, can you get an appt with a different GP within the practice? That would be my first step.

And when you see the alt GP go armed with some reasons why you feel staying on I say good and coming off is bad for you personally. Write them down as lists so you don't get flustered, and can just hand over the list if you want to.

[stealtheatingtunnocks]

It makes it harder to lose weight? Really?

Bugger. It's really helping my mood. But, I am way too fat...

[SocksRock]

So what do I do about my GP wanting me to come off them? She says it's not right to stay on them and she wants me off them soon. I don't want to but she isn't listening

[limon]

Yanbu. I take 10 and 20 alternate days. I tried to get down to 10n0ernday but felt low, snappy and irritable.

[laurzj82]

Another lifer here I think!

[TheCommunalRibena]

Thank you so much, I've already taken the other 10 and you're right. I shouldn't think about it as 'forever' rather that it's just not for now.

Thanks again.

[thewavesofthesea]

I've been on 40mg of Citalopram for years now. I tried to wean down and it was disastrous. I'm on this and lamotrigine and they keep me just about sane. I know I'll be on something for most of my life, and I'm okay with that now.

[user1472419718]

You could continue to take the antidepressants for the rest of your life, but I wouldn't think that far ahead. If you need 20mg now, stick with that dosage for now. It doesn't commit you to making any decisions later. You may find later on that you need a lower dose, a higher dose, a different drug, or you may be able to come off it altogether.

One thing to bear in mind is that there are some health risks with citalopram, specifically cardiac rhythm disorders. After I had been on SSRIs (including citalopram) for about 8 years, my GP advised me to have an ECG, to rule out any heart problems. Fortunately, it was negative, but it is something to be aware of. Your GP should know the risks and take adequate precautions (such as ECG monitoring).

www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/SSRI-antidepressants-associated-with-potential-heart-risk.aspx

www.mhra.gov.uk/ssri-learning-module/con146583?usesecondary=&showpage=20

[Blobby10]

Like PP I have been on 20mg Citalopram for several years and have no plans to reduce it! It keeps me in check, doesnt make me a zombie ie I still have up days and down days but the difference between the two are less extreme. I still cry but I also laugh! I can also skip a day without having any bad effects so I'm sticking with it

[Mishaps]

Lots of people are well maintained on 20mg - my DD and another friend to name but two. I have been on 75 mg of Dosulepin for the last 2 years and my GP's view is that I should take "whatever gets me through."

[39up]

YANBU.

If that's the dose you need to stay stable, then stick with it.

I'm on 200 mg of Lamotrigine, 20 mg aripiprazole and will be indefinitely. And that's OK. It keeps me pretty solid and stable. You'd not even think twice if we were talking about insulin injections or something like that.

[NothingIsOK]

FeelingSmurfy that's just not true. Not all meds have reduced effectiveness in long term use.

OP. My GP and I decided to make my 20mg antid prescription a permanent thing after 20 years of stop start. The stop start bits were causing increasingly big problems, whereas continuous use was very stable and effective. What's not to like?

As a poster above said, there would be no hesitation in taking long term meds for all sorts of other conditions, and it's OK to treat long term mental health conditions with the same respect.

[CremeEggThief]

YANBU. I was on 20 mg for a year, but felt it was much better for my anxiety than depression, so the GP put me on 10 mg. I think I had a werk on 15, but I had no effects going from 20 to 10 quickly. I've been on this dose for over 2 years now and have no intention of coming off.

[Foxysoxy01]

I was on citalopram but had the most horrible side effects and slowest came off them.

I am coping ok at the moment on nothing but always wondered if things would be easier if I had tried another type.

I wouldn't of had any problem being on them indefinitely if they made me feel better! Anything that makes life a little easier is a bonus

If I can sidetrack just a little how do you find they help? As in, with anxiety how do they actually help? I'm just wondering if it would actually be worth me trying to find one suited to me more.

[ElaineVintage]

I've been on regular anti d's for 12 years now. I used to be on 40mg of Citalopram plus 10 mg of anti anxiety. Went off them during both pregnancies, and after trying 20mg with occasional dips, I'm now back to 30 mg. The current dose is keeping my head above the water. I don't think I'll ever be off them.