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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To go back on Citalopram?

18 replies

tripletrouble · 15/09/2018 18:49

I am 54 years old ( so in the middle of menopause!)- I was on Citalopram for 4 years and it worked like a dream for me. My family life was better and so was my professional life.
Over the summer I warned myself off because I don’t want to be on medication long term- don’t really know what the long term side effects are, and don’t like the idea that it’s messing with my brain.BUT now I just cry all the time, can’t cope at work, and keep having arguments with my husband as I am super- sensitive. Would I be unreasonable to go back on it?

OP posts:

Freddiepurrcury · 15/09/2018 18:57

I think you should at least talk to your doctor about it. I’ve finally found the right combo of medication after fifteen years of depression, although side effects can be daunting there’s no way I could go back to what I was. My doctor is very reassuring and helpful when it comes to medicine side effects so it might be a good idea to go to your GP and explain everything, how awful you feel off The pills but how anxious you feel about side effects. I really hope you feel better soon

Jason118 · 15/09/2018 20:21

Go back on it - if it helps you then why wouldn't you?

Bracknellite · 15/09/2018 21:46

No yanbu.
You need it, you take it

When people say to me about ‘coming off’ my anti depressants because I’ve ‘been on them a long time’ I reply ‘Have you ever suggested a diabetic should come off their insulin?’

Darkstar4855 · 15/09/2018 22:04

YANBU. As a PP said, if you were on medication for a long term physical health condition such as diabetes, asthma, arthritis etc. would you think you should just stop it?

It’s hard adjusting to the idea of being on long term medication for mental health but there’s no shame in it. If you have a better quality of life and are happier on citalopram then I would keep taking it.

Glumglowworm · 15/09/2018 22:06

YANBU

If you were diabetic or asthmatic you wouldn’t feel you had to come off insulin or inhalers would you?

I’ve been on anti-depressants for over a decade. A couple of years ago I was very unwell, lots of time off work, CBT, four or five attempts to find the right drug to improve things. But honestly getting the right AD gave me back my life, it saved my life. I expect I’ll be taking meds for the rest of my life. But the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

Please speak to your GP about going back onto meds, it’s a chemical imbalance not a personal failing

Fireworks91 · 15/09/2018 22:09

Yanbu

I came off anti-ds and soon decided my life was better when I was on them. I will continue to take them for as long as I feel that way. I also take thyroxin, have b12 injections etc and feel no guilt about that and anti-ds are no different

Wauden · 15/09/2018 22:18

Definitely talk to your doctor about this. I think I might be on citalopram long term, as had a day this week when I forgot to take one, and didn't feel in control when someone said something thoughtless in the office.

Today I only took half of my 40mg tablet as an experiment as am not at work today...

bilbodog · 15/09/2018 22:52

Ive been on citalopram for years and decided to come off a few months ago - what a big mistake! It started off with extreme anger about everyday things, then i got weepy about everything, then i couldnt sleep but the worst part was really bad indigestion and reflux (which i do suffer from but it is normally under control). It was awful. I didnt even realise the tummy problems and sleep issues could be down to withdrawal but they were. As soon as i realised, spoke to dr, who agreed, i went back on. I am now well and back to myself. Im not coming off again.

agnurse · 15/09/2018 22:57

Talk to your provider about going back on it.

I like to think of mental illness as being really no different than physical illness. Your brain is sick. You need medication.

I'm a nurse and have generalized anxiety disorder. I take a similar medication (escitalopram) and it helps a lot. If I miss a dose I'm a mess. My brain is sick and this is the treatment. It's not being dependent. It's being functional.

sanssherif · 15/09/2018 22:59

Why would you NOT take them?
I'm on long term antipsychotics which have severe side effects, but I cannot maintain health without them.

Stompythedinosaur · 15/09/2018 23:40

You would be unreasonable NOT to take them.

It is fine to be on anti-depressants long-term, honestly.

If you had a physical health problem you wouldn't come off the meds that help, so don't come off mental health meds either.

butterflysugarbaby · 15/09/2018 23:44

Agree with the majority here. No-one thinks anything of people being on meds long-term for PHYSICAL ailments, but when it's a mental health condition, people get all weird about it. If you are OK on them, and feel better, then go back on them.

Good luck.

WhatIsThisTomfoolery · 15/09/2018 23:48

Were you prescribed them for the menopause op?

bridgetreilly · 15/09/2018 23:52

How slowly did you come off them? And how long have you given your body to adjust to not being on them?

It takes a LONG time for your body to adjust to coming off antidepressants. Like six months or so. So it's no surprise that if you came off them over a month or so, that a month or two later you're still having mood problems. This is why you should do it on the advice of a doctor, so you can monitor it properly and be prepared for the longer term issues.

You might be fine after a few months, but you might not. You need to see a doctor, explain the current situation, do regular mood testing and not try to make these kind of changes without medical support.

SignOnTheWindow · 16/09/2018 00:03

I came off ADs gradually on at least 2 occasions and have now accepted that I need to be on them long term - possibly for the rest of my life.

The difference they have made to my quality of life is profound (i.e. I actually have a life now)

LunaTheCat · 16/09/2018 00:11

Just gone back on citalopram and life is sweeter. The cloud has lifted. Colours are brighter. I am sleeping. I am laughing.
Thank god for medication for severe depression.
Take it. You are not a failure. Thank goodness we live in an age where it is available - I always think about how previous generations have suffered.
Depression is actually a physical illness
( from a GP)

Original poster

tripletrouble · 16/09/2018 02:10

Thanks for all the supportive comments, especially the person who pointed out that it’s not a personal failing, it’s a chemical imbalance; and it’s definitely getting worse as I got older. So it was prescribed towards the beginning of the menopause but not directly because of the onset. I will speak to the doctor about taking one pill every other day and see what he says. Thank you!!

OP posts:

AuburnHoover · 16/09/2018 02:46

Everybody is different and what’s right for one person is not right for another.
I was on citalopram for several years. I came off slowly over a period of 9 months. I had many many side affects of withdrawal including low mood, indigestion, insomnia, night sweats, brain zaps, headaches, nausea, anger, the list was endless. It wasn’t until I had been off it totally for 6 months that I felt clear of everything. I do feel much better physically. But I do have anxiety which I’m having to find other ways of dealing with it. I am not against anti-depressants at all. But I will never go on citalopram again because of the awful withdrawal effects for me. I know that not everyone gets these effects.

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