Citalopram withdrawal or depressed again?

[Meloria]

I've been weaning myself off Citalopram for the last 18 months and finally finished last month after taking 10mg one day per week for four weeks. For the first two weeks off the tablets I felt absolutely fine but for the last two weeks I've been a complete mess: emotional, weepy, feeling worthless, angry.

Does anyone know if this is some kind of withdrawal or could I be slipping back into depression? Has anyone experienced anything similar?

Unable to help but bumping as I'm on 20mg a day (began on 40mg) and due to see doctor in a couple of week in the hope of slowly coming off them?

Hi

Who knows but if I was you I would look into maybe trying other solutions. Obviously you wanted to come off the meds so how about trying at johns wort or alternating your diet. Or just creating a post asking about alternative therapies that worked for others.

Good luck

Who knows? Thanks for that insight.

If I wanted someone to suggest alternative therapies I would have asked about it.

Hi Meloria. I have just come off 20mg about two months now since my last 10mg. About three weeks ago I really felt the same as you and it lasted for a weekend.

I am back to normal again now but I really had a wobble. I don't really want to go back on them and hope to lose some of the weight I blame them for.

I am exactly the same. So glad to hear it could just be a wobble and not a new episode of depression.

Thanks.

Will keep using all my CBT techniques to get through it.

I have been kept very busy. DS1 had a knee injury, and we were back and forth to hospitals, the easter Holidays have been very busy too. All good distractions.

I am trying to get some walking in each day too, I think it helps.

Having come off citalopram several times with the last one having been successful (have been off ADs for over 4 years now) I think you're probably having a wobble which is frustrating but hopefully short lived. I don't think its withdrawal symptoms as you have come off them in a very good slow way. Using CBT techniques is also a very good idea.

When I've felt this way I have given myself a time limit of say 2 weeks and said that if I don't feel better after that I will go to the doctor. So far this hasn't happened and I've decided it has been a brief wobble.

Do you think the brief wobble is more akin to 'feeling down' that anyone else would feel and therefore normal, but I am relating it to being off the Citalopram Miranda? IYKWIM.

I'm due to go back to Drs soon with a view to coming off it too. I had no idea it would be that gradual. Please let us know if you do pick up...I feel quite daunted by the prospect. I only on a v small dose but I really think its help me in the last 18 months.

It really is gradual 123. There is no rushing the withdrawal process. Your GP will advise but I found that different GPs have their own opinions of timescales....

I think you're right Sparklingbrook. When you've had long term depression you tend to symptom spot where someone who hasn't and would just think they're feeling a bit down. In my experience anyway :)

123rd I've come off ADs more quickly but it wasn't until I took much longer that it actually worked.

YY Miranda this was my 2nd attempt. last try was too quick.

Did you just stop after a week of 10mg or then start to slow down so miss every other day, then every two days?

IIRC I did a month of 20mg/10mg every other day to start with, then a couple of months at 10mg, then started 10mg every other day for a couple of months, then stopped.