Switching Antid's

[Noomininoo]

I've suffered from anxiety for almost as long as I can remember but was officially diagnosed and put on Antid's about 16yrs ago. Most of this time (can't remember how long exactly but it's been more than 10yrs) I've been on citalopram which had largely controlled my anxiety. Over the last few years, however my anxiety (mostly health anxiety) has been getting worse. I've gradually increased my dose so that I'm now on the maximum dose but, even at the maximum dose, my anxiety is still quite bad.

My Dr has suggested that we try a different antid but in order to do this I need to wean myself off citalopram before starting the new antid. Naturally, having been on citalopram for so long I'm pretty anxious about doing this because

a) during my better times I've tried coming off & have never managed to do it due to the return of the anxiety & withdrawal effects
b) if the highest dose is not controlling my anxiety in worried about how I'll cope on the lower doses during the weaning off period
c) any new antid's will take up to 3-4 weeks to take full effect & then I'll have to go through the adjusting the dosage period to get up to full effectiveness
d) I'm worried about any possible side effects of any new antid's

Has anyone been through this process & how did it go for you? I'm just really concerned that I'll go through several months of hell during the weaning & adjustment stage only to find myself in a worse position than I am now

I think you should quit citalopram very gradually.
If I were you I would give another ad a go.
there will be side effects but you can overcome by gradually starting it.
I think citalopram has lost its effect on you after such a long time.
Sertraline seems to be a good option.

You can cross-titrate from one AD to another. Your GP should know how to do this but if he/she doesn't feel confident then you should be referred to a psychiatrist who can supervise. There is absolutely no reason why you should endure the possibility/probability of your anxiety returning at full throttle, just because your GP isn't prepared to manage the transition properly. Hugs to you, it's horrible when a trusted med stops working properly, but the cross-titration can be done and will made the switch much easier.

Hi not sure it will help but just wanted to tell you about when I came off citalopram. I tried to come off it several times after taking it for about 8 years but always thought I was getting depressed again. What I did was to reduce my dose really slowly - every month I would drop the dose by 2.5mg. I think it took about 8 months to come off it but I didn't have side effects or withdrawal symptoms. Hope your GP can help with transitioning to new medication for you and that you feel better soon