Coming off citalopram..what's it like?

[futurity]

Been on citalopram for exactly a year and feel more than ready to come off and have booked appointment with doctor on Friday to discuss it. Just wondered what it was like coming off and how long it took (currently on 20mg)

I found it fine. I gradually cut down by taking one every other day for a couple of weeks. Can't remember the exact details but I know I had no problems.

I've been on Citalopram 20mg daily for about a year too, and I'm just on that alternate days phase now, and I still feel fine. Have been for about 2 weeks, so I guess it would have started to have any negative impact by now.

Good to hear from someone that has done it that there were no problems.

were you taking it for depression or anxiety? I've been on it for around 6 / 7 weeks now mostly for panic and anxiety with a little depression. I've felt a bit low over the last few days and had a bit of a wobble yesterday. Do these incidences come and go or is it an indicator for higher dosage etc?

I found that some days are better than others - just like they are when you're not on ADs. I would mention it to your GP though and see what they say.

yes, i guess i am more prone to thinking about it all at the moment.

I have came off them without too much trouble. I took it very, very slowly. First of all I cut down to half the dose every day for a month, then I cut down to the half dose every second day for a month & then I took one every third day until I couldn't remember which was the 3rd day anymore & so I stopped altogether. I did feel a bit irritable after I stopped but didn't sink back into depression.
Quite alot of GPs advise waiting until the Spring as Christmas & January tend to be depression blackspots.

I withdrew from 40mg Citalopram over a couple of weeks. I dropped to 20mg for a week, then 10mg for another five days. The GP advised that I then drop down to 10mg every other day for a few days if I felt I needed to, but I didn't.

When I dropped to the 20mg I felt a bit sick and shaky for a day or two, but nowhere near as bad as I felt when I first started taking them. I had no problems at all when I dropped to 10mg, so didn't feel the need to reduce them any further before stopping.

The only problem I had was that I became a bit snappy and easy to wind up, from memory it was about three weeks before that stopped, but otherwise it was very easy.

Thanks for your replies. A few people have said "aren't you going to wait until after xmas?" but to be honest I don't want to wait..Xmas isn't really a problem for me and my sons birthdays are in Jan and Feb so got them to look forward to. I'd like to start the new year positively by at least being on half dose and am re-assured by the posts that it isn't that bad!

Update: saw the doctor and coming down to 10mg for a few weeks and then doing the missing a day thing for a few weeks and then stopping