Stopping citalopram

[Rupertpenrysmistress]

Hi just wanted to hear experience from anyone who has successfully stopped citalopram.

I have been taking it for around 3 years, attempted to stop last year but it was a disaster, I couldn't stop crying I had awful electric shock like feelings all over, I had to take the off work as well.

I am now feeling in a much better position mentally to stop so have a appointment on Friday to discuss it with my GP, she had already said that because I 'failed' once it would be a difficult process done very slowly.

I am really worried I can't really take time off of work, does anyone have any advice or stories they would share, any advice would be great.

You have to do it very very slowly. It changes your brain chemistry, all ADs do, by withdrawing it quickly you are essentially sending your brain into shock. It can be easy to come off it as long as you don't rush. 5mg at a time and leave at least 2 weeks between each drop or longer if you are having symptoms.

Agree with @thesnapandfartisinfallible - VERY slowly. I reduced my dose from 30 to 20 to 10 over months (previously had done it much more quickly and felt awful). If I remember rightly I reduced my weekly dose by 25% increments over 4-6 weeks - it was a very slow process. I worked it all out carefully and used a pill cutter when needed.

So say you're on 20mg, you want to reduce to 15mg gradually over a month or so, then down to 10mg and so on, following same regime. Most advice by GP or online was far too quick for me, but I did find a website that recommended doing it this way - sorry I can't recall what it was called!

I'm on 40mg citalopram and when I'm unwell I find it a challenge to go to gp for repeat prescriptions. This resulted in me missing 2 weeks once. My GP was seriously concerned that I'd done that and pleaded with me to never do it again. He said he's seen patients become zombie like after stopping citalopram abruptly. Slow and steady and follow gp's advice

I'm currently coming off. Have been on 20mg for about 5 years (can't remember exactly when I started). I took it more for anxiety than depression and found I felt much calmer very quickly so I think I must be reasonably sensitive to it. I've far fewer stressors now so I decided to come off. Over the past few weeks I've cut down 5mg every fortnight. Now taking 10mg and 5mg on alternate days. I've been ok on the whole. Some fatigue and headaches a bit of brain fog but those aren't rare for me anyway! I can't say if the reduction in citalopram was the cause. Likewise no obvious mood changes but I don't have anything like the overwhelming stress I had when I started. I experienced brain zaps when I missed a few consecutive doses in the past and thus went unintentionally cold turkey but I've not had any while tapering slowly.

If it’s keeping you well, why do you want to come off?

You wouldn’t want to come off insulin, would you?

I came off Citalopram successfully by reducing very very slowly, as pp have said. You also need to maintain self care while you reduce, and afterwards.

Bertrand, some people benefit from staying on antidepressants but for others it’s not necessary. I got to the stage where I had been stable for a good stretch of time, but the ADs were flattening my emotions. I wanted to be able to feel again. Other people’s mileage may vary.

The electric shock feeling is a well known withdrawal symptom. It's due to a lack of noradrenaline in your brain.

It's definitely not a symptom of depression, so don't feel like you've failed at anything.

But why? Cipralex gave me life. I will take it forever. I work offshore so have constant medicals. It's not an issue. Why stop?

I stopped cold turkey after a year of 40mg a day. I would not recommend that at all. It was very stupid of me, but I'd moved counties, and the thought of having to go through it all with another doctor to get my prescription was too much. Hindsight is 20/20 .

Take it very very very slowly. Good luck

Please don’t think of giving up as an aim or desirable unless your circumstances suggest that it is. As I said- you wouldn’t be aiming to give up insulin.....

I wish people wouldn't try to discourage others from coming off medications.
If you are happy to stay on meds forever, then that's fine for you. It's perfectly possible to become meds free, especially if you have made changes in your life and how you think.
Some people have recurring depression which requires constant medication but some of us have had a period of anxiety for which antidepressants are temporary while we resolve our issues.

I agree. It should be an individual decision.

“ It should be an individual decision.”

Of course it should.But I have come across so many people who think that coming off anti depressants is a goal that everybody should be aiming at, and it isn’t. All I am saying is that it’s absolutely fine not to. If it’s medication that makes you well, then that’s great. No need to come off it unless that is going to make you even better.

You wouldn’t want to come off insulin, would you?

If you are type 2 diabetic, then sometimes, yes.
People have been able to come off insulin because they have made lifestyle changes. Why should you just accept something if it's possible to change?
If you get depression or anxiety you can accept it as permanent or you can decide you can work towards changing it. Of course I'm not including those who have permanent depressive illnesses but I would argue they are the minority.
It would help if our health services focused more on recovery treatments rather than managing with medication.

I decided to come off because the things that were making me very anxious had gone and I'd rather not spend the money or have the faff of getting pills if I don't need them. It's not a good or bad thing to take medication. I'm be more than willing to take them and would encourage others to take them if needed. Citalopram worked wonders for me.

I came off citalopram VERY slowly. Reducing by the smallest amount possible and staying on that level for months.
I was fine for ages. Then I wasn’t. I’m now on Prozac and it’s been miraculous for me. I actually don’t want to come off it this time.
Good luck OP. Don’t rush it!

Thank you all for you advice, yes really slowly is what I am aiming for, my GP is very supportive.

I understand some people want to or need to stay on Anti depressants, I have to say I feel my emotions are flat and I want to see how I feel without them. I have altered alot in my life and am continuing to use the skills my counselor taught me if it is not successful I will go back onto them.

Citalopram made me really flat. I know what you meant. It helped me start to recover but I would hate to live my whole life like that.
Good luck.

I would agree with other posters here - take it slowly very slowly. Obviously working with GP in case you need to increase again. Just don’t rush it.

I was only on it for a short time it took near enough the same amount of time (if not a a little longer) to stop.

During the last very stressful life event I went through I wondered a lot about flattened feelings because someone I shared the experience with reacted in an extremely anxious, highly emotional, somewhat irrational in my view way - in contrast I was/ am like a robot in my apparent lack of emotion. I don't know if that's good or bad and who knows if the difference was drug or just different personalities but it gave me pause for thought. However when I started taking citalopram it was the flattening effect that I needed and was so relieved to experience.

I was on 40mg for over a year & then spent about a year coming off it - VERY slowly, ending up with 5mg every other day. It got me through a separation, getting a new job & two house moves so I functioned fine, but when I was coming off, I remember feeling as if a blanket was being unwrapped from around my brain.

I came off citalopram and propranolol but it was a very lengthy process - around six months. The side effects were much the same as those you probably experienced when first taking them, the headaches, palpitations, mood swings...

At the time I really couldn't see the positive effect of them and coming off them was part of some sort of post-separation epiphany in which I was trying to take back charge of my life and my body.

And last year I did feel better for it but this year is becoming more and more of a struggle, the depression is returning and has been compounded by two of my best friends dying in the last few weeks (one by suicide).

Although I'm proud that I had the will power to come off them I'm coming to the conclusion that I think I'm going to have to return to some sort of medication in the very near future.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. I have to say I am worried about stopping, I know people will say don't do it then but, it's not to prove anything it's just because mentally I feel really strong.

I have been tee total for 7 weeks as I was too reliant on wine. I need to see who I am without the drugs. I have alot of low level irritating symptoms I wonder are related to citalopram. I feel constantly tired and if not working often have a nap much to my family's amusement but, I am so overwhelmed with tiredness I have to sleep.

I do feel dull to experiences it's like something is missing emotionally, I don't really cry it's like I can't, don't know how to explain it I just feel flat.

I sleep well, diet ok apart from choc, don't drink, I exercise and work but feel exhausted. Appointment Friday so will see what GP says.

Can anyone share a bit more info about tapering, such as should I go 10mg/20mg alternate days or is that too much and how long before dropping again. I know people have written about it I just need to get my head around what might happen.

One thing I would advise is to be sure the teetotalism is well embedded before beginning your tapering. Staying off alcohol is one of the best things you can do for your mental health (speaking from substantial experience!).

And if you haven’t done so already, write your own care plan - your self-care actions, your signs of relapse and what you will do in that case. Then embed your self-care actions. You don’t want to be trying lots of new things at the same time, it’s too much pressure.

With the tapering, be aware of possible withdrawal symptoms and the difference between those and symptoms of relapse.

Try not to vary the dose too much as you taper off - no big tapers. There’s some useful advice here: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/medication-stopping-or-coming-off/planning-withdrawal/

Bear in mind that the advice in the medication leaflets and from GPs is to reduce much faster than the advice in this thread. It’s only recently that this has started to change. There was an article in the Guardian about it, I’ll see if I can find it.

One last thing, if in time you find you’re in need of medication again, don’t worry about and don’t feel it’s a failure. It just is what it is.

I've been taking Escitalopram for several years and it has changed my life - previously had terrible anxiety to the point where panic attacks were common. Following a panic attack which resulted in me fainting in public, I sought help. GP prescribed Citalopram but psychiatrist overrode GP and gave me Escitalopram as it worked well with amitryptaline and pregabalin which I take for nerve pain. GP has never disussed taking me off meds, although I do have regular check-ups. It worries me when I read about people coming off meds as I then wonder whether I am doing my body harm by continuing to take them.