Low dose citalopram

[MmmMalbec]

So I’ve been on citalopram for nearly 2 years and I’ve recently managed to get down from 40mg to 2.5mg. It’s been a difficult process with physical side effects, but mentally I feel a million times better. Now I’m wondering whether the 2.5mg will actually be affecting me at all or whether I’ve actually managed to come off them and I could just stop totally now?

I am on 30mg but tapered down to 5mg last year and it was terrible for me. My GP said that 5mg is subclinical dose so I suspect 2.5 mg has no impact. However I'd see your GP and ask for advice re stopping.

Should say been on citalopram 6 years. The side effects I had when stopping were all mental. Shows we're all different!

My doctor is absolutely useless. Haven’t seen me once in 2 years about the tablets and told me over the phone to wean off in a bloody week!!

I’ve had awful physical side effects but the reason I came off quickly was because the tablets gave me horrific anxiety at such a high dose 🤦🏻‍♀️

Wow! That's terrible them telling yiu to wean off in a week! Could you try a different practice or doctor? I'm not medically trained but I'd was in your situation I'd consider going to every other day then every 3 or similar then stopping.

What’s the reason behind stopping, if it works for you?

I’ve taken 49mg for 18mnths, not feeling the best, couldn’t think about lowering right now

It’s unlikely you’d miss such a low dose to be honest. I’d try taking it every other day at that dose for a couple of weeks then stop. It is a tough one to come off so well done,

Yeah my doctors are shocking. They’re in the process of merging so I’m hoping they’ll get better. If not then I’ll move.

I didn’t realise that they were making me feel so unwell. I got to the stage where I could barely leave the house, had no energy, didn’t enjoy anything, had no desire to do anything etc etc. Doctor wanted me to swap to venlafaxine so advised I halved from 40 to 20 for a week to start weaning off and straight away the black cloud started to lift. Once the horrific physical side effects lifted, I felt mentally better with every reduction in dose!

I was planning to do every other day etc originally but didn’t know if that was right so thanks for that advice!

It has been a killer coming off them but they were actually ruining my life and I didn’t realise and my Dr didn’t seem to give a shit 😑

Hi I'm the opposite to you. I was on venlaflaxine and had to come off then due to feeling awful on them. When I first started taking them I was ill. After being on them for two years I weaned myself off them correctly but my god the withdrawals were horrendous. I had to take the week off work as I felt so bad. I'm now on citalipram

@MmmMalbec I stopped suddenly 20mg didn't wean off and I felt really woozy and spaced out of it for a good 10days, literally felt like a zombie lol kept dropping things. I'm going to have to go back on them tho as I clearly need them getting stressy and lacking patience with the kids! I'd say 2.5mg tho you won't even notice the impact!

I’m a SAHM so I had to survive with as much lying down games and Peppa Pig as possible. I definitely would have taken time off work if it was an option! Hope citalopram is working for you!

I’ve felt so spaced out too with the reductions. Nothing looks quite right or moves properly does it?! I tried to go from 10mg to nothing a while ago but I think it was too fast from being on 40mg and I felt like I was dying for a day. I caved and took a tablet in the middle of the night because I was about to rip my skin off 😫😫

How long have you been off for? I hope so thanks!

@MmmMalbec I think nearly 4 weeks so it's fully out of my system now but shouty mum is back so I'm going to have to take it again or try something else

@39icecreamsundae32
Couldn't you try other therapies rather than taking an antidepressant?
I didn't think people took them because they were impatient and shouty?
I've been weaning off escitalopram for over a month and down to 5mg now but am doing it slowly. I get some discontinuation symptoms but no way would I go back on them once they are out of my system unless I had a massive relapse. The meds have caused me more problems than they solved.

2.5 mg will be a very minimal amount but maybe don't just stop. I am ridiculous at remembering to take mine and I'm on 20mg. All I know is when I don't take them for about 4 days then I can feel the effects wearing off. Start by maybe taking one every other day if you're considering stopping?

Hope you feel better soon

@Limensoda that's not the only reason I take them but I can feel myself getting like it again and that's how it starts! I have made GP appointment for next week to try something else.