Coming of citalopram

[JumpingDizzy]

I've been on citalopram (again) since March this year but felt the need to try to come off it again. I've cut down from 20mg to 10mg per day and see ok up to now? It's only been a week though.
Anyone who's come off it can you advise please. I've read a lot about awful withdrawal symptoms and am a bit worried I may get some.
Do you think I would have by now? Or can some people come off it and not get the symptoms? Or, will they come when I stop the tablet completely?
I can't remember if I had withdrawal symptoms last time but I did do it very very slowly then. Think I went from 20 to 15 then 10?
I take it for panic disorder.

you must do this with your GP and come off it slowly. 20 to 10 is too big a step I think. I have only ever dealt with two clients coming off of citalopram and we worked with the GP's and came off at 5mg intervals over a period of several months and had weekly evaluations as to how they were progressing.

an old thread on MN; www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2100/462248

thank you misi, it's impossible to get an appointment with her but she'll do a phone consultation.

I've got a telephone appointment next Thursday with my dr so I'll see what she says. I am feeling pretty down right now.

its a daunting process jumpingdizzy and I don't envy you but as you are aware of this all, you are heading in the right direction. can you do some gentle exercises? its amazing how effective even a small amount of exercising can be in releasing endorphins. some people are helped as well by lightly tapping the carotid artery around 20 times as this can release endorphins too. if the sun is out tomorrow where you are, try wrapping up and sitting outside, don't look directly at the sun, but soak up as much light as possible if there is any or go do some gardening work out there.
if your doc is not much use, see if she will refer you to someone else.
what is the panic disorder you mention? do you know what causes it?
things will get better although I doubt you think so at the moment. have a read of these;
www.showcook.com/mood_food.htm
www.more2hug.com/moodfood.html
www.essortment.com/all/moodelevators_rhtq.htm

see if anything is of use as eating different foods can certainly help.

I'm about over the weekend so feel free to talk or CAT if you want some privacy

thank you misi you're very caring

I felt a lot better as the day went on and was out in the evening with a friend.

I've tried the tapping before as it can help panic disorder. PA is where you get different symptoms i.e. palpitations, tighness of the chest, dizziness etc... it's caused by hyperventilation.

thanks for the links I'll look at them.

my pleasure jumpingdizzy. a couple of questions if you are up to answering, do you ever get heart burn, your wee stings you or an itchy anus by any chance?

No to all. Are you wondering about candida? I eat healthily most of the time and don't have a sweet tooth.

im trying to come off mine , ive been on them for 10 years it not easy , i get palpatations i have halved them though xx

everyone reacts differently x

jumpingdizzy, no was thinking about hyperacididosis (or any other acid condition)although candida could have been a possibility!!

you can hyperventilate when your body senses a lowering of pH. this helps by getting rid of CO2 which quickly lowers acid levels. increasing acidity can lead to palpitations and dizziness as the pH balance is off and the way the cells react and function is altered and as the heart muscle is the strongest muscle, it is often affected first. acid conditions tent to increase 'contrations' which can lead to muscle cramps, tightness etc whereas an alkaline condition leads to relaxing of muscles etc.

a good indicator of a pH imbalance is chronic candida, itchy arse anus and a stinging wee. when you next get to see a doctor at some stage (!!) ask if you can have a blood, saliva or urine pH test just to be sure but there would be some obvious symptoms which on what you have said are not there.

that was my thoughts on the possible cause of the panic attacks (a friend from uni had panic attacks, couldn't go through supermarket checkouts for some reason, we got a home pH tester some years ago and found her pH was too low so we remedied that and her panic attacks reduced dramatically).

probably best now to see what doc says on the phone and take it from there, but always remember, if you are not happy or comfortable with what is said, ask for a referral or second opinion.
panic attacks usually have a root cause, obvious but not so the cause, many think it is only physiological but panic attacks are often rooted in a mix of physiological AND psychological roots and the catch 22 here is that the stress a panic attack causes can lead to you becoming acidic but the acidity can lead to panic attacks and so on. I referred my friend to a hypnotherapist as well, her panic attacks were rooted in the death of her father when she was young and where he died and the symbolism of it all. she can now go through checkouts without hysterically screaming or falling to the ground in a heap of jelly no worries

thanks misi that makes interesting reading and a lot of sense. I'll get tested if the doctor will go for it or if not might see how much privately?

Thank goodness your friend is ok now, that must've been awful for her

ktmoomoo, hope you're ok? 10 years is a long time. Are you being helped by your dr?

it was awful for us as we were the ones that ended up buying all the beer and food for our legendary BBQ's at uni while she by passed the tills and went to sit outside

you can buy urine pH testing strips from amazon (I think), but to be honest, I have s tore of litmus paper and if I suspect acid probs I get the client to pee on this, and then if it shows a possible problem, then get either the proper strips or send to the GP for blood tests. bllod tests are more accurate and they often test other things at the same time. one of my strong beliefs is that all pregnant women should be pH tested each time they have thier routine bloods done (for various reasons!!)

thanks I'll get some strips or litmus paper.

litmus strips came today, well done amazon!
my reading was normal but dp's was very acid so he's going to the well man clinic. Might have been a good thing you mentioned this misi?

I've been looking into the alkaline diet as it sounds healthy but I couldn't go for it totally as I like meat, dairy and eggs etc..
I'm munching on pumpkin and sunflower seeds right now though as they're alkaline and good for you anyway.

well, that is good news jumpingdizzy, for you I mean (and DP).
glad your DP is going to the well man clinic too, men far too often neglect or deny their health. your DP would be good on pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds too. pumpkin seeds are highly reccommended for men as they age, a good help for the old prostate galnd!!

although the cause of your panic disorder in unknown at least you can rule out this as a cause.
do you have a pattern of attack? is there rhyme or reason to them if you know what I mean?
have you ever kept a diary of events, emotions, feelings and food?
I have always found it very useful to do this sort of thing.
my friend I mentioned, I asked her to do this and for 4 weks she did so and it is how we narrowed down what we eventually looked at in counselling.
sometimes you can find a pattern in food intake, how you feel and the emotion you experience and the frequency of attack, or when the attqack occurs, what you feel, what emtions you have and what you turn to to eat. (it works either way and can indicate quite a bit). if you have not done this before, maybe having a go for a few weeks will be of use as it will give you some thought and some ammunition when asking for refferrals if you do so?

thanks again misi, I think i will keep a journal. I'm mostly getting bouts of mild depression at the moment that lift but this can happen when you come of the tablets apparently?
Dr is ringing Thursday morning so will see what she says.

yes, mild depression is common when weaning from various meds. its because the brain chemistry is altering and adapting and there is always a ''catch up'' phase where th transmitter chemicals and chemical receivers don't match up. its why you have to go slowly, as if you come off straightaway or too quickly, the chemicals (neuro transmitters) go completely haywire and can cause all sorts of other problems.

hope the call on thursday goes well. but do remember, it is your health and your decision, don't let anyone shit you do something you are not happy with

thanks misi, I'll make sure she listens to me. She is very good usually though, that's why she's so popular.

how did the phone call go?

hi misi, the phone call went well. She told me to take 20mg one day then 10 the next for a month and see how I am? She asked a few questions and seemed happy for me to come off them but like you say very slowly.

well, good luck with it JD. hope it works and you get whwere you want to go.

thanks again misi, you've been a great support
I'll keep you updated but feeling a lot better now.

good to hear jumpingdizzy and its my pleasure. I'm around if you want anything!