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Original poster

Cipralex...please help.

17 replies

glitterpuss · 12/07/2004 10:50

Hello,

I really hope there is someone out there who can offer some advice/support. I have been on Cipralex for approximately 16 months since the birth of my first baby. I might have done something very sill and have not taken them since Saturday (now Wednesday) and feel absolutely ghastly!! Its not that I'm feeling depressed but have really strong flu like symptoms - I feel dizzy (no way I can drive) achy and shivvery and generally terrible...I can't even sleep to try and sleep it off.

I am making an appoointment hopefully with my doc today to discuss it but I don't want to take them again - I think the main reason being we had partly condomless sex on Saturday (if you know what I mean) and I a terrified that if I fall pregnant then taking the drug will affect the baby.

Has anyone else experienced this and how long does it last??

S

OP posts:
gothicmama · 12/07/2004 10:55

it is just the shock of stopping the drug suddenly on your body- are you trying for another baby. I think you are doing the best thing in seeing the GP . Hope the withdrawal pains stop soon I don't how long they lost but would expect things to start getting better soon

mummytosteven · 12/07/2004 12:50

Hi Glitterpuss. I agree with gothicmama that it sounds like the withdrawal symptoms from stopping cold turkey. Don't know how long you are likely to have problems for - how high a dose were you on? I suspect could be as long as a week or two TBH but I may be being too pessimistic.

I took Celexa for one week before finding out I was pg, stopped it, then ended up on Prozac at 30 weeks pg (and ds seems fine, touch wood - I put it down to all the chocolate I ate whilst pg!)At the maternity hospital I was told that loads of girls take ADs when PG.

With ADs the state of knowledge is such that Docs won't say its 100% dangerous for everyone to take during PG, nor that its 100% safe for everyone to take during PG - therefore whether or not your GP would recommend you continued taking them during PG is very much down to your individual circs and whether you feel ready to stop them. You could always come off them for the rest of the first trimester and start again if you needed to in 2nd trimester.

Regarding ADs and PG - Prozac is the most studied one of the SSRIs as it has been around longest - they have studied kids 18 months to 7 years whose mums took Prozac whilst PG and found no problems. Most studies found no problem with ADs whilst PG. A few have suggested more likelihood of lower birthweight,earlier birth, temporary jitteriness/bad temper in newborns - if you don't bf they go through withdrawal when they are born! I never had any probs like this with DS, and some docs have suggested that the low birthweight/early birth is due to the mums being quite badly depressed anyway.

Re:PG. If you wanted any emergency contraception, you would be just in time to get a coil fitted, but that may not be what you want. A friend had this done last week and was pleasantly surprised how pain free this was.

Take care, and take things easy whilst you are going through all of this
Best of luck
Laura

Original poster
glitterpuss · 12/07/2004 14:54

Hi Mummytosteven and gothicmama,

thanks for repling. I saw the doc earlier and I don't think she really went with the withdrawal symtom thing, she seemed to think I have a kidney infection!! Yet all the web sites suggest these are withdrawal symptoms. Ah well one urine sample and some anti-biotics later I'm off to bed as feel so lousy!

We are not really planning another baby yet so I suppose I should be more careful.

S

OP posts:
mummytosteven · 12/07/2004 15:06

glitterpuss - best to be safe than sorry - better for your doc to screen you for physical probs than just assume it is withdrawal related. hope you feel better soon. we've all been a bit careless at one point or another, but it's all a balance between acceptable risk v acceptable side effects - at least you are v unlikely to get any side effects from condoms, where as something like Depo is dead reliable but can have bad side efects.

gothicmama · 12/07/2004 15:28

glitterpuss glad you went and your gp is testing for all possible reasons hope you are soon feeling better

Bugsy2 · 12/07/2004 18:17

Glitterpuss, I take Cipralex and my own GP, my sister (who is a GP) and my mate (who is a GP) all say that you shouldn't cold turkey with these babies. You are supposed to cut down very gradually over a considerable period of time to minimise the withdrawal symptoms. I can't believe that your GP didn't acknowledge this!!!!!

Chinchilla · 12/07/2004 23:23

Hear Hear. I tried to get from 20mg a day to 10mg a day over a period of a month, and I felt bl**dy AWFUL! Have gone back up to 20mg a day, but the depression has kicked back in and I can't get happy again Glitterpuss, sorry you feel so bad. Hope you feel better soon.

Original poster
glitterpuss · 13/07/2004 17:17

Hi Bugsy2 and chinchilla,

I still feel pretty crap today - in fact hey refused to let me stay at work and so I came home at 10am today...I feel like my heads going to explode!!
My GP did say that I shouldn't have stopped them dead but didn't seem to appreciate that I may feel like this due to withdrawal...and not just her suspected kidney infection. I daren't tell her I'd done a bit of research on the web - thought she may think I'm neurotic!! However I think I will take the web addresses to her on Tuesday if I still feel as bad.

I was on 10mg of Cipralex and although I no longer feel the depression and anxiety I didn't really think it could make me feel this terrible coming off them. I wish I knew just how long I have to ride this out.

Thanks for your replies, it helps no end to know I'm not alone on this one.

S

ps; hope you are feeling a bit happier soon Chinchilla.

OP posts:
Chinchilla · 13/07/2004 21:52

Well, all I can say is that reducing by 10mg (and still actually being on 10mg) made me feel awful, so I can understand why you are feeling so bad. Hope you start to feel better soon.

essbee · 13/07/2004 22:02

Message withdrawn

Original poster
glitterpuss · 14/07/2004 11:54

Hi, thanks again for your replies, support is priceless...although I wish none of us were suffering from the effects of depression or the anti-depressants.

Essbee - my GP gave me some anti-sickness tablets to take with the Cipralex when I first started taking them as she said they can cause nausea but this does subside once you are into them a bit more. I hate feeling nauseaus so I took these for a while and it was ok, maybe you could try asking about that. Hope I haven't freaked you out about the Cipralex - they must have helped me as I was in a right state prior to them but absolutely fine once on them, I just wish I had been more sensible and not gone (or had to go!!) cold turkey!!

Today I feel a smidge better, still a bit dizzy and spaced out and lacking energy but that may be due to lack of appetite and therefore food, I'm just going to rest and hope that the worst is over.

Bugsy2 - any idea from your GP, sister and friend on how long the withdrawal symptoms may last??

S

OP posts:
juniper68 · 14/07/2004 16:31

Hi all,

I came off cipramil very very slowly. I was on 20mg then went to 20 one day 10 the next. Chinchilla have u tried this or even halving tabs so u take 15 one day? then I took 10 a day then alternate then every 2 days. It took me 3 months to come off them but no withdrawal. I'm on SJW liquid now and feel ok.

Chinchilla · 14/07/2004 23:20

Juniper - I started by trying to go straight onto 10mg, but felt so bad (my gp was amazed by this BTW) that I wenr up to 15mg a day for a week, then 15mg one day, 10mg the next for a week or two. Then I went down to 10mg a day. The side effects were not there, but the depression hit me hard again after a month, and I had to go back up to 20mg. I have not got 'happy' yet, despite being on 20mg again for about 2-3 months

juniper68 · 15/07/2004 13:26

Awww chinchilla I feel bad for you What else has been suggested? Do you need different med perhaps? You can't go on like this hun x

Chinchilla · 16/07/2004 14:19

I know I am going to chat to GP soon. It is weird because, outwardly, I can still laugh and carry on as (almost) normal. Only people who know me well can tell that I am not quite right. However, it is a strain to do this, and sometimes I don't make arrangements to see people, because it is just too much effort. I feel strangled inside, like I need to scream and rock myself. I want to be able to cry it all out, but I can't seem to cry at the momemt (ADs?) It is really horrible, and ds is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. Not sure what to do. Some days are fine, some are bearable, and some are HORRIBLE.

juniper68 · 18/07/2004 13:35

I totally agree with you Chinchilla when you say you're unable to cry. That's one thing I was pleased about after finishing ADs. I've already said but I went to a school friend's funeral and blubbered. I felt so real.
I'm not saying I regret taking them but I hope I don't need them again.

I'm going to try to find the technique that Paul Mckenna uses for panic attacks. It's a tapping thing?? I'm not having them now but dread them coming back, it'd be good to have something to do. I saw him use it on This morning a while back.

Chinchilla · 19/07/2004 02:23

I'd be interested in knowing about that Juniper. I have had panic attacks, and they ARE horrible.

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